Old School Variety Shows were Unhinged (Trends I want to see or should go in 2024)

[@jayrossxo]

Old School Variety was top tier! We sure did eat well in 2nd gen. Commentary was unhinged, but honest, truthful and funny. I want to see more of that this year too. I don't have any predictions, but I'm excited for this new year of comebacks! So much new music to look forward too 🙏🏾

[@chaewonsglasses]

I want to see the old school variety shows come back too, ngl. 😂😂

[@emptyteardrops]

I wanna see idols interact with each other again! Idols this year did a thing for New Years but everybody was avoiding eye contact with each other 😭

[@gomezcried]

It would be so cool

[@chaewonsglasses]

right!?!

[@bastetowl3258]

this! it feels like there is more pressure to seem perfect and unattainable now compared to back then where idols would goof off on variety shows

[@chaewonsglasses]

@@bastetowl3258 yes, I wholeheartedly agree!

[@The_Super_NOVA]

YES! REUNIONS! IZ*ONE, F(X), GFriend, Loona, and WJSN just to name a few. All original members getting back together to perform and hang out. What could be more healing after these last of couple years?

[@ChloeBx]

Loona will probably will but for others sadly I don't see that happening 😢

[@azimiza1210]

My fav old school variety/ non variety moments 1. KARA’s Nicole guessing game in Star Golden Bell 2. Suju’s mystery of human body 3. 2nd gen drama parody / drama special - SuJu’s Princess hour / TVXQ YunJae “you are in here (heart)” 4. Attack of pin-up boys 5. GG/BG colab - T-Ara X Speed, Bigbang X 2NE1, SNSD X 2PM 6. Idols not scared of showing their imperfect sides - 2PM couch potato

[@dreamsomnia9813]

Old school variety shows were SOOOO unhinged and I loved that. We had idols interacting regardless of gender and it honestly wasn't awkward. Shows from 2nd and third gen were entertaining and funny. Now there are so many restrictions put on idols and variety shows that it's quite bland. I miss shows like The Roommate, Unnies Slamdunk, We Got Married, 2PM's Wild Bunny, Idol Army, Vampire Kiss, Invincible Youth, GG's Horror Movie Factory, the old Running Man, and so many more with titles I can't remember.

[@FudanshiNXTDoor]

Til this day I think about the legendary love story of Nickhun and Minho from Idol army lol.

[@dreamsomnia9813]

@@FudanshiNXTDoor Bro, that show was top tier comedy. I can't forget all the times Taecyeon was called out for "doing too much"😂.

[@emptyteardrops]

On New Years there was a bunch of idols doing stuff but like… none of them were making eye contact 😭 they were all in the same room but they acted like they didn’t exist to each other

[@stephp3455]

Something I want is for 3rd gen groups to be invited to award shows. They are still popular and deserve to receive awards.

[@vixxexo6855]

Only NCT and Seventeen attend awards these days from 3rd gen. I really want Red Velvet, BTS, GOT7, EXO, Monsta X and Blackpink to attend like the old times. Blackpink attending an award is very unlikely as they did only attend few even during their rookie years, but the rest regularly used to attend awards until 4th and 5th gen came.

[@Kiiiirraaa]

@@vixxexo6855 I agree. but GOT7 isn't active anymore😭

[@FudanshiNXTDoor]

Maaaan us 2nd gen fans were eating GOODT! No wonder ppl consider that period the golden era of kpop. Legendary collabs, variety shows for days, carefree interactions with groups, and Goddes Park Gyuri gagging the girls every time she was on screen…what a time. Shoutout to the fansub groups too that kept us international fans in the loop so we could also enjoy all that good content.

[@ELmayberry]

man.. ngl, fansubs kept us going 😊

[@2FullMoons]

I noticed how this generation has less TV variety shows however they have their own variety shows on their youtube channels. I honestly think BTS really changed the industry with this one, if I’m not mistaken, they were the first to introduce this idea of relatability and easy access to your favorite kpop group with the amount of content they provided on youtube through vlogs, run BTS, and everything else they did by themselves. I like it, I’m not complaining, but I do miss seeing idols do more TV shows. These days they barely get on Running Man or Knowing Bros but somehow they are not as fun and memorable. Maybe it’s because the industry became also very stiff, idols are so restricted these days.

