After a bajillion premieres towards the end of last year, it feels like dramaland has been eerily quiet. But don’t worry, there are two new cable shows coming to us next week. And though they seem like very different dramas, they’re both about love — featuring marriage, divorce, office romance, and the hoobae of my our dreams.
Sunbae, Don’t Put on That Lipstick
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: JTBC
Genre: Romance
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: To say I have been looking forward to Sunbae, Don’t Put on That Lipstick is a massive understatement. We’ve all experienced it, right? Sometimes there’s a show that grabs you from the get-go for no particular reason, and doesn’t let go. Well, maybe Extraordinary You + Ro-woon and Just Between Lovers + Won Jin-ah have something to do with my excitement. And so does the PD from the sweet-hearted 20th Century Boy and Girl. And the swoony trailers. But all those bits of excitement aside, dramas like this one can be dangerous for setting sky-high expectations, and then not meeting them, so it’s probably better to save the swoons until we have the evidence in front of us. *Disregards own warning and swoons freely in expectation of this office/noona romance*
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce)
Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: TV Chosun
Genre: Family
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: TV Chosun has another drama at the ready, and Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) looks to be pretty fun and soapy. The story follows three couples in their 30s, 40s and 50s, and chronicles the drama that hits their lives and marriages. The multi-generational angle here is interesting to me — so often dramas about mid-life couples get passed over, so I’m wondering if this arrangement will fare better. The cast is interesting, and full of familiar faces (Jeon No-min, Park Joo-min), some newer names, and then a little bit of Sung Hoon thrown in for good measure. TV Chosun is still an underdog in the cable world, and while it shows a bit in their productions, it always makes me want to pay extra attention to their endeavors.