'Running Man' has made a great comeback in the ratings department following a depressive period that begun with Gary's departure and was escalated by the temporary removal of Song Ji-hyo and Kim Jong-kook. The arrival of two new permanent members also put off many loyal fans who expressed their frustrations at the show through social media. However, all bad things must come to an end and it seems the ray of sunshine has begun shining on the most popular variety show once again.
As noted by website Soompi, recent episodes of 'Running Man' have clinched viewership ratings in the eight percent range. The ratings started climbing over the last five months and since this April, viewership has tripled. It seems that the entry of a new producing director (PD) in Jung Chul-min and the inclusion of two new members, Jun So-min and Yang Se-chan were in hindsight, good decisions after all; as they have brought more variety to the variety show.
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Explaining this, PD Jung Chul-min said, "You can tell on set that the original six members purposely make 'space' for the two new members, and Jun So-min and Yang Se-chan gratefully give it their all during those moments." He added, "The biggest driving force behind our improvement is how they try twice as hard as before, and share ideas with each other off set. I'm confident their chemistry is the best."
Jung Chul-min then proceeded to thank his fellow producers on the show and said, "They have a hard time because of a stubborn producing director," adding, "'We will do our absolute best so that 'Running Man' can receive more love."
In fact, the viewers and fans of 'Running Man' have been loving this rejig of the SBS variety programme. Some of them commented on social media expressing their excitement with the new face of their favourite show. While one wrote, "'Running Man' has become strikingly more fun," another said, "The production has become much more detailed."
All in all, things seem happy on the 'Running Man' sets at the moment, with the dark clouds of a confusing and heartbreaking time having cleared away. The next episode of 'Running Man' will air on September 17 at 4:50 p.m. KST on SBS.
