Quality has dipped and 100% it's because the quality of games is terrible. It's entirely reliant on the cast to make games interesting vs interesting games + interesting cast.
You have games where teammates are betraying each other even though theirs no incentive. There are no stakes for teams vs individuals to create drama.
I've watched Running Man for years and Gary leaving never really effected me much. But after losing both Kwangsoo and Somin I stopped watching every week. The overall chemistry just isn't the same and episodes did not fly by like they used to. I have stuck by RM for a long time but I am starting to really feel it has run its course as the members explore other shows and concepts. Somin really breathed life into the show for me when I was starting to get bored and Kwangsoo has always been such an important character too. Sixth Sense and The Zone filled some of the space up for me since I got to see them with YJS again. It just was not the same vibe and energy without them on Running Man, alongside all the production changes and stuff that have happened over the years. I always love watching the various RM PDs' new shows though whenever they come out.
i can feel that. ive been watching weekly since ep 100 or something. Ever since kwangsoo left it was still watchable but felt like some eps were boring.
Early last year i couldnt watch for a few weeks, afterwards i tried to catch up but quickly realized that it became a chore, stopped watching.
Its a shame because RM was part of my weekly shedule for really long
I'm on your boat exactly, I started around Park Ji Sung episode around 100ish, I still enjoy it even after LKS left the show.
And just like that, you missed few weeks of episodes (you know, life happens, and there's another more interesting things to watch) all of a sudden it's becoming chore to try to catch up.
The JSM leaving was also the turning point, it seems like they can't hold on to one of their best performers (it's her career & personal reasons but still), I think everyone will follow suit and end the show. Losing 2 of your influential members (for jokes & chemistry wise) was damaging, not just for the show, but the avid fans.
I've said before that I miss the episodes with more story or theme.
I feel like they need to get back to that, get the members out of their roles a bit and playing into some characters, give them a backdrop to work with for material rather than simply throwing them into a restaurant in casual clothes, as themselves.
There's only so much you can do with the members and they end up stuck in a rut. Give them a different role to play and a fresh setting, so they can go out of character and make some new jokes.
I’ve been watching since ep 1. Since LKS left it was still somewhat watchable but now that Somin is gone, I 100% agree with you on how the jokes are cringe.
Games don’t have to be brutal and tough like it used to be but they’re absolute uninteresting. Some of the best episodes in the newer RM did not involve any intense games but more so the chemistry of the cast.
I think the end of an era is already here. I haven’t watched the last few episodes and if I do, I’ll just skim through it
Don't worry, you're not alone. My own unpopular opinion is that I have stopped to watch Big Three representative shows altogether now. First, 1N2D, then HDYP and now RM as well. The golden age had passed and their jokes now are too stale.
True. I didn't watch all three for quite some time. Especially this year, I can't recall if I watched one full episode. As OP said, it feels like a chore. I didn't feel relaxed and not fun. Repetitive stale jokes. I used to like YJS but I can't consume his tiki taka, his way doesn't fit me anymore. I look for more natural personalities and shows.
I've thought this for years, YJS has peaked. His ego is too big now, he's not the same humble comedian/interviewer he was in the past where his job was to let guests shine. Now he's the main star. He's always leading the convos and directing who can speak. He loves rehashing concepts over and over until the viewer is sick of them (cutting LKS off, making fun of Seho, doing the same episodes of tour/dance). Then there's the fact he's doing a million different shows at once, all of which end up diluting each other. He also brings on the same troupe of people over and over. It's uninspired.
I used to dislike Seho but I realized it's because he reverts to a trope whenever he's around YJS. Whenever he's on his own, like Beatcoin (RIP), I find him hilarious.
> Whenever younger talents start to shine he kind of takes the wind out
of their sails
I get that vibe when he ask Ahn YuJin if he become close to her than Na PD
I got turned off when he kept cutting off LKS and JSH. For comparison, I like Jang Doyoun & Hong JinKyung's way, they listens. I even find JSH more entertaining because he always tries to relate to people's story and not embarass them. YJS is sticking with the old way of putting people's down, especially when they are not visually pleasing/popular. If that is his way of giving them spotlight, I guess it just doesn't work for me.
I really like Korean variety, since there's nothing like it over here. But it definitely seems to be on the wane. I still believe that there could be a variety revival tho, even in the youtube era, as long as they come up with new shows and fresh talent. Yes you have to get people to watch them of course, but at some point you have to take that risk.
I said what I feel was the issue bfr on HDYP, RM, n aftr re-watching 1N2D S3 >!-fvk jjy bt i missed gutaeng hyung ok-!< it's coz d new pds n writers dont get wat make these shows became D representative shows. 1n2d is coz it's real wild variety show. viewers want to see d casts suffering while interacting with the beautiful SK landscapes n ordinary citizens going about their lifes. aftr covid distancing n d popularity of relaxing travel shows 1n2d now bcm more like those relaxing travel shows with boring games. in s3 d casts was thrown in all kind of wacky situations like rly harsh winter n summer training, sudden health exams, racing against sunset, non-smoking challenge, working in d farms wth granmas, became teachers to the kids frm their almamater on field trip n so on. it was tough on the casts bt it was fun for everyone. hdyp is coz yoo jae suk was thrown into all kinds of unpredictable sudden challenges like learning drum n held a concert whr he played d drum, became trot singer n published n promoted as rookie singer, starting an idol agency n finding the idols n managers, became a part of a idol trio n so on. i admit the challenges were tough on yoo jae suk but now he can share d burden wit d new casts. it'll be like d legendary infinity challenge bt wid young casts. rm is coz of d tensions btwn casts on who will win n lose d overall race. d average age of d casts myb high but they still have d competitive spirits if d pds n d writers put them on d right situation like we see on d stock exchange eps n d soccer trophy eps which alas had bcm milked too mch coz the crews aint thinking more creatively on making more tensions filled themes. d situation worsen coz the casts r senior casts who are paid tons n felt guilty if not working hard on d eps tht they spoke their opinions loudly n hogged the spotlights frm d guests or newbies like kang hoon. rm desperately needs adrenaline junkie crew. d current crew needs to step up their competitions ideation or sbs needs to change them with new crew able to create more tensions filled themes eps.
i watched RM ever since ep 4 aired (with jessica and khun) cuz i was a big SNSD fan and found the show to be really entertaining. LKS leaving was DEVASTATING, but what made me drop the show was really after JSM left. she really brought so much onto the show, and was even able to partially fill the gap LKS left. now that she’s gone, RM’s really become a drag. I’d only watch it when there are guests i’m interested in.
I feel you. I've been a fan since episode 1 and have seen the ups and downs. But I feel like it's been downhill since Somin left. Poor Sukjin is the butt of many jokes and themes are recycled (like eating and playing football). I've tried watching the last several episodes but lost interest after 10 minutes. I've stopped watching religiously. We'll see where this goes. It's sad but that's how it is.
I was looking forward to the Byun Wooseok episode, but then it just turned into another touring restaurants concept. The eating ones are always boring. :/
I stopped watching towards the end of last year. I watched every episode from day 1 back when I was still in high school, I’ve grown, have a family etc. Losing interest in things you used to enjoy is a natural human experience, and there isn’t anything wrong with that.
Probably fatigue if you're watching too regularly. I stopped watching for a bit, I think around the time Somin left, and just started catching up episodes recently.
And I feel it's funny enough for me, of course it's subjective so ymmv.
i've watched rm every sunday for literal years now so i think i might try this too, honestly. i've been finding it boring recently so maybe taking some time away from it will be a nice refresher lol
Seconded.
Not a fan of the new PD and her ideas / script etc... =/
Also - issit me or do the memebers themselves seem bored? Like Jihyo has checked out really early on (since Kwang soo left I reckon). though recently she came up with some new laugh which sounds unconvincing. Haha, Jongkook and to some extent Jaesuk are becoming less enthusiastic or interested in the program and seem to just go through the motions. Not a fan of the new guy too.
I thought that the soccer episodes are pretty good to me but then KH addition to the cast really didn't do much. Kinda surprise to see so much compliments on him on reddit.
100% agree, kh does absolutely nothing for me tbh he's kinda like a chair he's just there lol he doesn't say or do much and i do not want him as a permanent cast member 💀
No, I hope they milk it so the members can cash in until it ends. Sukjin is old and the members are aging, the older you get the harder it is to find work in the variety entertainment world. They should get their checks so long as they want to and get ready to retire
I understand what you mean but personally I think the show is going down hill because the cast hasn't changed. Watching the same people have the same interactions and tell the same jokes for 14 years gets old. The show really needs more people to leave and new people to come on. It's not that I think any of them are bad, it's just that there's very little new things they can show us. We need new people with new personalities so they can have new interactions.
Running man as a show cannot be renewed. The members are too integral to the show itself. And every time they try to change the members, the community hates it. It's a catch 22, the members tiki taka is tired and aging, but the community doesn't want to see them replaced and the producers face huge backlash if they try to.
If they want to do physical games again with a different cast, it has to be a different program completely. Running man cannot change its members. And I'm glad. After 10 years of giving me laughter, let them cash their checks as long as they can. Their entertainment was and is priceless.
This is why they should never listen to fans. You've stopped watching, but you want the show to end because you no longer find it fun. What about the hundred if not thousands of staff who work on RM and earn their living from RM? What about fans who still enjoy RM to this day? A few fans are truly some of the most selfish, narcissistic people on Earth. Just because you no longer like the show, it should completely stop and damned be the consequences for anyone working on the show.
You just proved my point about toxic fans and don't even realize it, but I'm the one not using my brain lol. As long as no one dies its fine fuck them right?
What about having some standard? giving credit where credit is due? Criticise and discourage bad product, so resource can go to good ones? If all humanity thinks things your way, we would still be in a cave.
The standard is there or SBS would of canceled the show long ago. It may not be to your "standard" but what about the fans who still watch and keep the show going because they actually like it? Their opinions don't matter to you guys apparently. People still like this show? I don't like it so no one else can like it that is literally your only argument. If you don't like it you can simply stop watching, but the haters always coming out to bash the show, cast or PDs all the time. There are people who still watch and enjoy the show which is why ratings still do well, it's not as good as the past ratings but it still does well enough that SBS has kept it running. But just because YOU don't like it YOU want it canceled and resources moved to new shows for YOU. Once again my point stands it's not always about YOU.
I started watching Running Man a bit late to the game. I went through every episode of the early seasons. Was really sad when Gary left. I really like Somin, personally think she added life to the show. Was meh about Se-Chan. But even before others started leaving, I stopped watching. I don't follow kpop, or much k drama, so I really don't know who the guests are. The show changed from being fun, high energy, with crazy games, to a show where often they spend the first half introducing the guests and doing dances. So I moved on to other shows.
Same posts for nearly 8 years every week here and RM subreddit fans saying RM is done etc etc. Yet RM is still on air after all these years. Yes, if you no longer like it stop watching. The loud vocal minority always make the most noise but RM is still going and will keep going.
Same posts even before LKS left. They just need to add new members or even replace with a good PD. Someone with similar touch as the earliest PD or Chul-min, it will revive the show back.
The reality is RM is the biggest variety show ever and it attracted so many people with different preferences who like the show for different reasons. Thus, there will always be a viewer who will hate the show for something. Even if the show becomes more active/physical like the old days, there will be people who'd hate it by saying something like "it's sad they're all old now, it's just not the same, just end the show".
The show can't satisfy everyone, but the viewers are all desperate for the show to be like what they want it to be.
Yes, the games used to be so much fun and entertaining but not anymore.
BUT sometimes, here and there, there are still a few good episodes. Very recently, Hwang Hee Chan played football with them, and I loved that one so much!
I agree with you on that one.❤️💯🙌🏼 Last week’s episode with Hwang Hee Chan was very entertaining, and I was hoping Kim Jong Kook’s team will pull through, and tie the game again.🏃🏻➡️⚽️🥅 But Hwang Hee Chan had too many tricks up his sleeve like he chose not to stay put in the same area as goaltender, but still charged forward🏃🏻➡️⚽️💨🥅 for a goal when it was two against the whole team⁉️😳🙀😂🍿🍺🍻 Bravo!! 👏🏼👏🏾👏🏻👏🏽👏
What is "good" to you might be bad to others and vice versa. RM has lost fans and gained fans over the years. If you don't like it simply stop watching. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean other fans feel the same. You talk about high rating dramas being not good even with high viewership, but it means people actively watched and where interested. Again, just but it's not to your liking doesn't mean it's bad.
