How 'Goblin' and Wanna One Reunions Started With the Cast, Not Producers

A new pattern is taking shape in Korean television. Some of the most talked-about projects this season did not start in a producer's pitch meeting. They started with the cast asking to work together again.

Two shows lead that shift. On tvN, "Dokkaebi 10th Anniversary Trip" reunites the main cast of the 2016 drama "Goblin." On Mnet, "WANNA ONE GO : Back to Base" brings back the boy group Wanna One nearly nine years after its original run. In both cases, the people in front of the camera made the first move.

"Dokkaebi 10th Anniversary Trip" premiered on the 4th. In the first episode, actors Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-wook explained how the show came together. They said Kim Go-eun was the one who first floated the idea. "She said, 'For the 10th anniversary, wouldn't it be fun if the four of us went on a trip or did something together?'" they recalled. Kim Go-eun added that the group had real chemistry off screen but never had a chance to show it. "When the four of us get together, there's something there," she said. "We just never had the chance to share it."

The variety show marks 10 years since tvN's "Goblin," which aired from 2016 to 2017. The drama hit a peak rating of 20.5 percent, becoming the first cable drama in Korea to cross the 20 percent mark. It has stayed one of tvN's signature titles and a reference point in Korean drama conversations long after it ended.

Fan interest was strong from the announcement. Part of the appeal was simple: the four actors had stayed close over the years, and each had built a steady career without major controversy. Once the show aired, viewers praised the easy rhythm between the cast, calling it a "healing" watch. The numbers backed that up. "Dokkaebi 10th Anniversary Trip" opened at number one in its time slot across cable and general programming channels among viewers ages 20 to 49, tvN's target demo. Its first two episodes held above 3 percent in overall ratings.

A similar story shaped Mnet's "WANNA ONE GO : Back to Base," which wrapped last month. The reality show revived a format from the group's original run and drew intense fan interest simply on the promise of a reunion. A full 11-member lineup was not possible. Kang Daniel is currently serving his mandatory military duty, and Lai Kuan-lin has retired from the entertainment industry. Even so, Kang Daniel appeared in the opening, and the second episode showed Lai Kuan-lin meeting Ha Sung-woon overseas. During the show, members also raised the possibility of a concert and new music, which pushed fan expectations higher.

The Wanna One reunion also came from the members before the network. Older members Ha Sung-woon and Hwang Min-hyun pushed for it, with talks reportedly starting in September of last year. Since the group's official disbandment in January 2019, military service and solo careers had made scheduling difficult. Once the members aligned on the plan, the project moved quickly.

The two shows share a clear common thread. Neither began as a producer's concept pitched to reluctant cast members. Both began with the talent wanting to come back. Because the core people were already on board, putting them back in one room went smoothly, and reunions that fans had waited years to see finally happened.

That is the shift worth watching. In an industry often driven by carefully mapped IP strategy, the strongest reunions this year came from actors and idols raising their hands first. The producers built the format around that intent. For the cast, it became a chance to relive something they had made together. For fans, it was an answer to a very long wait.