The Return of Superman (TV series)


The Return of Superman is a South Korean reality-variety show that airs on KBS2. The Return of Superman used to be one of the two segments on Happy Sunday. The original three episodes pilot aired as a Chuseok holiday special from September 19 till September 21 of 2013, starring Lee Hwi-jae, Choo Sung-hoon, Jang Hyun-sung. The show is narrated by actress Lee Mi-do
and announcer.
KBS announced on Oct 17, 2013 that The Return of Superman will officially become part of the Happy Sunday lineup starting on November 3, 2013. The show replaces Star Family Show Mamma Mia, which was moved to Wednesday nights.

Synopsis

Celebrity dads are left to care for their kids alone for 48 hours without the help of anyone else, while their wives leave home to enjoy some relaxing time off. The wives are shown leaving the home before the 48 hours begins and coming back to greet their family once the 48 hours have ended. During the 48 hours the dads and children are either doing a task the wives have written out for the dads to complete, or the dads are exploring new activities with their kids. Occasionally celebrity friends of the dads will stop by to interact with the kids.

Format

The show is filmed with set up cameras and cameraman hiding in tents and playhouses in each of the celebrities' actual home. Family and friends of the celebrity dads will occasionally show up in episodes. In each episode, as the show moves from one family to the next, a brief narration by the narrator is given to introduce the next segment of the episode.
During each individual family segment the parents, with the exception of Junu, Junseo and Haru who were old enough to answer questions when they started the show, would give a talking head interview while being asked questions by the shows PDs about the current situation being aired.

Cast

Current cast

*Children are listed from oldest to youngest, and families are listed in order of appearance on the show.

Former cast

'*Families and narrators are listed in order of exiting the show.

Special cast

Timeline


ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = width:795 top:30 left:95 bottom:20
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:11/03/2013 till:05/01/2020
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Colors =
id:Member value:darkblue legend:Member
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:2014 gridcolor:black
BarData =
bar:5 text:"Kim Jung-tae"
bar:6 text:"Do Kyung-wan"
bar:2 text:"Jang Hyun-sung"
bar:4 text:"Tablo"
bar:8 text:"Uhm Tae-woong"
bar:7 text:"Song Il-gook"
bar:3 text:"Choo Sung-hoon"
bar:1 text:"Lee Hwi-jae"
bar:9 text:"Lee Dong-gook"
bar:10 text:"Ki Tae-yong"
bar:11 text:"Lee Beom-soo"
bar:12 text:"Yang Dong-geun"
bar:13 text:"Oh Ji-ho"
bar:16 text:"In Gyo-jin"
bar:14 text:"Sam Hammington"
bar:15 text:"Ko Ji-yong"
bar:17 text:"Bong Tae-gyu"
bar:18 text:"Park Joo-ho"
bar:19 text:"Jang Beom-june"
bar:20 text:"Moon Hee-joon"
bar:21 text:"Hong Kyung-min"
bar:22 text:"Gary"
bar:23 text:"Min Woo-hyuk"
PlotData =
color:member width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from
bar:1 from:start till:04/08/2018
bar:2 from:start till:06/29/2014
bar:3 from:start till:03/20/2016
bar:3 from:11/13/2016 till:12/11/2016
bar:4 from:start till:12/28/2014
bar:5 from:03/30/2014 till:04/12/2014
bar:5 from:05/04/2014 till:06/15/2014
bar:6 from:06/22/2014 till:08/10/2014
bar:6 from:12/07/2019 till:end
bar:7 from:07/06/2014 till:02/07/2016
bar:8 from:01/04/2015 till:11/08/2015
bar:9 from:08/17/2014 till:08/23/2014
bar:9 from:08/02/2015 till:10/06/2019
bar:10 from:01/24/2016 till:01/21/2018
bar:11 from:02/07/2016 till:05/14/2017
bar:12 from:04/24/2016 till:01/01/2017
bar:13 from:05/08/2016 till:01/01/2017
bar:14 from:10/30/2016 till:end
bar:15 from:01/01/2017 till:05/17/2019
bar:16 from:05/15/2016 till:01/01/2017
bar:16 from:08/13/2017 till:08/13/2017
bar:17 from:04/15/2018 till:06/09/2019
bar:18 from:08/19/2018 till:01/26/2020
bar:19 from:03/10/2019 till:05/19/2019
bar:20 from:06/16/2019 till:end
bar:21 from:06/23/2019 till:end
bar:22 from:02/02/2020 till:end
bar:23 from:04/06/2020 till:end