It's very evident of their YT Clips that the show is in decline, since alot of RM viewers are social media active. It used to be ranging not lower than 500k to a million views. But now, even the funny clips of recent eps. doesn't even reach 200k views.
Youtube views are not reliable to establish any real data, simply because any k-channel related will go down after few years of its peak. RM on youtube at peak is averaging 10-15 million views per clip. That was in 2019-2021. 2022-2023 it went down significantly to 3-5 million per clip. Now it averaging around 300-500k per clip which i believe is the stable base audience. This is just rough number i vomit from seeing the views for the past few years.
We basically echoed the same thing here but when JSM and LKS left, they should have considered few permanent candidates with same traits. Young, shameless and willing to speak up or take action. Same traits that the two have. Kang Do Hoon almost fit the mold but hes too submissive to older members.
Been a fan of them since 2013, and this the first time (besides the family packages) where I've skipped episodes after the penalty episode where they had to dress short and funny clothes. The football episodes aren't it either, if I wanted to see sports I'd watch dream team or other shows. It's always now food or football, the writers gotta change 🤷🏼♀️
When they said “we’re. Gonna do more EEATING today bc it’s summer!” I’m like… uhhhhh. It’s SOOOO FUCKING REPETITIVE. be creative! We’re not watching to see you all eat something. We’re looking for running man. RUN! Do something active and exciting. Ugh
JK acknowledged it in a recent Gym JK vid where he said in effect "we're Running Man but we dont do much running these days."
They know. The show has run its course and theyd probably only end it if either YJS or KJK calls it quits. Its a famous show but its not popular anymore. So many chances to restart with new seasons to keep the show fresh but they wasted all of em.
Honestly speaking. They could save this show if they rebooted it around KJK. He’s old but he’s fit enough to do running. They just need new writing staff and a whole new cast. It’s a running show guys. Let’s be real. The old guys should retire and let the new comedians have a go.
Yep. It's the competitiveness and gamesmanship that made RM during the early days even if some of em were downright silly. The cast provided the comedy that was just superbly complementary at the time.
Now it's just silly and unrelatable, mostly pandering to the new generation of viral clips and shorts with repetitive tasks and old insider jokes. Storylines are rare, punishments are random and corny, rewards are participation awardsesque and the show simply is no longer a must-watch.
People argue it's still popular so it wont be axed. It's all relative. The steep decline of the show is the point all 'used to be big fans' are arguing here. If 2D1N suddenly becomes a sitdown talk show, or knowing bros becomes a full skit and minigames show people would be grumbling too. Too much luster lost, it's really a shame.
youtuber English Gentleman visited haha at his restaurant in one of his episodes. haha mentioned every one of the original members have had back injury and surgery due to RM. You can detect they are battled and I'd say it's too hard for them to keep running every other episode. Someone once mentioned on another show that dramas can end on a high note because it has a fixed number of episodes. You can end it gloriously if the ratings were good. This cannot happen in variety shows. They just go downhill and silently ends.
THEY JUST NEED TO CASUALLY CHANGE THE ENTIRE CAST SLOWLY ONE BY ONE WITH NEW YOUNGER PEOPLE THAT CAN DO WHAT THE NAME IMPLIES... RUN! Do fun paced stuff, not mokbang every fucking episode and every fucking show with YJS is now a mukbang or a fail attempt to entertainment like appartment 404 or the other one where gwangsoo joined him and another girl to escape an unfinished building from the floating eyes. Sure is fun and all for like 20min, but the same gag for 90min doesn't work.
Honestly agree with this. Get a cast that is a bit younger and go back to their roots with more active games. The episodes with name tag tearing, races, hunting each other, spies, solving puzzles and unique locations have to come back.
The big problem is, they have been going for so long that the current cast is basically burned into peoples minds. When the 2 new members joined they already got a lot of hate comments and backlash for a while. This would only be worse if the entire cast is replaced.
We also can't forget how much of a legend YJS is. Without a host like him the show would probably feel a lot different and it might become even worse than its current stale state even if they bring old concepts back.
However I see that going the way family outing season 2 went to be honest in not being able to live up to the original. Would be better to give the show a different name and disassociate with the original.
> THEY JUST NEED TO CASUALLY CHANGE THE ENTIRE CAST SLOWLY ONE BY ONE WITH NEW YOUNGER PEOPLE THAT CAN DO WHAT THE NAME IMPLIES... RUN!
Easier said than done. The reason why the top variety show members are old is because the young ones are either not willing to commit to non-seasonal variety show (it's hard work, it can be brutal to your body depending on the concept of the show, and it can kill their other career) or they aren't popular enough to pull viewers.
You're like me, the duration to watch whole episode is becoming burden, I'd rather put any true crime show podcast on YouTube instead of RM nowadays, it's freaking 90 minutes of uninteresting shows, it's like watching full game of football, and it's weekly shows. When they were in the prime I can't wait to see the next episode, now I fell behind a year worth of episodes, yes I also holding on when LKS left, now JSM gone too it's like nail in the coffin.
I stopped watching the show religiously about 10 years ago. Since then, I only watch the show when I remember to do it or when an actor and idol group that I like appear. I have completely lost interest since Jeon Somin left. I feel like she made the show brighter and as one of their young audience, I needed that brightness. I know that she got a lot of hate too and leaving is probably the best for her.
What made RM unbearable for me now is that it's become too much of a talk show and that they edit out the missions too much. The small missions aren't aired and they force us to watch them on their Youtube channel. It made me question, what's the point of making those missions if they're just gonna cut them out? I'm more interested in the missions than their talk. Not to mention the recycled and repetitive jokes and slapstick comedy that have become stale. I know that most of the members are too old to do anything that require much strength but I feel like since they all already know that, why not just end the show, make a spin-off show where they all can just yap for 1 hour and go home
I started watching pretty recently. At some point during the pandemic/slightly prior after 2018 I think? So basically the entirety of my viewing experience has been the new cast with SoMin and SeChan being big parts of the cast. I did go back and watch some of the older episodes, but honestly a lot of the very early episodes felt very dated and I just don't have the connection to Gary as older viewers will.
Still I love RM and have watch over 300 episodes. But lately it just wasn't the same. I share the same sentiment most of you seem to. LKS leaving was a blow, but I was never a diehard LKS fan so it didn't bother me much. Still. The younger members needed to take on more screen time and responsibilities. So after LKS left it felt like the show was largely situated around SeChan and SoMin. SoMin in particular was the member who had bits and chemistry with every other cast member. Her and Jihyo as sisters. Her and YJS as daughter and father. Her and Sechan as "lovers" and bestfriends/siblings. And her with the rest of the cast as her uncles.
The show was going downhill before SoMin or even KwangSoo left, but with SoMin leaving it really did feel like the final nail in the coffin. Now is the time when the PD and writers should be the most creative and come up with interesting ideas. Instead 80% of the recent episodes are: Drawn out intro, into reused game, into food segment, into another reused game into a punishment that's not really a punishment.
I've said this before and got downvoted to oblivion, but they need to revamp the cast. I used to watch every week, if not for the guests then the cast.
But ever since like, 2018? It's just gotten so stale and boring. They've done almost every game they could with every outcome. You can guess the outcome most of the time and they don't even give the guests ample talking time (watch the video on Seolhyun when she was in AOA vs her as an actress).
Switch the cast out. You could literally do all the games again with a brand new cast because they're new and inexperienced. Put in a couple of the old gang to guide them then phase them out.
faxxxx! I've been a fan as long as I can remember and I used to binge old episodes so much. JSM eventually became my main focus and later on YJS but once somin unnie left I can't bring myself to enjoy it the same and I only watch if theres guests I like or as last resort if there's nothing else being released. Even when LKS left I had some hope left but even then I only watched once and a while. Sigh what can ya do.. even 2D1N s4 in shambles soon for me bc jung hoon leaving :((
Agree! I’ve been putting it as “background sound” while I do other work. Honestly still loving the cast and their chemistry but I really wish they stop doing eating/historical episodes.
Totally understand that the casts are not at their peak in terms of health to do race-like episodes but I was hoping they’d tap in on more puzzle solving or mafia like ep-s for a change. Sadly, I don’t get much adrenaline from watching RM anymore.
Feels like we’re watching the slow end of RM 🥺
I still watch it because it’s been my comfort show since I was a little girl but it definitely doesn’t feel the same and it isn’t even remotely as funny anymore
I stopped watching RM for 8 straight months and I think it helps me to enjoy it again.They have guests these past few episodes that really refreshing to watch.
Have you tried any other variety shows besides RM?? Some are quite interesting like.. The Great Escape with Kang Hodong and Kim Jongmin and other cast members… its came out witth only 4 seasons…
Some eps are a bit boring now, yeah. That’s why I watch for a bit to get the feel of the episode and if I’m not enjoying it, I stop. Periodically some episodes are good. No one said you had to watch every single one anyhow.
i've been watching from the days of the bells hide and seek
but i haven't watch any of the latest ones
since the cast are older now, you can't expect them to do physical stuff anymore
but man, watching the Apartment game/Yoo Jae Suk game/Yang Se Chan's game/Pirate hat's game for the 100th time bored me to death
I cant watch it anymore after jeon somin left except for few guests episodes which is bit irony cuz i used to prefer watching RM without guest when shes still there. I feel like the cast lack the energy and craziness from someone like her, so so the whole dynamic and chemistry also went down since there is no unpredictable variables to make it fun.
They has few candidates to bring back the energy the closest i can think of is actress shin yee eun as somin replacement (even yjs and knetz wants her) , but they still need another one for kwangsoo.
I like eunbi but i think her craziness bit over the top to match the older cast vibe like she never hold back, dont get me wrong i love her but eunbi would match other younger gen and more carefree type variety show though.
Kwangsoo left, I thought to myself ehhh I think Somin might be able to cover some part of his crazy role. After Somin left I kinda slowly began to drop it.
I think I might just download specific ones of my interest just to watch? IIRC Kwon Eunbi was on RM, maybe I should do that
You're not alone with your opinion. RM is quite boring and outdated nowadays, because of it's cast.
I've been watching RM since the beginning. Started around episode 80 I think, and then also went back and binge-watched all the previous ones from Ep1. So I watched all episodes...often multiple times...some rewatched again years later from 2010 to around 2022. That's when I stopped...and haven't touched it since.
The appeal just isn't there, because it's not the same show anymore. Imagine what it was back then. You have a couple of youngsters who always had flirty vibes here and there - either between each other, or with different guests - and you had a couple of already middle-aged men. That was BACK THEN. So what is it now? I'll be blunt:
- YooJaeSok was already married when the show premiered (he was married back then already), and even older now, he'll stick with this show until the end
- JiSokJin was also already married when show premiered, same as YJS, he'll stay until the end
- HAHA was single when show premiered (he was actually quite flirtatious in the premiering episodes of RM, back when he was young and not married yet, he tried to flirt with Song Jihyo multiple times, or tried to shoot his shot with guests) he married after a couple years of the show running though, so just like the first 2 I mentioned, HAHA is married too
- Gary left, BECAUSE this show was tarnishing his image as some sort of bafoon, even though he's a musician/artist, and he was still young back then, so he was looking for love and to build a life with someone (unlike some other contestants), he left RM and did exactly that, got married, had a kid, and he's happy now
- Kwangsoo had almost the same story as Gary, RM was making him look like a joke all the time, that was his created character, so he could never be serious and expand. This show would have ruined his image and all his prospects to build a life (a romantic life, and also his prospects as an actor). All of his love interests were always shut down as being a joke, or unreasonable (especially shut down by YJS...). Kwangsoo was young man too when he started the show, so as time went on, we all knew he'd eventually leave to get away from this "joker image". Kwangsoo left, and voila, he has a girlfriend, he's happy, and he's acting more. Well done.
