Idols bunk together in boardinghouse sitcom

by javabeans

Everything old is new again: MBC Every1 (a cable channel) is looking to revive the success of 1990s hit sitcom Three Men, Three Women (itself borrowed from the American Friends, sort of), which was a popular sitcom that notably starred a young Song Seung-heon back before he was a superstar. That show was centered around college students boarding in the same house and dealing with everyday foibles and lovelines, and had a lo-fi charm in spite of being rather rough around the edges. (It was one of the first sitcoms that Korea produced, and they were still working their way around the form.)

Taking Three Men, Three Women as its template, a new sitcom called Boardinghouse No. 24 is in the works, and has lined up some idol stars to headline: ZE:A’s Kim Dong-joon (Mandate of Heaven, Girl K), Jewelry’s Park Se-mi, VIXX’s Ken, and Rainbow’s Jo Hyun-young.

To follow the Three Men format, Boardinghouse No. 24 will have six main cast members, two of whom have yet to be cast. As you can probably deduce, the conceit is pretty simple—idols living in a boardinghouse together—which we’ve seen before in several shows, such as the Nonstop series and also Vampire Idol. It’s hard to tell whether this comedy will be worth watching based on the little information we’re given, but I do have a soft spot for campus-set shows that deal with small, cute, slice-of-life encounters and conflicts. I was sad when Nonstop went off the air, and feel like they really could have kept going for yeaaaaars more, especially since each season featured a new cast of fresh faces. (And the Nonstop alumni list is pretty impressive, with actors like Jo In-sung, Hyun Bin, Lee Bo-young, Jang Geun-seok, Jo Han-seon, Han Ye-seul, and Lee Yoon-ji among its ranks.)

It probably isn’t realistic to expect Boardinghouse No. 24 to become the next Three Men, Three Women despite the buzzwords, but if you’re up for a low-key sitcom featuring some idols, maybe this will be something to check out. It airs once a week beginning in August, and will have 12 episodes total.

Via Star News