[@FudanshiNXTDoor]

In the reboot era of today a Star Golden Bell/Happy Together/Strong Heart/Idol Army reboot is definitely called for. These shows were so fun and a staple in the fandoms. Imo it’s the reason so many fans back then were multis. I remember falling for SHINee and then seeing them on 2PM’s season of Idol Army, which then led me to liking 2PM. I know a lot of groups have their own shows via KZbin but I miss seeing idols interact like that. I mean the saga of Minho x Nickhun will forever live on lol. It’s a shame how stiff the landscape has become with all the restrictions. One wrong look or exchange and it’s a headline nowadays. Bring back the funny, wholesome, unhinged interactions amongst idols back into kpop please.

[@MandyMister]

I need more quirky concepts in K-Pop. Back then I had so much fun with the work of Orange Caramel and Crayon Pop

[@vixxexo6855]

Then just listen to them. Quirky concepts were never mainstream to begin with. Even in 2nd gen you only had Orange Caramel.

[@emptyteardrops]

Red Velvet come back to us 😢

[@stephp3455]

Invincible youth amazing. We need more shows like these. Idols seemed more like humans tbh. We could see them enjoying themselves and interacting.

[@mlpmlpmlpmlp1]

after school club needs a revival

[@emptyteardrops]

low key wanna see groups do concepts similar to AOA or SISTAR but I don’t think it’ll happen.

[@fromthePast-nl5dfq]

does sistar19 coming back count?

[@MilkWithIce]

With a see of lil girlies in minors being bad ass, that's nearly impossible. I can only see BLACKSWAN can pull that off, but they're fairly known in the public atm

[@emptyteardrops]

@@fromthePast-nl5dfqIt does! And so happy they’re coming back!! AAAAH!

[@emptyteardrops]

⁠@@MilkWithIceYeah, I wanna clarify that I DON’T WANT ANY MINORS IN THIS HYPOTHETICAL GROUP. And yeah, with all these minors debuting I don’t think we’ll ever see another group like Sistar and AOA. And yeah, I would be down to see BLACKSWAN do a concept like that especially since RANIA, the previous group did a mature concept with Dr. Feel Good.

[@nightcorenumber309]

here's my 2024 k-pop wishlist: >a coed version of Queendom Puzzle with 2nd gen group reunions and stuff >another season of Kingdom being announced for 2025 with Epik High as one of the final participating teams >a 15th anniversary reunion project for Afterschool under another Hybe company (*cough* Pledis 😅 and anyway good luck to the new Pledis BG TWS 😊) >f(x) reuniting under SM for a 15th anniversary project later this year w/ a Sulli memorial to boot (RIP Sulli 😢) >B-sides being 3 minutes or longer

[@rockygirl9533]

I definitely want to see girl and boy groups interact with each other and do collabs. Like at the KBS song festival in 2016 when baby by Justin Bieber was covered. I only discovered that video in 2019 but I would really love to see a huge collab like this on stage with all the popular girl and boy groups. I want them to interact without fearing about the publics reaction.

[@IcePrince9876]

Actually, Star Golden Bell can be broadcast again by KBS station. KBS can use this show as an assessment point to increase the score on Music Bank, as was the case during the second generation. When idols will promote on Music Bank, they can increase their broadcast score by attending this show so that their chances of winning are higher. I hope this comes true.

[@shoyuramenoff]

For weird concepts, I'm not as into this one, but would recommend giving Macaroni Cheese by Young Posse a shot. It's...weird...like really weird. Also, a lot of the Peak Time survival boy groups tend to do their own thing and have different, less loud concepts.

[@yumeyum9927]

I really miss old school shows they were weird and pushy but really entertaining we had a lot of funny interactions between idols and we could see their funny and goofy side unlike now everything every move is calculated and can't be themselves

[@HeartandSeoul23]

YESSSS 2nd gen variety shows were the isshhhhh!!! The things I would do if invincible youth or Hello Baby came back for this generation’s fans to enjoy because those shows were incredible. Also; More reunions for second gen and early third gen groups and their fans please{I went down a Gfriend rabbit hole today and forgot how good they were].

[@menucafe]

BLESS everytime im bored you post a video eee its fate

[@edvaedan9161]

Absolutely agree on the short songs. We need to leave the tik tok song era asap.

[@emptyteardrops]

i don’t know whether to sing asap by stayc or asap by newjeans 😭

[@edvaedan9161]

@@emptyteardrops one is over 3 minutes and iconic. The other is barely 2 minutes and I had to listen again to remember how it went😂. I do like the NJ song but why so short?