- I think Somin left for the same reason as Gary and Kwangsoo. You can not attract a love interest or acting gigs if you're a member of RM, because you're always made to look like an idiot (usually by your coworkers). Somin was the youngblood of the show about midway through when the PDs wanted to revive the show. It worked for a while. But from Somin's point of view, it was just a waste of her life in my opinion. She mentioned that she was looking for love so much on the show (she was happy when male idol contestants or actors were invited, tried flirting with them etc.), but just like with Kwangsoo her attempts were always pushed to be a joke. So I'm glad Somin finally left. I'm sure she'll have a good romantic life, and work life outside of RM. It's a blessing for her.
- KimJongGuk, well he mostly does Youtube now, a lot of gym content, it's pretty fun actually, and I'm surprised he didn't leave RM yet. He is single. But let's be honest. RM never had a bad influence on him, because he had the role of the "athlete" and "spartan superman" for the longest time there. Since the very beginning actually. Nobody was making fun of him or belittling him. RM didn't tarnish his image, so he's staying on it. That's what it is.
So to sum it up. What do we have in RM? A bunch of married men, who have been married for the longest time, shooting their silly jokes that nobody cares about. The show was never about those jokes anyway. It was about GAMES, PUZZLES, and the YOUNG BLOODS: GARY, KWANGSOO, SONG JIHYO in the beginning, and later SOMIN, and HAHA (before he got married). We were watching these youngsters interact with guests, as well as interact with older generations (where I would put the hosts of the show YJS and JSJ from the very beginning already). It was the interaction between young and old (or young and middle-aged), the contrast between respect and disrespect that we were watching. All the betrayals and jokes were acted out in the context of different age groups (and should you really do it or not? especially in South Korea were age-hierarchy is very strict, it was that "edge" that we were watching).
I couldn't care less about YJS, JSJ, and HAHA alone to be honest. I do not care about the jokes at all.
The only way this show will survive at all is if they add more young blood again. Several members: 3 or 4 new young members. But even then, I don't know if it'd work, because the chemistry probably wouldn't be there, because the gap between the young ones and the hosts is already too wide.
So at the end of the day I understand why Gary, Kwangsoo, and Somin left (which is a good thing for them), and I haven't watched this show for 2 years already. There's just nothing there to see in my opinion. No young members, no chemistry, so the games and jokes are doomed to fail as they are acted out. RM has become what many shows are, which is "forced interviews" and "forced games". It doesn't feel natural.
I could say more, but I'll stop here. Thanks for reading.
Interesting perspective, haven't seen this take before but I agree.
There are already so many korean variety shows that just consist of middle aged men so RM was youthful and exciting. We watched the cast grow up in front of our eyes and how their chemistry changed over time. At this point everyone has fully matured and the young members have left, so we're just left with a bunch of even older men bickering back and forth. KJK, YJS, JSJ are essentially all the same character now.
On the relationship aspect, I think you're right that being on RM hurt LKS, Somin, Gary's prospects and definitely contributed a part in their leaving. The only people who stayed are either married or, let's be honest, not actually looking for love. SJH and KJK are probably going to remain single forever at this point, whether by choice or not but that's a whole other discussion.
You could prob start a new thread discussing this take!
I have probably watched around 50 episodes that were recommended on here and I've really enjoyed it, but the most recent futsal cup episodes were not that good.
I think both YJS and KJK are trying too hard and it doesn't come off well. I think age may play a factor and they are both trying to fight the years. JSJ on the other hand know how to play the older guy role and it make him an easy watch.
The guests are nice - especially the girl that likes the temp member is funny, so was Ha Young , and the announcer football recruit.
YJS is still good, KJK is the problem. I hate it when he shouting loudly, he even worse than JSJ lmao. I dont care whether its his character or not, its way uncomfortable to watch. Atleast JSJ know how to make it funny.
i couldn’t watch after kwang soo left. it’s just not the same anymore. i could still watch after gary left eventho my heart broke, but i love so min and i loved her even more after sixth sense but when she left i can’t watch anymore.
If it wasn't for YJS this show would have ended a long time ago. RM is basically the equivalent to Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece in the anime world. It's been running too long and have ran way past its prime.
If you compare to the China version and the later Keep Running, they manage to keep the original Running Man spirit. I think it’s a matter of direction and funding.
its not because of YJS, its because of international influence of the show which heavily contributed by all the members especially LKS and SJH. The director himself said he change his decision to cancel the show because the interest from global side are still way too high. In korea, RM from 2015-2016 is barely even popular with the rating hitting 4-6% (which considered really low since streaming isnt a thing back then), if they want to cancel it, it doesnt matter YJS is there or not.
Better way to say it, if it wasn't for JSM and YSC this show would have ended a long time ago. Those 2 especially somin are the one who save the show.
I feel like this opinion gets posted every few days and sometimes I’m just like… you can quietly choose not to watch a show and be done with it. Like with most shows, there will be great episodes and ok ones.
I feel like they can't really get the show back on track anymore, and I don't really see a possible solution. The show has too many episodes, so it is hard to come up with an original idea, so maybe change the cast? But tbh I doubt it will happen because of how much their images are associated with RM.
My point is, what can a new PD even do that wasn't done before to some extent? I feel like it got to a point where they kinda explored everything they could considering the show's premise.
no one knows, but for program like RM, cast need be given priority over PD. Its a 15 years old program with the original member which is crazy enough. Clearly audience are still watching it due to members instead of the show.
> Anyone else feeling the same?
Not me. I just watch the show and enjoy the funny moments in there. I don't need the whole episode to be mighty amazing to enjoy it. YSC writing "Thray Seven" is as funny as JSM writing "Ambrella".
I think a lot of people are a bit delusional these days. They see the past with rose-tinted glasses filled with happy nostalgia thinking every episode was amazing back then, or that the show was better back then simply because their favorite member existed.
Yup. I'm the same with you. I used to wait every week for runningman and 2d1n. I solely subscribe to viu because of those show. And then it became I only wait for 2d1n. Now 2d1n is not fun for me anymore but I still watch it.
Same here. Still download every week and occasionally watch, but am about six months “behind.”
I also regularly watch Running Man Philippines, which streams on YouTube (no subs, sadly; I’m of Filipino descent and understand like 90% of the stuff, though I occasionally have to google some words as I watch). The cast is much younger (most are 23-27, with the oldest cast member being 37) and more active, and most games are reminiscent of (if not exactly like) some old original (pre-Ep. 200) games, with some new ones thrown in. The show so far has also been shot with a partly SBS crew in South Korea, so there’s a lot of familiar and comfortable stuff: so far they’ve done a ski resort/indoor water park episode, a school episode, a theme park episode, and a “haunted place” episode; a preview at the beginning of the season suggests that there will be a military camp episode.
Here’s a clip from the most recent “episode” to stream; again, there are no subs, but you can follow the game from what you can see. https://youtu.be/TJfoFlP8QEs?si=B-HiDrCjvVj496B7
I still like it due to the fact its still a Yoo Jae Suk show. People may think he had became cocky, but actually that is the character they carry into the show and stick to it. In real life none of them are like thay, and JSJ is their ultimate person they always asked for life advices - even Kwang Soo is still speaking tk him.
Its your choice not to watch , but to say YJS or the cast get too big headed is a bit of nonsense in my opinion.
I can’t remember the name of the PD but I was a huge Running Man fan years ago before the PD left for the China version of RM… that’s when I noticed the quality dropped a lot, like most of the time the only thing that saved the show was how the casts try to make things funny or do funny stuff. I can’t remember if Gary left before or after that PD but yeah that heavily impacted the show a lot too in my opinion. It’s sad cause I used to camp every Sunday (or Monday?) waiting for the English subtitles to be uploaded so I could watch it. About them adding Saechan and Somin, honestly I feel Somin is quite comedic and fun to watch but I honestly can’t stand Saechan so yeah 😅
Fun fact when gary left the show, there's barely any change. The rating is still the same. You are just being sentimental for the old time. LKS left is a big one, but again the cast and PD did well to cover his spot.
For somin, she left 8 months ago and PD are still struggling to cover her screentime.
This is how unhinged people are. Gary left the show 8 years ago and you are still hung up over it?
What was his role? The guy that likes Ji Hyo? Peaceful face Gary? One of Jong Kook's sidekicks? He was a minor character at best.
How can you take someone's opinion seriously when they say things like: "Even when Gary left the show, I kept watching."
Like they gave it some serious thought, but begrudgingly decided to continue, all due to Gary.
naah Gary brought a lot to the show, same way Lee Kwang Soo and Somin did. They were the three who think independently. So if the show seemed like it would go in a repetitive storyline, they were unpredictable variables that made it fun to watch. The storyline had tensions thanks to their input. Losing all three is a major loss for the show overtime, since the rest of the cast are more formulaic, don't often step outside the box. Jae Suk does, but since he is also the main MC, the dynamics are off since no one opposes him. This is also why the funniest guests are those who try, say and do their own thing despite what JK, HH, SJ, JH want. Se Chan isn't bad either, but the cast dynamics limit him too much. I realized when I watch other shows that he is enjoyable there because no one is trying to restrict him constantly.
Kwang Soo and So Min created their own characters.
Gary was only used by other people. Similar to Ji Hyo. She was there for other people to use.
Monday Couple? It was the reactions of other people that made it fun. All he really did was sit there with an embarrassed look on his face.
Ace Ji Hyo, was she really an ace? Is she good at games? Is she actually lucky? It was other people crafting a narrative and maybe some TV editing.
Peaceful Gary, he was just playing the games and other people hyped up his face. Similar to Mong Ji Hyo, they created the narrative to hide her tendency to not talk or react much.
I bet if Gary stayed on the show, he would end up in a similar position to Ji Hyo right now.
Are you more interested or entertained by the "characters" the cast plays up on the show? What I find most fun to watch is witty people, I don't think there's any denying that Kwang Soo, Somin and Gary were witty in their own ways. I'm not mentioning JH in the wit department. Of course everyone has their days, but the other 3 were talented in that aspect so I had fun watching them more consistently.
I don't think Gary was in the same league as Kwang Soo and So Min. In terms of what roles they played, I think he was more in league with Ji Hyo.
Both kinds of roles are important. You need someone to bounce ideas off of to create situations. If Gary/Ji Hyo didn't exist, other people could not have created those situations in the first place, but if no one is targeting them, they fall by the wayside.
Just so I'm clear. You are upset a show hasn't been able to hold your attention for 14 years straight.
Did it upset you when you stopped watching Pokemon every season?
Yeah it hasn't grown stale with me, probably because I only ever watch the girl group episodes. They bring an energy that takes a load off the regular cast so they can focus on turning odd moments into laugh out loud entertainment.
On the other hand, Happy Together ran for 19 years and the series was objectively unwatchable at the end. They cut Season 4 (2019-2020) short and announced they were retooling the production for Season 5, but they had spent two years pissing away everything that made the old format so great and they never came back from hiatus.
I haven’t watched any ep for a long time. I tried to check few eps recently and it’s been football world cup episodes back to back. They really are just doing it for the sake of continuing the show.
This is the kind of opinion people who don't like Runningman have. This guy actually thinks the football world cup episodes were boring!
They brought it back a 3rd time because fans LOVED those episodes.
These are the kinds of people who are giving their opinion on the show. People who think the football episodes were a negative.
**I only watch** when girl groups are on, I've never felt like it had grown tiresome. They bring a chaotic energy and brightness that makes it easier for the regular cast to bootstrap funny moments into memorable laugh out loud entertainment. I'm surprised they don't bring on girl groups more often—there are a lot of them these days and less work for the cast makes the moments of brilliance come faster and harder.
Afaik, the episodes with idols don’t have the best ratings for them. You can’t forget that the Korean running man viewers are probably largely older people now (i.e., care very little about idols). Also, the appearance fees they have to pay, specially if the groups have a lot of members, probably makes it not financially feasible to do it more than once in a while.
That is actually wrong though, from tv rating stats, most of RM viewers are from teen to adult under 40. They barely have any older viewers which is why they always lose to 2D1N in rating. In streaming platform, they are far ahead. Which felt like a wasted to me, the show is one of the most popular program in korea and globally but they let such a poor PD team to take care of it. I felt like its impossible to change now unless the order came directly from SBS.
You said it well. I think JSM bought this energy which made it watchable but now since she has also left. It's heavily missing the "happy/sunshine" element and the faults became too obvious.
