At the Netflix series Lee Seo-jin’s "Ready or Not: Texas" press conference held Tuesday morning at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Seoul, Lee said, “Season 2 of Lee Seo-jin’s 'New York, New York' was shot for YouTube. When I heard the third installment would be with Netflix, I thought, ‘Okay, we really have to step it up.’ On YouTube, we kept it casual. With Netflix, I felt motivated to work harder,” he joked.
Lee Seo-jin’s "Ready or Not: Texas" is an unscripted, plan-free travel variety show set in the United States, led by Lee and Na. A self-proclaimed “Texas fanatic” who calls the state his second home, Lee heads out with Na and the crew for a chaotic, laugh-filled road trip. The duo’s U.S. travel series, which began with the 2020 tvN show Lee Seo-jin’s "New York, New York" and later continued on YouTube, now moves to Netflix under the new banner "Ready or Not: Texas".
On the Netflix launch, Na admitted, “I’d be lying if I said there was no pressure. This project started as something we filmed for YouTube whenever Lee Seo-jin had time―just for fun between bigger shows. When Netflix came on board, it definitely added pressure.” Still, he added, “I’m curious how viewers will respond to Lee Seo-jin’s travel content on Netflix. We felt the pressure, but we had a great time filming.”
Co-director Kim Ye-seul shared a story about upgraded gear. “We usually shoot on phones and keep it simple, so we told Netflix that’s how we film and were a bit worried,” Kim said. “They tried to level up the quality and provided the latest smartphones. That’s when I thought, ‘So this is what a global platform is like.’”
The platform has shifted from Tving and YouTube to Netflix, and the backdrop moves from New York to Texas. But the show’s core charm stays the same. “Not much has changed,” Na said. “Platform and location are the biggest differences. We tried not to change just because the platform did.”
Na continued, “People who love this series enjoy how casually we take off and, along the way, discover Lee Seo-jin’s natural charm. We made sure that wouldn’t get lost just because the platform changed. Evolving a show can be great, but there are also viewers who want certain programs to feel the same. With Lee Seo-jin’s travel series, we wanted to keep that ‘unchanged’ feeling as much as possible.”
Lee Seo-jin’s "Ready or Not: Texas" premieres today at 5 p.m. KST on Netflix.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)
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