Something about dramaland just wants to stay dark and sad lately — which is why I’m grateful for this week’s new crop of shows. Zany, cute, and comedic, are all coming our way. Let’s hope there’s a gem among these, or at least something that can give us a reason to laugh. Or giggle. Or even just a smile. Come on, dramaland!
Mad for Each Other
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday
Broadcaster: KakaoTV & Netflix
Genre: Rom-com
Episode count: 13 (30 min. episodes)
Reasons to watch: I haven’t been super impressed with KakaoTV’s recent web-drama-drama experiments, but after Mad for Each Other dropped some of the best (as in: loud and zany) promo material I’ve seen in a while, I was intrigued! This short drama is about two damaged souls, one a guy with anger management issues (Jung Woo) and the other a woman with anxiety and paranoia (Oh Yeon-seo). I love the wacky vibes the drama seems to be going for, but when our subject matter is social and emotional issues (and maybe even diagnosed mental illness), things can get sticky fast. We’ll have to see the way the drama handles it, but in the meantime, I’ll just let myself get a little bit excited for something colorful and different.
My Roommate Is a Gumiho
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: tvN
Genre: Fantasy, rom-com
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: Whether I’ve been burned by Jang Ki-yong or not (Kill It, Born Again, etc.), I always come back hoping for better. Will this drama be the hit he’s been trying for? In My Roommate Is a Gumiho, Jang Ki-yong plays a 999-year-old gumiho who is forced to live with Hyeri after she accidentally swallows his fox bead. A complete tone change from our most recent gumiho-themed drama (Tale of the Nine Tailed), My Roommate Is a Gumiho takes a decidedly cute and rom-com approach to the matter. We can hope for some great chemistry to keep this drama’s premise afloat, but my real question is: how will the script be? It’s a webtoon adaptation, and a joint effort from two of the writers that did You Who Forget Poetry… so a girl can hope, right?