The little show that could?
'Hangout With Yoo', which received a lot of love, even ranking first for 14 weeks in a row, is now frequently not even in the top 10 in variety show rankings.
In July 2019, PD Kim Tae-ho started the show with Yoo Jae-suk and a relay camera, the return of the 'Infinite Challenge' duo had viewers hooked. PD Kim Tae Ho was a master at bringing out Yoo Jae Suk's potential and a cult following had formed around the show.
PD Kim Tae-ho left MBC and the show after the 'Acorn Festival' arc, with Jung Jun-ha, Haha, Shin Bong-seon, and Lee Mi-joo joining to revamp the show. However although ratings are consistently in the 7-8% range, other metrics for the popularity of the show has declined significantly.
Most glaring is the "trending" metric which is an indicator of the current public's interest, independent of the ratings. The metric measure's where the public's interest lies by checking the frequency of postings related to broadcasting online.
According to Good Data Corporation, a TV topic analysis agency, 'Hangout With Yoo' ranked 9th in the 3rd and 4th weeks of February and 8th in the 4th week of January. Now, the show is more often pushed out of the top 10 rankings entirely.
'Hangout With Yoo' is in the middle of finding a new identity after PD Kim Tae-ho's exit. Whether the show will be able to regain its form is to be seen, however until then audience's loyalty will be tested.