Cast history

*Details based on the show.
Cast memberRelationDetails
Junu, JunseoSibling rivalryJunu thinks both of his parents love Junseo more because they pay more attention to Junseo and because he is the youngest. Vice versa, Junseo thinks that his parents love his older brother more because Junu is better than Junseo at everything.
Junu, JunseoAfraid of dogs brothersJunu and Junseo are both afraid of dogs. Doesn't matter if it is a small Dachshund or a cute Pekingese, as long as it barks they are afraid of it. When both brothers were staying at the Choo family home they were afraid the Choo's Dachshund would bite them every time it growled. While visiting Kim Jung-tae's home, Junseo became hysterical when their Pekingese licked his hand and Junu was afraid to even walk into the living room.
JunuBaby loverEven though he is only in his pre-teens, Junu has shown that he has a soft spot for babies and toddlers. During Sarang's visit to the Jang's home, he doted on her and got Sarang who is extremely shy towards strangers to open up and play with him. Also he couldn't keep his eyes and hands off of friendly baby Seojun when he visited the Lees' home. He loves babies so much that he has told his father that he hopes his future wife is a successful breadwinner so that he can be a stay-at-home father and take care of their children.
HyunsungFirst time cookHyunsung has never cooked before doing the show. He can't even tell the difference between seaweed and cloud ear fungus. Thinking that the cloud ears were seaweed he made a soup for Sunghoon and told him it was seaweed soup. He also does not know how to boil pasta; he asked Sunghoon for instructions but didn't understand the concept of throwing the pasta against the wall to see if it was cooked. On episode 27 Hyunsung finally discovers the pre-made sauce aisle at the supermarket and successfully cooked a meal for his father-in-law.
Seoeon, SeojunThe greedy brotherIn early episodes, Seoeon snatches everything that Seojun has, it could be food, a toy, a simple plastic bottle or a plain paper fan, as long as it's in Seojun's hand Seoeon will want it. Seojun who is no match for Seoeon's strength ends up giving up, running away and crying. On episode 33 Seojun finally shows signs of fighting back when he bites Seoeon in the leg after a battle over an eyeglass case with a strap. On episode 44, Seoeon shows his greed beyond Seojun for other people's things when he fights with Yuto and the Song triplets for their belongings and toys they are playing with.
Hwijae, SeoeonThe crybabyIn early episodes, If Seoeon is far from dad or someone else besides dad is holding him, Seoeon will cry non-stop. The only way to stop his cries are for Hwijae to pick him up and carry him. He doesn't even allow his grandparents to hold him. Fans of the show who ran into Hwijae have mentioned that Seoeon clings to his father so much as if he cannot be without him.
SeoeonThe flirtSeoeon loves the pretty ladies; age does not matter. They could be a woman the same age as his mother, an older girl or a baby the same age as him, as long as they're cute females he'll smile at them and give them attention. Even father Hwijae is put to the side once he sees a cute female. When the Lees visited the Uhms, Seoeon had no trouble getting along with Jion and playing non-stop with her while younger brother Seojun cried for dad and food. While visiting a traditional Korean sauna, Seoeon pulled on older girls to play with him. Also he showed fear of the personal sauna caves on his own but would enter it without fear when an older girl was with him which caused dad Hwijae to be embarrassed by the incident.
SeojunThe fearless babySeojun gives a smile every time his dad greets him. He is not afraid to meet or be carried by his dad friends and always willing to explore new things. When he visits grandma's house he becomes intrigue with her Maltese puppy and tries to grab it. For his first professional haircut he stayed quietly still for the stylist to quickly cut his hair nicely. When Hwijae brought the twins to a fish market, Soejun showed no fear touching and asking about all the sea creatures at the market.
SeojunKim Jun-hyun look-a-likeEver since Yang Joon-hyuk pointed out to Hwijae that Seojun looks like comedian Kim Jun-hyun, Hwijae has refer Seojun to the comedian. Hwijae will impersonate the way Kim Jun-hyun pronounce the word "really" when speaking to Seojun. On episode 31 Kim Jun-hyun is invited to the twins' home and gets to meet Seojun. Kim Jun-hyun mentions and even shows a picture of himself at Seojun's current age proving that they both really look-a-like.
Seoeon, Moon Jeong-wonMamma's boySeoeon is very attached to his mother. He likes to grab her hair whenever she carries him. Hwijae gets a female wig for himself to see if Seoeon will do the same to him when he puts on the long-hair wig, but the sight of his dad with long hair shocks Seoeon. Seoeon also does not like the sight of his mother hugging someone else even if it is his father. The sight of his mother hugging someone else will bring a burst of loudness from Seoeon.
