In KBS2's 'The Return of Superman,' 80-year-old comedian Lee Sang-hae takes on the challenge of making his granddaughter Ella laugh with "Make Ella Laugh."
'The Return of Superman' (directed by Kim Young-min, hereafter "The Superman") has been beloved by the public for 13 years since its first broadcast in 2013. In 2023 following Eun-woo, in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of June TV-OTT non-drama institutional sector grants popularity rankings, The Superman's Jung-woo entered the top 10 for two consecutive weeks, proving that the brothers are the youngest and most talked-about. (Based on Good Data Corporation) Also, last July they received the 14th "Population Day" commemorative presidential citation, showing the stature of the "national parenting variety show."
The Superman's 590th episode, airing today (17th), is titled "Holding on to the end of summer," and features the three MCs Park Soo-hong, Choi Ji-woo and Ahn Young-mi together with supermom Kim Yoon-ji.
In this episode, Lee Sang-hae and Kim Young-im, Kim Yoon-ji's parents-in-law, take on daily childcare for granddaughter Ella, drawing attention. In particular, Lee Sang-hae, a master of slapstick who made the whole nation laugh, uses every special move he has honed all his life to make Ella laugh.
First, Lee Sang-hae, who captured Ella's attention with a propeller hat, begins his laugh hunt with his secret weapon song and dance "Ongheya." But when Ella ignores him, he says, "How do people do hip-hop these days?" puts on a beanie and shows his determination to win Ella over with Lee Sang-hae–style hip-hop dance. Watching this in the studio, daughter-in-law Kim Yoon-ji said, "It seems father changed his childcare to a modern style," cheering on Lee Sang-hae's struggles and drawing laughter.
Lee Sang-hae climbs onto Ella's toy car and deliberately falls over, tumbles down baby toy stairs and performs an endless parade of physical gags. Even at 80, pouring passion into caring for Ella, fellow comedian Ahn Young-mi said, "He's not usually like that…" and could not finish her sentence. In response to Lee Sang-hae's desperate gestures to make his granddaughter laugh, his wife Kim Young-im said, "Why is grandpa doing that?" yet could not hold back her laughter and burst into peals of laughter, according to reports.
Whether grandfather Lee Sang-hae can break granddaughter Ella's laughter with slapstick comic childcare skills rivaling his heyday is drawing attention to The Superman's live broadcast.
Airs every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
[Photo] KBS 2TV
[OSEN]