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Dramaland Forecast: January 2018

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Previously: 2016 –2017

Well, here we are – another year over, and a new one filled with promising dramas… that I will probably not end up watching. Heh.

Thanks to these regular “forecasts” (even the ones that were thrown together in a last-minute “wait it’s the end of the month already???” panic), I’ve discovered that a lot of the dramas I look most forward to, I inevitably end up dropping. But maybe 2018 will mean more success for me drama-wise. Although I did, apparently, complete seventeen dramas last year, which is a pretty decent run.

Completed:

  • Black – I spent literally 100,000 words on this drama (although maybe only 85,000 were actually published) so I don’t want to spend too much more on it, but it was a fascinating journey and one I’m really glad I experienced. It was also one of the trickiest dramas I’ve ever recapped, thanks to the endless challenge of trying to sum up over an hour of plot crammed with important details while trying to not to exceed my word count (too much). I think I’ll remember this drama more for the experience than for the actual drama itself. I do recommend more people giving it a chance, though, because it gets more and more compelling (don’t just base your opinion of it on the first couple of episodes!). But I also want to warn everyone to stop watching before the last twenty minutes. Ugh. All that effort, and we get THAT ending.

Currently watching:

  • Wise Prison Life/Prison Playbook – I’m still crawling through each episode at my turtle pace (DON’T SPOIL ME), but I don’t regret my slow speed, because it’s a drama that requires my full attention – unfortunately my full attention can only last so long. I’m still amazed that I can love a show with so few women in it, but I adore these characters. Ensemble pieces will forever be my weakness. I’m also happy to be reminded how delightful Jung Kyung Ho is, since he’s been busying himself with projects these past few years that haven’t interested me until now.
  • Just Between Lovers – I love it so much. So much. I’m still a couple of episodes behind (DON’T SPOIL ME) but this is in the running to be my favorite of 2018, even if half of it aired in 2017.

Dropping/skipping:

  • Two Cops – I tried, but it just wasn’t working for me. Which means my track record for dropping Jo Jung Suk’s dramas (ever since King2Hearts) is still perfect. Although fair warning that you’ll eventually see some gifsets reblogged whenever they reach my daily Hoya queue.
  • Jugglers – the first ep didn’t do anything for me, even though I really wanted to like this show. I planned to give it a few more episodes but never got around to it.
  • Hwayugi – I was delayed in starting this show due to a very busy couple of weeks, but now I think it’s the kind of show that might be best skipped and more entertaining to follow the drama about the drama itself. I’m still hoping it turns out okay, though, since it has so many of my faves in it (Lee El deserves a good role!).

Upcoming dramas of interest (this will probably be the longest one of the year, since I’m looking at the entirety of 2018 as “upcoming”):

