Saturday Night Live Korea) is a South Korean late-night live television sketch
comedy and variety television program broadcast on general service cable
channel tvN. It is adapted from the long-running American TV show Saturday
Night Live on NBC. The weekly program premiered on December 3, 2011, and airs
on Saturdays at 23:00. It concluded its fifth season on November 29, 2014.
History = Season one=
Written and directed by filmmaker and playwright Jang Jin, the show was
officially announced on November 24, 2011 at a roundtable press conference in
Cheongdam-dong. The original cast was composed of 17 members: Jang Jin, Ahn
Young-mi, Lee Han-wi, Jung Woong-in, Kim Bin-woo, Jang Young-nam, Kim Won-hae,
Lee Hae-young, Lee Chul-min, Lee Sang-hoon, Park Joon-seo, Kim Ji-young,
Kim Ji-kyung, Min Seo-hyun, Han Seo-jin, Go Kyung-pyo, and Kim Seul-gie. The
premiere episode on December 3, 2011 was hosted by actor Kim Joo-hyuk.
Then-showrunner and head writer Jang Jin spoke about the difficulties in
recruiting guests, saying "When you’re offering a film, you give them a script,
ask them how it is and if they say no, say that's good and turn around, but to
get people to appear in this show, I had to beg. I even asked them to appear on
the show by giving them my next movie script." The first season ran from
December 3, 2011 to January 21, 2012 for eight episodes.
= Season two= The second season ran from May 26 to
July 14, 2012 for eight episodes. The cast members were Jang Jin, Lee Han-wi,
Kim Won-hae, Kang Sung-jin, Jang Young-nam, Jung Sung-ho, Kim Min-kyo,
Lee Sang-hoon, Jung Myung-ok, Kang Yu-mi, Im Hye-young, Park Sang-woo, Ahn
Young-mi, Kwon Hyeok-su, Go Kyung-pyo, and Kim Seul-gie.
= Season three= The third season ran from September 8 to
November 15, 2012 for seventeen episodes. The cast members were Jang
Jin, Shin Dong-yup, Kim Won-hae, Jung Sung-ho, Park Sang-woo, Kim Min-kyo,
Jung Myung-ok, Lee Sang-hoon, Oh Cho-hee, Jang Yoon-seo, Son Bo-min, Seo
Yu-ri, Han Seo-jin, Kwon Hyeok-su, Go Kyung-pyo, and Kim Seul-gie.
= Season four= The fourth season ran from February 2 to
November 23, 2013 for 38 episodes. Jay Park and Park Eun-ji joined as
regular cast members. Meanwhile, Jang Jin, Go Kyung-pyo, and Oh Cho-hee exited
the program. The season 4 cast members were Shin Dong-yup, Kim Won-hae, Lee
Sang-hoon, Ahn Young-mi, Kim Min-kyo, Kim Seul-gie, Jung Sung-ho, Jung
Myung-ok, Kwon Hyeok-su, Park Sang-woo, Seo Yu-ri, Lee Byung-jin, Jin Won, Jay
Park, and Park Eun-ji. New cast additions later in the season were Choi
Il-gu, Yoo Se-yoon, 2EYES, and Clara. Jin Won exited the show on episode 18,
and Kim Seul-gie did the same on episode 24.
Directors Ahn Sang-hee, Baek Seung-ryong, Kim Min, and Yoo Sung-mo
are described them as "SNL Korea's F4." = Season five=
The fifth season ran on March 1, 2014 to November 29, 2014 for 35 episodes.
Narsha and Seo Eun-kwang joined as regular cast members, while Clara exited
the program. Weekend Update was discontinued, and replaced by a
mini-talk show hosted by You Hee-yeol. = Season six=
The sixth season started February 14, 2015
Cast = Current cast members=
As of March 1, 2014. Shin Dong-yup
Kim Won-hae Lee Sang-hoon
Ahn Young-mi Kim Min-kyo
Jung Sung-ho Jung Myung-ok
Kwon Hyeok-su Park Sang-woo of Bohemian
Seo Yu-ri Jay Park
Choi Il-gu Yoo Se-yoon
2EYES You Hee-yeol
Narsha Seo Eun-kwang of BtoB
Han Jae-suk Kim Du-young
Ko Won-hee Musical theme of the opening and
closing, and between segments, are performed by the band Common Ground.
= Former cast members= Jang Jin
Go Kyung-pyo Lee Han-wi
Jang Young-nam Kang Yu-mi
Jung Woong-in Kim Bin-woo
Lee Hae-young Lee Chul-min
Park Joon-seo Kim Ji-young
Kim Ji-kyung Min Seo-hyun
Han Seo-jin Kang Sung-jin
Im Hye-young Oh Cho-hee
Jang Yoon-seo Son Bo-min
Jin Won Kim Seul-gie
Park Eun-ji Lee Byung-jin
Clara Format and segments
The Korean version follows a similar format as the American version, with a
host, cast members and several skits for each episode.
Weekend Update: News sketch that reviews the week's social, economic, and
cultural issues. Anchored by Jang Jin in Seasons 1-3.Wise Search for Life: This
pre-recorded sub-segment of Weekend Update satirizes each week's most
talked-about headlines and events. Voice narration by Kim Seul-gie.
Dispatch SNL: This live-skit is also a sub-segment of WU, and includes
interviews by its correspondent Kwon Hyeok-su.
SNL Invitation: This live-skit, also a sub-segment of WU, involves a person in
a fake or actual situation related to the week's best-known events.
SNL Digital Short: Comedic and musical pre-recorded "video shorts" which are
performed by SNLK cast members and hosts each week.
Lee Oung-don PD's Eatable X-File: Since the latter episodes of season 3, each
week Shin Dong-yup takes 3 or 4 kinds of food from the hands of other cast
members for fun, to judge whether it's suitable to eat or not, then runs away
quickly. It is a parody of Channel A's infotainment program Lee Yeong-don PD's
Eatable X-File. Sa-gwa Shilup: This is an occasional
skit that adopts a business presentation style, for advertising peculiar
products. Moderated by Shin Dong-yup, while wearing clothes and make-up
similar to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Ratings
The season finale of season two, broadcast on July 14, 2012, was hosted
by boy band Super Junior, which was the first non-music program they appeared in
as part of the promotion for their sixth studio album Sexy, Free & Single.
According to AGB Nielsen Media Research, the episodes achieved a nationwide
rating of 1.334%. Episode 13 of season 3, broadcast on
December 1, 2012 and hosted by Jay Park, achieved a nationwide rating of 1.54%,
with a peak of 1.85%. It recorded 1.04% ratings in the 20 to 49 age group, as
well as 1.96% with a peak of 2.49% for women in their 40s, making it the
most-watched program in its time slot for both age groups.
List of episodes and guests See also
Gag Concert Infinite Challenge
Korea's Got Talent References
External links SNL Korea official tvN website
SNL Korea on Facebook SNL Korea on Twitter
SNL Korea's channel on YouTube