PD Kim Tae-ho is returning with 'Earth Monopoly World Travel' Season 3. With the low ratings of 'Gabriel' and controversies surrounding the cast of 'Good Day', attention is focused on what results PD Kim Tae-ho will show through 'Earth Monopoly 3'.
Set to premiere on the 22nd at 7:50 PM, ENA's entertainment program 'Earth Monopoly World Travel 3' (hereafter 'Earth Monopoly 3') features travel creators Pani Bottle, Won Ji, and Kwak Tube participating in a world travel board game designed by PD Kim Tae-ho, where they leave their fate to the dice and travel around the world. As a stable IP that has established a seasonal format, expectations are high as it returns for its third season.
The anticipation for the success of this program is heightened because it is PD Kim Tae-ho's new work.
Last year, the JTBC entertainment show 'My Name is Gabriel' featured beloved stars such as Park Bo-gum, Jennie, Park Myung-soo, Ji Chang-wook, and Hong Jin-kyung, yet it received disappointing ratings. It failed to exceed 1% in viewership until its end, while PD Na Young-seok's 'Seojin's 2' recorded a peak rating of 9.2% during the same time slot.
Afterward, the MBC entertainment program 'Good Day', created in collaboration with G-Dragon, who made a comeback to the music scene after seven years, seemed to end the crisis as it was sailing smoothly. According to Good Data Corporation, which analyzes the competitiveness of K-content, 'Good Day' has maintained the top spot in non-drama TV popularity rankings for four consecutive weeks since its release. Additionally, it ranks second in overall non-drama popularity, first in the SNS category, first in non-drama video views, and second in the integrated non-drama cast popularity rankings (G-Dragon) across various categories.
However, the risk associated with cast member Kim Soo-hyun has raised concerns about a crisis once again. Kim Soo-hyun, who became a key cast member among the '88s' (G-Dragon, Kim Soo-hyun, Hwang Kwang-hee, Jung Hae-in, Lee Soo-hyuk), faced controversy over his private life with the late Kim Sae-ron, which has affected the ongoing 'Good Day'.
'Good Day' is not only broadcast through MBC but is also supplied to overseas platforms like OTT for global service. This makes it virtually impossible to edit quickly after the controversy arises. Generally, when supplying to overseas OTT or platforms, edited versions must be submitted one to three weeks before airing due to issues like subtitle work, screen narration, and dubbing. Moreover, editing is nearly impossible after submission.
Nevertheless, the 'Good Day' team has decided to cut Kim Soo-hyun's appearances despite various challenges following the controversy. However, enraged viewers expressed their disappointment even at a brief glimpse of Kim Soo-hyun on screen, stating, "This is really disappointing." Ultimately, on the 17th, the 'Good Day' team announced, "The production team recognizes the seriousness of the controversy surrounding the cast of 'Good Day' and is continuing production while prioritizing viewer reactions," and promised to edit out as much of Kim Soo-hyun's appearances as possible, stating, "The individual recording process of the cast member will not be aired on March 13."
As a result, 'Good Day' announced on the 20th that the sixth episode, originally scheduled to air on March 23, will take a week off for program reorganization. This seems to be an effort to edit out Kim Soo-hyun's segments and shift to a new direction.
Amidst this, at the press conference for 'Earth Monopoly 3' held on the 20th, PD Kim Tae-ho explained, "'Gabriel' was produced with expectations for global format sales while preparing a format-related contract with a company overseas. We generated more revenue than production costs through distribution and advertising, and we are currently in discussions about formats with various places," indicating that he has achieved meaningful results in terms of profitability.
PD Kim Tae-ho also mentioned, "Since 2008, when I was directing 'Infinite Challenge', I've been hearing about 'crisis' and 'test'. Now, if those aren't present, I start to doubt, 'Am I doing well?' The lack of professionalism and shortcomings have been the nutrients that make me think about new things. It has been the driving force that makes me think about new challenges with determination," showing that he is still striving amidst the crisis theory.
As PD Kim Tae-ho, who has faced crisis theories for 18 years and stands on the test stage at every moment, is expected to restore his reputation as a star PD with the already successful IP 'Earth Monopoly 3', attention is focused on whether he can achieve this.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
