Teo Yoo: The “Past Lives” and “The Recruit” Star Gets Real
An interview with the Korean German actor on why he joined the cast of “The Recruit”
Category: Korean Dramas
“Squid Game” Season 2 heads back into the arena
NPR invited me back on their Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast to discuss the second season of the Korean series “Squid Game.”
“Squid Game Season 2” Ending Explained: Major Character Deaths, Plot Twists, and More
“Squid Game” season 2 introduces a whole new set of compelling characters. Will they make us forget fan favorites like North Korean defector Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) and Pakistani immigrant Ali (Anupam Tripathi)? No, but the star power of veteran K-drama stars, including Park Sung-hoon (“The Glory”), Park Hee-soon (“Moving”) and Im Si-wan (“Misaeng: Incomplete Life”), is a nice concession to killing off nearly all of last season’s characters.
13 Best K-Dramas of 2024
It was an excellent year for Korean dramas — and with Squid Game season 2 on the horizon, there’s more to come.
“Love in the Big City” (대도시의 사랑법)
Based on Sang Young Park’s bestselling novel of the same name, the K-drama adaptation was overshadowed by the film version, which stars Kim Go-eun (Little Women) and Steve Sanghyun Noh (Pachinko). But this series is so relevant as it matter-of-factly addresses homosexuality — a topic not often depicted in South Korean media in any meaningful way.
“The Trunk” (트렁크)
Adding a twist to the contract marriage trope, “The Trunk” tackles the plot device from a film noir perspective.
“Family By Choice” (조립식 가족)
If there’s one thing this K-drama gets across, it’s that keeping secrets from children about their own history is never the way to go.
“Love Next Door” (엄마친구아들)
“Love Next Door” is written as a love story between two childhood neighbors. And it is. But it’s also about loving yourself enough to follow your convictions, despite objections from those you love.
“No Gain No Love” (손해 보기 싫어서)
Starring Shin Min-a and Kim Young-dae, “No Gain No Love” falls into the contract marriage trope. But, oh, it offers so much more.
“Officer Black Belt” (무도실무관)
“Officer Black Belt” is an action-packed thriller starring Kim Woo-bin. Is it predictable? Yes? But is it a fun watch? Absolutely!
“Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror”
The Nth Room targeted Korean women in a lower socio-economic class who needed money. They also set their marks on underage girls, who were too young to handle what they had been tricked into. These crimes are continuing, but now with with teenage boys at the helm.
“Like Flowers in Sand” (모래에도 꽃이 핀다)
A mystery thriller as much as it is a wrestling saga, Like Flowers in Sand is set in a small town where everyone is obsessed with ssireum, traditional Korean wrestling.
11 Sporty K-Dramas to Watch to Celebrate Olympics 2024
These Korean shows (including “W,” “All of Us Are Dead,” “Prison Playbook”) deftly utilize sports in their storylines to demonstrate the characters’ unrelenting perseverance and will to survive. My latest reviews for Teen Vogue.
The best time travel K-dramas — and why there are so many of them
Time travel adds a relatively unique element that differentiates K-drama storylines from other shows, but there is also a very visceral component. K-drama story arcs excel at telling tales of love and revenge. And what better way is there to get these points across than depicting how love and revenge transcend all boundaries, including time?
K.Will’s “No Sad Song For My Broken Heart” explores a one-sided gay relationship
It is easier for a cisgender man than a gay man to survive in a cutthroat society where the latter is unwelcome. This is true in just about any society, but especially so in South Korea where LGBTQ rights are still sorely lacking.
“Lovely Runner” (선재 업고 튀어)
Like “Under the Queen’s Umbrella,” “Lovely Runner” uses the 우산 to represent how our protagonists fight to protect themselves from countless obstacles — including a messy serial killer subplot that I found redundant and not particularly compelling.
“Queen of Tears” (눈물의 여왕)
It’s easy to create a happily ever after finale that makes viewers satisfied at that moment. But after they move onto the next K-drama, it’s forgotten. “Queen of Tears” has a bittersweet ending that will remain with viewers long after the credits have rolled. Honestly? I can still feel the poignancy of those final few moments, which encapsulated how beautiful even a complicated relationship can be — and also how lonely one can feel when it’s all over.
“Flex X Cop” (재벌X형사)
“Flex X Cop” takes the chaebol trope, mixes it up with a cops-and-robbers theme, and adds a dash of comedic elements to keep things interesting.
“Doctor Slump” (닥터슬럼프)
Former high school rivals Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) and Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye) form a truce as adults after both face slumps in their medical careers.
“Queen of Divorce” (끝내주는 해결사)
Equal parts comedy and revenge, “Queen of Divorce” tackles the dirty deeds that occur during divorce proceedings. Sa-ra (Lee Ji-ah) is a brilliant attorney, whose husband and monster-in-law set her up for a crime she never committed.