South Korean TV network MBN is to give a weekly primetime slot this summer to a localized version of studio-based reality show “Mystery Duets.”
The concept sees the nation’s most famous singers and celebrities perform a duet without knowing with whom they share the stage. It is only in the middle of the song that they discover each other’s identity as the screen between them rises. Viewers at home play along as one of the two performers’ identities are kept a secret.
The show is a format originally produced by DMLS TV, part of Banijay France, and had its first iteration on leading French network TF1 from last year. The show is distributed by Can’t Stop Media, which has struck 20 territory development deals in markets including Brazil, India, the U.K., Germany, and the U.S.
The Korean version will be produced by Image9Coms, one of Korea’s major production companies and the physical production company behind the Korean adaptation of “Got Talent.” The production is being made in association with Korean format expert Hwang Jinwoo’s Something Special. The show will play for ten consecutive weeks.
“We are so excited that Korea, a nation known for its massive global export of music, cinema or TV formats, has decided to adapt ‘Mystery Duets,’ into a Korean series. And even more that this adaptation will be produced by Park Won Woo and Hwang Jinwoo, the so talented creators of ‘The Masked Singer’ and ‘I Can See Your Voice’,” said Matthieu Porte, Can’t Stop Media’s cofounder.
“It is such a meaningful project to produce Mystery Duet Korea because current Korea’s music show tends to focus on auditions and competitions,” said Min Jin Ki executive director of Image9coms.
“[Our company’s] philosophy – ‘connect & create’ – focuses on both promoting Korean formats to the world as well as bringing the best international formats to Korean audiences,” said Hwang, president of Something Special.