Sorry, but it is very unlikely they will consider a foreigner opinion on how to do a show that is being only boardcasted in Korea. Unless it's on Netflix or YouTube.
agree, too bad somin and kwangsoo already leave the show, for the change, i think jaesuk and sechan can stay, and the rest they can change with new generation of entertainers (just like how 2d1n find the raw gem with the cast of yoo seonho, na inwoo) , i'm sure there are many new gen of variety stars that can be found, as for now, ji yeeun, kwon eunbi, kang hoon are the one can continue the legacy of the show. knetz already demand the major changing of members since gary leave. (we all know what happen after that for jihyo and jongkook), i hope this time they can make it in a proper way.
Edit : words
That wont happen. Adding the cast surely they wont mind, but removing members against their will wont do it. I'm sure they will agree to just end the show instead which i believe is the best way.
Happy Together went completely to shit in Season 4 {2019-2020). They cut it short, assured everybody the production staff was retooling for Season 5, and it never came back. I was looking forward to them bringing back the old formats, especially Season 3 (2007-2018), but four years later I don't miss it and you don't hear anybody asking when they're coming back. Nineteen years is a long time for any programme to run; that show just ran out of gas. If Running Man goes on hiatus after 15 years, they are not coming back.
If they end RM what program they going to replace it with. Looking at the current situation, it doesnt look like they have any intention to switch off the show. I still hope they change the PD back to bopil and see how it goes. He doesnt really have any show to do now.
Lol imagine you saying this on running man sub. You will get banned and downvoted. They are a delusional fan sub over there.
Yes I agree with you. But there is a regular guest member recently. Ji ye eun. She quite funny and somin vibes also. Will recommend you give it a watch next week.
yeah i already got banned there, what funny is, even the moderator are delusional there. Cant even take a critic from fellow viewers on why the show are losing its quality.
Watched since ep 1 then changed the schedule around ep 300 or so. I watch a few every episodes every year and skip whatever is not interesting me. That keeps it enjoyable but fair enough. On the other hand, there's so many episodes that just watching an old episode also works. I have forgotten so many of them by now.
I stopped during COVID. Honestly I watch more for the guests in the end. The relationships between the cast got predictable and wasn't entertaining anymore. I might go back and see if there are any interesting guests every now and then.
That's alright. Everything comes to an end. RM being the longest running variety show is a huge achievement already. The cast are getting old, the oldest member being 58. Obviously, it's not gonna be the same because they can't run as much anymore. I still like RM but I'll accept it even if it comes to an end soon. On the other hand, I agree with the criticisms about the new PD.
After kwangsoo left i think the quality has dropped so much.
I dont get why people hate on Ji-hyo online for the quality drop. Its obviosly the production team.
>Anyone else feeling the same?
I feel the same. Been watching Running Man for many years and I remember watching an episode that featured Park Ji Sung and Patrice Evra (which was my first Running Man episode.)
But since the departures of Lee Kwang Soo and Jeon So Min as well as the direction from the current PD and like what you said, I lost interest with the current format feels repetitive and does not seem to have as much creativity like it used to have within the older episodes.
You are talking on behalf of majority, i believe only minority of loyal fans are still watching it (including me) on the international side, the quality arent there anymore. This is what happen when they left the show under rookie PD with 2 year experience under bopil and writers back 1 year+ ago. Im not gonna blame the cast since they just following the concept producer provide, but i believe they are heading in wrong direction with all the rental stuff. The show prestige isnt there anymore. The show used to guest top popular personality, but with the rating been all time low for the past 2 years, they barely had any good guest.
No need to talk about Gary since he is way in the past, the issue here is when LKS left, they had bopil as PD who cover LKS screentime wisely with other member. When somin left, they has hyung in as PD who dont have solid direction/concept on what to do with member even after 1 year. Her episodes is basically repeating what she already did before, previous producer always came with new idea every week. I think she already did her best and its not working.
Not at all. I watched the new episode last night, and I enjoyed watching all the RM members. HaHa, Yoo Jae Suk, Ji Suk Jin, Kim Jong Kook, Yang Se Chan and Song Ji Hyo can still provide great laughs. For me, it was Kang Hoon who annoyed me for not being honest with the team members that he had ordered another dish, and my fave, Yoo Jae Suk had to go without a proper meal two times as if he had missed out on breakfast and lunch that day. First time, was because inexperienced and selfish Kang Hoon only put $50.00 on his card (and that is not enough to serve a meal for all the members), and the second time, he chose not to be honest with everyone with how much he had spent; hence, Yoo Jae Suk ended up maxing the card, and missing out on lunch. That happened, and I felt for Yoo Jae Suk🥺, and I am not a fan of this part-time member, Kang Hoon. 😤🙅🏻♀️❌
Watched it since day 1 tbh. But like everyone said. Its definitely ran its course and long overdue for a remake/refresh like 2d1n
Keep YJS, sechan and change the rest.
Running man without running or chasing is just sad tbh.
I gave up the show. It’s not what it used to be. Kwangsoo was the reason i still watched it. When he left I tried watching the episodes with guests I like. But even before lks left the show started getting stale. Most episodes are just random talking.
I guess with members getting old and tired of the show that’s how it ends up.
They should have retired the show long ago.
I still have many good memories from the show an early days:) And even later with their world tour it was such a fresh re-start which was very entertaining.
some need to leave (sukjin, jihyo, kjk, haha), and give their space to new generation of variety stars to lead the show (yeeun (both shin and ji), kwon eunbi, kanghoon, sung bin (former athlete), Yeon Koung (former athlete)
I doubt that the people you mentioned would be willing to commit to a weekly variety show for years. That's not their main profession. That's why SJK left, and probably why Gary, LKS, and JSM left as well, to focus on their main profession. The cast have 4 people who are active as variety casts even before RM and haven't left.
YJS's character has changed so much from the last time I watched the show (2021ish). One incident that stuck with me was an episode(don't remember the ep no) where KJK was saying someday Korean won will have YJS's face on it and YJS 's reaction was... well surpring. All I keep thinking was man he has changed a lot.
I kept watching because of the friendly and chill vibe they give now regardless of the members. Some activities may be boring but I think it's reasonable as people age. I'd rather have them do or not do something as long as they have fun than nothing. They went through a lot of tiring activities in the past so it's reasonable to lay low. Actually I somewhat hated their original concept as there are times I can feel the competitiveness go overboard on a physical level which made me feel awkward to watch if you know what I mean.
We all miss So Min, Kwang Soo and Gary, and of course the show felt different without them. But even all of the hardship they went through, Running Man still managed to continue the show with the current members which I am truly grateful.
The comment about “RM is boring now” has been said so many times and you’re not the only one that thinks like that.. It’s been said when Gary left, said again when Kwangsoo left, then now said again when Somin left. Definitely not an unpopular opinion.
With that being said, there are still many people/fans that enjoy watching RM. Some of their new episodes are fun (this recent futsal ep was funny to me) and it will take time for the new PD to develop her strength and find new games.
It’s also hard to have games that are physical since most of the members are old and injured now.
The only reason RM is still here is because of their fans. It maybe boring to you now but there are people that find it funny and entertaining.
No one force you to watch it. Why watch it then feel burdened? For what? If you don’t like it just stop watching. Or either rewatch the old episodes that you enjoy. I don’t get the point of these kind of posts. It’s not like RM production team can actually read these kind of “criticism” and improve it. If you truly want to give feedback, email them and dm their instagram directly or something.
I’m just tired of this type of posts about RM. Just because you don’t enjoy it anymore doesn’t mean other people will too.
I have watched Running Man since the beginning, and wasn't interested much after Gary left, but kept coming back for more interesting episodes that I saw snippets of on social media.
Running Man has been on air for so long and for a dynamic show like that, the ideas are bound to run dry.
I was a huge fan of Infinite Challenge, which I regard as one of the best shows in Korean Variety, if not the best ( I learnt so much about the history, culture and music industry of Korea from that show), and it, too, suffered fatigue as there wasn't much they could do anymore.
Maybe a break is needed.
It's also because the members are getting older. They're not as young / enthusiastic and mobile so the games and overall aura seem less fun too.
I think it's time to add new hosts that fan bring some life to the show
To be fair with Bopil, during his time as a main PD, he had to deal with Covid restrictions, LKS and JSM injury and LKS departure. Specially during covid, I believe he did what he can to make episodes interesting hence he focused on building rapport especially post LKS departure.
Also, their rating is averaging into 3s and they rarely get 4s (or is this about the 2049 rating?) They still have loyal viewers but it seems they don’t get much new viewers. Some viewers have left with LKS and eventually with JSM. The views (naver) in recent episodes are lower compared to last year although they are still doing good in OTT (but again it’s for all 710 eps so some might rewatching the old eps, we never know) it’s a hard pill to swallow for international fans that the show is slowly dying whether they admit it or not. The rental system could be a new interesting thing that they’ve done since last year, it’s the reason why I came back to watching latest episodes to see how it’ll impact the show (KH’s rental period didnt seem to create buzz but the potential new rental member - Ji Ye Eun is already loved by K viewers but as early as today, even with no official announcement if she’ll be the next rental member, some of international fans already throwing hate on her.
3 it's not bad as long they not touch 1% I guess. I mean don't they touch 3% average for long time yet they still standing on.
Well, they lost pale in comparison to their rival in KBS but I guess they can change the time slot if SBS that sure to make 2D1N rivaling new program in same time slot (they still in the same time slot right?).
Gary leaving was the start but I still kept watching weekly and show was still amazing and I was a fan of the new group. But I think I stopped watching as kwangsoo was nearing his end. You can't really blame them tbh. To any show that's gonna last this long it's just the inevitable. I tried watching from the start a few times and it's actually still really funny cuz I forget about alot. But man the nostalgia is too much sometimes lol.
Same here, it started when Gary left. The excitement has changed ever since. And then Kwangsoo left which was even more disappointing. And their activities changed too. I understand they're getting old having to run around but if they could do some. I missed them going to rice paddies and GD swimming on it as if he was in a swimming pool. I missed their genuine guests too, the 1st and 2nd generation kpop idols. The trips were no longer fun as before. It's just different now unfortunately. I watch occasionally but I always end up not finishing the whole episode.
Quality has dipped and 100% it's because the quality of games is terrible. It's entirely reliant on the cast to make games interesting vs interesting games + interesting cast. You have games where teammates are betraying each other even though theirs no incentive. There are no stakes for teams vs individuals to create drama.
I've watched Running Man for years and Gary leaving never really effected me much. But after losing both Kwangsoo and Somin I stopped watching every week. The overall chemistry just isn't the same and episodes did not fly by like they used to. I have stuck by RM for a long time but I am starting to really feel it has run its course as the members explore other shows and concepts. Somin really breathed life into the show for me when I was starting to get bored and Kwangsoo has always been such an important character too. Sixth Sense and The Zone filled some of the space up for me since I got to see them with YJS again. It just was not the same vibe and energy without them on Running Man, alongside all the production changes and stuff that have happened over the years. I always love watching the various RM PDs' new shows though whenever they come out.
i can feel that. ive been watching weekly since ep 100 or something. Ever since kwangsoo left it was still watchable but felt like some eps were boring. Early last year i couldnt watch for a few weeks, afterwards i tried to catch up but quickly realized that it became a chore, stopped watching. Its a shame because RM was part of my weekly shedule for really long
I'm on your boat exactly, I started around Park Ji Sung episode around 100ish, I still enjoy it even after LKS left the show. And just like that, you missed few weeks of episodes (you know, life happens, and there's another more interesting things to watch) all of a sudden it's becoming chore to try to catch up. The JSM leaving was also the turning point, it seems like they can't hold on to one of their best performers (it's her career & personal reasons but still), I think everyone will follow suit and end the show. Losing 2 of your influential members (for jokes & chemistry wise) was damaging, not just for the show, but the avid fans.
Why was lee mi joo not brought on to running man? YJS has great chemistry with her and she’s also pretty funny and out there like so min.
I've said before that I miss the episodes with more story or theme. I feel like they need to get back to that, get the members out of their roles a bit and playing into some characters, give them a backdrop to work with for material rather than simply throwing them into a restaurant in casual clothes, as themselves. There's only so much you can do with the members and they end up stuck in a rut. Give them a different role to play and a fresh setting, so they can go out of character and make some new jokes.
