Netflix's 'Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain' to present K-comedy

Celeb Five members, from left, Song Eun-yi, Shin Bong-sun, Kim Shin-young and Ahn Young-mi, pose during an online press conference for the new Netflix show, "Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain," Wednesday. Courtesy of Netflix

By Lee Gyu-lee

K-pop girl group Celeb Five, comprised of four veteran comedians ― Song Eun-yi, Ahn Young-mi, Shin Bong-sun and Kim Shin-young ― will show off Korean comedy to overseas audiences through Netflix's new show, "Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain," set to release on Friday.

Led by the producer of Netflix's original show, "Busted!," Kim Joo-hyung ― who also directed the stand-up comedy, "Lee Su-geun: The Sense Coach" ― as well as producer Go Min-seok, the mockumentary follows the four comedians-cum-singers preparing for their stand-up comedy special.

"We were actually offered to do a stand-up comedy show at first, but the real comedy was in our process of brainstorming and discussing. So we suggested (to the production team) to make that into the show instead," the group's creator and leader, Song, said during a press conference for the show, Wednesday.

The producers said that the show will take the viewers through the hilarious, yet relatable, comedic scenes resulting from the group members' interactions.

"The global audience will be able to relate to the comedy material from the show. It will give them a peek of what comedians talk about in real life," Go said. "The audience will be able to connect with the stories the members show, and say, 'My family's like that,' or, 'I didn't know Koreans are like that too.'"

Adding that the members took part in the production from planning and development to screening, Kim said the show will also offer a behind-the-scenes look at how comedy shows are made.

"When people think of a comedy show, many expect a huge stage with a big audience. But if you think outside the box, I thought, 'We can use different places as stages for comedy,'" Kim said. "The viewers will be able to see how they made this funny comedy show."

A scene from the show, "Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain" / Courtesy of Netflix

The members expressed excitement about presenting their show on a global streaming platform.

"K-pop has become increasingly popular. And as a K-pop girl group and group of comedians, (Celeb Five) has a certain uniqueness. There's comedy that springs from the four of us having fun," Kim Shin-young said. "I believe 'Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain' will be a go-to show for K-comedy."

Shin said that she also feels a sense of responsibility to present a Korean comedy show amid the growing attention toward Korean series around the world.

"I'm thrilled to be part of such a huge project. But at the same time, we were one of the first ones to show Korean comedy, since Korean culture has gotten more of a spotlight worldwide recently. So we felt somewhat responsible," she said. "We wanted to make it a good one. So we tried to weave Celeb Five's strong suit into the show."

Ahn, who is known for raunchy comedy routines, shared that she enjoyed making the show on Netflix, as it gave her more freedom for her R-rated jokes.

"I thought, 'It's about time.' I could finally show off my R-rated comedy that I can't fully express in Korea," she said. "Netflix is not much about censorship; like there are far fewer limits. So I thought, 'This is my turn to show myself.'"

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