Hwijae, Seoeon, SeojunSports fanatic dadHwijae is a sports fanatic; he loves all kinds of sports. His dream is for one of his sons to become a professional athlete since he couldn't become one himself. He is willing to make the sacrifice so his sons can become athletes. Hwijae takes his sons to ball games to let them get used to the atmosphere and asks his professional athlete friends to come by his home to interact with his sons hoping some of their energy will pass on to his sons.
HwijaeChild rearing expertEveryone thought Hwijae was joking when he self-proclaimed himself a child rearing expert. As the show progressed he has shown he is really one. Besides being a fun dad who plays with his kids, he is able to connect and form a bond with children he has met. Whenever he meets up with a friend that has children he never shows up empty handed, always making sure each child receives a gift. After Haru stayed over at his home the two got on a friendly basis that when they met again during the Jeju Island trip she showed her concern for him when he was too busy to eat. Also when visiting the triplets' home, the triplets liked him so much that Minguk begged him not to leave and soon had his brothers also asking him not to leave. While visiting the Uhms with the twins, Jion immediately connected with Hwijae because of his funny sense of humor. Seeing how much fun Hwijae and the twins were having at her home she joined in on the fun playing with them as if they are long time friends.
Junu, Junseo, SarangThe love triangleBoth brothers Junu and Junseo are in a competitive competition to via for cutie Sarang's attention. Junseo even dresses in a Peter Pan costume hoping to get Sarang's attention. Sarang tends to lean towards the more mature and sincere Junu since he is good with younger kids, but she also leans on Junseo when he plays nicely with her.
Junu, HaruThe crushHaru has a crush on Junu, her nickname for him is "The tall oppa". Whenever Junu is in the same room with her she gravitates towards him and calls for "Junu oppa" to get his full attention on her. Once in awhile she'll give him surprise hugs. She likes him for being caring, kind and intelligent.
SarangThe big eaterSarang loves food, especially grapes, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, roasted seaweed sheets, yogurt, corn and cake. She gets excited when there is an offering of grapes. But when she's hungry she'll wake up crying in the middle of the night. Also she doesn't like to share her food, when her daycare boyfriend offers her grapes she takes all of it, refusing to even give one bite to her grandfather when he ask and not even giving a strawberry to her grandmother who brought them for her when Sarang visited their home. Known for her gluttony, she was in fact nominated for a special KBS award for "big eaters" and is always up for a challenge when someone wants to compete on who can eat more. The only person that has beaten her in eating so far is Minguk, who is also another big eater.
SarangMinnie Mouse fanSarang's favorite character is Minnie Mouse. She has to always eat with her Minnie utensils and packs her Minnie doll with her when she heads out of the house. Even if it is awful constipation medicine, she'll drink it without complaints if it's in a Minnie cup. She is overly ecstatic when the Jang's gift to her a Minnie plush and T-shirt. She teaches her dad the difference between Minnie and Mickey when he is unable to tell which character is which.
Sunghoon, SarangThe indulging dadSunghoon can't say no to his cute daughter. If she wants certain foods or a toy, he doesn't care about the hassle or cost; he'll get it for her no matter what. He'll take her on a shopping spree to her favorite character store to please her. He'll spend a fortune on a claw machine just to get an Anpanman toy for her.
Sarang, YutoToddler loveSarang has a boyfriend named Yuto from her daycare center. The two are in a volatile relationship. Both fight about toys, food and playing with other children but they always end up making up with a kiss at the end.
HaruFish loverHaru loves fish and anything that is fish related. She has a playroom full of toys that is fish-themed. She even knows how to make dolphin sounds. Her favorite place to visit is the aquarium or any place that lets people fish.
HaruThe kind girlHaru is always thoughtful. Whenever there is another kid in her presence she is always willing to share her toys or favorite foods. If there is an adult in need of help she is always willing to lend a hand. When she sees Hwijae busy feeding the twins and not able to get a bite to eat she offers him a cup of water.
Tablo, HaruDaughter's DaddyTablo is always trying his best to earn his daughter's love and attention since she's so chic and only cares about fish and her mother, Hye Jung. Despite that, Tablo is now being labelled as 'Daughter's Daddy'. He sometimes brings her into his recording studio and she occasionally raps with him.
Hye Jung, HaruChic mother and daughterMore than fish, Haru is really passionate and loves her mother. Tablo has said in interviews that when Hye Jung and Haru are together, they are in their own world and they completely ignore him.
