Sisters Over Flowers (Korean: 꽃보다 누나; RR: Ggotboda Nuna), also known as Noonas Over Flowers,[1] is a South Korean travel-reality show that aired on tvN from 29 November 2013 to 17 January 2014. It featured veteran actresses Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Ja-ok, Kim Hee-ae and Lee Mi-yeon[2][3] going on a 10-day backpacking trip through Turkey and Croatia,[4] accompanied and assisted by the significantly younger Lee Seung-gi. The trip covered the cities of Istanbul, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik.
| Sisters Over Flowers | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Also known as | Noonas Over Flowers |
| Hangul | 꽃보다 누나 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Kkotboda Nuna |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kkotpoda Nuna |
| Genre | Variety show |
| Written by | Lee Woo-jung |
| Directed by | Na Young-seok |
| Starring | Youn Yuh-jung Kim Ja-ok Kim Hee-ae Lee Mi-yeon Lee Seung-gi |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lee Myung-han |
| Production locations | Seoul Turkey Croatia |
| Running time | 90 minutes Fridays at 22:00 (KST) |
| Original release | |
| Network | tvN |
| Release | 29 November 2013 – 17 January 2014 |
| Related | |
| Grandpas Over Flowers Youth Over Flowers | |
It is a spin-off of Grandpas Over Flowers, which featured a similar premise but with older male actors. The show's title also follows after its predecessor, which is itself a word play/parody on Boys Over Flowers (花より男子, Hana Yori Dango), a popular Japanese manga about four handsome young men.
Cast
editProduction
editWhile Grandpas Over Flowers starred a cast of veteran actors in their seventies, the Sisters Over Flowers cast were significantly younger and spanned a wider age range, with Youn Yuh-jung and Kim Ja-ok in their 60s alongside Kim Hee-ae and Lee Mi-yeon in their 40s.[5] Producer Na Young-seok said the age gap was intentional during casting as they "wanted actors with more than 15 years of experience"[5] who were "wise, experienced and had great life stories to tell."[6]
Singer-actor Lee Seung-gi, then 27 years old, was also cast as the actresses' companion and "luggage boy." This marked Lee's reunion with producer Na, whom he had previously worked with on hit reality show, 2 Days & 1 Night.[7][8] Lee later admitted that he had difficulty fulfilling his duties as a tour guide for the actresses.[9][10]
Producer Na said he chose Eastern Europe as the show's destination because most Koreans are unfamiliar with it, praising Croatia as an "exotic" country with "strong colors, beautiful landscapes, and cultural heritage."[11][12]
Reception
editSisters Over Flowers was a hit with audiences, surpassing Grandpas Over Flowers by recording an average viewership rating of 7.5 percent with a peak rating of 10.5 percent,[13] a significant figure considering most Korean cable programs rarely reach 1 percent. Like its predecessor, the show's success also led to a Chinese remake.[6]
Actresses Kim Hee-ae and Lee Mi-yeon also saw a boost in popularity after the show, with clothing and accessories worn by the former becoming sold out in stores.[14][15]
The show had a notable impact on tourism in Croatia, with Korean tourist arrivals rising sharply from 70,000 in 2013 before its airing to 147,000 from February to July 2014. In September 2014, visiting Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Josip Leko gave the Order of the Croatian Star to CJ Group vice chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung on behalf of his government for her contributions to Croatian tourism and economy. Lee is the first Korean to win this highest recognition from the Croatian government.[16]
Ratings
editIn the ratings below, the highest rating for the show will be in red and the lowest rating for the show will be in blue.
| Episode | Date | AGB Nielsen (Nationwide) [17] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 November 2013 | 9.8% |
| 2 | 6 December 2013 | 8.6% |
| 3 | 13 December 2013 | 9.0% |
| 4 | 20 December 2013 | 7.6% |
| 5 | 27 December 2013 | 7.6% |
| 6 | 3 January 2014 | 7.0% |
| 7 | 10 January 2014 | 6.2% |
| 8 | 17 January 2014 | 6.6% |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Best Content Award, Variety | Sisters Over Flowers | Won |
| Two Star Award | Youn Yuh-jung | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Noona" is an honorific term used by a Korean male to address his older sister, or an older female friend.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (3 October 2013). "Grandpas over Flowers producer to travel with veteran actresses". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (31 October 2013). "Na Young-suk chooses Sisters Over Flowers as name for Grandpas follow-up". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Cha, Yo-rim (27 November 2013). "Sisters over Flowers to showcase actresses' feminine charm". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ a b Sunwoo, Carla (29 November 2013). "Hit travel show tries with 'sisters'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ a b Yun, Suh-young (4 March 2014). "Joy of the road: Producer Nah talks about new season of Halbae (grandpas) Over Flowers". The Korea Times. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Choi, Shin-ae (3 September 2013). "Lee Seung Gi Confirmed to Go Backpacking with Na PD". enewsWorld. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (4 September 2013). "Lee Seung-gi to collaborate with Grandpas Over Flowers director". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Jeon, Su-mi (17 January 2014). "Lee Seung Gi Says Nunas Over Flowers Became a Turning Point in His Life". enewsWorld. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (25 July 2014). "Lee Seung Gi Didn't Get Good Grades During His Trip with the Nunas". enewsWorld. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Lee, Sun-min (22 October 2013). "Actresses heading to Eastern Europe". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Cha, Yo-rim (22 October 2013). "Lee Seung-gi to visit Croatia with veteran actresses". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (24 August 2014). "tvN leads cable network boom". The Korea Times. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Lee Mi-yeon Reveals Hidden Charms on Reality Show". The Chosun Ilbo. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Reality Show Catapults Kim Hee-ae into Fashion Icon Status". The Chosun Ilbo. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Kang, Hyun-kyung (2 September 2014). "Croatia honors CJ vice chairwoman". The Korea Times. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "AGB Nielsen Ratings" (in Korean) – via naver.
External links
edit- Official website (in Korean)