New Journey to the West
New Journey to The West is a South Korean travel-reality show that has been broadcast online via Naver TVCast from 4 September 2015. This is the first project from “tvN Go,” a digital-content brand from cable channel tvN.
The show's first season reunites former 2 Days & 1 Night Season 1 members Lee Seung-gi, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won and Lee Soo-geun. The four members each take one of the characters from the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West” as they go on a 5-days and 4 night backpacking trip through Xian, China, to play various games in Season 1. Season 1 webcast version ended on 2 October 2015.
Prior to the start of Season 2, tvN rebroadcast the online version of Season 1 to the TV by compiling it to two episodes on 8 and 15 April 2016.
In Season 2, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won and Lee Soo-geun with Ahn Jae-hyun travel to China. Each member takes on one of the characters as in Season 1 and played various games. The season started on 22 April and ended on 17 June 2016. Simultaneously, the show was also broadcast online via Naver TVCast between 19 April and 14 June 2016.
Season 2.5 consists of two new members for familiarizing with the current members from Season 2.
In Season 3, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won, Lee Soo-geun, Ahn Jae-hyun, Mino and Kyuhyun travel to China. New characters were also introduced. The season started on 8 January and ended on 12 March 2017.
In Season 4, current members from Season 3 travel to Vietnam with new characters being added and replacing the some characters from Season 3. The season started on 13 June and ended on 22 August 2017.
In Season 5 and 6, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won, Lee Soo-geun, Ahn Jae-hyun, Mino and P.O travel to Hong Kong and Hokkaido. A totally new set of characters are introduced for Hong Kong and farming theme for Hokkaido. The season started on 30 September and ended on 2 December 2018.
In Season 7, Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, Song Mino, P.O, and a returning Cho Kyu-hyun travel around South Korea. The season started on 25 October 2019 and ended on 3 January 2020.
Airtime
Cast and characters
Timeline
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id:2 value:orange legend:Season_2
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bar:Ji-won text:"Eun Ji-won"
bar:Soo-geun text:"Lee Soo-geun"
bar:Seung-gi text:"Lee Seung-gi"
bar:Jae-hyun text:"Ahn Jae-hyun"
bar:Min-ho text:"Song Min-ho"
bar:Kyu-hyun text:"Cho Kyu-hyun"
bar:P.O text:"P.O"
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bar:Ho-dong from:08/04/2016 till:15/04/2016 color:1
bar:Ho-dong from:22/04/2016 till:17/06/2016 color:2
bar:Ho-dong from:08/01/2017 till:12/03/2017 color:3
bar:Ho-dong from:13/07/2017 till:22/08/2017 color:4
bar:Ho-dong from:30/09/2018 till:02/12/2018 color:5
bar:Ho-dong from:25/10/2019 till:03/01/2020 color:6
bar:Soo-geun from:08/04/2016 till:15/04/2016 color:1
bar:Soo-geun from:22/04/2016 till:17/06/2016 color:2
bar:Soo-geun from:08/01/2017 till:12/03/2017 color:3
bar:Soo-geun from:13/07/2017 till:22/08/2017 color:4
bar:Soo-geun from:30/09/2018 till:02/12/2018 color:5
bar:Soo-geun from:25/10/2019 till:03/01/2020 color:6
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bar:Ji-won from:22/04/2016 till:17/06/2016 color:2
bar:Ji-won from:08/01/2017 till:12/03/2017 color:3
bar:Ji-won from:13/07/2017 till:22/08/2017 color:4
bar:Ji-won from:30/09/2018 till:02/12/2018 color:5
bar:Ji-won from:25/10/2019 till:03/01/2020 color:6
bar:Seung-gi from:08/04/2016 till:15/04/2016 color:1
bar:Jae-hyun from:22/04/2016 till:17/06/2016 color:2
bar:Jae-hyun from:08/01/2017 till:12/03/2017 color:3
bar:Jae-hyun from:13/07/2017 till:22/08/2017 color:4
bar:Jae-hyun from:30/09/2018 till:02/12/2018 color:5
bar:Min-ho from:08/01/2017 till:12/03/2017 color:3
