"Family Guy" was all about the Korean Wave during the first episode of 2016.
Sunday's episode of "Family Guy," titled "Candy, Quahog, Marshmallow," brought the characters of the animated sitcom to South Korea. The title of the episode came from a cover version of HyunA's "Bubble Pop."
The episode satirized Korean television shows and K-pop, as well as South Korean cultural norms.
During "Candy, Quahog, Marshmallow," Peter, Quagmire, Joe, and Clevelend binge watched a Korean drama and decided to travel to South Korea after they were unable to find a VHS tape of the final episode. After getting to Korea, the quintet discovered K-pop, ate Korean food, drank soju, and much more.
SISTAR's "Touch My Body" played on screen multiple times throughout the episode, featuring the members of the K-pop girl group.
At the end of the episode, three of the "Family Guy" characters performed a satirical cover of HyunA's "Bubble Pop."
The episode also referenced Kara, Crayon Pop, and Psy through a variety of dance moves.
Along with exploring Korean pop culture, the episode also mocked the popularity of plastic surgery in South Korea.
While the episode aired and afterwards, fans of K-pop and K-dramas took to Twitter criticizing the episode's mockery of fans of Korean pop culture.
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Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey, and Paste Magazine.
