[14] The show has become popular in other parts of Asia, and has gained online popularity among Hallyu fans, having been fansubbed into various languages, such as English, Persian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Burmese, Arabic, Russian, and Turkish.

[17] Since April 2017, Running Man is airing as the first part of Good Sunday at 4:50 pm KST and competing against KBS2's The Return of Superman and MBC's King of Mask Singer.

The show celebrated its 11th anniversary on July 11, 2021, with 563 episodes, surpassing MBC's Infinite Challenge for the longest entertainment program in South Korea.

[19] On December 20, 2024, it was revealed that Running Man will become one of SBS' Programs to be aired on Netflix as a part of partnership collaboration agreements.

Missions form the basis of Running Man as members try to avoid punishment in earlier episodes or to win prizes.

Additionally, if the members succeeded in the One Chance mission, they were all relieved of the punishment regardless of how many Running Balls each of them possessed.

The original cast members consists of Yoo Jae-suk, Gary, Haha, Jee Seok-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Lee Kwang-soo and Song Joong-ki.

[31][32] On October 25, 2016, Gary announced his departure from the show to focus on his music career after being with Running Man for 6 years,[33] but later returned as a guest, a week after his final recording.

[34] On April 3, 2017, it was confirmed through various media outlets that Running Man is adding actress Jeon So-min and comedian Yang Se-chan.

[35] On April 27, 2021, Lee Kwang-soo announced his departure to focus on his treatment and recovery from the car accident, becoming the third original cast member to leave the show.

[36] On October 23, 2023, Jeon So-min decided to leave Running Man six years after joining the show to focus on her acting career,[37][38] and later returned as a guest in episode 736, 14 months since her last appearance.

[39] On May 14, 2024, SBS announced that actor Kang Hoon will be added to the Running Man cast as the first rental member after his recent appearance as a guest on episode 701.

According to Asiae, the show concept was promising, but the crew could not use the location to full potential, and the pace was not fast and dynamic enough.

[62] According to The Straits Times (an English language daily newspaper in Singapore), the popularity of the show is due to its unpredictability, the comedy involved, the celebrity guests and the chemistry between the regular cast members.

[63] Assistant professor Liew Kai Khiun at the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) attributes the appeal of Running Man to the ability of using public space in a creative way: "Running Man is about taking audiences to the various corners of not only South Korea, but the region as well.

In the rather fast-paced urban societies in Asia, the show helps to provide release from the daily tensions that such streets and buildings are associated with.

[63] According to producer Jo Hyo-jin, the show is popular because the concept of having to choose a winner is culturally easy to understand.

[64] Celebrity guests like Super Junior, Girls' Generation and f(x) play an important part in the success as well, although they sometimes induce criticism.

[68] On May 26, 2015, a special project called the "Running Man Challenge" was made in collaboration with a footwear co-created platform, ROOY.

Players, equipped with special watches and shields, compete against each other as winner's tribe would be awarded with Materion, the sacred fruit of the Soul Tree.

[75] On August 11, 2018, the animated show premiered on Cartoon Network in Southeast Asia as an English dub.

[77][78] On December 19, 2020, an animated movie, originally serving as a six-episode preview of the new season, premiered on Cartoon Network in Southeast Asia as an English dub with the title "Running Man: The Ultimate Challenge".

The series, titled Running Man: How do I Find the Kidnapped Idol?, is written by Hong Yong-hoon and illustrated by Kim Moon-shik.

[80][81] On March 30 and 31, 2019, a play which was titled, "The Musical Running Man" was performed at Busan Citizen's Hall.

Due to this, Running Man production staff and the members decided to postpone their filming schedule on September 24–25, 2012 to convince him to stay in the program.

A week later, Gary officially apologized for the controversy he created and confirmed his decision to remain as a member of the program.

[96] The following day, Kang Ho-dong's company, SM Culture & Contents, announced that the entertainer had pulled out from the program.

[98] On December 16, 2016, an emergency meeting was held, where consensus was reached to keep the original members and end the program in February 2017.

The decision came after Nam Seung-yong, the new Vice President of SBS Entertainment Headquarters, who was involved in conceiving Running Man, had further conversations with every member in regards to the show's future.

[103][104] It was revealed that the cast had suffered various injuries such as herniated discs, as a result of the physically challenging games in the show.