bar:Min-ho from:13/07/2017 till:22/08/2017 color:4
bar:Min-ho from:30/09/2018 till:02/12/2018 color:5
bar:Min-ho from:25/10/2019 till:03/01/2020 color:6
bar:Kyu-hyun from:08/01/2017 till:12/03/2017 color:3
bar:Kyu-hyun from:13/07/2017 till:22/08/2017 color:4
bar:Kyu-hyun from:25/10/2019 till:03/01/2020 color:6
bar:P.O from:30/09/2018 till:02/12/2018 color:5
bar:P.O from:25/10/2019 till:03/01/2020 color:6
Story plot
Season 1
In Season 1, Lee Seung Gi plays Tang Sanzang who leads and worries constantly about the monsters hyungs who don't listen to him. Lee Soo Geun plays Sun Wukong a monkey character with the greatest sin, Eun Ji Won plays Sha Wujing who is either immature or genius villain, and Kang Ho Dong plays Zhu Bajie with low brain power but great strength and appetite. Together, they take a journey to the west while completing various mission to find seven dragon balls which can grant wishes for those who can collect them.Na Young Suk PD expressed, “The four are too familiar with each other, and they know what each other is thinking just from looking at each other's eyes. Everyone had a great and fun time during the 5 days four nights trip. We are working hard on the post-production at the moment, so that the viewers can experience the fun that we all had.”
Season 2 to 4
In Season 2 to 4, the show followed the similar concept as Season 1 as they travelled with new characters and new cast members to several parts of China and Vietnam to find the seven dragon balls.In Season 4, continued with the same members from Season 3, the whole group takes a journey to Vietnam. With the new theme of "The apocalypse of Hell", each member has his new character: Kang Ho-dong plays Zhu Bajie; Lee Soo-geun plays Piccolo; Eun Ji-won plays Sun Wukong; Ahn Jae-hyun plays monk Xuan Zhang; Kyuhyun plays Sha Wujing; and since Min-ho loses the Ping-pong competition and shaves his hair, he plays the character of Krilin. In Gangshi Game, members complete all the tasks in time, and finally Mino accurately pushes the gift buttons after spinning 15 turns around. Instead of giving expensive cars, Na Young-suk PD promises to give them dragon balls and other rewards instead. Min-ho also receives a new nickname as Song Garak. In this Season, members successfully collect all seven dragon balls and receive their rewards from the production team. Na Young-suk PD promises to put "Kang 's Kitchen" and "Youth Over Flowers" into schedule.
Season 5, 6 and 6.5
In Season 5 and 6, a total new sets of characters and theme were introduced as the cast members travelled to Hong Kong and Hokkaido.In Season 5, Kyuhyun has to start his military enlistment, and P.O joins in as a guest member. This season, they take a journey to Hong Kong with a new theme of "With Ghost". Each member has his completely new character: Kang Ho-dong plays Kaonashi ; Lee Soo-geun plays Chucky; Eun Ji-won plays Grim Reaper ; Ahn Jae-hyun plays Chinese Zombie; Song Min-ho plays Virgin Female Ghost; and P.O plays as Dracula. In the final mission, members do not receive the dragon balls as Lee Soo-geun and Song Min-ho failed to change clothes in a given time. Na Young-suk PD suddenly announces that Season 5 is over and Season 6 starts now.
In Season 6, members travelled to Hokkaido with a new theme of "Geobong Geobong Geobong ". Each member dresses up as a fruit: Kang Ho-dong plays watermelon; Lee Soo-geun plays pear; Eun Ji-won plays farmer; Ahn Jae-hyun plays peach; Song Min-ho plays grape; and P.O plays sprout. In this Season, members pair up as teams to play games. In the game, Lee Soo-geun becomes the "Golden Hand" since he picks out 2 super rewards out of 3 in a hundred options.
In Season 6.5, members return to Seoul. They spend time together in a house and play different games to win the rewards. At the end of the show, the production team announces that "Kang's Kitchen 2" will return soon.
