tvN's real gangsta sitcom "Chagane" opened successfully with Cha Ga-ne's tumultuous journey toward spiciness.
The first episode of Chagane (directed by Yang Jeong-woo, Lee Jeong-won, Lee Ji-sook, Jeon Hye-rim), which aired on the 8th, depicted the full-fledged meeting of the gangsta family Chagane, who are chasing a life-changing hit by developing a new spicy sauce. Under the keyword "spiciness," the show is exploding with the unique charm of a "real gangsta sitcom" never seen before, drawing praise from viewers from the first broadcast.
The episode recorded an average of 2.7% and a peak of 3.7% in households in the Seoul metropolitan area, and an average of 2.7% and a peak of 3.3% nationwide, ranking first in its time slot including cable and general programming. It also achieved first place across all channels in the same time slot, including terrestrial broadcasters, in tvN's target men and women ages 20-49 ratings, marking a smooth start. (Nielsen Korea, paid platforms)
The scene that opened the show was the formation of the organization. Cha Seung-won dreamed of a get-rich-quick business, saying "Isn't K-spiciness trending worldwide? We just need to develop one K-spicy sauce," and announced the formation of the Chagane organization as he plotted with his 16-year right-hand man Choo Sung Hoon and new face Tommy. In particular, Cha Seung-won brought laughter by showing meticulousness, even visiting a global food company research lab to carry out behind-the-scenes work toward sauce development.
With the full-fledged journey toward new and diverse spiciness beginning, the first mission given to the Chagane organization was a business trip to Bangkok. To research the spicy flavor market, the Chagane organization embarked on a gourmet exploration, covering Bangkok's night markets to local hot spots. As a paradise of cuisine and spices visited by people from around the world, the jaw-dropping scale of the massive night markets was unquestionably eye-catching. The three experienced local Thai sauces firsthand and collected ideas for developing a new spicy sauce. Amid the epic mukbang staged under the pretext of sauce development, Cha Seung-won and Choo Sung Hoon revealed different tastes and preferences and began to sketch out the bigger picture.
Showing completely different directions, the hierarchy fight between Cha Seung-won and Choo Sung Hoon was another highlight. Cha Seung-won, who fell completely for Thai fish sauce, attracted attention with an idea that combined Thai ingredients with Korean kimchi recipes. Having showcased the history of diverse kimchi with an unrivaled touch, Cha Seung-won presented a spicy kimchi made with papaya, the main ingredient of som tam, Thai fish sauce, bird's eye chili, and the boss's cheat key yogurt, drawing a heated response.
Meanwhile, targeting the global MZ generation, Choo Sung Hoon explored local trends by visiting spicy challenge eateries that swept Thai social media. Bravely taking on the challenge, he said "it's not that spicy" while coughing, which provoked laughter. A scene in which Choo Sung Hoon, who dreams of rebellion, has a secret meeting with a mysterious figure also appeared, adding to the curiosity.
Chagane began a full-fledged journey toward spiciness with the ever-turbulent Chagane organization, capturing viewers' attention from the first broadcast. The meeting of the three, who possess a heavy presence worthy of noir, meshed with the genre of the "real gangsta sitcom" to complete an irreplaceably fresh fun. Under the goal of "spicy sauce development," the gourmet exploration in Thailand, a paradise of ingredients, and the daily lives of the crew also added rich viewing content.
Warm responses continue for the spicy but addictive chemistry of the Chagane members. The boss Cha Seung-won, who loses his temper several times a day because of the reckless members but cares for his juniors more than anyone, the bulldozer action leader Choo Sung Hoon, who was thought to be the boss's perfect right-hand but does everything his own way, and Tommy, who quietly played an active role from payments to ingredient prep to managing the elders' mental states and his extreme love of showers, combined to highlight the trio's chemistry. With the announced full-fledged appearances of new members DinDin and Danny Goo, anticipation for the unfolding stories has risen even further.
[Photo] tvN "Chagane" broadcast capture
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