Star directors' new series to A-listers' small screen comeback expected in coming weeks Posters for the new sitcom, “Unicorn,” left, and the drama series “Little Women” / Courtesy of Coupang Play, tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeAn array of series by top directors and stars are set to be released in the coming weeks, with genres ranging from sitcom and romantic comedy to a mystery drama.Director Lee Byeong-heon, who is known for leading the hit comedy film “Extreme Job” (2019) and the romantic comedy series “Be Melodramatic” (2019), is releasing a new sitcom, “Unicorn,” as a creative director. Coupang Play's new original, written by TV personality and screenwriter Yoo Byung-Jae, follows the chaotic struggles of people at a startup, led by its CEO, Steve (Shin Ha-kyun). Along with the narcissistic, fanatical boss, the workers at the company, including money-hungry Ashley (Won Jin-a) and mysterious Jay (Lee You-Jin), must find their way to survive in the tough startup world. The series, set to hit the streaming service on Aug. 26, is directed by Kim Hye-young, who co-led Lee Byeong-heon's series “Be Melodramatic.”DiAug 15, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Reality shows go abroad again amid eased COVID-19 travel restrictions Posters for “Dopojarak: Story of Homme the K-Wanderer,” left, and “Europe Outside the Tent” / Courtesy of MBC, tvN Cast members travel to European cities, ThailandBy Lee Gyu-leeBefore the COVID-19 outbreak began sweeping across the globe in 2020, traveling shows and reality programs filmed overseas were not hard to find on Korean TV.But when the pandemic resulted in border restrictions and flight bans in many countries, limiting overseas travelers in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading, shooting shows in other countries became almost impossible. Shows based on traveling like "Battle Trip” and “Youn's Kitchen” either put an end to their runs or changed their formats to survive. However, with many countries starting to ease such border and flight restrictions, more shows that feature cast members traveling in different countries have been rising again. Two shows about traveling to European countries, “Dopojarak: Story of Homme the K-Wanderer” and “Europe OutAug 12, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Good Doctor' director to debut Netflix's high-strung suspense series, 'A Model Family' From left, director Kim Jin-woo, actors Jung Woo, Yoon Jin-seo, Park Ji-yeon, and Park Hee-soon pose during a press conference for the new crime series, “A Model Family,” held in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kim Jin-woo, who is known for leading the 2013 medical series, “Good Doctor,” and Netflix's “Love Alarm 2” (2021), is set to roll out a new suspense-filled, crime series called “A Model Family,” which will be released on the platform this Friday. The 10-part series revolves around a cash-strapped patriarch, Dong-ha (Jung Woo), who is a part-time lecturer at a college. His life is on the verge of falling apart. He fails to get tenure and his wife Eun-ju (Yoon Jin-seo) asks for a divorce, while he lost the money for his sick son's surgery. One day, he comes across a pile of cash next to a dead body and unwittingly steals it without knowing it belongs to a drug cartel. With both police and the cartel's second-in-command, Gwang-cheol (Park Hee-soon), after him, the lecturer finds the onlAug 10, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Netflix's 'Narco-Saints' to be released Sept. 9 A promotional poster for new Netflix's original series, “Narco-Saints,” to be released on Sept. 9 / Courtesy of Netflix By Kim RahnA new Netflix original series, “Narco-Saints,” created by top director Yoon Jong-bin, will be released on Sept. 9, the streaming service platform said, Monday. The much-anticipated series is about a man who has no choice but to take on a secret mission for the National Intelligence Service (NIS) after being framed by a Korean drug lord operating in Suriname.It has drawn attention since the production was announced last year, as it is helmed by Yoon, who has been recognized for excellence in storytelling and direction in previous films, including “Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time” (2011) and “The Spy Gone North” (2018).Its star-studded cast also raises expectations, especially because some of the actors have already proven to be good partners with director Yoon.Ha Jung-woo plays the role of Kang In-su, an entrepreneur who wished to make mAug 8, 2022By Kim Rahn
OTT platforms struggle amid declining number of users Over-the-top platforms in Korea are suffering from a declining number of users this year. Korea Times fileBy Lee Gyu-leeThe streaming service business is one of the industries that benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic as more and more people turned to over-the-top (OTT) platforms for entertainment during lockdowns, which led to a steady growth in the number of users in recent years. However, as the social distancing and the coronavirus-induced restrictions ease, streaming service platforms here are facing struggles with a bleak outlook, losing their subscribers. According to the big data platform Mobile Index, most of the major OTT services like Wavve, Tving, Coupang Play and Disney+, saw falls in their subscriber numbers in the first half of this year. The overall mobile users of the top seven services, which include the four above as well as Netflix, Seezn, and Watcha, totaled 26.86 million in April, down by about 3.4 million compared to this January. Individually, the largest local service, Wavve, suffered the highest fall of 14 percent of the number of users from 4.92 million in Aug 7, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'The Red Sleeve' director debuts new thriller From left, actors Park Ho-san and Kim Soo-jin, director Song Yeon-hwa, and actor Ye Soo-jung pose during a press conference for MBC's new thriller series, “Hunted,” Monday. Courtesy of MBCBy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Song Yeon-hwa, who co-directed MBC's hit series, “The Red Sleeve,” earlier this year, is leading the network's new thriller series, “Hunted.” “The script for the series was very compelling. (The story) seemed predictable but it would have twists from unexpected parts. So I really wanted to work on this piece,” the director said during a press conference for the series, Monday.The four-part short series, which kicked off on Monday, revolves around a middle-aged man, Young-soo (Park Ho-san), who lives in a close-knit town in a rural area with his wife and son. One day, he goes hunting in the mountains with his friends to stop boars from damaging local people's farms. While hunting, he shoots a moving object thinking it was a boar but then hears a human voice. After coming home without knowing what he shot, he finds out that his sonAug 5, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
'Anna' creator, Coupang Play in dispute over 're-editing without consent' Actress Bae Suzy in a scene from Coupang Play's original series “Anna” / Courtesy of Coupang Play By Kim RahnA rare dispute has emerged between a creator and an over-the-top (OTT) service provider. The creator of Coupang Play's original series “Anna,” starring Bae Suzy, is claiming that the streaming platform re-edited the series without her consent and thus “damaged” the creation, while the platform is claiming that the director's first edition did not follow what had been agreed upon before commencing production.The writer and director, Lee Joo-young, issued a statement through a law firm, Tuesday, to claim that she initially planned an eight-episode series, which Coupang Play confirmed. But before the drama's release on June 24, Coupang told her that it would have another producer re-edit the drama and shortened it to six episodes.“Director Lee could not agree with the re-edited version, which she had not even watched, to be released under her name, so demanded CAug 4, 2022By Kim Rahn
'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' tops Netflix's non-english series again A scene from the Korean legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" / Courtesy of ENAThe Korean legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has regained the top position on Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows, the global video streaming service said Wednesday.The TV series, which has aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the cable channel ENA since June 29, marked 65.6 million hours of viewing for the week of July 25-31 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to the company.It rose one notch from second place a week earlier, while last week's No. 1, "Alba," dropped to second with 33.5 million hours. The 16-part Korean-language show has stayed in the top 10 for a total of four weeks, including three No. 1 finishes."Woo" revolves around a lawyer named Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), who is brilliant with an outstanding memory but lacks social skills and empathy due to being on the autism spectrum. (Yonhap)Aug 3, 2022
INTERVIEW 'Yumi's Cells' creators say series redraws lines for TV adaptations From left are director Lee Sang-yeob and co-writers Song Jae-jeong and Kim Kyung-ran who created the series adaptation of the popular webcomic “Yumi's Cells.” Courtesy of TvingTving's series follows romance, work life of single woman in 30sBy Lee Gyu-leeWhen news of the live adaptation of the smash-hit webcomic “Yumi's Cells” was announced, many of its fans had mixed reactions, both welcoming the series adaptation and showing concerns about its animated depiction of the cell characters. However, despite the concerns, the series has proven itself capable of winning viewers' hearts with its fusion of live action and animation as well as compelling storytelling delivered through the lead actor Kim Go-eun's performance. “I feel this series expanded the scope of the genres that a series can tackle. At first, no one could imagine how (the series) would come out to be. Everyone was like, 'Is it possible?' and we showed that it is possible to have both live action and animation,” Song Jae-jeong, the co-writer of the series, said in a recent interview with Aug 2, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
Lee Jong-suk teams up with Im Yoon-ah for small screen noir 'Big Mouth' From left, actors Yang Kyung-won, Im Yoon-ah, Lee Jong-suk, Ok Ja-yeon, and Kim Joo-hun pose during an online press conference for the MBC's new series, “Big Mouth,” Friday. Courtesy of MBC By Lee Gyu-leeThe actor Lee Jong-suk, who is known for playing the protagonist in romance series like “While You Were Sleeping” (2017), has taken on the lead in the new hardboiled, noir genre series “Big Mouth,” making his small screen return after three years. “At first, I was given scripts for four episodes and it was very gripping. You get swept up in the case and it makes you curious about the next episode,” Lee said during an online press conference for the series, Friday.MBC's new series, which kicked off on Friday, revolves around struggling lawyer Park Chang-ho (Lee), who has a low win rate of 10 percent.When he takes on a murder case, he gets entangled in a situation where he gets mistaken for a major con-man, dubbed Big Mouth. Caught in a dark, corrupt world that threatJul 30, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee
