How Do You Play?

Synopsis

How Do You Play? (original title: 놀면 뭐하니?), fronted by Korea’s beloved entertainer Yoo Jae-suk, is a 2019 South Korean variety program that follows a single premise: what happens when a comedian who has built his career on hosting and helping others turns the camera on himself and tries everything. Blending unscripted comedy, documentary-style segments, musical experiments and celebrity collaboration, the show sends Yoo into a series of self-directed projects — from forming temporary music groups to learning new skills and staging public performances — all while reflecting on fame, creativity and the changing entertainment landscape. Light-hearted but inventive, the program balances playful challenges with heartfelt moments and industry commentary, making it accessible to casual viewers and rewarding for fans who enjoy seeing stars reinvent themselves. The format is deliberately unpredictable: each project is treated as a mini-experiment, and the series is built around Yoo’s personality, curiosity and willingness to step outside his comfort zone. No prior knowledge of Korean variety is required to enjoy the show; its mix of humor, music and human interest appeals across ages and cultures.

Cast

• 

  Yoo Jae-suk

  Self

Reviews

Critical and audience reception for How Do You Play? (놀면 뭐하니?) has largely centered on Yoo Jae-suk’s willingness to experiment and the program’s success in creating viral, conversation-driving content. Domestic Korean media and viewers praised the show for taking familiar variety tropes and reframing them as creative projects; many commentators highlighted the music-centered initiatives (which produced high-profile project groups and charting singles) as evidence that a variety program could have tangible cultural impact beyond ratings. Reviewers appreciated Yoo’s affable presence and the production team’s agility in conceiving and executing unexpected collaborations, describing the show as inventive, feel-good entertainment that also serves as a commentary on celebrity and media culture.

At the same time, some critics raised reservations. A common critique is that the show’s success is heavily dependent on Yoo’s star power and on the novelty of each project; skeptics questioned the long-term sustainability of the format once the surprise element wears off. A few commentators in Korea noted occasional unevenness in pacing and an over-reliance on nostalgia and celebrity cameos, arguing that certain segments felt engineered for virality rather than depth. Internationally, conventional aggregator sites (which focus on scripted television and film) do not consistently list critic scores for short-format Korean variety programs, so a consolidated Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic critic percentage is not generally available for this series. IMDb hosts user reviews and ratings from international viewers; those user responses tend to skew positive, with many users praising Yoo’s versatility and the show’s unpredictability while some cite inconsistency between episodes.

Overall, the critical consensus leans positive: reviewers credit How Do You Play? with refreshing the variety genre through bold experiments and successful crossover projects that reached mainstream music charts and social media conversations. Critics who were less enthusiastic typically called for more structural stability and deeper storytelling within individual segments. In short, the show is celebrated for creativity and cultural resonance, but some critics view it as a format that must continually reinvent itself to avoid diminishing returns.