Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience – a new reality show from (some of) the creators of The X-Factor – brings together five strangers with the hopes of turning them not into the next best British boyband, but the first K-Pop-inspired British sensation.
It's a tall order.
K-pop may look effortlessly entertaining but behind the dazzling outfits, the impeccable dance moves and the exceptional voices are years of regimented training. Yet Made in Korea hopes to fast-track the experience.
Instead of up to five years of training at a specialist centre to attain K-pop-level quality, Blaise, James, Dexter, Reese and Olly will be churned through the K-pop production line via a 100-day gruelling boot camp in the hopes that they will be spat out as global superstars.
The very idea of pulling something like this off is anxiety-inducing. With the British public's waning interest in music-based reality competition shows, coupled with K-Pop's attractive and lucrative multi-billion pound industry, Made in Korea could so easily fall into the trap of appropriation without appreciation.
One episode in, this doesn't seem to be the case. Admittedly that's only a taste of what to expect from the show but Made in Korea gets off to a good start by ensuring the band knows this won't be a paint-by-numbers kind of ride.
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The K-pop package consists of a blend of genres – Pop, RnB, Hip-Hop, Rock and EDM – and polished, synchronised dance moves, all tied together in a carefully curated aesthetic. Clothes, hair and make-up all bubble with a vibe that's caught somewhere between vibrant, bright and dreamy.
Nothing is by accident and this curated perfection cannot be 'winged' or casually attained. Even hard work will only get you so far. It's about hunger, tenacity and repetition and the show wastes no time cluing the group into this fact.
Away from the competition element, Made in Korea exposes the band to Korean culture in a way that feels intentional, to give them a richer understanding of the world they are seeking to embrace.
Despite all the positive elements, the show isn't instantly gripping. Emphasis is heavily placed on thrusting the boys into this 'new world' before the audience has the opportunity to become familiar with who they are. So why should we care? Subsequently it's a slow start with an air of apathy, though that does change in the back half. As the episode progresses it is easy to find yourself becoming charmed by their imperfections and willing for them to succeed, let alone survive the 100-day process.
It helps that the high stakes are revealed at a later stage, creating intensity and tension, though not malicious anxiety. It seems Made in Korea has learnt from its predecessors, as there is effort put into taking care of the band's wellness.
In a similar vein, it would be fruitless to look-out for a Simon Cowell type. His degradation and humiliation masked as 'blunt honesty' are of a bygone era. While the boys do get clear and direct feedback, the critique appears to be designed to keep them grounded and offer a realistic depiction of progress and work required to succeed rather than for entertainment purposes.
Where Made in Korea takes the band beyond episode one is anyone's guess but for us Brits the show's unique premise gives us a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek into the K-pop world through the eyes of five young hopefuls striving to make it big.
Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday August 17 at 5:15pm.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
