Apartment404 is a new reality show on Amazon Prime. What’s it about?
Apartment404 is billed as an “unscripted Korean show” and “retro reality variety program” where… well, I’m just going to rely on Amazon Prime’s press release on this one:
The show is set in an apartment building where the six residents trace the truth behind extraordinary events that occur in their residences. With events based on true stories, each episode will have a unique setting and take place in a different period. The 6 cast members will split up into 2 teams, along with special guests, and compete against one another. At the end of the series, one person will be crowned the winner of the show.
The teaser trailer asks, “Would you like to login?”
And from what we can see, a bunch of mystery solving, action, and even some comedic moments await.
Apartment404: who’s in it?
The cast includes Yoo Kae-suk, Cha Tae-hyjn, Oh Na-ra, Yang Se-chan, Jennie Kim, and Lee Jung-ha.
Apartment404: when and where is it on?
Apartment 404 will be available in more than 240 countries as of midnight on Friday, February 23, 2024 on Amazon Prime.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with Apartment404
The series title, Apartment404, reminds me of a great show from HBO called Room 104. It was created by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass (both of whom are fabulous in front and behind the scenes in everything they’re involved in).
Room 104 in many ways is core to the Duplass brothers’ entire aesthetic and life philosophy: producing wildly creative stories with a limited budget and a strikingly original and indie-minded worldview.
Room 104, which ran for four seasons between 2017 and 2020, comprised 48 total episodes. Each episode is a standalone story with a completely different cast, and the singular element tying them together is that they (largely) take place in a single room. That room of course was Room 104, which is of the Motel 6 budget road hotel variety.
Some of the stories are mysteries and take on elements of science fiction and horror, while others are more of a real world dramatic or comedic flavor. It’s rangy, in short. The indie directors and writers that the Duplass brothers brought in were challenged to think within the “box” of Room 104’s parameters, and the results were often spectacularly strange, chilling, compelling, and/or fun.
My favorite episode is called “The Murderer,” which aired as the first episode of Room 104’s final season. It stars Mark Duplass, Pablo Castelblanco, and Kenton Chen, and was directed by Mark. It’s an incredibly tense and strange story involving an “enigmatic, long-lost musician” played by Mark Duplass and… if this interests you at all, I strongly advise you to watch it.
Right after Apartment404, of course!