Season 7
In this season, the show will be filmed in South Korea with the theme "Homecoming" and Na PD got the concept from the Spider-Man: Homecoming.Homecoming
The dragon balls have fallen into Mount Gyeryong of South Korea and each member will become a spiritual guru. The members played "Signal Quiz" as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Shin Myohan; Lee Soo-geun plays Knee-drop Guru; Eun Ji-won plays Gandalf; Cho Kyuhyun plays Genie of the Lamp; Song Min-no plays Radish Guru and P.O plays as Cabbage Guru.Retro Special
The members played "Go Back Jump" as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Park Jin-young; Lee Soo-geun plays Lee Jung-hyun; Eun Ji-won plays Rain; Cho Kyuhyun plays Bae Yong-joon; Song Min-no plays Red Devil and P.O plays as Im Soo-jung.Innocence Special
The Innocence Special was initially not able to be accomplished as the members won the Great Release of Dragon Balls games and ended the filming earlier. After Na PD revealed that the production team has previously agreed with the sponsor to have the members to appear on a costume parade in Yong-in for Halloween, the members agreed after Na PD provided a sumptuous breakfast for the members. Kang Ho-dong plays Papa Smurf; Lee Soo-geun plays Smurfette; Eun Ji-won plays Grouchy Smurf; Cho Kyuhyun plays Brainy Smurf; Song Min-no plays Hefty Smurf and P.O plays as Vanity Smurf.Global Special
The members played "Classical Music Quiz" as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Panda; Lee Soo-geun plays Sugeuras; Eun Ji-won plays Santa Claus; Cho Kyuhyun plays Statue of Liberty; Song Min-no plays Cleopatra and P.O plays as Pharaoh.Cinema Special
The members played "Guess the Movie" quiz as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Choi Ik-hyun; Lee Soo-geun plays Na'vi; Eun Ji-won plays Elliott; Cho Kyuhyun plays Joker; Song Min-no plays Jack Sparrow and P.O plays Olaf.Production
Season 1
This show reunite four former cast members of the golden age of KBS '2 Days & 1 Night' in Season 1. On 16 July 2015, tvN announced that Na Young Seok PD will show a new form of variety program in fall through internet contents called 'New Journey to The West'. The production crew stated, "We invested as a new format that will broadcast on the internet instead of TV. Right now, we are considering recruiting Lee Soo Geun, and Eun Ji Won in addition to Kang Ho Dong and Lee Seung Gi. There will be no more additions after four members are confirmed."A CJ E&M official told Sports Chosun on 23 July 2015, ‘New Journey to the West’ is holding the first meeting of the members. On 5 August, a source involved in broadcasting said that Lee Seung Gi, Kang Ho Dong, Lee Soo Geun, Eun Ji Won, and Na Young Suk leave for China on 6 August to begin filming. Which later revealed that they heading to Xian, a city in China, for 5 days filming.
tvN announced on 18 August 2015 that "New Journey to the West" will be released exclusively through PC and mobile Naver TVCast in early September. It marked this show as the first South Korean variety show created by a TV network, tvN, to be broadcast exclusively online.
New Journey to the West production crew and members make their first official appearance through a press conference held at 63 Convention Center on the afternoon of 1 September 2015. The press conference go live on Tuesday at 2 p.m. on Naver and V app at the same time.
The show also streamed exclusively on Tencent's QQ.com in China, simultaneously with its run on South Korean portal website Naver. Seo Jang-Ho, the head of international sales and acquisitions at CJ E&M, said, "We are excited to introduce New Journey to the West to Chinese viewers through Tencent, one of the largest online platforms in the country. As the show is CJ E&M's highly anticipated digital content of the year, we hope for its successful reception in China.”
In the show press conference, Director Na said that there was no step-by-step casting process. "It all just happened very naturally when Lee Seung-gi mentioned going on a trip with the old members over a casual dinner," Na explained. “We then talked about filming it, but because it would lack completeness as a TV show, we decided to use the Internet platform.” Na stated that they wanted to make a program that is new in every ways, including genre and format. Providing busy businessmen and students with short break in the midst of their hectic daily routines. The concept about five new clips at once time release, with each clip to be about ten minutes long, make those who can't afford the time to watch all of the clips in order can just randomly pick whatever looks good for them.
