EXO to launch exclusive TV variety show

Despite being relatively new faces in the K-pop scene, EXO has managed to expand their fan base throughout Asia and is quickly growing into one of the country’s most popular boy bands. At the height of their popularity, the 12 members will be launching their first TV variety program called “EXO’s Showtime” on MBC Every 1, the network announced on Thursday.

The premise of the weekly show will be simply following the everyday lives of the young boys, who claim that for the most part, they are just like any other guys in their 20s.

Fans and viewers will also have opportunities to post whatever questions or curiosities they have about the members on the show’s bulletin board, and the boys will try to answer personal questions as honestly as possible, the network said.

“I want to show people what we are like in our free time being our natural selves,” said EXO’s Suho. “I hope this will be an opportunity for EXO’s teamwork to form stronger bonds.”

“Because this is our first variety show, I’m very nervous. However, I believe we are going to have a lot of fun filming the program,” said member D.O.

EXO first made its monstrous debut in 2011 with the group’s first single Mama and has since exploded onto the K-pop scene with a number of hit tracks including the group’s most recent “Growl,” which was released in August.

Although the members of EXO are actually divided into two subunits ― Exo-K and Exo-M, with the former performing music in Korean and the latter in Mandarin ― the upcoming program will feature all 12 members as a group.

“EXO’s Showtime” is scheduled to air on MBC Every 1 at the end of November.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)