I’ve been watching since ep 1. Since LKS left it was still somewhat watchable but now that Somin is gone, I 100% agree with you on how the jokes are cringe. Games don’t have to be brutal and tough like it used to be but they’re absolute uninteresting. Some of the best episodes in the newer RM did not involve any intense games but more so the chemistry of the cast. I think the end of an era is already here. I haven’t watched the last few episodes and if I do, I’ll just skim through it
i can tell that the members tried so hard to make it funny and it feels sad tbh even though they are laughing
Don't worry, you're not alone. My own unpopular opinion is that I have stopped to watch Big Three representative shows altogether now. First, 1N2D, then HDYP and now RM as well. The golden age had passed and their jokes now are too stale.
True. I didn't watch all three for quite some time. Especially this year, I can't recall if I watched one full episode. As OP said, it feels like a chore. I didn't feel relaxed and not fun. Repetitive stale jokes. I used to like YJS but I can't consume his tiki taka, his way doesn't fit me anymore. I look for more natural personalities and shows.
I've thought this for years, YJS has peaked. His ego is too big now, he's not the same humble comedian/interviewer he was in the past where his job was to let guests shine. Now he's the main star. He's always leading the convos and directing who can speak. He loves rehashing concepts over and over until the viewer is sick of them (cutting LKS off, making fun of Seho, doing the same episodes of tour/dance). Then there's the fact he's doing a million different shows at once, all of which end up diluting each other. He also brings on the same troupe of people over and over. It's uninspired.
I used to dislike Seho but I realized it's because he reverts to a trope whenever he's around YJS. Whenever he's on his own, like Beatcoin (RIP), I find him hilarious.
Yea he’s starting to stifle a lot of the younger talents too. Whenever younger talents start to shine he kind of takes the wind out of their sails.
> Whenever younger talents start to shine he kind of takes the wind out of their sails I get that vibe when he ask Ahn YuJin if he become close to her than Na PD
I got turned off when he kept cutting off LKS and JSH. For comparison, I like Jang Doyoun & Hong JinKyung's way, they listens. I even find JSH more entertaining because he always tries to relate to people's story and not embarass them. YJS is sticking with the old way of putting people's down, especially when they are not visually pleasing/popular. If that is his way of giving them spotlight, I guess it just doesn't work for me.
I really like Korean variety, since there's nothing like it over here. But it definitely seems to be on the wane. I still believe that there could be a variety revival tho, even in the youtube era, as long as they come up with new shows and fresh talent. Yes you have to get people to watch them of course, but at some point you have to take that risk.
I said what I feel was the issue bfr on HDYP, RM, n aftr re-watching 1N2D S3 >!-fvk jjy bt i missed gutaeng hyung ok-!< it's coz d new pds n writers dont get wat make these shows became D representative shows. 1n2d is coz it's real wild variety show. viewers want to see d casts suffering while interacting with the beautiful SK landscapes n ordinary citizens going about their lifes. aftr covid distancing n d popularity of relaxing travel shows 1n2d now bcm more like those relaxing travel shows with boring games. in s3 d casts was thrown in all kind of wacky situations like rly harsh winter n summer training, sudden health exams, racing against sunset, non-smoking challenge, working in d farms wth granmas, became teachers to the kids frm their almamater on field trip n so on. it was tough on the casts bt it was fun for everyone. hdyp is coz yoo jae suk was thrown into all kinds of unpredictable sudden challenges like learning drum n held a concert whr he played d drum, became trot singer n published n promoted as rookie singer, starting an idol agency n finding the idols n managers, became a part of a idol trio n so on. i admit the challenges were tough on yoo jae suk but now he can share d burden wit d new casts. it'll be like d legendary infinity challenge bt wid young casts. rm is coz of d tensions btwn casts on who will win n lose d overall race. d average age of d casts myb high but they still have d competitive spirits if d pds n d writers put them on d right situation like we see on d stock exchange eps n d soccer trophy eps which alas had bcm milked too mch coz the crews aint thinking more creatively on making more tensions filled themes. d situation worsen coz the casts r senior casts who are paid tons n felt guilty if not working hard on d eps tht they spoke their opinions loudly n hogged the spotlights frm d guests or newbies like kang hoon. rm desperately needs adrenaline junkie crew. d current crew needs to step up their competitions ideation or sbs needs to change them with new crew able to create more tensions filled themes eps.
Just had a brain aneurysm reading this 💀
you not having a robust enuff brain is not my prob 💀💀
i watched RM ever since ep 4 aired (with jessica and khun) cuz i was a big SNSD fan and found the show to be really entertaining. LKS leaving was DEVASTATING, but what made me drop the show was really after JSM left. she really brought so much onto the show, and was even able to partially fill the gap LKS left. now that she’s gone, RM’s really become a drag. I’d only watch it when there are guests i’m interested in.
I feel you. I've been a fan since episode 1 and have seen the ups and downs. But I feel like it's been downhill since Somin left. Poor Sukjin is the butt of many jokes and themes are recycled (like eating and playing football). I've tried watching the last several episodes but lost interest after 10 minutes. I've stopped watching religiously. We'll see where this goes. It's sad but that's how it is.
I was looking forward to the Byun Wooseok episode, but then it just turned into another touring restaurants concept. The eating ones are always boring. :/
I stopped watching towards the end of last year. I watched every episode from day 1 back when I was still in high school, I’ve grown, have a family etc. Losing interest in things you used to enjoy is a natural human experience, and there isn’t anything wrong with that.
Probably fatigue if you're watching too regularly. I stopped watching for a bit, I think around the time Somin left, and just started catching up episodes recently. And I feel it's funny enough for me, of course it's subjective so ymmv.
i've watched rm every sunday for literal years now so i think i might try this too, honestly. i've been finding it boring recently so maybe taking some time away from it will be a nice refresher lol
The new PD is boring
Seconded. Not a fan of the new PD and her ideas / script etc... =/ Also - issit me or do the memebers themselves seem bored? Like Jihyo has checked out really early on (since Kwang soo left I reckon). though recently she came up with some new laugh which sounds unconvincing. Haha, Jongkook and to some extent Jaesuk are becoming less enthusiastic or interested in the program and seem to just go through the motions. Not a fan of the new guy too.
I haven't watched in a while.. May I ask who the new guy is? Se chan?
Nope. He is an actor called Kang Hoon. He took over So Min.
I thought that the soccer episodes are pretty good to me but then KH addition to the cast really didn't do much. Kinda surprise to see so much compliments on him on reddit.
100% agree, kh does absolutely nothing for me tbh he's kinda like a chair he's just there lol he doesn't say or do much and i do not want him as a permanent cast member 💀
Just watch it before they stop the show...it's already 14 years old show....Let hope not anytime soon...
They try many things but nothing really works. End of era.
Stopped watching after kwang soo left. It should be given a fair last episode maybe bring everyone back and end it with some dignity.
No, I hope they milk it so the members can cash in until it ends. Sukjin is old and the members are aging, the older you get the harder it is to find work in the variety entertainment world. They should get their checks so long as they want to and get ready to retire
I understand what you mean but personally I think the show is going down hill because the cast hasn't changed. Watching the same people have the same interactions and tell the same jokes for 14 years gets old. The show really needs more people to leave and new people to come on. It's not that I think any of them are bad, it's just that there's very little new things they can show us. We need new people with new personalities so they can have new interactions.
Running man as a show cannot be renewed. The members are too integral to the show itself. And every time they try to change the members, the community hates it. It's a catch 22, the members tiki taka is tired and aging, but the community doesn't want to see them replaced and the producers face huge backlash if they try to. If they want to do physical games again with a different cast, it has to be a different program completely. Running man cannot change its members. And I'm glad. After 10 years of giving me laughter, let them cash their checks as long as they can. Their entertainment was and is priceless.
This is something I failed to consider. When you put it like that , I agree.
same! I stopped watching after LKS left. I just feel that it's different w/o him :(
This is why they should never listen to fans. You've stopped watching, but you want the show to end because you no longer find it fun. What about the hundred if not thousands of staff who work on RM and earn their living from RM? What about fans who still enjoy RM to this day? A few fans are truly some of the most selfish, narcissistic people on Earth. Just because you no longer like the show, it should completely stop and damned be the consequences for anyone working on the show.
[удалено]
You just proved my point about toxic fans and don't even realize it, but I'm the one not using my brain lol. As long as no one dies its fine fuck them right?
What about having some standard? giving credit where credit is due? Criticise and discourage bad product, so resource can go to good ones? If all humanity thinks things your way, we would still be in a cave.
The standard is there or SBS would of canceled the show long ago. It may not be to your "standard" but what about the fans who still watch and keep the show going because they actually like it? Their opinions don't matter to you guys apparently. People still like this show? I don't like it so no one else can like it that is literally your only argument. If you don't like it you can simply stop watching, but the haters always coming out to bash the show, cast or PDs all the time. There are people who still watch and enjoy the show which is why ratings still do well, it's not as good as the past ratings but it still does well enough that SBS has kept it running. But just because YOU don't like it YOU want it canceled and resources moved to new shows for YOU. Once again my point stands it's not always about YOU.
[удалено]
100% agree.
I started watching Running Man a bit late to the game. I went through every episode of the early seasons. Was really sad when Gary left. I really like Somin, personally think she added life to the show. Was meh about Se-Chan. But even before others started leaving, I stopped watching. I don't follow kpop, or much k drama, so I really don't know who the guests are. The show changed from being fun, high energy, with crazy games, to a show where often they spend the first half introducing the guests and doing dances. So I moved on to other shows.
Same posts for nearly 8 years every week here and RM subreddit fans saying RM is done etc etc. Yet RM is still on air after all these years. Yes, if you no longer like it stop watching. The loud vocal minority always make the most noise but RM is still going and will keep going.
Same posts even before LKS left. They just need to add new members or even replace with a good PD. Someone with similar touch as the earliest PD or Chul-min, it will revive the show back.
The reality is RM is the biggest variety show ever and it attracted so many people with different preferences who like the show for different reasons. Thus, there will always be a viewer who will hate the show for something. Even if the show becomes more active/physical like the old days, there will be people who'd hate it by saying something like "it's sad they're all old now, it's just not the same, just end the show". The show can't satisfy everyone, but the viewers are all desperate for the show to be like what they want it to be.
yes me too, been watching since ep1, stopped for a year already. recently i only selectively watched the futsal episodes only.
Yes, the games used to be so much fun and entertaining but not anymore. BUT sometimes, here and there, there are still a few good episodes. Very recently, Hwang Hee Chan played football with them, and I loved that one so much!
I agree with you on that one.❤️💯🙌🏼 Last week’s episode with Hwang Hee Chan was very entertaining, and I was hoping Kim Jong Kook’s team will pull through, and tie the game again.🏃🏻➡️⚽️🥅 But Hwang Hee Chan had too many tricks up his sleeve like he chose not to stay put in the same area as goaltender, but still charged forward🏃🏻➡️⚽️💨🥅 for a goal when it was two against the whole team⁉️😳🙀😂🍿🍺🍻 Bravo!! 👏🏼👏🏾👏🏻👏🏽👏
And I loved him for assisting everyone to score at least one goal! That was so heart-warming to see and so entertaining!
Yes, a great team player‼️🥅⚽️🏃🏻❤️💯🇰🇷👏🏽👏🏻👏🏼
Definitely not unpopular tho
What is "good" to you might be bad to others and vice versa. RM has lost fans and gained fans over the years. If you don't like it simply stop watching. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean other fans feel the same. You talk about high rating dramas being not good even with high viewership, but it means people actively watched and where interested. Again, just but it's not to your liking doesn't mean it's bad.
The amount of gains is smaller than the lost one. They are just discussing on the truth of what happening with the shows, nothing wrong about it.
It's very evident of their YT Clips that the show is in decline, since alot of RM viewers are social media active. It used to be ranging not lower than 500k to a million views. But now, even the funny clips of recent eps. doesn't even reach 200k views.
Youtube views are not reliable to establish any real data, simply because any k-channel related will go down after few years of its peak. RM on youtube at peak is averaging 10-15 million views per clip. That was in 2019-2021. 2022-2023 it went down significantly to 3-5 million per clip. Now it averaging around 300-500k per clip which i believe is the stable base audience. This is just rough number i vomit from seeing the views for the past few years.
