Netflix to release an abundance of unscripted Korean reality shows
Indeed, in Korea, reality and variety shows are among the most beloved entertainment. With streaming giant Netflix’s growing unscripted lineup, we’re seeing global audiences and K-Content fans discover these unique and wildly innovative titles.
Exciting for every one of us, this year, Netflix will release at least eight Korean unscripted titles, making it double last year. Their commitment to production and creativity puts Netflix at the forefront of sharing unscripted Korean shows with audiences around the world.
Now, the streaming platform is exhilarated to provide everyone with a sneak peek into its growing unscripted slate. The lineup includes a rich variety of themes such as dating, physical endurance, mind games, and zombies. Truly, members will be able to enjoy a new unscripted show either monthly or bimonthly.
New rules, new setting, new ‘Inferno’
Starting off our list with blazing heat, they are bringing back the hot dating reality show Single’s Inferno for a third season. Changes in rules and location have been made to further spice up the romantic roulettes.
When Netflix received the proposal for Single’s Inferno at the end of 2020, there weren’t many dating programs in Korea. They set out to close the gap locally and ended up winning fans globally.
Certainly and undeniably, the first season became the first Korean unscripted show to debut on the Global Top 10 Non-English TV list. Thereafter, Season 2 was featured in the Global Top 10 for four weeks and pulled in even higher viewing hours.
One of the unique characteristics of the streaming giant’s unscripted shows is that the production of our entire season is complete before the drop. Of course, this is unlike TV broadcasters that air an episode each week, enabling Netflix to deliver higher quality and provide localized subtitles, as well as dubbing in some countries, so that viewers in over 190 countries can enjoy the show at the same time.
A fresh spin on the familiar
Dating and survival reality TV shows are well-loved formats around the world. Netflix has put its own inimitable stamp on them. For a new take on young love, Nineteen to Twenty is a never-before-seen style of a reality show that will evoke romantic memories of your youth.
The extremely grueling Physical: 100 is currently #2 in our Global Top 10 Non-English TV series, and featured in the Top 10 in 62 countries worldwide. We are just two weeks from finding out the winner.
Following that, we’ll have Siren: Survive the Island, where teams of Korea’s fittest women with different backgrounds fight to survive on an uninhabited island.
Because of Netflix’s commitment to preserving the creator’s vision, they have had the opportunity to work with some of Korea’s top unscripted showrunners and creatives. Jeong Jong-yeon pioneered Korea’s survival shows based on mind games. Now, she reigns as the mastermind behind their upcoming series The Devil’s Plan.
And since Korea is famous for its zombies, the platform decided to take the genre to the next level with Zombieverse. Here, contestants are fighting for survival as Seoul comes under a zombie attack. To make the set more realistic, the production involved the art team from All of Us Are Dead while the zombies were trained by the choreographers of Kingdom.
Also, Netflix will be launching their first unscripted mid-form show. With a short running time of half an hour, as well as an incredibly short production time of three months, they will be able to present timely and relevant topics to us Netflix subscribers.
“We’re committed to creating must-watch entertainment for a variety of audiences in Korea and around the world, and we’re thrilled to see our growing lineup of unscripted titles find new fans everywhere,” says Netflix.