[@schmoneysworld3790]

Boygroups are interesting now because they're not all trying to do the same badass hip hop concept (when it doesn't fit most) like they did in gen 3 or everyone doing the noise music like in early gen 4.

[@Tinykooandmikey]

I want an SNSD comeback this year

[@junodovah2323]

don’t we all 😭

[@Tinykooandmikey]

@@junodovah2323 Yes. I will not be alone anymore

[@12times21]

Are you going to do a deep dive on Super Junior?

[@ErykhGoomakeep]

Back in my day (i was in middle school), those variety shows were what got me into groups like Kara

[@bastetowl3258]

i hope live singing comes back to kpop. so many groups in the new generation prerecord vocals or lipsynch, except for kiss of life

[@Freasa14]

Please! I'd love to see quirky concepts too ❤

[@michelejackson9171]

We had the short song trend, I really want the 80's style epic song that lasts 6-8 minutes trend. Think Bohemian Rhapsody epic. So many groups could do it but I think JYP should be the one to create a fad for once then follow one and have NMIXX do it. Mix the styles, but then for the 'short' version, that they play on radio etc, it could literally be the two (or three etc) songs separated. But really any group to go for it and have a full on storyline sung in a song. Then I would get a music video with an actual storyline that I want to 'stream' /watch multiple times instead of a glorified dance video with shots of the idols looking pretty amongst random props. Get non kpop fans interested in a kpop song because it is interesting.

[@ChloeBx]

Omg the music movies like how these days DPR Ian, Kim Sejeong are doing need a come back Kiof did it pretty well although it was short unlike previous T ara MVs

[@markel9000]

I want a new big girl group. We don’t have any active girl groups with more than 10 members anymore besides WJSN and they haven’t promoted in a year.

[@dai5ygreen]

TripleS

[@five_to_nine_online]

I thought this after your after school magazine themed videos, but your editing in the ktube sphere is really second to none. And I’ve been so happy to see it evolve and grow overtime since you’ve started your channel.

[@mangojelly23]

old school variety shows and the quirky bizarre concept please ! 🙏 also fre4king hyo saying "oh" crack me up everytime 😭😭😭

[@weedee2331]

This is just what I need. Thank you midnight theories!

[@Molly-iw1rc]

I liked variety shows when the idols were confident and comfortable, I HATE the ones with the comedians who laugh at idols and weirdly sexualize them for laughs. Hate that.

[@ceegee1706]

I always love, love, love the production of your videos! I think Young Posse is definitely helping to bring some weird energy back into kpop. What I'd LOVE to see.... is members that were kicked out, welcomed back in.... but that could be my ot7 monbebe talking.

[@jenjenesis]

yea old school variety shows during 2nd gen / 3rd gen (2015-2017) were the most fun. so much iconic stuff happened. something we'll never see in the newer generations (4th gen onwards). variety shows can invite popular 4th gen ggs without getting any kind of backlash. really sad. tbh this is just the change of generations, i can only hope it comes back when more 2nd gen / 3rd gen groups get invited.

[@gomezcried]

I agree with you a lot about the old school variety shows. I got into kpop a few years ago, but I saw videos of these old shows that had groups from the 2nd and 3rd generation and was so fun and light, this kind of thing needs to come back to kpop

[@CheeseGirl91]

I miss drama parodies, the last time I saw one was the one Dreamcatcher did in 2020. I got into kpop in 2011, and it seemed like drama parodies were everywhere.

[@elmin82]

Happy new year to you

[@amaliadepinho]

why would anyone wants things like forced Peppero kissing games or shows like "we got married" to come back🤢? everyone guesting on those types of shows always seemed so uncomfortable (and rightfully so)

[@stefnick2010]

Along with Quirky concepts, I want a return of sexy and mature feminine concepts. Kiss Of Life shouldn't be the only ones. Also, I love that RnB is making a comeback in kpop. A trend I've been noticing is that debuting and new groups are being restructured to have fewer members. I want this trend back to smaller groups to continue. I always thought group with more than 6-7 members are unnecessary the majority of the time. Resurgence of the variety show. I agree. I want more idol interaction outside of TikTok challenges. I've been enjoying some KZbin talk shows and variety with idols. But fans are so sensitive and creates issue so easily. No wonder these new idols are so boring.

