Grandpas Over Flowers

Grandpas Over Flowers
Also known as Grandfathers Over Flowers
Halbae Over Flowers
Genre Variety show
Written by Lee Woo-jung
Lee Eon-joo
Kim Jeong-mi
Park Shin-hye
Choi Eun-sol
Lee Da-som
Directed by Na Young-seok
Park Hee-yeon
Jang Eun-jeong
Starring Lee Soon-jae
Shin Goo
Park Geun-hyung
Baek Il-seob
Lee Seo-jin
Country of origin South Korea
Original language(s) Korean
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 29
Production
Executive producer(s) Lee Myung-han
Location(s) Seoul
France
Switzerland
Baden-Baden, Germany
Taiwan
Spain
Portugal
Dubai, UAE
Greece
Running time 70 minutes
Fridays at 22:00 (KST)
Release
Original network tvN
Original release July 5, 2013 (2013-07-05) – May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08)
Chronology
Related shows Sisters Over Flowers
Youth Over Flowers
External links
Website

Grandpas Over Flowers (Hangul: 꽃보다 할배; RR: Ggotboda Halbae)[1] is a South Korean travel-reality show that airs on tvN. It stars four veteran actors in their seventies[2] — Lee Soon-jae, Shin Goo, Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-seob — as they go on a backpacking tour to overseas travel destinations alongside Lee Seo-jin, an actor in his forties.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Grandpas Over Flowers became a cultural phenomenon, receiving high ratings for a Korean cable program and spawning several spin-offs and remakes.[9]

Cast

History

The show's production director (or "PD") Na Young-seok also produced and directed the popular KBS variety show 2 Days & 1 Night. PD Na left 2 Days & 1 Night after its first season, and this was his first variety show since. He later went on to produce the spin-offs Sisters Over Flowers and Youth Over Flowers.

The first season aired from July 5 to August 16, 2013 for seven episodes. It was filmed in Paris, Strasbourg, Bern, and Lucerne.[13]

The second season aired from August 23 to September 20, 2013 for five episodes. It was filmed in Taiwan.[14][15][16]

A two-episode special with previously unaired footage aired on September 27 and October 4, 2013.

The third season aired from March 7 to May 2, 2014 for eight episodes. It was filmed in Spain, specifically Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Ronda, and Madrid.[17][18] Shin Goo also went on a solo trip to Lisbon.

The fourth season aired from March 27 to May 8, 2015 for seven episodes. It was filmed in Dubai and Greece.[19][20][21]

Reception

The show's teaser trailers got a positive reception from viewers, which led to its press conference being streamed live through web portal Naver on June 28, 2013; although it is common for popular singers to stream their performances live, this was the first time a Korean variety show live-streamed its press promotion event.[22]

Defying a youth-centric entertainment industry,[23] Grandpas Over Flowers became a surprise ratings hit. It recorded 6 to 7 percent average viewership ratings (according to AGB Nielsen Korea). This was considered remarkable as many shows on Korean cable rarely secure viewership ratings of even 1 percent.[24]

The show's audience demographic not only consisted of senior citizens, but younger viewers in their twenties and thirties.[6] It resulted in renewed popularity and name recognition for its older cast, particularly among teenagers who were only familiar with the actors in their recent supporting roles as patriarchs in television dramas; this, in turn, led to more acting projects and commercials.[25] Lee Seo-jin's cool, intellectual celebrity image was also reinvented through the show's more approachable portrayal of him as being witty yet bumbling while he gets constantly stressed out over being the older men's tour guide and "luggage boy."[26]

According to Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, occupancy rates notably rose on flights to cities that appeared in the show.[27]

It also sparked a trend of programs with older celebrities in leading roles, including the 2014 sitcom Flower Grandpa Investigation Unit which again starred Lee Soon-jae.[28] But terrestrial broadcaster KBS received criticism for "copying" the concept of Grandpas Over Flowers through their new reality show Mamado ("Mama, Too"), which featured four veteran actresses — Kim Young-ok, Kim Yong-rim, Kim Soo-mi and Lee Hyo-chun — who go traveling with younger actor Lee Tae-gon.[29][30] Another cable channel TV Chosun also launched the show Yes Yes, wherein veteran entertainers go on two-day trips with their grandchildren to the countryside all across Korea.[31]

