The drama airing schedule changes at the drop of a hat these days, but that doesn’t mean there is any lack of new dramas to choose from. Premiering in our new weekend slots we have a massive infusion of crazy: doppelgänger hijinks, kill games, and woman and her animated cells. In addition, The Veil (which delayed a week from its initial airing schedule) is also being added to the mix, in case you needed even more action on your drama plate.
Squid Game
Time slot: Friday
Broadcaster: Netflix
Genre: Thriller, action
Episode count: 9
Reasons to watch: It feels like dramaland hasn’t had a really high-stakes game-based drama since the excellence that was Liar Game, so the excitement is high for Netflix’s original drama Squid Game. Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, and Wi Ha-joon are all pulled into the madness that are the squid games. They might sound fun on paper, but the trailers and promos we’ve seen make it abundantly clear that there’s a huge difference between being eliminated from a game, and being eliminated from the planet. Netflix dramas are notoriously lacking the soft edges we’re so used to in dramaland, so I’m expecting a nail-biting and stomach-churning tale here.
One the Woman
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Crime, comedy
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: Doppelgänger stories are a staple of literature and drama alike, and One the Woman looks like a zany take on the dramatic trope of the double-goer. Based off what we’ve seen and heard thus far, One the Woman seems like the action-comedy version of Mask, maybe — both feature a questionable heroine who’s mistaken for a chaebol, and then all hell breaks loose. One the Woman is led by Honey Lee, who seems to have found her sweet spot after The Fiery Priest. She plays a corrupt prosecutor who’s mistaken for her a chaebol heiress after an accident + coma, and that creates all sorts of problems in both of the lives she’s now living — especially with regards to her fiancé, played by Lee Sang-yoon. (Special shout-out to Lee Won-geun who’s returning to the small screen here, too!)
Yumi’s Cells
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: tvN
Genre: Romance, slice-of-life
Episode count: 14
Reasons to watch: The ever-popular Kim Go-eun is back in dramaland with a scruffy Ahn Bo-hyun at her side… but will the animated cells in this drama steal the spotlight from these popular humans? Yumi’s Cells is one of the buzziest dramas this fall, not only because it’s the adaptation of a much-loved webtoon, but because it’s Korea’s first foray into a live animation drama. Kim Go-eun plays the eponymous Yumi, and while she navigates her daily life (and budding romance~) we see the reaction of her many cells. Despite the level of interest in the drama, this one strikes me as a risky venture — there’s a lot of room for it to go wrong. But there’s room for things to go right, as well, and maybe Yumi’s Cells will change the drama landscape as we know it. As for me, I’m looking forward to seeing much-used phrases like “my dating cells dried up” play out in their most literal sense. But am I ready for squeaky cherubic characters running around my drama? Time will tell.