South Korea · Variety · 2017
ASTRO25
Binge Brief
- Branded content: made in partnership with the convenience store chain GS25 and posted on its Naver TV channel
- Two runs in 2017: 23 to 29 January and 10 to 27 November
- 16 episodes on TMDB, each roughly 4 to 13 minutes long
- Cha Eun Woo is credited in all 16 episodes with the other five members
Synopsis
ASTRO25 (아스트로25) is branded content: a short web variety series that the boy group ASTRO made with the convenience store chain GS25 in 2017. It ran in two parts, in January and November, on GS25's Naver TV and YouTube channels, with episodes of about 4 to 13 minutes each on TheTVDB's listing.
GS25 is the sponsor and the subject at once, and the members wore GS25 staff ID cards during filming. The first run, from 23 to 29 January 2017, gives the six members, JinJin, MJ, Cha Eun Woo, Moon Bin, Rocky and Yoon San-ha, one task: plan and shoot their own short drama for GS25. The episode titles follow the process from interviews and a contest over the story to meeting the actress cast as the female lead, a cooking contest to decide who plays the male lead, script work with help from professionals and the first day of filming. The drama itself, the nearest thing here to an ASTRO kpop drama, is a single skit. Titled Boyfriend Milk (남친우유), it was posted as the last part of the run, and GS25 offered a prize draw to viewers who watched the series from the start and shared their favourite episode.
The second run, eight episodes from 10 to 27 November 2017, is about a food truck: getting it ready, a contest over who gets to be in charge, recipes the members had not tried before, and finally selling from it under the name Astruck.
The sources do not agree on the count. TMDB lists 16 episodes, eight in each run, while TheTVDB has seven in January, ending with the first day of filming, and eight in November. This page follows TMDB, and dates episodes 6 to 8 by its listing.
Why it still gets watched
People find it through the members, not the brand. It is a record of all six of them in 2017 working on something other than music, writing and acting in a skit of their own, and it includes Moon Bin, who died in April 2023.
ASTRO25 cast
Themes and messages
The premise is a commission. ASTRO are asked to make an advert for GS25 in the form of a short drama, and later to run the brand's food truck. Most episodes are about the work of getting there, choosing a story, casting the lead, writing scripts and testing recipes, rather than about the finished product.
Interesting facts
- Prizes from the set. To promote the finished skit, GS25 put the staff ID cards the members wore during filming and a GS25 vest signed by all six into a prize draw (GS25 Facebook page).
- Two episodes in one day. TMDB dates episodes 5 and 6 to 27 January 2017, and TheTVDB dates two of the November episodes to 17 November.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASTRO's Interview The six members are interviewed about the GS25 project. | 2017-01-23 | Aired | |
| 2 | ASTRO's Short Story Production Challenge The members take on the challenge of producing a short story. | 2017-01-24 | Aired | |
| 3 | This Is Not the End of the Game (불 붙는 아스트로! 아직 게임은 끝나지 않았다) The contest over the story heats up and is not settled yet. | 2017-01-25 | Aired | |
| 4 | Meeting Our Female Lead! The members meet the actress cast as their female lead. | 2017-01-26 | Aired | |
| 5 | A Cooking Competition for the Male Lead Role A cooking competition decides who plays the male lead. | 2017-01-27 | Aired | |
| 6 | Final Skit | 2017-01-27 | Aired | |
| 7 | Stars' Special Debut Celebration | 2017-01-28 | Aired | |
| 8 | Discovery of Hidden Variety Talent The finished GS25 skit, Boyfriend Milk (남친우유), released at 5 p.m. with a prize draw for viewers. | 2017-01-29 | Aired | |
| 9 | Official Food Truck Preparation The second run opens with a celebration billed as the stars' special debut. | 2017-11-10 | Aired | |
| 10 | Opening Act of War The members look for hidden variety talent among themselves. | 2017-11-13 | Aired | |
| 11 | Desperate Struggle Towards Being the Absolute Ruler Preparations begin for the official food truck. | 2017-11-15 | Aired | |
| 12 | Welcome, It Is the First Time for This Kind of Recipe, Right? The contest between the members over the truck begins. | 2017-11-17 | Aired | |
| 13 | Look Here, ASTRO Is Here The members fight to be in sole charge of the truck. | 2017-11-17 | Aired | |
| 14 | Astruck Is More Fun Doing It Together The members try recipes they have never made before. | 2017-11-22 | Aired | |
| 15 | ASTRO call customers over to the truck. | 2017-11-24 | Aired | |
| 16 | The last episode: running Astruck together. | 2017-11-27 | Aired |
Frequently asked questions
Is ASTRO25 an advert for GS25?
Yes. ASTRO25 is branded content made in partnership with GS25: the members wore GS25 staff ID cards on camera, and it was posted on GS25's Naver TV channel in 2017.
How many episodes does ASTRO25 have?
ASTRO25 has 16 episodes on TMDB, eight from 23 to 29 January 2017 and eight from 10 to 27 November 2017. TheTVDB lists 15, with no separate entry for the finished skit.
What is the ASTRO kpop drama made in ASTRO25?
In ASTRO25 the members planned and filmed a short GS25 skit called Boyfriend Milk (남친우유), released as the last episode of the January run.
Is Cha Eun Woo in every ASTRO25 episode?
TMDB credits Cha Eun Woo in all 16 episodes of ASTRO25, alongside JinJin, MJ, Moon Bin, Rocky and Yoon San-ha.
Is there an ASTRO25 season 2?
Yes. The second run of ASTRO25, eight episodes from 10 to 27 November 2017, has the members running a food truck called Astruck.
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