Bad Detective
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: MBC
Genre: Crime, thriller
Episode count: 32 episodes (35 minute episodes, 18 hours 40 minutes total)
Reasons to watch: Shin Ha-kyun stars as the titular detective with Lee Seol playing his foil as a budding psychopath. Shin is a man whose moral character is best painted with shades of gray. He’s dedicated to his job, but often takes things too far in the name of justice. While attempting to reign in his dark side, he crosses paths with Lee Seol’s character. She’s someone who seems to speak to his inner evil, and they begin an uneasy friendship of sorts. Bad Detective (a.k.a. Less Than Evil) is a remake of the acclaimed BBC series Luther. I’m usually a little apprehensive when Korean dramas dip their toes into Western remakes. On one hand, when they’re good, they’re great (exhibit A: The Good Wife). On the other hand, sometimes we end up with a drama like Criminal Minds. If the actors can deliver and the writing comes through for us, Bad Detective has the potential to be outstanding.
Dance Sports Girls
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: KBS
Genre: Coming-of-age, youth
Reasons to watch: Dance Sports Girls follows several high school students as they band together to form a dance group. The students live in a seaside industrial city that’s seen better days and face the pressures that every Korean student faces — get good grades and go to a good university. One by one they find themselves drawn to (or forced to join) the school’s dance club and they work towards winning a big dance competition. The drama itself is based on a documentary about a school dance club and though the showrunners have taken some liberties (like adding a boy member to the dance team), Dance Sports Girls has all the makings of a sweet coming-of-age story. Life, grades, and school may get you down, but sometimes the answer to your problems is to just dance.