  • Radio Romance – I don’t know what more I can say about this than has already been said. I love the concept and I love Doojoon, but I’m not a fan of casting such a young actress as his love interest.
  • Return – the teasers for this look terrible, but I love the cast (my queen Go Hyun Jung! And maybe Park Ki Woong in a post-enlistment role I won’t hate!), so I’m tentatively hopeful, even if it is a legal drama.
  • Longing Heart – OCN has yet to prove to me it can do a decent rom-com. I don’t think this will prove it to me.
  • Mother – I liked the original Japanese drama, so I’m curious how they’ll handle a remake. I feel like I should be able to trust a drama with Lee Bo Young, but I also wasted countless hours recapping Whisper, so… yeah… At least I feel like this director (My Beautiful Bride, On the Way to the Airport, Chicago Typewriter) is up for the remake challenge, and hopefully he’ll keep the atmosphere of the original.
  • Cross – It’s no secret I love Go Kyung Pyo, but I’m kinda squinty-eyed at the thought of a medical drama, even one billed as a revenge drama. The production team is a relative unknown for me, so there’s a 50/50 shot I’ll give this one a chance.
  • Goddess of the Court – I only watched maybe 2/3 of the first season of Drop Dead Diva, but I remember generally enjoying it and I can see how this could be a fun kdrama adaptation.
  • Devilish Joy – a rom-com centered on a condition called “Cinderella amnesia.” Yeah, I dunno either. Choi Jin Hyuk is rumored to star, but not even Sexy Demon Daddy can convince me this won’t be anything but disaster (at least, for those of us who are uber picky about rom-coms).
  • Grand Prince – despite the intriguing cast (Joo Sang Wook, Yoon Shi Yoon, Kim Mi Kyung), my sageuk track record is officially terrible, so this will be a pass just by default.
  • Mystery Queen 2 – I never watched the first one so this will probably be the first and last time you see me mention it. Not that Korean sequels necessarily have anything to do with the original series, but yeah, it’s not on my radar and will probably stay that way.
  • Misty – the fact that this on JTBC makes me more interested than if it were airing on a non-cable channel, because just based on the premise alone, I think I’d give it a pass, especially with a production team that I don’t know much about. But since it’s on cable, I have hopes that it will defy expectations and be something to sink my teeth into, if only to see Kim Nam Joo’s long-awaited return to dramaland.
  • Should We Kiss First? – the plot is about four “ajusshi/ajumma” age adults who’ve lost their faith in love, and it stars two of my favorite goddesses: Kim Sun Ah and Park Si Yeon. Give it to me noooooooooow.
  • Children of a Lesser God – no, this apparently has nothing to do with the old movie/play of the same name, but it is the next OCN thriller so of course I’m going to watch it.
  • Eulachacha Waikiki – it sounds like a remake of Three Men and a Baby but I actually really hope that JTBC can do a decent sitcom. I’d love more goofy drama rom-coms that don’t make me want to tear out my hair.
  • Sketch – who cares what this is about, it stars Rain so of course I’m going to at least watch the first episode, maybe even two episodes.
  • Live – this is perhaps my most anticipated drama of the year since it’s from one of my favorite writers, Noh Hee Kyung, and it starts Lee Kwang Soo, who I’ve wanted to star in his own drama for ages. Apparently Noh Hee Kyung agrees, since he’s been a supporting character in two of her previous dramas. I also really like Jung Yu Mi, so even though the plot is utterly vague right now, I do know I will probably love it – provided it’s more Dear My Friends and less That Winter, The Wind Blows.
  • Suits – I watched the first two seasons of the original show, and I liked it, but have pretty much forgotten anything about it beyond the basic premise. The way dramas have been adapting US shows, this could be a brilliant success (The Good Wife) or utter disaster (Entourage, Criminal Minds). I’m pretty neutral on it over all, and only the whims of fancy (and free time) will decide if I make time for it.
  • Miracle That We Met – it’s being described as a body-swapping melodrama, which is a genre I never seem to watch (er the melodrama genre – I’ve definitely enjoyed a few body-swapping dramas before!), but it stars Choi Ji Woo, Kim Myung Min, and motherfreakin’ Ra Mi Ran. Like, hot damn, what a cast. I just hope it’s more drama than melo.
  • Mr. Sunshine – siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. On the one hand, there is so much about this that sounds awesome: a period drama (turn of the 20th century), it stars Kim Tae Ri, Yoo Yeon Seok, and Byun Yo Han (squeal!). Buuuuuuuut it also stars Lee Byung Hyun, who I’m still side-eying after he walked away scot-free from all his scandals, and (most importantly of all) it’s written by Kim Eun Sook. SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH.
  • Yeonnamdong 539 – I’m always a sucker for an ensemble cast, although I’m not sure what to expect from this roommate sitcom yet.
  • Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food – I literally know nothing about this drama except the title and that it’ll air on JTBC, but tbh that’s all I really need to know. What can I say? I’m weak for noona romances.
  • Let’s Hold Hands and Watch the Sunset – okay, so that’s a mouthful and let’s hope they find a better English title soon. But even though the plot sounds like it could be overly melodramatic (death is a catalyst for a married couple to rethink their lives), this is also from the same director of Radiant Office, so I feel like there could be some cute moments. Plus, I just want to support women directors, of which there are too few in dramaland (or the rest of the world, tbh).
  • Are You Human Too? – this drama sounds ridiculous enough to make me want to watch it (a woman makes an android that looks like her son to fool people into thinking he’s not in the coma that he really is), and I love Kim Sung Ryung and want to watch her play the mad scientist that came up with this idea. It also has Gong Seung Yeon, who I thought was fabulous in Circle, and of course, the always beloved Lee Joon Hyuk. BUT. It stars Seo Kang Joon. I don’t know what beef I have with him, but he falls into the Lee Jong Suk category of “pretty-boy actors that everyone else seems to love but who rub me the wrong way and I struggle to watch them play leading men in dramas, but find them tolerable when they play secondary or minor characters.”
  • My Ajusshi – do I want to see a twentysomething woman help a man in his 40s get over his mid-life crisis? No, I do not.
  • Fall From the Sky – don’t know much about this other than its based on the fantasy webcomic of the same name, the director also worked on Arang and the Magistrate, and Yoon Hyun Min is supposedly starring in it (but that’s really all I need to know, right?).
  • RUMORED SEQUELS: Signal 2, Voice 2, Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho 2, Let’s Eat 3. All of which I will probably check out, but I’m not holding my breath that they will actually get made, or, if they make it to air, be as good as the original.

