7 Years of “We Got Married”: Is the Show in Danger of Cancellation?

It’s been seven years since MBC’s “We Got Married” first started its broadcast. With the central idea of a celebrity couple experiencing the married life, it was inevitable for the show to hit some bumps along the way. However, as people are claiming that the long time reality show is in a time of danger, it seems that “We Got Married” would like to clear up the idea of the show’s declining success.

On January 9, Producer Sun Hye Yoon (Sun PD) answered questions regarding the show during a “We Got Married Season 4” press conference. In response to a question regarding the show’s potential, Sun PD commented, “The reason for ‘We Got Married’s’ longevity is because of the people. The reason for the show’s long run and the talks of the show being in danger is all because of the people. When people (couples of the show) change, viewers may view similar occurrences differently. Thus, we hope that our program can continue to show its charm for 10, 20 years as the couples continues to change. Hopefully, ‘We Got Married’ can be a long running program like ‘Nationwide Singing Contest.’”

Furthermore, in regards to the show being in danger of cancellation, as seen by its controversies in 2013, Sun PD said, “There are people who say this show is in danger, but it is not a danger we think about. In the eyes of the viewers, there might be a desire for a couple to leave the show. Yet, that doesn’t put the show in danger.”

Back in 2013, “We Got Married” carried controversy when a special unseen clip of A Pink’s Na Eun’s backroom interview was released. The clip showed a staff member cursing at Taemin when trying to console a saddened Na Eun. Although the show apologized, the controversy continued to remain, and fans had protested for the couple to leave the show. Sun PD added her thoughts on the show’s danger accusation, by stating, “We want to show true feelings between the couple during their imaginary marriage. We have confidence that we can provide serious and heart-felt content, and that is the mindset we have when producing the show. Since we work on this show as a return gift for the fans of ‘We Got Married,’ we have confidence that there is no danger within the show’s production as well as the show itself.”

In addition, another big controversy that has followed the show was whether a script exists, which would convey that the show doesn’t provide any more real of a scene than does a drama or a movie. Sun PD clarified, “People don’t seem to understand a show’s production system. To say it correctly, we do not have a script like a drama where we write lines that the couples will say. Such script does not exist. All reality programs have some form of script. ‘Infinity Challenge’ and ‘Sunday Night’ all have scripts that direct the flow of the show. Such script is simply a guideline that is just has an outline in order to help with filming, but the scripts do not say what actions or behaviors the couples will show.  Also, we don’t give out the guidelines to the stars. Rather, we tell the managers and the stars the time, date, and place that they must meet, and right before they enter filming we give the stars a general explanation of what they will do that day. Hence, the things the stars do and say are natural and not directed by the staff.”

Despite what people may argue, it seems like “We Got Married” will continue to portray imaginary marriages between celebrities. On January 11, the show welcomed new couple, 2PM’s Wooyoung and actress Park Se Young, validating the reality show’s concept of changing couples.

We hope that in 2014 there will be only good news for “We Got Married.” Good luck Wooyoung and Park Se Young!