Episodes
Season 1
;Destinations:Xian, China;Roles
| Role | Member |
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Lee Seunggi |
| Sun Wukong | Lee Soogeun |
| Sha Wujin | Eun Jiwon |
Naver TVCast
| Release Date | Episode | Title |
| 4 September 2015 | 1 | The Beginning of a Legend |
| 4 September 2015 | 2 | Find the Monkey King, the greatest sinner |
| 4 September 2015 | 3 | New Journey to the West Game Instruction Manual |
| 4 September 2015 | 4 | Good Things to Know Before the Race |
| 4 September 2015 | 5 | Finally China! Monk Tang Sanzang Race - Part 1 |
| 11 September 2015 | 6 | The winner is Lee Seung Gi anyway! Monk Tang Sanzang Race - Part 2 |
| 11 September 2015 | 7 | Ho Dong does it too, part 1! Kang Ho Dong's first ever errand |
| 11 September 2015 | 8 | The Birth of Zhu Bajie |
| 11 September 2015 | 9 | First Dragon Ball Mission! What happened at DeFaChang?! |
| 11 September 2015 | 10 | Sleeping together after 5 years! Monsters’ First Night |
| 18 September 2015 | 11 | Xi'an City Wall tour |
| 18 September 2015 | 12 | Exploring The Terracotta Army |
| 18 September 2015 | 13 | Second Dragon Ball Mission |
| 18 September 2015 | 14 | A Trembling night with the massager! |
| 18 September 2015 | 15 | Who's responsible for the missing shoes?! |
| 22 September 2015 | 11-1 | Time limit is 30 minutes! Dragon Ball Individual Mission! |
| 25 September 2015 | 16 | Culprit finally revealed! And breakfast at opposite extremes! |
| 25 September 2015 | 17 | Relay Individual Mission! HoDong's desperate struggle with ATM machine! |
| 25 September 2015 | 18 | Extraordinary Mission! Look for KyungMo PD! |
| 25 September 2015 | 19 | Guess it right to eat! Who is this person? |
| 29 September 2015 | Chuseok Special | Home Cooking Monk Lee |
| 2 October 2015 | 20 | Night of Wishes! Crazy guy Eun Ji Won's wish is? |
| 2 October 2015 | 21 | Final Mission! Fate Up to HoDong! |
| 2 October 2015 | 22 | It's All Over But Let's Still Do One Quiz |
| 2 October 2015 | Final | Epilogue Made to Not Waste What Was Filmed |
tvN
| Release Date | Episode |
| 8 April 2016 | 1 |
| 15 April 2016 | 2 |
Season 2
;Destinations:China;Roles
| Role | 1st part Member | 2nd part Member |
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong | Ahn Jaehyun |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Lee Soogeun | Ahn Jaehyun > Eun Jiwon |
| Sun Wukong | Eun Jiwon | Kang Hodong |
| Sha Wujing | Ahn Jaehyun | Lee Soogeun |
| Release Date | Episode |
| 22 April 2016 | 1 |
| 29 April 2016 | 2 |
| 6 May 2016 | 3 |
| 13 May 2016 | 4 |
| 20 May 2016 | 5 |
| 27 May 2016 | 6 |
| 3 June 2016 | 7 |
| 10 June 2016 | 8 |
| 17 June 2016 | 9 |
Season 2.5
Season 2.5 consisted of 7 episode internet exclusive clips familiarizing the 2 new cast members, Cho Kyuhyun and Song Minho to the show among other things.It aired on Naver TVCast between 5 and 6 January 2017.
Season 3
;Destinations:China;Roles
| Role | 1st part Member | 2nd part Member |
| *new* Master Roshi | Lee Soogeun | Ahn Jaehyun |
| *new* Bulma | Eun Jiwon | Song Minho |
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Ahn Jaehyun | Eun Jiwon |
| Sun Wukong | Cho Kyuhyun | Kang Hodong |
| Sha Wujin | Song Minho | Lee Soogeun |
| Release Date | Episode |
| 8 January 2017 | 1 |
| 15 January 2017 | 2 |
| 22 January 2017 | 3 |
| 29 January 2017 | 4 |
| 5 February 2017 | 5 |
| 12 February 2017 | 6 |
| 19 February 2017 | 7 |
| 26 February 2017 | 8 |
| 5 March 2017 | 9 |
| 12 March 2017 | 10 |
Season 4
;Destinations: Vietnam;Theme: Hell's Apocalypse
;Roles
| Role | 1st part Member | 2nd part member |
| *new* Piccolo | Lee Soogeun | Lee Soogeun > Song Minho |
| *new* Krillin | Song Minho | Song Minho > Lee Soogeun |
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Ahn Jaehyun | Ahn Jaehyun |
| Sun Wukong→*new* Goku | Eun Jiwon | Kang Hodong |
| Sha Wujin | Cho Kyuhyun | Eun Jiwon |
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
| 13 June 2017 | Arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam. Sun Wukong has evolve to become Goku | |
| 20 June 2017 | Arrival at the Army Hotel and Dragon Ball Games | |
| 27 June 2017 | Let's go to Cat Ba Island | |
| 4 July 2017 | Cat Ba Island: Cone Game and Guess Who Quiz | |
| 11 July 2017 | The city of water- Hai Phong and The first Worlds' Best Martial Arts Competition | |
| 18 July 2017 | Part 1 Ending, Dragon Ball Game | |
| 25 July 2017 | Part 2 Beginning, Murder mystery train to Sa Pa, Vietnam | |
| 1 August 2017 | ||
| 8 August 2017 | ||
| 15 August 2017 | Part 2 Ending, Individual Dragon Ball Game | |
| 22 August 2017 | Director's Cut |
Season 5, 6 and 6.5
;Destinations: Hong Kong, Hokkaido and South Korea;Theme:
;Roles
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
| 30 September 2018 | Character selection and Ghost Olympiad. Soogeun won HK$300 as he chose not to "reincarnate" after winning the Ghost Olympiad. | |
| 7 October 2018 | Arrive at Hong Kong. Hodong won the first dragon ball for the team. | |
| 14 October 2018 | Hong Kong. Jiwon & Minho win HK$1,000, Hodong & Soogeun win HK$500, Jaehyun & P.O win HK$100 from the music & front seat quiz. They went for a lunch spree with the money they won on the double-decker bus. | |
| 21 October 2018 | Hong Kong. Kang Hodong won the second dragon ball for the team with correctly guess 5 different brands of Korean ramen. | |
| 28 October 2018 | Hong Kong. Soogeun and Minho failed in the fast changing of clothing challenge. End of Season 5. | |
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
| 28 October 2018 | S6 Ep 0 | Start of Season 6.
