Though these are not all the times K-Pop was mentioned on Western television, they’re arguably one of the most iconic!
1. SHINee’s Lucifer being played on Lucifer
With a show titled Lucifer, of course, SHINee‘s hit track of the same name would make an appearance. As Lucifer heads over to a club before a police raid, he had to go through the big boss’ cronies… while “Lucifer” plays in the background, of course.
2. NCT Dream being mentioned on NCIS: New Orleans
When one of the students gets questioned over Seargent Dunn‘s death, the questioning soon turns into talks of K-Pop. When asked who in NCT Dream is better — Renjun, Jeno, or Chenle — she replies that it’s Mark who’s the best. When asked how she knows about then, Detective Hannah replies that not only does she knew them, she actually hung out with them when she lived in Busan!
3. 2NE1’s hit “I’m The Best” being played on The Magicians
As the cops track down Golem Elliot, Kady, and Quentin go with their bank heist, they are put under a spell with a mini disco ball. The spell? Making them dance to 2NE1‘s “I Am The Best” out of the bank!
4. Garnet and Pearl’s fusion dance from Steven’s Universe was storyboarded on Sunmi’s “Full Moon.”
The fusion dance between Pearl and Garnet is based of Sunmi‘s iconic song “Full Moon,” which can be seen from the very beginning with Pearl putting her arms up the same way Sunmi does for her point dance. Watch the whole storyboard to see Sunmi’s influence!
5. The cast of Glee performing PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”
The cast of Glee performed PSY‘s iconic track in the eighth episode of the fourth season for their Thanksgiving episode. The song is lead by Tina, who is played by Tina, who is played by Jenna Ushkowitz. She happens to be Korean and was born in Seoul.
6. BLACKPINK’s “Whistle” used as BGM for The Bold Type
What a great way to start a pilot of a new TV series! We can hear BLACKPINK‘s “WHISTLE” play in the background as Jane drinks at a party after being unsettled by being told to write about her ex, as well as Sutton leaving her job to have with her man.
7. The guys of Family Guy jamming out to SISTAR’s “Touch My Body” and HyunA’s “Bubble Pop!”
Possibly one of the most iconic K-Pop references of all-time, we see the guys of Family Guy jamming out to SISTAR‘s “Touch My Body” as they drink on soju. They then parody HyunA‘s “Bubble Pop.” Watching this will be the best 2 minutes of your life, promise!
Comments