BLACKPINK's Jennie Sets Her Next TV Appearances in Wake of 'The Idol' Role
She is appearing in her first variety show since 2018.
Blackpink's Jennie Kim is returning to TV screens with a couple of buzzy projects for Korean fans. Herald POP reported on Jan. 2 that Jennie will be the first guest to grace KBS 2TV's music talk show, The Seasons: Lee Hyori's Red Carpet.
An official from KBS confirmed per Soompi, "Jennie will join as a guest in the first filming of The Seasons: Lee Hyori's Red Carpet today." The Seasons is a music talk show wherein the show rotates hosts on a rotating basis, showcasing music talk show hosts with diverse approaches and abilities who carry the show under their own banner.
Taking over from Jay Park, Jannabi's Choi Jung Hoon, and AKMU, Lee Hyori is the MC for the fourth season of The Seasons. The Seasons: Lee Hyori's Red Carpet is premiering on Jan. 5 at 11:20 p.m. KST.
Jennie is also set to feature on an upcoming variety program called Apartment 404. The K-pop star was spotted filming for the show in '90s-themed outfits with fellow cast members. The show's theme and direction are briefly revealed in two short teasers, along with glimpses of the cast.
Aside from Jennie, Yoo Jae-suk, and Yang Se-chan, who are currently permanent members of Running Man appear, including cast members Lee Jung-ha (who has a role in Disney+'s Moving), Oh Na-ra, and Cha Tae-hyun.
Apartment 404 reportedly focuses on mystery, and all episodes will be based on real-life events. As the cast members traverse different eras and spaces to resolve various mysteries for each episode of Apartment 404, they will have to exercise their detective skills. The series is scheduled to air this year.
The last time Jennie appeared on a variety show was in 2018 when she appeared in Village Survival: The Eight. In the show, the cast had to stay in a village overnight to solve a complex mystery through a series of games that they played.
Meanwhile, Jennie's last TV role in the West was on Euphoria creator Sam Levinson's The Idol. While the show, which was canceled after one season, bore the brunt of online criticism, Jennie's performance was generally well-received.
In an interview with WWD, Jennie explained that she had admired Levinson "for a long time." "I trusted Sam to be collaborative with all the scenes that we would be working on together because it was about the industry," she said.
"The fact that it was about the music industry fascinated me, and I thought I could bring something to the role. It was an opportunity to just be myself and be brave. I didn't really train for it or prep anything. Sam wanted me to just be myself."