Manito Club: The Innovative Entertainment Concept Transforming Korean Variety Shows in 2026

Lee So-jung | 2026.03.14

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 TenAsia
 TenAsia
I only meet Producer Na socially every few years. As two producers who’ve spent a long time in variety TV, we had an enjoyable conversation about what the genre looks like today and where it’s headed.

Producer Kim Tae-ho gave that answer when asked about his relationship with Producer Na Young-seok during a roundtable interview for MBC’s new variety series, Manito Club. Last August, Kim and Na drew attention when they produced an in-house matchmaking web dating program featuring junior producers. Kim said that during a brief business meeting he even felt a fleeting urge to try being a panelist on an entertainment show—he watches them so often.

Last month, an interview with Kim, who directed Manito Club, aired. The show is built around the concept of "a club of people who, when they receive one thing, know how to split it into two" and plays out as a chaotic undercover gift‑delivery variety program. Manito Club is produced in three waves, each with a different cast. Season 1 stirred interest with Choo Sung‑hoon, Noh Hong‑chul, Lee Su‑ji, Dex and Jennie; Season 2 added Park Myung‑soo, Hong Jin‑kyung, Jung Hae‑in, Go Yoon‑jung and Kim Do‑hoon. Reports say Season 3 will feature Cha Tae‑hyun, Hwang Kwang‑hee, Park Bo‑young, Lee Sun‑bin and Kang Hoon.

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 TenAsia
Alongside stories about Manito Club, Kim talked about his production company TEO as it approaches its fifth anniversary.

"We have many talented creators at the company, not just me, and everyone takes responsibility and moves projects forward," he said. "Since we founded the company, we’ve followed two main directions. One is to be a production house that makes strong content capable of global distribution. The other is to continually build our own IP—planting seeds now that could become major company assets later. We wanted to watch those seeds eventually bear fruit."

 TenAsia
 TenAsia
"By next year, some of those seeds should begin to bear fruit. I also feel our work is gaining recognition in the global market. Lately we’ve been talking a lot about what direction to take next, and we’re constantly reassessing our strategy," Kim added.

Kim said that if there’s been a recent internal consensus, it’s this: while profitability matters, what gives a producer the biggest dopamine hit is hearing people say, 'We opened this era'—the way people refer to the 'Infinite Challenge generation.' For instance, some argue that Black and White Chef opened a new current in survival-variety. So the big question for us is what will open the next era. That’s our greatest challenge, and we want to be the kind of team that wrestles with that question.

 TenAsia
 TenAsia
He continued, "When we were kids we played games like 'Open Dongdaemun'—when the clock struck twelve the gate closed, and if you were caught you were out. In the same way, even if a trend has passed, I don’t think we need to force an ending. Rather than chasing something that’s already at No. 1, we often talk about finding another path before that gate shuts."

"I feel these concerns are shared by everyone working in variety," he said. "I respect anyone—junior or senior—who approaches new things ready to learn. If an opportunity comes this year to collaborate on strong content, we’re always open."

Lee So‑jung, TenAsia reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr