We weren’t joking when we said there were more dramas coming this week! Here’s the rest of the premieres that are joining the party in our weekend slots. These dramas are all pretty different in tone and genre, but each one seems to be coming in with a bang. A really loud bang. Makjang, mafia, murder, and mayhem — take your pick, or take ’em, all!
Penthouse 2
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Suspense, revenge, thriller
Episode count: 12
Reasons to watch: Straight off the heels of the ginormous success of its first season, Penthouse is back with more of what it does best: makjang crazy! I didn’t last long watching Season 1, but genuine props to these actors, and this no-holds-barred approach to high drama. With some of our craziest characters back for more (and some not back, I’m guessing?), I can only imagine how Season 2 will continue its tale, and one-up the madness. I’m sure it will be as successful as the first season. Also, it’s an interesting experiment in taking a drama that doesn’t exactly scream “primetime slot”… but then takes over said primetime slot. Will this start a new trend, or maybe a little more fluidity in the sorts of dramas we see in our primetime slots? Time will tell.
Beyond Evil
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: JTBC
Genre: Thriller
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: In our next premiere, there’s a return to dramaland to get excited about — and I’m talking about the talented Yeo Jin-gu. The more intense and emotionally layered, the better I think Yeo Jin-gu performs, so seeing him in a psychological thriller-mystery joining forces with Shin Ha-kyun ought to be exciting. Beyond Evil seems to promise eerie twists and turns as much as it does a deep-dark look at the human condition. While I’m not in the market for something quite this dark right now, if it’s your thing, it might be working checking out even for the performances alone. Also, it’s a big tonal change for the PD, who most recently gave us A Moment at Eighteen, so that piques my curiosity for sure.
Times
Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: OCN
Genre: Crime, science fiction
Episode count: 12
Reasons to watch: Another premiere, another return to dramaland to get excited about. In OCN’s latest, it’s Lee Seo-jin that’s back, and he’s opposite Lee Joo-young in a drama that sounds like pieces of Signal and Kairos sandwiched into something new. In the drama, Lee Seo-jin is a reporter from 2015, and he connects with Lee Joo-young, a reporter for 2020, via a phone call. Together they have to join forces, share intel, and stop a huge political crime. Of course, because we have two parallel timelines, I’m expecting a lot of interconnectedness, shared fates, and small actions with huge ripple effects. Good luck, reporters! You’re gonna need it.
Vincenzo
Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: tvN
Genre: Black comedy, crime, noir
Episode count: 20
Reasons to watch: I’m just going to go ahead and say it: of all of our weekend premieres, this is the one that I’m most looking forward to. I’m not exactly expecting it to be good good, but I’m expecting it to be fun. Song Joong-ki returns to dramaland as the eponymous hero, raised in Italy in the mafia, and fleeing to South Korea where the bulk of the drama will take place. Rounding out the cast is Jeon Yeo-bin as a powerful attorney (hello, love line!) and Ok Taecyeon as a law intern. (I’m confused by his addition here, as it seems a bit out of place, but I have an inexplicable soft spot for Taecie, so I’m ready to see what they have planned). The biggest reason to expect fun from this drama, though, is because my favorite Song Joong-ki is the dark and morally ambiguous kind (a la Nice Guy) — so bring on the not-so-nice hero, Show!