[@ChloeBx]

Hyolyn is still here but yes mature feminine concepts need a comeback, with easy choreos The thing is with so many minors and the horrible forced concept some groups had it will be difficult

[@stefnick2010]

@@ChloeBx I meant amongst the new people. I love Hyolyn, but I want fresh talents to attempt the concept. She can't hard carry this concept alone forever. Why does people always bring up minors? Idols don't retire once they turn 18. There exist adult idols in their 20s, why is it difficult for them to just look and act like adults sometimes.😩

[@neptuniantreasure]

unfortunately, even now, a lot of companies don’t wanna dibble in the mature concept a ton. it’s still super taboo for them, despite how many idols do it successfully. twice attempted it with mlsr, but hasn’t touched it since. red velvet hasn’t done it in a hot minute. groups like aespa do it on occasion. i’m pretty sure it’s because of the backlash those concepts get, companies don’t want a group with that concept nowadays.

[@AsmoGhoul]

legit agree with everything you said... tbh i've fallen off of kpop lately so i'm hoping 2024 will change that.... oh how I miss looking up my faves on variety shows LOL good times 😣

[@NekoNyan]

2nd gen was indeed the funniest when it came to variety. Literally no holds barred. It was a great time to be a fan in. I always tuned in every week because I knew my sides would hurt from laughing too much. Too bad not much of that's around anymore

[@lonestarseoul]

Heavy on variety shows!! The most we get nowadays is if groups do a tiktok together 😭 KARA were sooooo funny on variety shows. I will never forget KARA's iconic Gyu.Ri.Yeo.Shin moment on Star Golden Bell 😂. Gyuri curated her "Goddess" concept specifically for variety shows because it gave them more air time lol. I feel like now we just get "reality shows" that are only for one group, like Leniverse or Dreamcatcher Mind because there are barely any variety shows anymore.

[@ishathakor]

honestly i feel like old school variety shows making a comeback would make promotions way more fun for the idols and the fans both. every time i watch a variety show now it feels honestly so boring. they're trying to make it fun but it really has the vibe of most talk shows that western artists and celebs do for their promo where every funny anecdote and story and promotion thing is already planned out and it's the host and idols job to steer the conversation back to the prepared talking points. that's fine for like one or two appearances but why even go on variety shows when everything is like that? plus honestly wild interactions between idols of every group across genders would really put a stop to a lot of insane fans imo. some people will always be insane but a lot of them are just going to get used to watching everyone together that they won't have the time or will to overanalyze every single instance of eye contact and idols can actually start interacting like they're normal people again instead of looking like they're being held at gunpoint to film tiktoks together.

[@brandoniswhoiam]

Imagine the US having these?!

[@Slm99]

Besides Hello Counselor the rest were fun to watch

[@lepidopteraxx]

What you said about boy groups IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING!

[@flawlesspeach1189]

woah i’m never this early

[@Soichiro69]

I hope ssak3 returns this summer

[@gomezcried]

I loved the video ❤

[@kimble90126]

I would to see ladies code come back

[@carlosnetro1]

Do a documentary about uhm jung hwa . Like the amazing awesome and lengthy one you you did on lee jung hyun ❤ you are the best ! Thanks ❤

[@toyland12]

Could you do a report on Weki Meki before they disappear?

[@sur_un_nuage]

i clicked as soon as i saw kang jiyoung

[@weeabooper]

I got into oneus this year after seeing them live too! 😂

[@FunmilayosConner]

@midnight theories can we talk about sonamoo especially their debut deja vu i feel like it isnt talked about alot .

[@oddluna1491]

Pleaaaseeee I miss the old variety shows back in 2nd gen especially shows like Invincible Youth, Star Golden Bell and Star King! Kpop is already making themselves look like a pretty little diamond but I wanna see the idols act more "human"- things like having fun or playing pranks against each other. No offense but some of the shows these days look really obvious that the "quirkiness" is scripted

[@kurzweber3041]

Shout out to those who still watch Invincible Youth 1 & 2 today!

[@angeldelmoroable]

Now, how are you going to pit this 9:22 here and not even say who it is and where to find it???😂😂😂

[@davestridr]

I wanna see a new coed group so badly

[@KayDuff1]

I honestly think it's the attention span.

[@lemonaidebey6190]

Can you review Jessica Jung's new singles, beep beep and get it got it good? And her album, beep beep? I think her new album is great

[@rainbowsubs2]

2024 loona ot12

[@kimble90126]

Wow

[@OfTheSeaKND]

Oooh I’m excited to watch this. Can’t watch now, but here’s a comment for the algorithm since you just posted. 🫶