Haru, G-DragonThe huge crushHaru has a huge crush on Big Bang's leader G-Dragon, who's a label mate of her dad. She sees him as her ideal male. Whenever he is around she becomes shy and silent but also excited when she hears his name or sees his image.
Tablo, HyejungThe whipped husbandTablo diligently listens and does everything his wife Hyejung tells him to do. Hyejung is in charge of the family finances and Tablo has to ask her for spending money, even if it's for ice cream. To show how whipped Tablo is, Hwijae and his wife decide to play a hidden camera joke on Tablo but their joke backfires when Tablo does not say anything about the way Hwijae treats his wife. However, Hyejung admits that she liked Tablo more and chased after him in the beginning of their romance.
Sunghoon, ShihoWants a 2nd child coupleSunghoon's wife is sometimes jealous of his close father-daughter relationship with Sarang. Shiho wants to have another child and hopes it will be a boy so she can have a close relationship with her child like the one Sunghoon and Sarang have.
YakkungThe happy childYakkung is a happy sunny boy who loves alphabet songs and dancing to the music. His favorite foods are anything that is fried, but he hates dirtiness. He can't stand touching or having dirt on him.
YakkungThe English GeniusYakkung knows his ABC's, 123's and animals in English. He also knows how to write the alphabet.
Jung-tae, YakkungMeal stealerJung-tae is always looking to have just one bite of Yakkung's meal. Yakkung not willing to offer a bite to his dad put his cheeks out as an offer to his dad instead. Jung-tae willing to take anything will kiss his cheeks non-stop.
ManseThe car fanaticManse seems to have an obsession with cars. Doesn't matter if it is a toy car, an actual car or even a child hair salon seat that is shaped like a car as long as there is a steering wheel he will want to get behind it and take control of it. When Il-kook and the triplets run into a family at the park with a fancy ride in toy car Il-kook asked the family if they can ride in it for a moment which the family was nice enough to offer. While his brothers quietly ride in the back as passengers Manse took control of the steering wheel and refuse to let dad steer the car. When it was time to return the toy car to the family Manse refused to let go and threw a tantrum.
Il-kook, DaehanDependable sonEven though he was born on the same day as his two younger triplet brothers Daehan is the son that Il-kook depends on the most to look after his brothers when he can't. Whenever Il-kook is chasing after either Minguk or Manse, Daehan is always given the responsibility to hold on to or look after one of his brothers while Il-kook looks for the other. Daehan sometimes carries his dad's backpack to him when he thinks that his dad needs it.
MingukAegyo princeUnlike his two brothers Daehan and Manse who like to rough house, Minguk communicates with others by showing his cuteness. When playtime is over and dad Il-kook comes to get them instead of rebelling and arguing with dad Minguk will use his cuteness to try to coax dad into letting him play a bit longer. Also when Minguk wakes up earlier than his dad and brothers he will courteously greet the cameraman working behind the tents with a wink and a wave. And then go off to play on his own without waking his family up. Minguk loves to sing songs and dance. He also has shown to get into minor fights with his younger brother, Manse, and then immediately make up by hugging him.
Il-kook, Daehan, Minguk, ManseThe new big eatersThe Song boys have showed that they have really big appetites when father and sons downed 8 orders of dumplings which contained 10 pieces in each serving during one sitting at a mandu restaurant. Eating is their favorite past-time as the usual rumbustious triplets become quiet and sit still whenever they are eating. Il-kook has also said he is thankful that his boys get to eat for free when they are at a buffet. Also during a strawberry eating challenge, Minguk was able to best Sarang at downing the most strawberries.
Sarang, Daehan, Minguk, ManseTriplet fanaticNot much came of their first meeting during the taping of the 1 year episode special as Sarang was too busy playing with her friend Yuto, but afterwards Sarang made it known to both of her parents that she liked the triplets, especially Minguk. She liked them more than her dad, best friend Yuto, Pororo and Mickey & Minnie, that Sunghoon invited the Song's to visit and stay with them in Japan. However upon meeting the triplets again, Manse became her new favorite when he showered her with attention and kisses. Her budding friendship with Manse continued when she visited the Song's home in South Korea and once again Manse showed his adoration for her.