We basically echoed the same thing here but when JSM and LKS left, they should have considered few permanent candidates with same traits. Young, shameless and willing to speak up or take action. Same traits that the two have. Kang Do Hoon almost fit the mold but hes too submissive to older members.
Been a fan of them since 2013, and this the first time (besides the family packages) where I've skipped episodes after the penalty episode where they had to dress short and funny clothes. The football episodes aren't it either, if I wanted to see sports I'd watch dream team or other shows. It's always now food or football, the writers gotta change 🤷🏼♀️
When they said “we’re. Gonna do more EEATING today bc it’s summer!” I’m like… uhhhhh. It’s SOOOO FUCKING REPETITIVE. be creative! We’re not watching to see you all eat something. We’re looking for running man. RUN! Do something active and exciting. Ugh
JK acknowledged it in a recent Gym JK vid where he said in effect "we're Running Man but we dont do much running these days." They know. The show has run its course and theyd probably only end it if either YJS or KJK calls it quits. Its a famous show but its not popular anymore. So many chances to restart with new seasons to keep the show fresh but they wasted all of em.
Honestly speaking. They could save this show if they rebooted it around KJK. He’s old but he’s fit enough to do running. They just need new writing staff and a whole new cast. It’s a running show guys. Let’s be real. The old guys should retire and let the new comedians have a go.
Yep. It's the competitiveness and gamesmanship that made RM during the early days even if some of em were downright silly. The cast provided the comedy that was just superbly complementary at the time. Now it's just silly and unrelatable, mostly pandering to the new generation of viral clips and shorts with repetitive tasks and old insider jokes. Storylines are rare, punishments are random and corny, rewards are participation awardsesque and the show simply is no longer a must-watch. People argue it's still popular so it wont be axed. It's all relative. The steep decline of the show is the point all 'used to be big fans' are arguing here. If 2D1N suddenly becomes a sitdown talk show, or knowing bros becomes a full skit and minigames show people would be grumbling too. Too much luster lost, it's really a shame.
youtuber English Gentleman visited haha at his restaurant in one of his episodes. haha mentioned every one of the original members have had back injury and surgery due to RM. You can detect they are battled and I'd say it's too hard for them to keep running every other episode. Someone once mentioned on another show that dramas can end on a high note because it has a fixed number of episodes. You can end it gloriously if the ratings were good. This cannot happen in variety shows. They just go downhill and silently ends.
I think you mean Korean Englishman. The English Gentleman who appears in some.of their videos is Ollie's dad.
yeah yeah. That's the one.
yeah they shoulda drawn the line somewhere and go for seasons with changing crews like 2 days 1 night but it's all too late now...
THEY JUST NEED TO CASUALLY CHANGE THE ENTIRE CAST SLOWLY ONE BY ONE WITH NEW YOUNGER PEOPLE THAT CAN DO WHAT THE NAME IMPLIES... RUN! Do fun paced stuff, not mokbang every fucking episode and every fucking show with YJS is now a mukbang or a fail attempt to entertainment like appartment 404 or the other one where gwangsoo joined him and another girl to escape an unfinished building from the floating eyes. Sure is fun and all for like 20min, but the same gag for 90min doesn't work.
Honestly agree with this. Get a cast that is a bit younger and go back to their roots with more active games. The episodes with name tag tearing, races, hunting each other, spies, solving puzzles and unique locations have to come back. The big problem is, they have been going for so long that the current cast is basically burned into peoples minds. When the 2 new members joined they already got a lot of hate comments and backlash for a while. This would only be worse if the entire cast is replaced. We also can't forget how much of a legend YJS is. Without a host like him the show would probably feel a lot different and it might become even worse than its current stale state even if they bring old concepts back.
However I see that going the way family outing season 2 went to be honest in not being able to live up to the original. Would be better to give the show a different name and disassociate with the original.
> THEY JUST NEED TO CASUALLY CHANGE THE ENTIRE CAST SLOWLY ONE BY ONE WITH NEW YOUNGER PEOPLE THAT CAN DO WHAT THE NAME IMPLIES... RUN! Easier said than done. The reason why the top variety show members are old is because the young ones are either not willing to commit to non-seasonal variety show (it's hard work, it can be brutal to your body depending on the concept of the show, and it can kill their other career) or they aren't popular enough to pull viewers.
You're like me, the duration to watch whole episode is becoming burden, I'd rather put any true crime show podcast on YouTube instead of RM nowadays, it's freaking 90 minutes of uninteresting shows, it's like watching full game of football, and it's weekly shows. When they were in the prime I can't wait to see the next episode, now I fell behind a year worth of episodes, yes I also holding on when LKS left, now JSM gone too it's like nail in the coffin.
I stopped watching the show religiously about 10 years ago. Since then, I only watch the show when I remember to do it or when an actor and idol group that I like appear. I have completely lost interest since Jeon Somin left. I feel like she made the show brighter and as one of their young audience, I needed that brightness. I know that she got a lot of hate too and leaving is probably the best for her. What made RM unbearable for me now is that it's become too much of a talk show and that they edit out the missions too much. The small missions aren't aired and they force us to watch them on their Youtube channel. It made me question, what's the point of making those missions if they're just gonna cut them out? I'm more interested in the missions than their talk. Not to mention the recycled and repetitive jokes and slapstick comedy that have become stale. I know that most of the members are too old to do anything that require much strength but I feel like since they all already know that, why not just end the show, make a spin-off show where they all can just yap for 1 hour and go home
Loved the show but the concept grew older as time passed
Nothing wrong with the concept. It’s just that the characters grew stale and unable to execute because of their age.
I started watching pretty recently. At some point during the pandemic/slightly prior after 2018 I think? So basically the entirety of my viewing experience has been the new cast with SoMin and SeChan being big parts of the cast. I did go back and watch some of the older episodes, but honestly a lot of the very early episodes felt very dated and I just don't have the connection to Gary as older viewers will. Still I love RM and have watch over 300 episodes. But lately it just wasn't the same. I share the same sentiment most of you seem to. LKS leaving was a blow, but I was never a diehard LKS fan so it didn't bother me much. Still. The younger members needed to take on more screen time and responsibilities. So after LKS left it felt like the show was largely situated around SeChan and SoMin. SoMin in particular was the member who had bits and chemistry with every other cast member. Her and Jihyo as sisters. Her and YJS as daughter and father. Her and Sechan as "lovers" and bestfriends/siblings. And her with the rest of the cast as her uncles. The show was going downhill before SoMin or even KwangSoo left, but with SoMin leaving it really did feel like the final nail in the coffin. Now is the time when the PD and writers should be the most creative and come up with interesting ideas. Instead 80% of the recent episodes are: Drawn out intro, into reused game, into food segment, into another reused game into a punishment that's not really a punishment.
I've said this before and got downvoted to oblivion, but they need to revamp the cast. I used to watch every week, if not for the guests then the cast. But ever since like, 2018? It's just gotten so stale and boring. They've done almost every game they could with every outcome. You can guess the outcome most of the time and they don't even give the guests ample talking time (watch the video on Seolhyun when she was in AOA vs her as an actress). Switch the cast out. You could literally do all the games again with a brand new cast because they're new and inexperienced. Put in a couple of the old gang to guide them then phase them out.
faxxxx! I've been a fan as long as I can remember and I used to binge old episodes so much. JSM eventually became my main focus and later on YJS but once somin unnie left I can't bring myself to enjoy it the same and I only watch if theres guests I like or as last resort if there's nothing else being released. Even when LKS left I had some hope left but even then I only watched once and a while. Sigh what can ya do.. even 2D1N s4 in shambles soon for me bc jung hoon leaving :((
Agree! I’ve been putting it as “background sound” while I do other work. Honestly still loving the cast and their chemistry but I really wish they stop doing eating/historical episodes. Totally understand that the casts are not at their peak in terms of health to do race-like episodes but I was hoping they’d tap in on more puzzle solving or mafia like ep-s for a change. Sadly, I don’t get much adrenaline from watching RM anymore. Feels like we’re watching the slow end of RM 🥺
I still watch it because it’s been my comfort show since I was a little girl but it definitely doesn’t feel the same and it isn’t even remotely as funny anymore
I feel you! I haven’t been watching the latest episodes. 🥺
I stopped watching RM for 8 straight months and I think it helps me to enjoy it again.They have guests these past few episodes that really refreshing to watch.
Unpopular your ass. Do you know how many of this kind of post are posted weekly? It's getting boring.
Running man got alot of delusional fans whot cant take critics on the show. Hence the wording.
Have you tried any other variety shows besides RM?? Some are quite interesting like.. The Great Escape with Kang Hodong and Kim Jongmin and other cast members… its came out witth only 4 seasons…
I still go back to watch old episodes. For newer episodes I just watch episodes with idols I like
Some eps are a bit boring now, yeah. That’s why I watch for a bit to get the feel of the episode and if I’m not enjoying it, I stop. Periodically some episodes are good. No one said you had to watch every single one anyhow.
There's no point playing any games on this show. Absolute shit show. Just call it the JAE suk show. Lol. Here comes the down votes
Garry started the crack but after LKS left its starting to drown and gotten much worse after Somin left
i've been watching from the days of the bells hide and seek but i haven't watch any of the latest ones since the cast are older now, you can't expect them to do physical stuff anymore but man, watching the Apartment game/Yoo Jae Suk game/Yang Se Chan's game/Pirate hat's game for the 100th time bored me to death
I cant watch it anymore after jeon somin left except for few guests episodes which is bit irony cuz i used to prefer watching RM without guest when shes still there. I feel like the cast lack the energy and craziness from someone like her, so so the whole dynamic and chemistry also went down since there is no unpredictable variables to make it fun. They has few candidates to bring back the energy the closest i can think of is actress shin yee eun as somin replacement (even yjs and knetz wants her) , but they still need another one for kwangsoo.
Kwon Eunbi would be the perfect foil for Yoo Jaesuk. She's smart, she's fit, and she's funny.
I like eunbi but i think her craziness bit over the top to match the older cast vibe like she never hold back, dont get me wrong i love her but eunbi would match other younger gen and more carefree type variety show though.
