Just when you thought the K-pop crossover wave couldn’t get any wilder, in comes KPOPPED — Apple TV+’s latest musical experiment that feels part remix battle, part fever dream. Produced by Lionel Richie, the show pairs K-pop groups like Itzy, Kep1er, Ateez, Billlie, STAYC, JO1, Kiss of Life, and Blackswan with Western icons including Megan Thee Stallion, Patti LaBelle, Kylie Minogue, Kesha, TLC, Vanilla Ice, Boyz II Men, and two-fifths of the Spice Girls.
The trailer had fans hyped, with Megan Thee Stallion delivering a K-pop remix of Savage against a backdrop of pyrotechnics. If those 109 seconds were anything to go by, the series looked like a five-star extravaganza. But now that all eight episodes are out, early reactions are a little more mixed.
The format sees each Korean group split into halves, each partnered with a different Western star to reimagine one of their hits. The audience then votes on which performance was “kpopped” the best — essentially, the most high-energy reinterpretation. Hosted by comedian Soojeong Son with Psy and Stallion as mentors, the show is a full-scale spectacle, but not everyone is impressed.
Netizen reactions range from “low-budget” to “love it”
“It felt very cheap and low budget lol,” one viewer admitted. Another added, “A lot of it sounded like a night out with karaoke.” Others were disappointed that the show leaned too heavily into reality-TV tropes: “I feel like KPOPPED would be a more captivating/compelling show if it was less American-reality-TV, because those interviews in between rehearsals where they speak in present tense about events that clearly already happened ruin the flow and immersion.”
That said, plenty of fans are still having fun with it. “While I honestly loved these performances, what I really felt was missing from KPOPPED was some more heart-to-hearts on how they make music, their artistry, their mindset, convos on the music industry in general,” one person wrote. Another praised the idols’ energy: “I’m working my way through the episodes and Nvee from Blackswan was insane vocally. It’s so fun to see so many idols having fun and trying new spins on old songs.”
Some were quick to call out standouts: “Watching that KPOPPED episode I have praise for Ateez and Kylie alone. You can see who was fully immersed and interested in doing this and who wasn’t.” But the biggest complaint across the board? The length. “The most criminal thing about KPOPPED is how short these episodes are, I need 2 hours of footage MINIMUM,” one fan demanded. Another echoed the sentiment: “Do not tell me they advertised and hyped up KPOPPED for months now only for the episodes to be 30 mins.”
So, is KPOPPED a hit? Depends on who you ask. It’s flashy, chaotic, and packed with unlikely collabs — exactly the kind of pop-cultural chaos the internet loves. But if you were expecting something deeper, you might just be left wanting more.