|
| 4 November 2018 | Hokkaido. Soogeun & Jiwon win 11,000円, Minho & P.O win 5,000円, Hodong & Jaehyun got nothing from the "Shout in Silence" game. They used the winning for their Day 2 breakfast. Hokkaido. After breakfast, the cast had a movie quiz to get the best driver for the "Amazing Race" on a car. The final destination is at a sports park. | |
| 11 November 2018 | S6 Ep 2 | Hokkaido. Minho & P.O came in 1st place with 10 chances, Soogeun & Jiwon came in 2nd place with 5 chances and Hodong & Jaehyun came in last with 1 chance in drawing the big prize at the end of the "Amazing Race". The cast played in the "3 on 3 Zombie" with Soogeun, Jaehyun & Minho winning the game. They had the pork belly meal while the rest of the cast are temporary stayed in the loft. The morning mission is to hide and preserve the items given by the production staff. Hokkaido. P.O is the only cast that won the morning mission and got to eat a sumptuous breakfast. Hodong, Jiwon & P.O won the abbreviation quiz and got to eat a special ramen lunch. |
| 18 November 2018 | S6 Ep 3 | Hokkaido. The cast had a classical music quiz on the moving bus. Each cast member with the correct answer will alight the bus and return to the restaurant for a king pork rice bowl which will last for 30 minutes. South Korea. Soogeun & Jiwon won several prizes in the Great lucky draw games. Start of Season 6.5 3 Wise Meals A day special. Hodong selected P.O & Jiwon as team members while Soogeun pair up with Jaehyun & Minho. Hodong team arrived first at the final destination and get to eat a sumptuous lunch. |
| 25 November 2018 | S6 Ep 4 | South Korea. South Korea. Jaehyun woke up early and left the apartment with Na PD to go fishing at Anmyeondo Island. Jaehyun did not manage to get any fishes but Na PD caught several webfoot octopus and cuttlefish. Jaehyun end up buying six blue crabs from the market. |
| 2 December 2018 | S6 Ep 5 | Director's cut. |
Season 7
;Destinations: South Korea;Theme: Homecoming, Retro Special
;Roles
| Role | Member |
| Shin Myohan | Kang Hodong |
| Knee-drop Guru | Lee Soogeun |
| Gandalf | Eun Jiwon |
| Genie of the Lamp | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Guru Radish | Song Minho |
| Guru Cabbage | P.O |
| Role | Member | Team |
| Park Jin-young | Kang Hodong | Team Old Boys |
| Lee Jung-hyun | Lee Soogeun | Team Old Boys |
| Rain | Eun Jiwon | Team Old Boys |
| Bae Yong-joon | Cho Kyuhyun | Team Young Boys |
| Red Devil | Song Minho | Team Young Boys |
| Im Soo-jung | P.O | Team Young Boys |
| Role | Member |
| Papa Smurf | Kang Hodong |
| Smurfette | Lee Soogeun |
| Grouchy Smurf | Eun Jiwon |
| Brainy Smurf | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Hefty Smurf | Song Minho |
| Vanity Smurf | P.O |
| Role | Member |
| Kang Panda from China | Kang Hodong |
| Santa Eun from Chimney | Eun Jiwon |
| Cleosongtra from Egypt | Song Minho |
| P.raoh from Egypt | P.O |
| Sugeuras from Mexico | Lee Soogeun |
| Statue Cho of Liberty from the States | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Role | Member |
| Choi Ik-hyun of Nameless Gangster | Kang Hodong |
| Na'vi of Avatar | Lee Soogeun |
| Elliott of E.T. | Eun Jiwon |
| Joker of Batman | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean | Song Minho |
| Olaf of Frozen | P.O |
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
| 25 October 2019 | 1 | Homecoming Day 1
|
| 1 November 2019 | 2 | Day 2
|
| 8 November 2019 | 3 | Retro Special
|
| 15 November 2019 | 4 | |
| 22 November 2019 | 5 | |
| 29 November 2019 | 6 | Innocence Special |
| 6 December 2019 | 7 |
Global Special
|
| 13 December 2019 | 8 | |
| 20 December 2019 | 9 |
|
| 27 December 2019 | 10 | Cinema Special |
| 3 January 2020 | 11 |
Reception
Season 1
In a survey done prior to the program's airing, 62.5% of the recipients knew about the new program, while 76.9% indicated that they would watch the program. The first trailer of the show which was revealed on 25 August 2015 via Naver TVCast exceeded more than 1 million view in less than 24 hours and became a hot topic among netizen.The first five episodes, each spanning between five and ten minutes, were uploaded at 10 a.m. Five hours after it release, more than 50,000 people had subscribed to the channel on Naver's video streaming website TVCast, where the show is broadcast. The first episode has been viewed more than 700,000 times, with the five together recording a combined 2 million views. After 12 hours of its release, the five episodes almost hit 5 million views.
It has received positive response from the public. The show's network tvN revealed that the first five episodes, released through Naver TV Cast recorded 6.1 million hits on the first day of its release. If the trailer and the video unveiled in production presentation are also included, the number adds up to 11.5 million views as of the morning of 5 September 2015. In 3 days after its release, the first five episodes hit 8.7 million views and reach 14.4 million views altogether.
On 8 September 2015, 'New Journey the West' has accumulated 15 million views on Naver TV Cast since its release. In the day of the second five episodes release, 11 September, the show already attracted more than 20 million combined views online with its trailer and first episode. It made "New Journey to the West" as the first online broadcast to reach the break-even point with only advertising revenues in South Korea. Executive of CJ E&M stated, “We are likely to reap the profits earlier-than-expected thanks to a surge in viewers. Online broadcast is emerging as a new cash cow with TV ad revenues declining.”
It also receive good response in China. On 5 September 2015, 'New Journey to the West' first on QQ video real time chart, and fourth in overall QQ videos site. On 7 September, the first 5 episodes of this show already got more than 10 million views on QQ Video in China. The Second 5 episodes which released in following week, got 10 million just 2 days after its release.
Ratings
- In the ratings below, the highest rating for the show will be in and the lowest rating for the show will be in.
- Note that the show airs on a cable channel, which plays part in its slower uptake and relatively small audience share when compared to programs broadcast on public networks such as KBS, SBS, MBC or EBS.
Season 1
| Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings |
| 1 | 8 April 2016 | |
| 2 | 15 April 2016 |
Season 2
| Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings |
| 1 | 22 April 2016 | 2.722% |
| 2 | 29 April 2016 | |
| 3 | 6 May 2016 | 2.746% |
| 4 | 13 May 2016 | |
| 5 | 20 May 2016 | 3.622% |
| 6 | 27 May 2016 | 3.480% |
| 7 | 3 June 2016 | 2.862% |
| 8 | 10 June 2016 | 3.660% |
| 9 | 17 June 2016 | 3.830% |
Season 3
| Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings |
| 1 | 8 January 2017 | 3.618% |
| 2 | 15 January 2017 | 3.538% |
| 3 | 22 January 2017 | 3.619% |
| 4 | 29 January 2017 | 3.071% |
| 5 | 5 February 2017 | 3.529% |
| 6 | 12 February 2017 | 3.132% |
| 7 | 19 February 2017 | 3.540% |
| 8 | 26 February 2017 | |
| 9 | 5 March 2017 | 3.355% |
| 10 | 12 March 2017 |
Season 4
| Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings |
| 1 | 13 June 2017 | 3.299% |
| 2 | 20 June 2017 | |
| 3 | 27 June 2017 | 3.534% |
| 4 | 4 July 2017 | 3.762% |
| 5 | 11 July 2017 | 3.244% |
| 6 | 18 July 2017 | 4.329% |
| 7 | 25 July 2017 | 3.474% |
| 8 | 1 August 2017 | 4.423% |
| 9 | 8 August 2017 | 4.624% |
| 10 | 15 August 2017 | |
| 11 | 22 August 2017 | 3.921% |
Season 5 and 6
| Season | Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings |
| 5 | 1 | 30 September 2018 | 5.727% |
| 5 | 2 | 7 October 2018 | 4.772% |
| 5 | 3 | 14 October 2018 | 5.295% |
| 5 | 4 | 21 October 2018 | |
| 5 | 5 | 28 October 2018 | 4.762% |
| 6 | 5 | 28 October 2018 | 4.762% |
| 6 | 6 | 4 November 2018 | 5.629% |
| 6 | 7 | 11 November 2018 | 6.295% |
| 6 | 8 | 18 November 2018 | 6.612% |
| 6 | 9 | 25 November 2018 | |
| 6 | 10 | 2 December 2018 | 5.410% |
Season 7
| Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings |
| 1 | 25 October 2019 | 5.660% |
| 2 | 1 November 2019 | |
| 3 | 8 November 2019 | 6.041% |
| 4 | 15 November 2019 | 6.425% |
| 5 | 22 November 2019 | 5.515% |
| 6 | 29 November 2019 | 6.419% |
| 7 | 6 December 2019 | 6.072% |
| 8 | 13 December 2019 | 6.387% |
| 9 | 20 December 2019 | |
| 10 | 27 December 2019 | 5.884% |
| 11 | 3 January 2020 | 5.842% |