Something Special adds AI feature to Unforgettable Duet ahead of Mipcom debut

Unforgettable Duet claims to offer a ‘therapeutic approach’ to dementia

South Korean format agency Something Special has added an AI feature to the second season of its reality series Unforgettable Duet, which it will showcase to buyers at Mipcom.

Unforgettable Duet (8×60’) is a singing format centred on people with dementia. In each episode, a different singer takes a person living with dementia and their family member on a trip down memory lane. The patient then sings a duet with their family member, before the singer performs a tribute song that captures their personal experience.

In S2, which launches on MBN at the end of October, Something Special is introducing ‘Reminiscence Memory’ content, which it describes as a “non-pharmaceutical therapeutic approach that explores how generative AI technology can support memory-trigger therapy for people living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.”

The approach is based on training AI using images, photographs and interview materials provided by individuals with dementia. Generative AI is then used to create personalised visual representations inspired by the patients’ memories. Presenting familiar and emotionally meaningful images aims to help stimulate memory recall and emotional connection.

From Unknown to Legend

Another dementia-focused format on Something Special’s Mipcom slate is Suspicious Guesthouse: Unforgettable Trip (8×15’), which sees participants living with dementia become guesthouse managers, inviting their own families to stay and share meals and heartfelt conversations.

Also heading to Mipcom is reality series The Underdogs: Top Dog Project (8×60’, MBN), in which abandoned dogs and people who have faced setbacks pair up for a life-changing competition.

Granny Goes Global (9×50’, EBS), meanwhile, is a family-focused travel series where grandparents and grandkids who live in different countries are reunited.

Rounding out the slate are singing competition formats The Scout (8×90’, ENA) and From Unknown to Legend (12×150’, MBN). In The Scout, promising vocalists are trained to become stage-ready artists. In From Unknown to Legend, unknown and well-known singers compete against each other with their identities concealed behind masks.