"Whenever there is a gap," producer Choi Bo-pil expressed both regret over the end of the program's season and excitement for the next season.
On the 16th, Choi Bo-pil, who directed SBS's popular variety show "Whenever there is a gap," reflected on wrapping up season 4 in a written interview with OSEN.
"Whenever there is a gap" is a "gap tactics" variety show that gifts luck during the brief pockets of time encountered in everyday life; it began with season 1 in 2024 and on the 14th announced the end of season 4.
On that day, regarding the feeling that "Whenever there is a gap" season 4 ended as the ratings leader in its time slot for all episodes (based on the 20-49 demographic ratings provided by Nielsen Korea), Choi said, "First of all, I'm happy we safely completed season 4 and I thank the viewers. It had the most episodes among all seasons, but it felt like time passed very quickly—almost as if it were just a regular season."
Choi interpreted the show's popularity by saying, "Once again, I think viewers really liked the chemistry between the two MCs. Also, I think viewers liked the gap friends' natural immersion, excitement and relaxed talk that you couldn't see on other shows."
Season 4 of "Whenever there is a gap" featured a variety of guests, starting with Lee Je-hoon and Pyo Ye-jin from Taxi Driver, and including Choo Young-Woo, Kwon Sang-woo, NMIXX, Lee Sun-bin, Zo In-sung, Park Jeongmin, among others; for the final episode, Park Boyoung and Lee Kwangsoo appeared, bringing the show to a successful close.
Asked which episode was the most memorable this season and whether there were guests he would like to invite back for season 5, Choi said, "Many episodes are memorable, but the elementary schools stand out. Unintentionally, we haven't been able to give gifts to elementary school students, so I want to break that jinx in the next season."
He added, "The people we'd especially like to invite back next season are Choo Sung Hoon and Kim Dong-hyun, who left feeling particularly aggrieved," and he added, "They were so upset and said they definitely want revenge, so we're thinking of inviting them next season," raising expectations.
One of the show's major strengths is how guests comfortably trade rapid-fire banter in time with the MCs' perfect rhythm. At the center of that is the chemistry between Yu Jae-seok and Yoo Yeon-seok, who trust and rely on each other and deliver the biggest effect.
Choi Bo-pil described the two's chemistry by saying, "It even feels like watching an older married couple now. There is warmth within the comfort. They seem indifferent yet attentive to each other, and because they show great interest in each other's daily lives, their bond seems to grow stronger with each season. Since both have great affection for this program, I want to further develop this chemistry and show it for a long time."
Meanwhile, "Whenever there is a gap," which enjoyed lively gap time for four months, will return for the next season after a break. Expectations are rising for which gap friends will bring new energy in the next season.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by SBS
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