Roommate

Roommate is a 20 episode KTV variety-reality show that began airing in early 2014.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The premise here is to just watch 11 random Korean celebrities come together to live in one awesome coed house. Cameras are located everywhere in the house and they record the goings on of the cast members 24 hours/day. The cast is mostly left to their own devices as they're filmed interacting with one another, going about their daily personal & professional lives, etc. Then, the production crew edits the footage that results as best as possible, and gets the show on the air on a weekly basis.

This show is somewhat similar to a Korean mirror image of the older American show 'Big Brother'. The premise is the same, except each show takes the form of what their own country's unique take is on what qualifies as suitable "reality" TV entertainment. Both shows do share a common theme, but 'Roommate' is very congenial by comparison, so don't expect in-fighting, shacking up, and the like, to occur here. The other difference between the 2 shows is that the cast of 'Roommate" is likeable and actually has some talent.

"Roommate" has all the earmarks of any similarly themed modern KTV variety-reality show. There are a few typical variety show games to be played, some trips to visit various places, insights to different members' "working lives", a few guest stars along the way, etc. And, as usual, it's not "reality" at all; the show is partially scripted and pushed in certain directions on occasion for dramatic purposes when needed. It can be very haphazardly directed at times though, and, any viewer interested in watching this show should be forewarned that it can be rather dull on occasion; each episode is lengthy and slow paced, and I doubt this show was a huge ratings success (though I haven't verified this).

Ironically, this show's oft relaxed pacing and lack of direction is perhaps its most appealing aspect. As strange as it may seem, this show is at its best when it's doing absolutely nothing at all (other than just observing the daily lives of these people who must live & work together). Seldom are all of the cast members actually all together in one place, as everybody is constantly coming and going to their drama sets, overseas concerts, etc. Yet, they all eventually make their way back to their "roommates" at various points, where they bond over late night chats, sharing meals, doing chores, and so forth. Everybody is generally just very nice to, and supportive of, each other as well, and that always a plus for me when it comes to any type of reality show.

The "roommates" are comprised of an assortment of male & female celebrities with various skills & credentials; they range in age of early 20's to mid-40's. Some are more famous than others, and most are there to partly further promote themselves, but they all have credible merit. I was somewhat familiar with most all of them from the start, and while I do think that's helpful, it's not a requirement by any means. You're sure to find one or more of them to like as the show progresses. Opinions will vary of course, but I found both the oldest and youngest cast members to be my personal favorites of the bunch; the eldest is a modern day renaissance man (i.e. a rugged good looking guy who can sing, act, cook, fix & build stuff, rides a Harley, etc). He's also very laid back and reasonable, and he regularly looks after the rest of the "roommates" (since he's their senior). Dude is 100% awesome! The youngest is an aspiring MMA fighter who resembles a Manhwa (Manga) character that's come to life; she's a rough and tumble tom boy type who's often un-lady like, and yet she's also impossibly cute and seemingly baffled by the fact that people would find her attractive in any way. As the least experienced cast member, her interactions with her more polished entertainment industry "roommates" do result in some fairly amusing moments, and, the episode devoted to the lead up to her eventual pro fight debut is arguably the highlight of this show. Girl is 100% awesome!

I actually found myself liking this show. This baffles me however, because the show does have several problems: 1) It's often boring. 2) it's not sustainable over time since everybody has to get on with their careers at some point. 3) It's horrid at dealing with some cast member departures that occur (i.e. they just vanish without explanation, and the show takes the absurd approach of pretending they just never existed at all). 4) It's yet another Korean TV variety show that falls victim to a lack of pre-planning in order to pump out content, and it does have some trouble finding its way and figuring out what it does best as a result.

Summary: It ain't great, but it sort of works. "Season 2" is underway (as of this review) and includes half original cast and half new comers, plus a leftover dog. We'll see how it goes! This show does need some refinement however; perhaps a perpetual semi-rotating cast who'll commit to a 16-20 episode block/season, and, it's in DIRE need of some better direction, pacing, & writing.

Bottom Line: Not 'Must See' I liked it OK enough to give it some leeway to see if it will develop into a quality show. 6.5 out of 10 stars!

ADDENDUM (5-22-15). I watched half of Season 2 before giving up. It started OK enough, but many original cast members end up coasting along, and several of the new cast members became more obnoxious and annoying over time. Pacing, direction, and writing all got progressively worse. The show became a complete mess and was canceled as of this writing, and, deservedly so!...Watch Season 1 if you want, but don't get your hopes up if you invest in Season 2.