Hwijae, Daehan, Minguk, Manse"Jae mi eobs eo" friendshipHwijae used the phrase "jae mi eobs eo" when he visited the Songs home in episode 53 and had to look after them himself since Il-kook was running the shop at the flee market to sell off their old children's clothes. Instead of feeling disciplined the triplets thought Hwijae was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing especially Minguk who would copy Hwijae in saying the phrase. The phrase has become a special saying between Hwijae and the triplets. When the Songs visited the Lees' home in episode 69, Minguk, Daehan and Manse remembered the phrase and said it to Hwijae, who was very happy that the boys remembered.
ManseMr. CongenialityManse friendliness and openness to others he just met have won him hearts from many. In episode 57, when the Songs visited the Choos in Japan, Sarang originally showed more interest in Minguk before meeting them as she would always mention Minguk's name first but it was Manse's eagerness to play with her and showering her with love and attention that won her over. During episode 69 when the triplets visited the twins new home to celebrate their birthday together, Minguk who showed adoration for Seojunie when he got excited seeing Seojun pop up during the dads video chat with each other and practicing singing happy birthday only to Seojun during their car ride to the Lees home lost out to his younger brother Manse for Seojun's love, when Manse was more playful and caring to the twins. Manse even got the usually reserved Seoeon, who doesn't like strangers to like him. In episode 76 and 77 when all the families went to Jeju Island, Manse showed his welcomeness to new family Jion and Taewoong by saying good morning to them and choosing to hike with them up Yongnuni Oreum.
Sarang, ManseBudding long-distance friendshipEver since the triplets visited the Choos in Japan, Manse and Sarang have become best friends, giving her usual best friend Yuto stiff competition. While visiting Japan, Manse could not be apart from Sarang and insisted on holding her hand and sitting next to her. When the Choos visited the Songs in South Korea, Manse showed the same affections he had for Sarang in Japan and extra care when he helped carry her slide when they went snow sliding. To Ilkook's surprise he didn't realize the usual mischievous and free spirited Manse was such a gentlemen. In episode 68 while playing the comparison game, Sarang tells her dad that Manse is the person she likes the most now, even more than Mom and Dad.
Taewoong, JionEmotional dadFirst-time father Taewoong sheds a tear at every little thing Jion does. Jion could be copying the family dog Saebom's movements or mimicking the way Taewoong cooks. Taewoong sheds tears so easily that his wife would ask why he was crying again, in order to avoid answering his wife he would run into the bedroom to wipe his tears.
Seolah, SooahBeagle sistersSeolah and Sooah where nicknamed the "beagle sisters" by the PD's of the show because their energy and mischievous is comparable to beagle puppies when they first appeared on the show. However, since Seolah received punishment for a fight Sooah started she has shown to mature more than her twin sister Sooah and has since started to act as an authority figure to her younger brother Daebak.
DonggookRe"lax" dadDonggook is a forgiving dad who takes the blame for his kids making a mess. When Seolah and Sooah made a mess of the house and filming cameras by spreading bath soup bubbles everywhere he smiles with a laugh and clean up after them without any complains or lectures to the girls. When Seolah un-bags rice puff all over the living room he blames himself for not securing the rice puff better.
Soeul, DaeulSoDa siblingsSoeul and Daeul are so close that the PD's coincidentally named them the "SoDa siblings". Daeul trusts and only listens to his older sister Soeul since she has given him much love since he was born.

Episodes

Un-aired X-files

The X-files are film clips that didn't make it to broadcast on the regular program. These clips can be seen on Korean paid subscription web streaming site Cable TV VOD. The clips are narrated by different guests each time, such as Lee Hyeri from Korean girls idol group Girl's Day.

Sponsors

is the main sponsor of the show. All the "Superman" families prominently display or use the LG's S Homeboy tablet made by Samsung throughout each episode. Besides the S Homeboy tablet, each Superman family use or display products they individually endorse on the show.
NOTE: These are only products shown on the show. Not a complete list of each cast member endorsements.
In April 2014, China's Zhejiang Television began airing a Chinese version of The Return of Superman called Dad is Back starring former Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit member Wu Chun, film producer Zhong Lei Wang, actor Jia Nailiang, and former gymnast Li Xiapeng. The show is in collaboration with the producers of the Korean KBS version and follows the same concept as the Korean version with the exception of a narrator. The title of the Chinese version was renamed in order to clear up plagiarism rumors.
In March 2017, Thailand Channel 7 began airing a Thai version of The Return of Superman called The Return of Superman Thailand.

Awards and nominations