There will be a temptation for some to liken Siren to long-running strategy and survival shows like Survivor, or physical competitions like the recent Physical: 100. However, whilst Siren takes inspiration from many of its predecessors, it is different in several key ways and these differences culminate in a reality television show that is superior to most in this genre.
Unlike Survivor and Physical: 100, there is no product placement and Siren is noticeably free of advertising throughout. This means the show is always focused on the contestants and the competition - there are no distractions. For a Korean reality television show, Siren does a good job minimising the amount of multiple angle replays and lacks the usual screen clutter from jokes and pop-up information. It is also less sneaky in its use of editing to suggest a false narrative, though there are still some minor moments when the editors are clearly lying to the audience. Siren also distances itself from both these shows, and most other reality programs, in its distinct lack of interviews with the contestants. Whilst they do turn up occasionally to offer some insight, these interviews are usually professional and free from fake drama. The overwhelming majority of the show is live footage and this really improves its pacing.
Siren is also unique in its blend of survival, strategy/diplomacy and physical competition. The survival aspect is persistent in the background throughout, but it's less extreme than Survivor, in which contestants regularly face medical emergencies. The participants in Siren are almost always physically capable of performing at their best thanks to this and the competition benefits from it. Furthermore, whilst diplomacy and strategy are still present and important, Siren doesn't suffer from Survivor's problem where strong opponents are unfairly eliminated early and the winner is often an undeserving "nice guy" caricature. Contestants are rewarded for their teamwork and ability in Siren. Unlike in Physical: 100, however, the ultimate winner is not necessarily the strongest all-around competitor and the show is less predictable as a result. Here, Siren manages to strike a unique balance between different aspects of this genre to create something that is both fairer and more exciting.
The show is not without some problems, but these are all relatively minor and do not have a significant impact on the viewing experience. Some sections of the competition feel underutilised and lacking - perhaps there was not enough interesting footage to work with? The pacing of the show is good, but at times it almost feels a little too fast with some teams and contestants getting noticeably less screen time. Again, this is perhaps due to a lack of usable footage but it does result in some teams being significantly less interesting than others. There are also some questionable refereeing decisions, though thankfully these do not impact the fairness of the result.
Overall, Siren is competitive reality television done right. It avoids most of the problems that commonly plague this genre whilst retaining a unique blend of the most exciting aspects. There is still a lot more than can be done with this format and I hope these possibilities are explored in the future.
