Our premieres this week come in two very different shapes, with one drama (or is that season) plowing ahead with what it does best, and the other, the story of a young sports team, something of an unknown quantity. But, K-dramas tend to do sports stories well (read: so that even non-sports fans can enjoy), so I’m hopeful that this one will turn out well.
Racket Boys
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Sports, youth, coming-of-age
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: You can feel the cuteness already, right? The cast of Racket Boys is super young and adorable, and just to make it a little bit cuter, they’re all part of an underdog badminton team that’s about to fall apart. A new coach (Kim Sang-kyung) turns up to help them out, and might just change their luck. On the other side of the aisle we have Oh Nara and her girls’ badminton team, so we might get part rivalry and part cuteness with this element. I’m not really sure what to expect here outside of some sweet and encouraging vibes, but I’m willing to be charmed.
Penthouse 3
Time slot: Friday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Suspense, revenge, thriller
Episode count: 12
Reasons to watch: Let the mayhem continue in part three of this mega hit and mega-sized drama! I will always think of Penthouse as a weekender that snagged a high-budget primetime slot — and then gave people what they really wanted: a wild, soapy, and entertaining ride. Indeed, the success of Penthouse might just prove that when you give people something fun that they actually want to watch, they will watch it. And the ratings will prove it. Between Kim So-yeon’s big award win (well-deserved) and the promises of a Season 3 that will get even more crazy, expectations are penthouse-level high.