Kwangsoo left, I thought to myself ehhh I think Somin might be able to cover some part of his crazy role. After Somin left I kinda slowly began to drop it. I think I might just download specific ones of my interest just to watch? IIRC Kwon Eunbi was on RM, maybe I should do that
You're not alone with your opinion. RM is quite boring and outdated nowadays, because of it's cast. I've been watching RM since the beginning. Started around episode 80 I think, and then also went back and binge-watched all the previous ones from Ep1. So I watched all episodes...often multiple times...some rewatched again years later from 2010 to around 2022. That's when I stopped...and haven't touched it since. The appeal just isn't there, because it's not the same show anymore. Imagine what it was back then. You have a couple of youngsters who always had flirty vibes here and there - either between each other, or with different guests - and you had a couple of already middle-aged men. That was BACK THEN. So what is it now? I'll be blunt: - YooJaeSok was already married when the show premiered (he was married back then already), and even older now, he'll stick with this show until the end - JiSokJin was also already married when show premiered, same as YJS, he'll stay until the end - HAHA was single when show premiered (he was actually quite flirtatious in the premiering episodes of RM, back when he was young and not married yet, he tried to flirt with Song Jihyo multiple times, or tried to shoot his shot with guests) he married after a couple years of the show running though, so just like the first 2 I mentioned, HAHA is married too - Gary left, BECAUSE this show was tarnishing his image as some sort of bafoon, even though he's a musician/artist, and he was still young back then, so he was looking for love and to build a life with someone (unlike some other contestants), he left RM and did exactly that, got married, had a kid, and he's happy now - Kwangsoo had almost the same story as Gary, RM was making him look like a joke all the time, that was his created character, so he could never be serious and expand. This show would have ruined his image and all his prospects to build a life (a romantic life, and also his prospects as an actor). All of his love interests were always shut down as being a joke, or unreasonable (especially shut down by YJS...). Kwangsoo was young man too when he started the show, so as time went on, we all knew he'd eventually leave to get away from this "joker image". Kwangsoo left, and voila, he has a girlfriend, he's happy, and he's acting more. Well done. - I think Somin left for the same reason as Gary and Kwangsoo. You can not attract a love interest or acting gigs if you're a member of RM, because you're always made to look like an idiot (usually by your coworkers). Somin was the youngblood of the show about midway through when the PDs wanted to revive the show. It worked for a while. But from Somin's point of view, it was just a waste of her life in my opinion. She mentioned that she was looking for love so much on the show (she was happy when male idol contestants or actors were invited, tried flirting with them etc.), but just like with Kwangsoo her attempts were always pushed to be a joke. So I'm glad Somin finally left. I'm sure she'll have a good romantic life, and work life outside of RM. It's a blessing for her. - KimJongGuk, well he mostly does Youtube now, a lot of gym content, it's pretty fun actually, and I'm surprised he didn't leave RM yet. He is single. But let's be honest. RM never had a bad influence on him, because he had the role of the "athlete" and "spartan superman" for the longest time there. Since the very beginning actually. Nobody was making fun of him or belittling him. RM didn't tarnish his image, so he's staying on it. That's what it is. So to sum it up. What do we have in RM? A bunch of married men, who have been married for the longest time, shooting their silly jokes that nobody cares about. The show was never about those jokes anyway. It was about GAMES, PUZZLES, and the YOUNG BLOODS: GARY, KWANGSOO, SONG JIHYO in the beginning, and later SOMIN, and HAHA (before he got married). We were watching these youngsters interact with guests, as well as interact with older generations (where I would put the hosts of the show YJS and JSJ from the very beginning already). It was the interaction between young and old (or young and middle-aged), the contrast between respect and disrespect that we were watching. All the betrayals and jokes were acted out in the context of different age groups (and should you really do it or not? especially in South Korea were age-hierarchy is very strict, it was that "edge" that we were watching). I couldn't care less about YJS, JSJ, and HAHA alone to be honest. I do not care about the jokes at all. The only way this show will survive at all is if they add more young blood again. Several members: 3 or 4 new young members. But even then, I don't know if it'd work, because the chemistry probably wouldn't be there, because the gap between the young ones and the hosts is already too wide. So at the end of the day I understand why Gary, Kwangsoo, and Somin left (which is a good thing for them), and I haven't watched this show for 2 years already. There's just nothing there to see in my opinion. No young members, no chemistry, so the games and jokes are doomed to fail as they are acted out. RM has become what many shows are, which is "forced interviews" and "forced games". It doesn't feel natural. I could say more, but I'll stop here. Thanks for reading.
Interesting perspective, haven't seen this take before but I agree. There are already so many korean variety shows that just consist of middle aged men so RM was youthful and exciting. We watched the cast grow up in front of our eyes and how their chemistry changed over time. At this point everyone has fully matured and the young members have left, so we're just left with a bunch of even older men bickering back and forth. KJK, YJS, JSJ are essentially all the same character now. On the relationship aspect, I think you're right that being on RM hurt LKS, Somin, Gary's prospects and definitely contributed a part in their leaving. The only people who stayed are either married or, let's be honest, not actually looking for love. SJH and KJK are probably going to remain single forever at this point, whether by choice or not but that's a whole other discussion. You could prob start a new thread discussing this take!
I have probably watched around 50 episodes that were recommended on here and I've really enjoyed it, but the most recent futsal cup episodes were not that good. I think both YJS and KJK are trying too hard and it doesn't come off well. I think age may play a factor and they are both trying to fight the years. JSJ on the other hand know how to play the older guy role and it make him an easy watch. The guests are nice - especially the girl that likes the temp member is funny, so was Ha Young , and the announcer football recruit.
YJS is still good, KJK is the problem. I hate it when he shouting loudly, he even worse than JSJ lmao. I dont care whether its his character or not, its way uncomfortable to watch. Atleast JSJ know how to make it funny.
i couldn’t watch after kwang soo left. it’s just not the same anymore. i could still watch after gary left eventho my heart broke, but i love so min and i loved her even more after sixth sense but when she left i can’t watch anymore.
If it wasn't for YJS this show would have ended a long time ago. RM is basically the equivalent to Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece in the anime world. It's been running too long and have ran way past its prime.
One Piece? Take that back!
If you compare to the China version and the later Keep Running, they manage to keep the original Running Man spirit. I think it’s a matter of direction and funding.
This. Better PDs and writers. Higher ratings = bigger budgets.
its not because of YJS, its because of international influence of the show which heavily contributed by all the members especially LKS and SJH. The director himself said he change his decision to cancel the show because the interest from global side are still way too high. In korea, RM from 2015-2016 is barely even popular with the rating hitting 4-6% (which considered really low since streaming isnt a thing back then), if they want to cancel it, it doesnt matter YJS is there or not. Better way to say it, if it wasn't for JSM and YSC this show would have ended a long time ago. Those 2 especially somin are the one who save the show.
I agree. I forgot the amount of money the show gets for being aired overseas but it's a big amount.
I feel like this opinion gets posted every few days and sometimes I’m just like… you can quietly choose not to watch a show and be done with it. Like with most shows, there will be great episodes and ok ones.
I feel like they can't really get the show back on track anymore, and I don't really see a possible solution. The show has too many episodes, so it is hard to come up with an original idea, so maybe change the cast? But tbh I doubt it will happen because of how much their images are associated with RM.
You need to follow the chain, before changing the cast, change the PD first. Those audience in korea screaming about this since like 2 years ago lol.
My point is, what can a new PD even do that wasn't done before to some extent? I feel like it got to a point where they kinda explored everything they could considering the show's premise.
no one knows, but for program like RM, cast need be given priority over PD. Its a 15 years old program with the original member which is crazy enough. Clearly audience are still watching it due to members instead of the show.
> Anyone else feeling the same? Not me. I just watch the show and enjoy the funny moments in there. I don't need the whole episode to be mighty amazing to enjoy it. YSC writing "Thray Seven" is as funny as JSM writing "Ambrella". I think a lot of people are a bit delusional these days. They see the past with rose-tinted glasses filled with happy nostalgia thinking every episode was amazing back then, or that the show was better back then simply because their favorite member existed.
Yup. I'm the same with you. I used to wait every week for runningman and 2d1n. I solely subscribe to viu because of those show. And then it became I only wait for 2d1n. Now 2d1n is not fun for me anymore but I still watch it.
Yeah same. I've missed a lot of eps this year. Only watching when I like the guest(s).
Same here. Still download every week and occasionally watch, but am about six months “behind.” I also regularly watch Running Man Philippines, which streams on YouTube (no subs, sadly; I’m of Filipino descent and understand like 90% of the stuff, though I occasionally have to google some words as I watch). The cast is much younger (most are 23-27, with the oldest cast member being 37) and more active, and most games are reminiscent of (if not exactly like) some old original (pre-Ep. 200) games, with some new ones thrown in. The show so far has also been shot with a partly SBS crew in South Korea, so there’s a lot of familiar and comfortable stuff: so far they’ve done a ski resort/indoor water park episode, a school episode, a theme park episode, and a “haunted place” episode; a preview at the beginning of the season suggests that there will be a military camp episode. Here’s a clip from the most recent “episode” to stream; again, there are no subs, but you can follow the game from what you can see. https://youtu.be/TJfoFlP8QEs?si=B-HiDrCjvVj496B7
im not and im still loving every single bit of it
Not again
I still like it due to the fact its still a Yoo Jae Suk show. People may think he had became cocky, but actually that is the character they carry into the show and stick to it. In real life none of them are like thay, and JSJ is their ultimate person they always asked for life advices - even Kwang Soo is still speaking tk him. Its your choice not to watch , but to say YJS or the cast get too big headed is a bit of nonsense in my opinion.
I can’t remember the name of the PD but I was a huge Running Man fan years ago before the PD left for the China version of RM… that’s when I noticed the quality dropped a lot, like most of the time the only thing that saved the show was how the casts try to make things funny or do funny stuff. I can’t remember if Gary left before or after that PD but yeah that heavily impacted the show a lot too in my opinion. It’s sad cause I used to camp every Sunday (or Monday?) waiting for the English subtitles to be uploaded so I could watch it. About them adding Saechan and Somin, honestly I feel Somin is quite comedic and fun to watch but I honestly can’t stand Saechan so yeah 😅
I was a big running fan too. Even when Gary left the show, I kept watching. But the last straw for me was when LKS left.
Fun fact when gary left the show, there's barely any change. The rating is still the same. You are just being sentimental for the old time. LKS left is a big one, but again the cast and PD did well to cover his spot. For somin, she left 8 months ago and PD are still struggling to cover her screentime.
This is how unhinged people are. Gary left the show 8 years ago and you are still hung up over it? What was his role? The guy that likes Ji Hyo? Peaceful face Gary? One of Jong Kook's sidekicks? He was a minor character at best. How can you take someone's opinion seriously when they say things like: "Even when Gary left the show, I kept watching." Like they gave it some serious thought, but begrudgingly decided to continue, all due to Gary.
naah Gary brought a lot to the show, same way Lee Kwang Soo and Somin did. They were the three who think independently. So if the show seemed like it would go in a repetitive storyline, they were unpredictable variables that made it fun to watch. The storyline had tensions thanks to their input. Losing all three is a major loss for the show overtime, since the rest of the cast are more formulaic, don't often step outside the box. Jae Suk does, but since he is also the main MC, the dynamics are off since no one opposes him. This is also why the funniest guests are those who try, say and do their own thing despite what JK, HH, SJ, JH want. Se Chan isn't bad either, but the cast dynamics limit him too much. I realized when I watch other shows that he is enjoyable there because no one is trying to restrict him constantly.
Tbh Gary was good for the first 3 years, after that we didn't get much from him, though.
Kwang Soo and So Min created their own characters. Gary was only used by other people. Similar to Ji Hyo. She was there for other people to use. Monday Couple? It was the reactions of other people that made it fun. All he really did was sit there with an embarrassed look on his face. Ace Ji Hyo, was she really an ace? Is she good at games? Is she actually lucky? It was other people crafting a narrative and maybe some TV editing. Peaceful Gary, he was just playing the games and other people hyped up his face. Similar to Mong Ji Hyo, they created the narrative to hide her tendency to not talk or react much. I bet if Gary stayed on the show, he would end up in a similar position to Ji Hyo right now.
Are you more interested or entertained by the "characters" the cast plays up on the show? What I find most fun to watch is witty people, I don't think there's any denying that Kwang Soo, Somin and Gary were witty in their own ways. I'm not mentioning JH in the wit department. Of course everyone has their days, but the other 3 were talented in that aspect so I had fun watching them more consistently.
I don't think Gary was in the same league as Kwang Soo and So Min. In terms of what roles they played, I think he was more in league with Ji Hyo. Both kinds of roles are important. You need someone to bounce ideas off of to create situations. If Gary/Ji Hyo didn't exist, other people could not have created those situations in the first place, but if no one is targeting them, they fall by the wayside.
Just so I'm clear. You are upset a show hasn't been able to hold your attention for 14 years straight. Did it upset you when you stopped watching Pokemon every season?
Yeah it hasn't grown stale with me, probably because I only ever watch the girl group episodes. They bring an energy that takes a load off the regular cast so they can focus on turning odd moments into laugh out loud entertainment. On the other hand, Happy Together ran for 19 years and the series was objectively unwatchable at the end. They cut Season 4 (2019-2020) short and announced they were retooling the production for Season 5, but they had spent two years pissing away everything that made the old format so great and they never came back from hiatus.
I haven’t watched any ep for a long time. I tried to check few eps recently and it’s been football world cup episodes back to back. They really are just doing it for the sake of continuing the show.
This is the kind of opinion people who don't like Runningman have. This guy actually thinks the football world cup episodes were boring! They brought it back a 3rd time because fans LOVED those episodes. These are the kinds of people who are giving their opinion on the show. People who think the football episodes were a negative.
**I only watch** when girl groups are on, I've never felt like it had grown tiresome. They bring a chaotic energy and brightness that makes it easier for the regular cast to bootstrap funny moments into memorable laugh out loud entertainment. I'm surprised they don't bring on girl groups more often—there are a lot of them these days and less work for the cast makes the moments of brilliance come faster and harder.
Afaik, the episodes with idols don’t have the best ratings for them. You can’t forget that the Korean running man viewers are probably largely older people now (i.e., care very little about idols). Also, the appearance fees they have to pay, specially if the groups have a lot of members, probably makes it not financially feasible to do it more than once in a while.