I did my best to make note of as many 2018 dramas as possible, but dramas that I have no interest in (i.e. weekend family dramas) or dramas that are still so vague on details that it would be just me putting the name of the drama and nothing else weren’t worth the effort to add. That said, I still probably missed some upcoming dramas. But I tried! And ran out of tagging space to prove it!

Dramaland Forecast: December 2017

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Previously: 2016 – Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July – Aug – Sept – Oct – Nov

Completed:

  • The Package – this is, hands down, my favorite drama of the year. I had hoped it would be enjoyable, a fun romp with pretty scenery – but I didn’t expect for me to fall in love with all the characters and care so much about their stories. It’s rare that I finish a drama and then immediately want to rewatch it, but I wish I could spend more time with this misfit tour group and become a part of their defacto family.

Currently watching:

  • Black – I’ve heard rumors that this should be coming to US Netflix in the next month or so. If so, I’m jealous of anyone who gets to binge and not agonize with me each week, trying to figure out what’s going on and guess what will happen next.
  • Two Cops – the premiere was okay, although I wasn’t immediately drawn in (although Hobaby’s love for his sunbae Jo Jung-suk is my new favorite thing). There’s a strong chance this will end up on the dropped list unless things pick up a little more, but for now, I’m willing to give it a chance.

Dropping/skipping:

  • Untouchable – I thought about checking this one out because it seemed like it could have potential, until I remembered how bitter I am about the mess that was Masked Prosecutor, so this writer is still banned and I refuse to watch his stuff.
  • Doubtful Victory – technically I haven’t dropped it, nor am I exactly skipping it. I just haven’t had a chance to watch the premiere yet, although knowing I can only watch a handful of live-airing shows at a time, there’s a strong chance this won’t make it to the “currently watching” list unless it’s binge-worthy (or I decide to drop Two Cops and the few December shows that interest me, making room in my viewing schedule).
  • Judge vs Judge – as legal dramas go, this sounds like it could be a relatively fresh take, since most legal dramas focus on the prosecutors and lawyers. Buuuuut it’s still a legal drama and I’m not particularly motivated to check it out.
  • Wise Prison Life – I really, really, really want to watch this drama. I also have discovered that the episodes are an hour-and-a-half long. Dammit, Shin PD, why are you making my life so difficult? If you want me to watch your shows, make them shorter! A girl only has so many hours in the day to watch dramas! I’m telling myself that I’ll binge it later, but then I’ve been saying that about Reply 1988 for almost two years, and I’m still balking at those episode lengths.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

