Siren: Survive the Island

I'm 3 episodes in and I can't remember when it was the last time I had so much interests and agony on a TV game show.

There are surprises, there is hyper realism, there is tension, there are plots and betrayals and ACTION, lots of action.

Although I'm from Greece, I'm really addicted to anything made in Korean when it comes to TV, and before I even hit pmthe play button I was sure about what I would see.

It's also perhaps even better than the 100 Physical series which I enjoyed a lot.

For some reason Koreans know how to show characters and profiles, even when the whole rest of the whole thinks "they all look the same" Nope, they're not, they just kick a$$ in what they do.

Can't wait to see what's a new day on the island is gonna bring!

There will be a temptation for some to liken Siren to long-running strategy and survival shows like Survivor, or physical competitions like the recent Physical: 100. However, whilst Siren takes inspiration from many of its predecessors, it is different in several key ways and these differences culminate in a reality television show that is superior to most in this genre.

Unlike Survivor and Physical: 100, there is no product placement and Siren is noticeably free of advertising throughout. This means the show is always focused on the contestants and the competition - there are no distractions. For a Korean reality television show, Siren does a good job minimising the amount of multiple angle replays and lacks the usual screen clutter from jokes and pop-up information. It is also less sneaky in its use of editing to suggest a false narrative, though there are still some minor moments when the editors are clearly lying to the audience. Siren also distances itself from both these shows, and most other reality programs, in its distinct lack of interviews with the contestants. Whilst they do turn up occasionally to offer some insight, these interviews are usually professional and free from fake drama. The overwhelming majority of the show is live footage and this really improves its pacing.

Siren is also unique in its blend of survival, strategy/diplomacy and physical competition. The survival aspect is persistent in the background throughout, but it's less extreme than Survivor, in which contestants regularly face medical emergencies. The participants in Siren are almost always physically capable of performing at their best thanks to this and the competition benefits from it. Furthermore, whilst diplomacy and strategy are still present and important, Siren doesn't suffer from Survivor's problem where strong opponents are unfairly eliminated early and the winner is often an undeserving "nice guy" caricature. Contestants are rewarded for their teamwork and ability in Siren. Unlike in Physical: 100, however, the ultimate winner is not necessarily the strongest all-around competitor and the show is less predictable as a result. Here, Siren manages to strike a unique balance between different aspects of this genre to create something that is both fairer and more exciting.

The show is not without some problems, but these are all relatively minor and do not have a significant impact on the viewing experience. Some sections of the competition feel underutilised and lacking - perhaps there was not enough interesting footage to work with? The pacing of the show is good, but at times it almost feels a little too fast with some teams and contestants getting noticeably less screen time. Again, this is perhaps due to a lack of usable footage but it does result in some teams being significantly less interesting than others. There are also some questionable refereeing decisions, though thankfully these do not impact the fairness of the result.

Overall, Siren is competitive reality television done right. It avoids most of the problems that commonly plague this genre whilst retaining a unique blend of the most exciting aspects. There is still a lot more than can be done with this format and I hope these possibilities are explored in the future.

This variety show shows great commercial value and personal charm, which is completely worthy of being made into a series and giving birth to a series of related movies and themed games! And the feminist light it shows is unprecedented!

Hope to make this series more people see! Not only do women like us who are still struggling for a better life need, but most importantly, our children need such female role models! The ambition, strategy, solidarity, and care they show in it have never been fully displayed by female reality shows in the past! My friends and I are very, very, very loving it!

Guys pls watch (begging with my knees)

It's been so long since I've watched a show with such great premise, execution, fairness, rivalry, and camaraderie. I absolutely fell in love with the firefighters, and they have inspired me so much to be stronger myself. This is a show for people who love rooting for underdogs! For such a competitive and at times anxiety-inducing show, the ending was also very heartwarming. You can tell the women really enjoyed their time on the show and genuinely loved competing against one another and with one another. Even in the last moments, they were smiling at each other while proclaiming that they were excited to go down fighting together. THAT is a great reality survival show! I was yelling and freaking out and celebrating audibly at many different times; I recommend this to everyone.

This show is somehow very authentic and refreshes me from other contrived shows.

Firstly I was thinking this was just a women version of survival games. However after watching this, it feels like a new genre as it brings other values.

Strong but not violent, competing but not in a selfish way, so focused but not money oriented. The women in this show are very raw, and therefore beautiful.

Definitely season 2 should come out. It was fun to watch the participants' pure reaction and improvisation without knowing what's to come next. But it will also be very exciting when they are kind of prepared of the games in advance.