Sundays became a little more entertaining thanks to the newest award-winning KBS2 show, The Return of Superman, featuring Epik High’s Tablo, mixed martial arts fighter Choo Sung Hoon, MC/comedian Lee Hwi-jae, and actor Jang Hyun-sun.
Adorable children, clueless fathers, and a whole bunch of hilarious moments in between, the show — a hybrid reality and variety show — follows four celebrity dads as they take on the tasks of raising their children without the help of their wives over the span of 48 hours.
The show’s genesis was prompted by the success of MBC’s Daddy, Where Are We Going?, a variety show about fathers and children taking trips around the country. The initial uncertainty about the prospects of The Return of Superman were quickly shed as the show has consecutively ranked in the Top 3 in ratings for their Sunday time slot.
[ad#336]
How did they manage to gain such success? Compared to Daddy, Where Are We Going?, The Return of Superman focuses on the individual lives of each father and their families.
From watching Tablo recover from a broken shoulder to Jang Hyun-sun teaching his son how to ride a bike, the show keeps viewers constantly updated with the status of the growing relationships between father and child.
As the show has progressed, it isn’t just the interaction between father and child that now attracts viewers, but the interaction between all the dads as they appear on other variety shows together, set up play dates for their children, and even come together to celebrate the Korean New Year.
[ad#336]
Lucky for us, KBS World releases all episodes — albeit with a week’s delay — on its YouTube channel. And yes, the videos come with subtitles.
Team Haru
Although a spitting image of her parents, Korean Canadian rapper Tablo and Oldboy actress Kang Hye-jung, four-year-old Lee Haru is often mistaken for a boy due to her short, but chic hairstyle. She has an obsession with fish and aquatic mammals. The father-daughter duo go fishing, take baking lessons, and even go to concerts together. The growing bond between the two is all thanks to the help of mom, who clearly wears the pants in this relationship.
In earlier episodes, Tablo can be seen asking his wife for extra spending money during one of his outings with Haru. Aside the fact that Kang Hye-jung keeps Tablo on a short leash, the trio display a rather close and affectionate relationship as Haru and Tablo often video chat with Kang Hye-jung during her two day absences.
Team Sarang
A fan favorite, the adorable Choo Sarang is the daughter of MMA fighter Choo Sung Hoon — a fourth-generation Zainichi Korean from Osaka, Japan — and Japanese model Shiho Yano. Noted for her “Choovely” charm (a portmanteau of her last name Choo and lovely), Sarang has managed to capture the hearts of those around her with her infectious personality and never-ending appetite.
Sarang has become a hot commodity all over Korea as celebrities and viewers alike squeal over scenes of her stuffing her face with grapes or cutely imitating her dad as he attempts to teach her Korean. Her interaction with guest stars is strictly A-list, as evidenced by the recent cameo by K-pop superstar Rain.
[ad#336]
Team Ssangdungi (Twins)
Overwhelmed with twice the work it takes to raise two kids, Lee Hwi-jae and wife, Moon Jung Won, have their work cut out for them as they are constantly feeding, changing, and putting their one-year-old twin sons Seo-eon and Seo-jun to sleep.
With Seo-eon constantly crying and Seo-jun curiously crawling around, two days without mommy proves to be a struggle for Lee Hwi-jae, who has been known to have strangers watch one of his kids while he runs to change the other’s diaper. But it’s also interesting to see the comedian Lee shed his funnyman persona and display a more paternal side while never failing to appreciate quality time spent with his sons.
Team Leave it to Beaver
Lastly, it would seem Jang Hyun-sun has the easiest job among the “Superman” dads raising the two eldest children of the show, Jun-woo, 11, and Jun-seo, 7, but his accident prone and naïve nature has resulted in many hilariously clueless moments. During a visit from Choo Sung Hoon and Sarang, Jang Hyun-sun attempts to impress his guest by cooking what he thinks is seaweed soup for dinner. It isn’t until his interview where he shockingly discovers he had mistaken black mushroom for seaweed. As clueless as he may be, his two sons show great affection towards him.
“The Return of Superman” continues to gain popularity as viewers continue to enjoy watching the trials and tribulations of this star-studded cast as they learn the difficulties of daddy daycare.
[ad#336]
[ad#336]
