Korean pop icon Super Junior is all set to return to the airwaves with their first variety show together in 10 years, "Super TV."
A decade after their first limited-run TV show, "Explorers of the Human Body," ended, Super Junior is back with a new, and hopefully much longer, offering.
The upcoming "Super TV" was inspired by the group's limited-run digital show "SJ Returns," which aired daily on weekdays from October to November on V-Live last year to help promote the group's comeback album, "Play." The show documented their 120-day journey until their first album after a two-year hiatus was released.
The digital show's interesting cuts and the members' unique chemistry pulled back the legendary group's fans, which they often describe as young mothers and office workers. Being on a popular South Korean app, V-Live, the group was also able to attract a new generation of fans. This pushed SM Entertainment, the group's agency, to give them their own TV show.
In a short clip released on Tuesday, Jan. 23, the group tried to introduce their upcoming variety series in just 30 seconds. Designated funny man Shindong (Shin Dong Hee) kicked it off with a fast-paced description of the series, saying it will be a "quiz show, talk show, game show, eating show, reality, documentary, sports, film, comedy, etc." all at once.
Heechul (Kim Hee Chul) then added that, "It's a show that twists all of these formats of the world in Super Junior's own way!" Fans of the group, called ELFs or Everlasting Friends, know that the boy band has a weird way of taking things.
As if to support that, rapper Eunhyuk (Lee Hyuk Jae) ended the clip by saying, "Be prepared to begin the year by laughing a lot."
Apart from Shindong, Heechul, and Eunhyuk, "Super TV" will also star group leader Leeteuk (Park Jeong Su), Donghae (Lee Donghae), and Yesung (Kim Jong Woon). The rest of the group's 11 will not be able to participate -- two are still serving their mandatory army enlistment, while the other three are involved in various scandals.
"Super TV" premieres Jan. 26, 11 p.m. KST, on new channel XtvN.
