SBS Furious After Chinese Show Blatantly Copies “My Little Old Boy”
My Little Old Boy is a fun, South Korean TV program that features Korean male celebrities who older, not married, and living alone. These celebrities’ mothers appear on the show, reacting to the footage of their sons lives. The chemistry among the celebrities, the mothers, and the hosts of the show has captured the viewers’ hearts, as My Little Old Boy showed celebrities are indeed just like normal people.
The show, since premiering in 2016, received multiple awards by 2017 and continues to interest viewers with different celebrities sharing their most private moments.
As the show grew extremely popular, a Chinese television channel, Hunan TV, replicated the format of the original Korean show and aired 我家那小子-My Little One, which is an exact copy of My Little Old Boy. Seoul Broadcasting System, known as SBS channel, is now looking into this matter, possibly preparing for legal action.
Clip from My Little Old Boy
Clip from 我家那小子-My Little One
Both shows feature the celebrities’ mothers watching the clips of their sons together. The original Korean show and the replicated Chinese show both capture the mothers reacting to what their sons are doing.
Clip from My Little Old Boy
Clip from 我家那小子-My Little One
The Chinese show even copied the circular seating arrangements and the red set background that are signature to My Little Old Boy.
Clip from My Little Old Boy
Clip from 我家那小子-My Little One
SBS confirmed the format of the show has never been sold officially for overseas remakes. The broadcasting company claimed, “The show will be reviewed for plagiarism and if it turns out to be an illegal copy, we will respond accordingly.”
This is not the first time Chinese television channels have imitated Korean programs without going through the proper steps to buy the format. Popular shows like Youn’s Kitchen, Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast, Fantastic Duo, and Show Me the Money have all been unofficially reproduced in China.
As the number of incidents grow, production companies and viewers both agree a preventative measure must be placed to protect the copyrights of Korean television shows.