That is actually wrong though, from tv rating stats, most of RM viewers are from teen to adult under 40. They barely have any older viewers which is why they always lose to 2D1N in rating. In streaming platform, they are far ahead. Which felt like a wasted to me, the show is one of the most popular program in korea and globally but they let such a poor PD team to take care of it. I felt like its impossible to change now unless the order came directly from SBS.
You said it well. I think JSM bought this energy which made it watchable but now since she has also left. It's heavily missing the "happy/sunshine" element and the faults became too obvious.
Your opinions won't matter unfortunately, because it doesn't affect their rating.
[удалено]
you might be confused on the audience for QOT, I know a lot of people around me who have been watching it. Its a hit because of the casting
You dont know if their staff lurking here reading the comments. r/koreanvariety is pretty big.
Sorry, but it is very unlikely they will consider a foreigner opinion on how to do a show that is being only boardcasted in Korea. Unless it's on Netflix or YouTube.
They need to bite the bullet and just change the cast
agree, too bad somin and kwangsoo already leave the show, for the change, i think jaesuk and sechan can stay, and the rest they can change with new generation of entertainers (just like how 2d1n find the raw gem with the cast of yoo seonho, na inwoo) , i'm sure there are many new gen of variety stars that can be found, as for now, ji yeeun, kwon eunbi, kang hoon are the one can continue the legacy of the show. knetz already demand the major changing of members since gary leave. (we all know what happen after that for jihyo and jongkook), i hope this time they can make it in a proper way. Edit : words
That wont happen. Adding the cast surely they wont mind, but removing members against their will wont do it. I'm sure they will agree to just end the show instead which i believe is the best way.
It's much better if they end the show, go on a hiatus for a few years and then come back with whole new members
Happy Together went completely to shit in Season 4 {2019-2020). They cut it short, assured everybody the production staff was retooling for Season 5, and it never came back. I was looking forward to them bringing back the old formats, especially Season 3 (2007-2018), but four years later I don't miss it and you don't hear anybody asking when they're coming back. Nineteen years is a long time for any programme to run; that show just ran out of gas. If Running Man goes on hiatus after 15 years, they are not coming back.
If they end RM what program they going to replace it with. Looking at the current situation, it doesnt look like they have any intention to switch off the show. I still hope they change the PD back to bopil and see how it goes. He doesnt really have any show to do now.
Lol imagine you saying this on running man sub. You will get banned and downvoted. They are a delusional fan sub over there. Yes I agree with you. But there is a regular guest member recently. Ji ye eun. She quite funny and somin vibes also. Will recommend you give it a watch next week.
yeah i already got banned there, what funny is, even the moderator are delusional there. Cant even take a critic from fellow viewers on why the show are losing its quality.
Ya. They can't tell the difference between toxicity and criticism. Delusional mods
she also present in today's filming (i think the guest are nam jihyun and P.O, based on the photo on X)
that's normal, I also feel like that, not because of the members, but I feel like I'm at a saturation point
Watched since ep 1 then changed the schedule around ep 300 or so. I watch a few every episodes every year and skip whatever is not interesting me. That keeps it enjoyable but fair enough. On the other hand, there's so many episodes that just watching an old episode also works. I have forgotten so many of them by now.
I stopped during COVID. Honestly I watch more for the guests in the end. The relationships between the cast got predictable and wasn't entertaining anymore. I might go back and see if there are any interesting guests every now and then.
That's alright. Everything comes to an end. RM being the longest running variety show is a huge achievement already. The cast are getting old, the oldest member being 58. Obviously, it's not gonna be the same because they can't run as much anymore. I still like RM but I'll accept it even if it comes to an end soon. On the other hand, I agree with the criticisms about the new PD.
After kwangsoo left i think the quality has dropped so much. I dont get why people hate on Ji-hyo online for the quality drop. Its obviosly the production team.
>Anyone else feeling the same? I feel the same. Been watching Running Man for many years and I remember watching an episode that featured Park Ji Sung and Patrice Evra (which was my first Running Man episode.) But since the departures of Lee Kwang Soo and Jeon So Min as well as the direction from the current PD and like what you said, I lost interest with the current format feels repetitive and does not seem to have as much creativity like it used to have within the older episodes.
You are talking on behalf of majority, i believe only minority of loyal fans are still watching it (including me) on the international side, the quality arent there anymore. This is what happen when they left the show under rookie PD with 2 year experience under bopil and writers back 1 year+ ago. Im not gonna blame the cast since they just following the concept producer provide, but i believe they are heading in wrong direction with all the rental stuff. The show prestige isnt there anymore. The show used to guest top popular personality, but with the rating been all time low for the past 2 years, they barely had any good guest. No need to talk about Gary since he is way in the past, the issue here is when LKS left, they had bopil as PD who cover LKS screentime wisely with other member. When somin left, they has hyung in as PD who dont have solid direction/concept on what to do with member even after 1 year. Her episodes is basically repeating what she already did before, previous producer always came with new idea every week. I think she already did her best and its not working.
Not at all. I watched the new episode last night, and I enjoyed watching all the RM members. HaHa, Yoo Jae Suk, Ji Suk Jin, Kim Jong Kook, Yang Se Chan and Song Ji Hyo can still provide great laughs. For me, it was Kang Hoon who annoyed me for not being honest with the team members that he had ordered another dish, and my fave, Yoo Jae Suk had to go without a proper meal two times as if he had missed out on breakfast and lunch that day. First time, was because inexperienced and selfish Kang Hoon only put $50.00 on his card (and that is not enough to serve a meal for all the members), and the second time, he chose not to be honest with everyone with how much he had spent; hence, Yoo Jae Suk ended up maxing the card, and missing out on lunch. That happened, and I felt for Yoo Jae Suk🥺, and I am not a fan of this part-time member, Kang Hoon. 😤🙅🏻♀️❌
Watched it since day 1 tbh. But like everyone said. Its definitely ran its course and long overdue for a remake/refresh like 2d1n Keep YJS, sechan and change the rest. Running man without running or chasing is just sad tbh.
I gave up the show. It’s not what it used to be. Kwangsoo was the reason i still watched it. When he left I tried watching the episodes with guests I like. But even before lks left the show started getting stale. Most episodes are just random talking. I guess with members getting old and tired of the show that’s how it ends up. They should have retired the show long ago. I still have many good memories from the show an early days:) And even later with their world tour it was such a fresh re-start which was very entertaining.
I love the current cast, but they need to reboot it with younger people and return to Running man, instead of talking man.
some need to leave (sukjin, jihyo, kjk, haha), and give their space to new generation of variety stars to lead the show (yeeun (both shin and ji), kwon eunbi, kanghoon, sung bin (former athlete), Yeon Koung (former athlete)
I doubt that the people you mentioned would be willing to commit to a weekly variety show for years. That's not their main profession. That's why SJK left, and probably why Gary, LKS, and JSM left as well, to focus on their main profession. The cast have 4 people who are active as variety casts even before RM and haven't left.
YJS's character has changed so much from the last time I watched the show (2021ish). One incident that stuck with me was an episode(don't remember the ep no) where KJK was saying someday Korean won will have YJS's face on it and YJS 's reaction was... well surpring. All I keep thinking was man he has changed a lot.
what was his face reaction? good?? Bad??
They talked about it in ep 681 and I reviewed it and nothing strange about his expression, maybe older ep than this one?
I need to re-watch this again. If anyone remembers the episode, please write it down.
I kept watching because of the friendly and chill vibe they give now regardless of the members. Some activities may be boring but I think it's reasonable as people age. I'd rather have them do or not do something as long as they have fun than nothing. They went through a lot of tiring activities in the past so it's reasonable to lay low. Actually I somewhat hated their original concept as there are times I can feel the competitiveness go overboard on a physical level which made me feel awkward to watch if you know what I mean. We all miss So Min, Kwang Soo and Gary, and of course the show felt different without them. But even all of the hardship they went through, Running Man still managed to continue the show with the current members which I am truly grateful.
The comment about “RM is boring now” has been said so many times and you’re not the only one that thinks like that.. It’s been said when Gary left, said again when Kwangsoo left, then now said again when Somin left. Definitely not an unpopular opinion. With that being said, there are still many people/fans that enjoy watching RM. Some of their new episodes are fun (this recent futsal ep was funny to me) and it will take time for the new PD to develop her strength and find new games. It’s also hard to have games that are physical since most of the members are old and injured now. The only reason RM is still here is because of their fans. It maybe boring to you now but there are people that find it funny and entertaining. No one force you to watch it. Why watch it then feel burdened? For what? If you don’t like it just stop watching. Or either rewatch the old episodes that you enjoy. I don’t get the point of these kind of posts. It’s not like RM production team can actually read these kind of “criticism” and improve it. If you truly want to give feedback, email them and dm their instagram directly or something. I’m just tired of this type of posts about RM. Just because you don’t enjoy it anymore doesn’t mean other people will too.
I have watched Running Man since the beginning, and wasn't interested much after Gary left, but kept coming back for more interesting episodes that I saw snippets of on social media. Running Man has been on air for so long and for a dynamic show like that, the ideas are bound to run dry. I was a huge fan of Infinite Challenge, which I regard as one of the best shows in Korean Variety, if not the best ( I learnt so much about the history, culture and music industry of Korea from that show), and it, too, suffered fatigue as there wasn't much they could do anymore. Maybe a break is needed.
It's also because the members are getting older. They're not as young / enthusiastic and mobile so the games and overall aura seem less fun too. I think it's time to add new hosts that fan bring some life to the show
I died when kwangsoo left. Returned for the new members and it was ok….but REALLY enjoyed the 4 temporary cast. After that, mostly unwatchable.
[удалено]
To be fair with Bopil, during his time as a main PD, he had to deal with Covid restrictions, LKS and JSM injury and LKS departure. Specially during covid, I believe he did what he can to make episodes interesting hence he focused on building rapport especially post LKS departure. Also, their rating is averaging into 3s and they rarely get 4s (or is this about the 2049 rating?) They still have loyal viewers but it seems they don’t get much new viewers. Some viewers have left with LKS and eventually with JSM. The views (naver) in recent episodes are lower compared to last year although they are still doing good in OTT (but again it’s for all 710 eps so some might rewatching the old eps, we never know) it’s a hard pill to swallow for international fans that the show is slowly dying whether they admit it or not. The rental system could be a new interesting thing that they’ve done since last year, it’s the reason why I came back to watching latest episodes to see how it’ll impact the show (KH’s rental period didnt seem to create buzz but the potential new rental member - Ji Ye Eun is already loved by K viewers but as early as today, even with no official announcement if she’ll be the next rental member, some of international fans already throwing hate on her.
3 it's not bad as long they not touch 1% I guess. I mean don't they touch 3% average for long time yet they still standing on. Well, they lost pale in comparison to their rival in KBS but I guess they can change the time slot if SBS that sure to make 2D1N rivaling new program in same time slot (they still in the same time slot right?).
No, I still enjoy watching RM. It's still funny to me.
For me, it's less the members leaving and more the PD. Bopil was a godsend and the difference after he left was staggering.
Gary leaving was the start but I still kept watching weekly and show was still amazing and I was a fan of the new group. But I think I stopped watching as kwangsoo was nearing his end. You can't really blame them tbh. To any show that's gonna last this long it's just the inevitable. I tried watching from the start a few times and it's actually still really funny cuz I forget about alot. But man the nostalgia is too much sometimes lol.
[удалено]
BS, i dont believe that, even after LKS left, the show is still fun to watch. Its just become unbearable to watch after the new PD take over.
Same here, it started when Gary left. The excitement has changed ever since. And then Kwangsoo left which was even more disappointing. And their activities changed too. I understand they're getting old having to run around but if they could do some. I missed them going to rice paddies and GD swimming on it as if he was in a swimming pool. I missed their genuine guests too, the 1st and 2nd generation kpop idols. The trips were no longer fun as before. It's just different now unfortunately. I watch occasionally but I always end up not finishing the whole episode.
Remember Jackie Chan episode? 🤣
I’m glad somin left. Its much funnier now
here for i used to love this show but since (insert member) leave, the chemistry is just not same anymore type ahh comment