If you're not watching Korean dramas, also known as K-dramas, then you're losing out on a lot of things. K-dramas have the cultural ...
If you're not watching Korean dramas, also known as K-dramas, then you're losing out on a lot of things. K-dramas have the cultural influence to consider: they have become a worldwide sensation. There are a lot of reasons to watch K-dramas: They're addicting and fantastic, and you'll be glad you added them to your pop-culture diet.
Last January, Netflix announced that they would distribute more than 25 Korean- language original series and films in 2022, the most it has ever released in a single year.
Its most recent Korean blockbuster, All of Us Are Dead, is currently Netflix's most popular drama. According to the firm, it was watched for 124.8 million hours on the last weekend of January.
Last year, Squid Game, a Korean-language sitcom, became Netflix's most-watched show of all time. 95% of the show's viewers were from outside of South Korea, according to Netflix, and "many of these viewers moved on to explore additional Korean material."
To help you expand your K-drama watchlist, here are the 17 Korean-language shows set to premiere this year.
1. A Model Family
A story about a man on the verge of bankruptcy and divorce who comes across a car full of money. In the course of the encounter, he runs into the second-in-command of a drug cartel. This gripping depiction of an average family getting their hands on illegal drug money stars Jung Woo, Park Hee-soon, Yoon Jin-seo, and Park Ji-yeon. The scene-stealing chemistry between acclaimed actors Jung Woo (who plays the man who discovers the cash) and Park Hee-soon (who plays the drug cartel's second-in-command) is a must-see that will fascinate the audience.
2. Black Knight
Black Knight, starring Kim Woo-bin, depicts a polluted future in 2071 where humans must breathe through respirator masks. In the deserted territories of the Korean peninsula, only 1% of the human race has survived, and harsh social stratification has emerged. Within this system, delivery drivers play a critical role and being one is the only option of survival. Amid the misery, Black Knight depicts the story of Sawol, a refugee who aspires to follow in the footsteps of a renowned delivery driver five to eight with incredible battle skills.
3. Business Proposal
Business Proposal is an office romance drama based on the same-named globally popular web novel and webtoon, which has received over 320 million views. A workplace romance between a flawless CEO with both the looks and the brains, and a normal employee who becomes his blind date will keep you from quitting! Employee Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) goes on a blind date as a feisty girl in place of her friend, only to discover that her blind date is Kang Tae-moo, the CEO of her firm (played by Ahn Hyo-seop). They each struggle in their own way at work after their blind date, which can be lovely, thrilling, and even intense at times.
4. Celeb Five: Behind The Curtain
Celeb Five: Behind The Curtain is a spoof documentary that shows how Celeb Five (Kim Shin-young, Song Eun-yi, Shin Bong-sun, and Ahn Young-mi) go on marathon meetings after being offered a Netflix solo program. Their behind-the-scenes work is even more inventive and amusing than the onstage act, resulting in non-stop laughter and enjoyment. This hilarious show is co-directed by Celeb Five and Kim Joo-young, who is credited with laying the groundwork for Korean stand-up comedies with Park Na-rae: Glamour Warning and Lee Su-geun: The Sense Coach. Company SangSang is known for its great synergy with Netflix on shows like Busted, Twogether, and New World.
5. The Fabulous
The Fabulous is a highly realistic romance that delves into the dreams, love, and friendships of young people who dedicate their lives to working in the fashion industry, where fashion is frequently synonymous with passion.
6. Forecasting Love and Weather
Forecasting Love and Weather is a lighthearted romantic drama about people who work at the Korea Meteorological Administration and who break, fall, and get back on their feet daily. The plot revolves around Jin Ha-kyung, who has vowed never to commit to an office romance after a painful break-up but finds himself in one again, this time with a newbie to the team, Lee Si-woo, who is unusual yet appealing in his own way. This is one of the most anticipated romantic comedies in the first half of 2022. Thanks to a star-studded cast that includes Park Min-young and Song Kang.
7. Glitch
Glitch follows the story of Hong Ji-hyo, who enlists the help of members of a UFO club to search for her missing partner. She comes face to face with a startling mystery in the process. With the critically acclaimed Netflix series Extracurricular, writer Gin Han-sai enchanted audiences and critics alike. The series will be helmed by Roh Deok, who is known for her ability to span genres, and will star Jeon Yeo-been as Hong Ji-hyo and Nana as Bora.
8. Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice follows a judge who despises juvenile delinquents until he realizes the problems that youngsters face in society and how society is ignoring them. Sim Eun-seok is played by Kim Hye-soo (Hyena, Signal), a dynamic judge just appointed to an area with the highest juvenile delinquency rate. Later, she tries to convey the point that society is partly to blame for adolescents' immoral and illegal behavior.
9. Love to Hate You
Love to Hate You is about a tumultuous relationship between a lady who despises losing to men and a man who is paranoid about women, who later uncover life's solutions behind their opposing traits. Love to Hate You, starring Kim Ok-bin and Teo Yoo, portrays how love and emotional sensitivity win against greater mistrust between the sexes.
10. Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area follows a brilliant strategist and his gifted band of top-notch thieves as they attempt an unparalleled heist on the Korean peninsula. As the group simulates a hostage situation while confronting unfathomable hurdles, the plot takes unforeseen twists and turns.
11. Remarriage and Desires
Remarriage and Desires is a parody of a desire-driven Korean society. Set at the prestigious matchmaking firm Rex, which caters to society's upper crust, ambitious souls strive to elevate their status by marrying or remarrying into the elite's ranks. They want to recruit someone from the "Black" tier, which is made up of the top 0.001% of the population. Remarriage and Desires, starring Kim Hee-seon, Lee Hyun-wook, and Jung Yoo-jin, deftly depicts the commercialized dating/marriage business and society's perspective of it.
12. Somebody
A murder case centers on the social dating app Somebody, prompting the app's developer and her friends to become involved with a mysterious character known as Yoon-oh. The production is led by acclaimed director Jung Ji-woo, who is known for his ability to write outstanding thriller genre scripts, and writer Han Ji-wan, who is known for his ability to produce excellent thriller genre scripts. Kim Young-kwang leads a cast of fresh new faces, including Kang Hae-lim, Kim Yong-ji, and Kim Su-yeon.
13. The Sound of Magic
The Sound of Magic is a poignant drama based on the renowned webtoon Annarasumanara about Yoon Ah-yi, a girl who had to grow up too quickly, and Rieul, a mysterious magician who, despite his age, wishes to remain a child. Ji Chang-wook will portray a magician who dwells in an abandoned amusement park, Yoon Ah-yi will be played by Choi Sung-eun, and Yoon Ah-yi's classmate, Na Il-deung will be played by Hwang In-youp. Kim Sung-youn, whose superb storytelling talents were demonstrated in the smash series Itaewon Class, will direct The Sound of Magic. He reunites with Kim Min Jeong, the writer who collaborated with him on Love in the Moonlight.
14. The Accidental Narco
The story is based on true events and follows an ordinary entrepreneur who has no choice but to risk his life by joining a secret government expedition to apprehend a Korean drug king. Yoon Jong-maiden bin's excursion into series and first partnership with Netflix is this show. The Accidental Narco features a star-studded ensemble that includes Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin, and Yoo Ye son-seok, as well as increasing expectation as it is Ha and Hwang's debut collaboration.
15. Thirty-Nine
Thirty-Nine is a real-life and romance drama that delves into the relationship, love, and lives of three friends approaching their forties. Cha Mi-jo (played by Son Ye-jin), Jeong Chan-young (played by Jeon Mi-do), and Jang Joo-hee (played by Kim Ji-hyun) became BFFs after a chance meeting in high school, and the three of them have remained very close friends going through the good and bad times together. Mi-jo is now a dermatologist; Chan-young is an acting instructor, and Joo-hee works in the cosmetics sales department. When they are all 39, life takes a turn for the worse, and they must prepare to say their goodbyes.
16. Tomorrow
The grim reapers who formerly escorted the dead are now rescuing those who wish to die. Tomorrow is an afterlife fantasy drama about a long-time unemployed Choi Jun-woong who meets up with grim reapers on a special mission and becomes a contract worker for their Crisis Management Team to assist them with their task.
17. Twenty Five, Twenty One
Twenty-five, twenty-one is a drama about teenagers who have given up on their dreams due to the zeitgeist of 1998. They initially yelled out each other's names when they were twenty-two and eighteen, and now they're twenty-five and twenty-one, respectively. They get butterflies as they walk the delicate line between a heart-fluttering first love and a heart-warming friendship. Their glistening love and progress, as well as the chemistry and difficulties among the five friends, remind us of our tumultuous yet lovely adolescence.
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