Show creator and PD Na Young-seok attributed the show's success to its cast and their spontaneity, saying, "It's because older people with a lot of experience, have lots of stories to tell. When you travel with people with a lot of experience who have gone through the success and failures in life, you learn a lot from them. Their stories teach us something about life."[32] tvN executive Lee Deok-jae added, "I think it's because the program dealt with the universal issue of declining communications between old and young generations, and suggested solutions in ways that entertain viewers. I think entertainment programs people watch only to kill time are quickly losing ground. For a program to have wide appeal and good feedback, it has to contain either a lesson or warm hearts or suggest something productive."[33] Meanwhile, culture critic Jung Duk-hyun said, "Old people speak very frankly, but because of their experience: they have been through so much so they seem always unfazed. Programs such as Halbae are doing a good job in making an entertaining show out of their cast members, who are shown as people the younger generation of people can sympathize and identify with. And of course, the older generation of viewers love the experience of watching shows about people closer to their age."[34]

Writer Lee Woo-jung was given a presidential commendation at the 2013 Korea Content Awards, which praised her show for its depiction of "four elderly backpackers with humor and warmth."[35] Then in 2014, Grandpas Over Flowers won Best Entertainment Program at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.[36]

Spin-offs

Cable channel tvN produced two successful spin-offs with the same format and the same crew (including PD Na). Sisters Over Flowers (2013) aired in between seasons two and three of Grandpas Over Flowers,[37] and it starred four middle-aged actresses (with ages ranging from forties to sixties) Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Ja-ok, Kim Hee-ae and Lee Mi-yeon alongside 27-year-old singer-actor Lee Seung-gi, who travel to Croatia. Youth Over Flowers (2014) had a cast composed of three singer-songwriters in their forties (Yoon Sang, You Hee-yeol and Lee Juck) and three actors in their twenties and thirties (Yoo Yeon-seok, Son Ho-jun and Baro), who go to Peru and Laos, respectively.

Remakes

Grandpas Over Flowers was exported to TVB in Hong Kong and EBC in Taiwan, prompting a CJ E&M network executive to say, "It is really surprising that the grandfathers have become a leading force in Hallyu."[38]

The show's popularity in China led to the production of a Chinese remake titled Hua Yang Ye Ye, which was directed by Li Wen Yu and co-produced by CJ E&M.[39][40] Starring Lei Kesheng, Niu Ben, Chin Han, Kenneth Tsang and Liu Ye (with a guest appearance by f(x) member Victoria), its first season was also filmed in Europe, and it aired on Dragon Television in June 2014.[41]

An American remake is under development at NBC. Tentatively titled Better Late Than Never, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are attached as directors, and it is set to be produced by Small World IFT.[42][43][44][45][46][47][48]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2014 50th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Entertainment Program Grandpas Over Flowers Won
2015 51st Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize (Television) Na Young-seok Won

