3 Reasons Why "Superman Returns" Has Maintained Top Spot in Ratings for 50 Weeks

KBS‘s hit reality show “Superman Returns” has now held first place in the ratings for its time slot for fifty weeks!

The show is popular among members of every demographic, and of course fans of “Superman Returns” have plenty of reasons for loving the show. For a lot of viewers, those reasons are named Dae Han, Min Gook, Man Se, Sarang, Seo Joon, Seo Eon and Ji On!

But Korean news site OSEN has gone beyond the pure cuteness of the kids to speculate how the show has managed to successfully maintain its huge popularity over time. Read below and see if you agree!

1. The Children’s Development: Both Fun and Moving

Since the very beginning of the show, viewers have watched Lee Hwi Jae‘s twins Seo Joon and Seo Eon grow from tiny 10-month-olds who could barely crawl to little boys who love to run around and explore the world on foot.

They’re now even able to express themselves both in their facial expressions and through words, and in particular Seo Joon has become very talkative. They seem to understand everything they’re told now, and are great at following directions (when they want to!).

Meanwhile, although Uhm Tae Woong‘s daughter Ji On has only been on the show a short time, we’ve already seen her make improvements in her toilet training. The show also often demonstrates just how much the Song triplets Dae Han, Min Gook, and Man Se have grown, and features their dad Song Il Gook celebrating their milestones – for example, Man Se recently reaching 100 centimeters in height. They’ve also made huge improvements in their conversational ability, and we’ve seen them graduate from high chairs to the adult table.

At the same time, Chu Sung Hoon‘s daughter Sarang used to be unwilling to play with the other kids at the gymnastics club, but now she takes care of her friends and family when they get hurt. Overall, the development of the kids makes the show even more fun and moving.

2. Special Guest Appearances: Keeping the Show Exciting

“Superman Returns” is known for having a lot of guest appearances. On May 24’s episode, Lee Hwi Jae invited Chanyeol and Baekhyun of the popular group EXO to his home. Despite the fact that they’re idols, they threw themselves into playing with the boys and took great care of them. Chanyeol was also thrilled to cook for them and feed them.

Meanwhile, Uhm Tae Woong invited his friend Sung Si Kyung over to his place. Sung Si Kyung has never appeared on a reality show centered on children, but he cooked for Ji On and gave her a kiss, showing that he’ll probably be a dad who’s crazy for his daughter in the future too. By inviting plenty of guests, “Superman Returns” makes sure its viewers never get bored.

3. A Feeling of Closeness with the Children: They’re Like Viewers’ Nieces, Nephews, or Grandchildren

It’s been almost two years since “Superman Returns” first aired, and when viewers watch the show, they now feel like the children are their own nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. They experience a sort of satisfying healing effect as they watch the children grow up. On the message board for the show, some viewers have left comments such as, “I never used to like kids, but now I like the ‘Superman Returns’ kids more than my own nephew.” Another says, “When I see Lee Hwi Jae’s twins talking, I feel so proud and touched.” Another writes, “I think of Sunday as the day I watch the ‘Superman Returns’ kids.” Viewers therefore clearly feel close to the children that appear on the show.

Because of these factors, the popularity of “Superman Returns” has not waned. Every Sunday after the show, the kids’ names are some of the most highly searched terms on Korean portal sites, and there’s a flood of articles written about scenes in the episode. There are also fan pages for each of the kids on most social media websites. No one knows how long this popularity streak will continue, but it seems that as the children continue to develop, the show will become even more fun and touching.

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