Run BTS is a South Korean varietyweb series starring boy band BTS, broadcasting weekly, offered for free viewing on V Live. It began airing in 2015, and has recently returned from its World Tour hiatus with Season 3 on January 1, 2019. In each episode, the band members have missions, complete challenges, and play many other funny games and other activities in which they can earn prizes or punishments and also further enjoys while doing the tasks. The first season was aired on August 1, 2015, and every Tuesday in the week, unless an episode of BTS Gayo was aired. After a year of break, a second season was aired on January 31, 2017. Since Episode 20 on May 23, 2017, it became a weekly show. In May 2020, RUN! BTS was paused for a little over a month due to BTS' documentary series, Break The Silence. It resumed on June 16, 2020.
Format
Each episode of Run BTS features the members of BTS take on activities relevant to the episode's theme, usually in the form of games, missions or challenges in which they can earn prizes or punishments. The members tackle the mission as a band, by forming teams or by individual basis if the mission so requires. Few special episodes also featured noncompetitive activities such as fashion show and skit or drama making. In most episodes, the show is led by an MC, the show's host/presenter and, along with the production staff, the facilitator of the missions. Renowned MCs among BTS members are Suga and Jin; members J-Hope and V have also taken temporary MC roles. The entire BTS becomes the show presenter for episodes with missions that require an all-member participation. Run BTS had a runtime of 8–15 minutes during its first season. By the second season onward, the show had a runtime of 20–40 minutes, with more consistent runtime of 30–40 minutes from 2020.
There are also exclusive behind-the-scenes short clips uploaded during each season's run of Run BTS after each episode is aired. It was originally uploaded on the paid BTS+ Vlive fanship channel. However, as of January 16, 2020, these clips have been moved to Big Hit Entertainment's official fan community platform Weverse as exclusive subscription-based paid content.
Promotion
BTS first uploaded two videos February 28, 2015 advertising their new variety show on V Live. The first video got 242,000 views in three days and the second received 100,000 views and 87,000 likes.
Adaptation
On July 10, 2018 it was announced that Mnet would air eight of the most popular episodes from the web series on TV every Wednesday for eight weeks. It began airing July 11 and ended August 29, 2018.