References

  1. ↑ The title is a word play/parody of Boys Over Flowers (花より男子 Hana Yori Dango), a popular Japanese manga about four handsome young men.
  2. ↑ Lee, Ji-young. "Grandpas' Flowery Youth". Korean Movie Database. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  3. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (19 April 2013). "1 Night, 2 Days producer returns". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  4. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (24 May 2013). "New hiking reality show gets a name". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  5. ↑ Woo, Jae-yeon (19 July 2014). "Golden Guys Get Good Ratings". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  6. 1 2 Park, Jin-hai (23 July 2013). "'I want to flip ideas': Star producer speaks of variety show on old gents". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  7. ↑ Yun, Suh-young (4 March 2014). "Joy of the road: Producer Nah talks about new season of Halbae (grandpas) Over Flowers". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  8. ↑ Jin, Eun-soo (7 March 2014). "Grandpas back, but as abuelos". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  9. ↑ Baek, Byung-yeul (24 August 2014). "tvN leads cable network boom". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  10. ↑ Yoo, Joo-hyun (9 October 2013). "At 76, Shin Goo more popular than ever". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  11. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (25 July 2013). "SNSD's Sunny to Appear on Flower H4 to Surprise Lee Seo Jin". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  12. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (19 March 2014). "SNSD Sunny says She was Lucky to Have Lee Seo Jin Come into Her Life". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  13. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (3 July 2013). "Flower H4 Takes Veteran Actors to Europe". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  14. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (18 July 2013). "Grandpas new season set in Taiwan". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  15. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (25 July 2013). "Grandpas Over Flowers take off for Taiwan". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  16. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (1 August 2013). "Grandpas Over Flowers wraps up filming in Taiwan". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  17. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (21 January 2014). "Grandpas Over Flowers to Head Over to Spain". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  18. ↑ "Na PD on grandpas, money, and Seo-jinnie the con artist". Dramabeans. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  19. ↑ Yeo, Jun-suk (24 March 2015). "Choi Ji-woo is real gem in Grandpas over Flowers". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  20. ↑ Kim, Jae-heun (25 March 2015). "Hallyu star joins Grandpas Over Flowers". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  21. ↑ Jin, Eun-soo (27 March 2015). "Korea's 4 favorite Grandpas return". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  22. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (29 June 2013). "Grandpa actors get own show". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  23. ↑ "Senior actors lead TV show, defying youth-centered industry". The Korea Herald. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  24. ↑ Moon, Gwang-lip (29 July 2013). "Grandpas Over Flowers a ratings hit". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  25. ↑ Chung, Ah-young (7 July 2014). "Cable channel's reality show lifts old stars". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  26. ↑ Lee, Nancy (24 October 2013). "Lee Seo Jin Accepts Style Icon Award from SNSD's Sunny". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  27. ↑ "Geriatric TV Show Boosts Business for Korean Carriers". The Chosun Ilbo. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  28. ↑ Jin, Eun-soo (7 May 2014). "Grandpas turned into sitcom". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  29. ↑ Chung, Ah-young (10 March 2014). "Copycat or trend?: Similar TV variety shows reveal lack of creativity". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  30. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (30 August 2014). "Veteran actresses to share life experiences on new show". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  31. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (10 September 2013). "Another show looks to older stars". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  32. ↑ Jin, Eun-soo (1 August 2013). "Unpredictable seniors entertain Flower H4 viewers". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  33. ↑ Park, Si-soo (9 May 2014). "tvN turns disadvantages into critical edge: CJ E&M affiliate grows with new export items - format, knowhow". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  34. ↑ Yun, Suh-young (18 March 2014). "Old, unscripted and fun: Senior stars shine in reality shows". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  35. ↑ Bae, Ji-sook (15 December 2013). "Cable TV programs emerge as mainstream player in showbiz". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  36. ↑ Chung, Joo-won (27 May 2014). "Song Gang-ho, Jun Ji-hyun get top nods at Baeksang Awards". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  37. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (5 August 2013). "Grandpas to take a break". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  38. ↑ Lee Sun-min (16 September 2013). "Grandpas a hit overseas". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  39. ↑ Jin, Eun-soo (14 January 2014). "Grandpas Over Flowers goes overseas". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  40. ↑ Kim, Hee-eun (14 April 2014). "Chinese Grandpas in works". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  41. ↑ "Chinese version of Grandpas Over Flowers earns popularity". Global Times. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  42. ↑ Lee, Hyo-won (2 September 2014). "NBC to Remake South Korean Variety Show Grandpas Over Flowers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  43. ↑ Frater, Patrick (2 September 2014). "NBC Says Better Late Than Never to Korean Format Grandpas". Variety. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  44. ↑ Jue, Teresa (3 September 2014). "NBC to adapt travel show based on South Korean Grandpas Over Flowers". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  45. ↑ "Grandfathers Over Flowers to hit US shores". The Korea Times. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  46. ↑ "NBC to remake Korean TV show Grandpas Over Flowers". The Korea Herald. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  47. ↑ Lee, Sung-eun (4 September 2014). "U.S. remakes Grandpas reality show". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  48. ↑ Jeon, Su-mi (3 September 2013). "Grandpas Over Flowers Format Exported to NBC in the USA". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-09-11.

External links

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