If this was gender-swapped, I would really want the actress who played Chae-ri in Love is for Suckers! This is pretty much her character but this time she could get a (imo) more satisfying, happy ending.

Seo Kang Joon - the geeeeeenius PD. More of a geeky trickster than evil, so you can't really hate him.

Kim Se Jong - the crush. She's a go-getter, and being in a variety show is part of her personal plan to stardom.

The show - People In Your Neighborhood. Up and coming stars take on odd jobs, the challenges depend on the job. The aim is for viewers to appreciate the hard work of ordinary people. For example: cardboard box collector -- first to collect 50kg wins. Someone who hands out flyers for a resto or cafe -- anyone who attracts the most number of customers.

ML keeps thwarting FL's efforts to win, but she gets more airtime in return so she's confused if he's helping her or not.

Middle aged: Ahn Gil Kang or Choi Won Young vs Kim Sun Young or Ra Mi Ran
30ies: Park Seo Joon (plays hidden guilt well, too) or lee Seung Gi (his vast variety experience speaks for him and he would enjoy poking fun at some folks too) vs Seo Ye-Ji or Gong Seung-Yeon

but female PD and she cannot back down bc she is facing personal bancruptcy except it is because of divorce settlement since she revenge cheated but her ex husband cheated first.
and participant cannot back down but starts to question his destined role and gender stereotypes and starts to put other contestants to test by breaking that mold

if it is the other way around I would think Lee Seung Gi and Gong Seung Yeon or Seo Ye Ji would make a great pair, both actresses are capable of a steely stare and non-budging attitude. With Park Seo Joon you can have the best hidden guilt. like even as a character if his character hurts someone it reflects as suffering on his face, this guy is so unconvincing that it becomes realistic

I will swap the genders. I love how the female PD of "Over 2PM" keeps teasing and taunting Junho. Watching Junho throwing tantrums is one of the highlights of my day!

Ahem... anyway... the casting... Han Hyo Joo as the PD.

If Junho could act as himself the show would be hilarious, but as that would be near impossible, I'm casting Yoon Shi Yoon.
You need someone with enough reality show experience to know exactly what is happening, and the ability to go from poker face to swoony blubbering mess in under one second.

I have near zero knowledge about reality shows so I can't think of the type of games. I would prefer it to be a long running show with extremely diverse games, but as that is not feasible in a 16 episode drama, I can only ask for lots of punishments.

PD OH MAN SEOK is the ratings driven genius who has made several hit variety shows. His style is to take a simple premise but put cruel, Japanese type game show pranks and pitfalls, on cast and guests. His last show got cancelled after a bitter and public divorce with unconfirmed fidelity allegations from his ex, an actress, HWANG WOO SEUL HYE, whose career had fell off because of their marriage. An old friend, SUNG DONG-IL, is heading up a new OTT platform. He calls OH to start a marquee variety show but warns him he must “be on his best behavior.”

He signs up LEE SEO-JIN, PARK SEO-JOON. LEE KWANG SOO and LEE MI JO as regular cast members for the scavenger style mission game show DUMPSTER DIVERS. Sarcastic comedian/head writer LEE DONG HWI calls it the “The Lee Show,” but Asst. PD ESOM is run in circles by PD OH and writer LEE’s show demands. The players get a list of items they need to find in a Seoul neighborhood. They have to do missions or games in order to acquire items (and if they fail increasingly difficult and absurd penalties).

Early on, PD OH is smitten with the goofy silliness of MI JO who did not quite get the instructions or game rules which cause funny, awkward and embarrassing moments that KWANG SOO relentlessly rubs in. To give MI JOO more airtime, PD OH directs that she be given the “wrong” set up or instructions for the missions and games so she can further make a fool of herself. (This is based on a real incident: the producer of LAUGH IN would give young, impressionable GOLDIE HAWN a rehearsal script she would study, but when the real live shoot began, he had changed her entire script leaving her in bewildered giggling.) ESOM balks at the ruse but writer LEE loves the idea. OH’s belief is that if he “creates” a variety star in MI JO, she will fall in love with him. He begins to suggest they meet after shooting to review her work and give her “variety pointers.” Basically, he is stealth dating her without her figuring it out.

MI JOO goes along with the pranking and one-to-one “tutoring” until HWANG shows up on the production meeting demanding a guest shot to re-start her acting career. Writer LEE loves the irony, but PD OH is dead set against it. But HWANG hovers around the set (because she is also close to SUNG). She immediately figures out PD OH’s crush scheme and tells MI JOO that OH is making a fool of her and invading private life for his own personal gain. MI JOO confronts OH with the allegations, and he pushes it off as a bitter ex-wife trying to ruin his show. She believes him until he starts having her do more dangerous show stunts then afterward showering her with praise and gifts. Her agency CEO/Manager JI SEUNG HYUN gets wind of the extra attention of PD OH. He confronts SUNG to tell him to leash his wild dog so MI JOO’s reputation is not soiled by ugly, horn dog rumors.

The popularity of the show and cast has the show go on location in Busan. There, SEO-JIN gets into a heated argument with PD OH...