  • Jugglers – Daniel Choi in a workplace drama, surrounded by a mess of awesome women. I AM ALL IN!
  • I’m Not a Robot – I love the cast, but I’m still iffy on the concept, and the teasers haven’t exactly won me over, either, so this will probably be a pass.
  • Bad Guys: City of Evil – the teasers got me all hyped up! I don’t know if I’ll watch it while airing or wait to binge, but it’s definitely on the “watch” list.
  • Hwayugi – the Hong sisters lost my trust years ago, but this looks pretty awesome, not the least because the cast is a collection of all their favorites from previous dramas. I hope they can deliver on this and remind me why I used to like their dramas in the first place.
  • Just Between Lovers – this could be a little more melodramatic than is my taste, but it also seems like it will be one of those “slice-of-life” dramas that JTBC does so well, so it’s definitely got my attention. I don’t know if I’ll make time for it while it’s airing, though.
  • Return – it’s a lawyer and detective show, which makes me go “ugh, not another one.” Buuuuuuut it stars queen Go Hyun Jung, along wth Lee Jin Wook, Shin Sung Rok, and my beloved Park Ki-woong, who I’ve been temporarily freezing out since I’ve been so disappointed with his post-army acting choices. But this will make up for it, right? At least I can hope!
  • Radio Romance – Doojoon as a top star who can’t speak unless it’s scripted who then has to suddenly become a DJ? Yes, please! A love interest potentially with an actress who is still in her teens? Hell, no! Sigh, dramaland, why do you have to be this way? There are plenty of twenty-something (and thirty-something!) actresses who would make a good pairing with Doojoon (don’t make me remind you of my love for Soo Kyung noona!). Whhyyyyyyyyyyyyy are you making a teenager pretend to be older? Ugh, ugh, ugh.

As always, any drama not listed means I have nothing new to add since the last mention and/or it’s not something I care about enough to add to the list.

Dramaland Forecast: November 2017

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 Previously: 2016 – Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July – Aug – Sept – Oct

Completed:

  • Woman of Dignity – considering how much I’ve hated this writer’s previous works, I went into this with negative expectations. I just wanted some background noise while I appreciated drama queens Kim Sun Ah and Kim Hee Sun. To my surprise, I got totally sucked into this saga about the “Desperate Housewives of Gangnam.” The gothic murder-mystery also definitely helped me to goggle at every cliff-hanger and queue up the next episode, and I ended up binging the series in a matter of days. Despite my low expectations, this has become one of my favorite drama-watching experiences of the year.

Currently watching:

  • The Package
  • Black

Dropping/skipping:

  • Mad Dog – the lack of Leverage style capers was definitely a disappointment, since based on the first couple of episodes I thought that this would be that kind of show. I also really hated Woo Do Hwan’s character and wanted to punch his smirky face whenever he was on screen. Considering I fell asleep in the middle of an episode and then decided it wasn’t worth my time to rewind, it’s clear this is not the show for me. Sorry, Yoo Ji Tae! Hopefully your next drama is more to my liking!

Upcoming dramas of interest:

  • I’m Not A Robot – a man who falls in love with a woman pretending to be robot because he has an allergy to other people is definitely an interesting concept, although I’m instinctively wary of any love interest that puts a woman in a category of “robot.” The cast is excellent, though, but that’s probably me thinking Uhm Ki Joon can do no wrong.
  • Meloholic – OCN has made its name with gritty thrillers and cerebral mysteries, so I’m very hesitant when they try to branch out into more comedic or romantic fodder. There’s also a lot about this show that puts a few strikes against it, such as a director who’s very hit or miss with the quality of his shows (mostly miss with me) and, y’know, it stars U-Know Yunho (who, to be fair, I actually really enjoyed in the mini-drama I Order You, but historically he hasn’t exactly been one of those idol-actors that command a strong thespian presence). I’m curious if it will be as… ah… mediocre… as I presume it will be, but doubt I’ll make time to actually watch it.
  • Nothing to Lose – considering the quagmire of legal shows that make me sigh if I have to deal with yet another prosecutor trying to save the day, the concept of a legal drama about two judges with completely different personalities somehow seems novel and refreshing, even though I’m sure it will be no different than anything else we’ve seen before.
  • Doubtful Victory – the premise is vaguely compelling in that “one sentence synopsis that may set up false expectations” way (a man escapes jail and becomes a fake cop), but I’m really liking the production team. The director previously worked on Tree With Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons, which were both visually stunning, and 3 Days which, well, wasn’t terrible but I mostly remember being disappointed that it didn’t live up to my Kim Eun Hee fangirl expectations. The writer previously did School 2013 and Pride and Prejudice, which means I have faith that the script should be pretty decent. I also like the leads, Yoon Kyun Sang and Jung Hye Sung, although I haven’t heard about the supporting cast yet.
  • Untouchable – this could be a dark horse drama, because it’s JTBC, I like this director, and the cast is pretty decent (Eunji! I’ve missed you!). But this writer is… eh… hit or miss, to put it nicely (oh the RAGE I still feel about the hours I spent in vain hope that Masked Prosecutor would somehow live up to its potential), so this will probably be one I skip and binge later if it doesn’t sound as soap-opera frustrating as it could be.
  • Two Cops – I don’t think I have anything new to add so I’ll just say: Jo Jung Suk! Kim Sun Ho! Lee Shi Un! HOYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
  • Bad Guys: City of Evil – I don’t care about the complaints that it’s not a true sequel, it looks awesome and that caaaaaaaaaaaaast.
  • Jugglers – Daniel Choi is coming back! And he’ll be starring with Kang Hye Jung (aka Tablo’s wife) who usually seems to prefer playing quirky/offbeat characters. Even though I’m still unsure about the premise, this cast definitely has my attention (and how shallow am I to hope for some lame excuse to show-off the post-army abs?).
  • Wise Prison Life – the latest drama from Reply series PD Shin Won Ho, which means of course everyone’s favorite papa Sung Dong Il is in it. Also starring is Yoon Kyung Ho (and cutie-patootie Jung Hae In, who I’m happy to hear is getting lots of attention from his role in While You Were Sleeping, which I didn’t watch but I’m always pleased for my pet actors to gain the glory they deserve). The premise is vague so far (prison life), but the strength of the production team and cast means I’ll be tuning in.
  • Just Between Lovers – my instinct is that this will be a low-key real-life character-based drama that JTBC does so well, so fingers crossed it lives up to those expectations.
  • The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World – I never saw the original, but it’s Noh Hee Kyung’s remake of her 1996 drama of the same name, which starred (and will once again star) everyone’s favorite granny, Kim Young Ok. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a gut-wrenching story about family and Alzheimer’s, but for Noh Hee Kyung, I’ll endure it.
  • Return – I adore Go Hyun Jung so I was already vaguely interested in this legal-mystery-thriller, but now that there’s a rumor Park Ki Woong will join the cast, I’m definitely adding it to my watchlist. I adore Park Ki Woong but have not been impressed with his choices post-enlistment (in fact, I’ve been actively ignoring them), so hopefully this will be the drama to remind me why I’ve been his fan for so long.
  • Let’s Eat 3 – really? REALLY??? I love foodie Goo Dae Young to bits but after season 2 completely writing out Soo Kyung noona as though she never existed, and the fact that the foodie scenes weren’t even all that appetizing, I’m going to be watching this with a very negative “prove me that this is all worthwhile” attitude (but of course I’m still going to watch, because dammit Dae Young, I can’t quit you).
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