Enough of the dark, melancholy, and double-universe dramas we’ve been dealing with lately. This week our premieres are all a bit wacky, but each in their own way. All three dramas are also a bit shorter in overall length than we’re used to, and clock at about 12 episodes each. Am I sensing a new pattern?
Old School Intern
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: MBC
Genre: Comedy, workplace, human
Episode count: 24 (35 minute episodes)
Reasons to watch: Park Hae-jin returns to dramaland, and I’m not sure if you heard, but he emailed me directly to apologize for Forest. He said Old School Intern is going to make up for it with its office space hilarity. Of course I’m just kidding, but I sure hope it’s true! Park Hae-jin stars as the director of a marketing department who decides to take some revenge on his old boss, played by Kim Eung-soo. Because what do you do when the by-the-books manager that made your life miserable as an intern turns up at your office… as your new intern? It’s time for the payback! As upper management and intern roles are reversed, hijinks will ensue. The collection of characters that also work in the office should bring even more fun to the mix, and if the show’s promo materials are any indication, it looks like it has potential.
Mystic Pop-up Bar
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: JTBC
Genre: Fantasy
Episode count: 12
Reasons to watch: Are you ready for potion-like drinks and magical pochas? I know I am! Of all of our premieres this week, Mystic Pop-up Bar is the most zany… and the hardest to pin down what sort of a drama it will actually be. The loud and often-nutty Hwang Jung-eum plays our hanbok-wearing bar owner, and I’m feeling like this just might be the perfect role for her. She’s some sort of magical being with the goal of helping 100,000 people so her soul doesn’t get dissolved — and she needs Yook Sung-jae to help. Don’t we all! It’s a funny take on a “healing” drama, because while our bar owners and workers are out to tend to their customers’ emotional baggage, it’ll surely be anything but our typical healing drama. The show’s teasers (and overall concept) are all pretty bizarre, which means this will either be a glorious masterpiece, or a glorious mess. Either way, I’m tuning in to this one.
Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation
Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: OCN
Genre: Action, crime
Episode count: 12
Reasons to watch: My heart doesn’t exactly jump for joy when I see a new OCN drama premiering, but there’s still a reason to get excited: Cha Tae-hyun is in the lead! He should be able to bring a nice balance to OCN’s usual crime offerings. Cha plays a police officer who will do anything to catch the bad guys, while Lee Sun-bin is an equally overzealous PD with the same aim — but her motive is for her TV show to become legendary. The best thing for me about this drama’s premise is that the eponymous Team Bulldog is a group of misfits that join together to get things done on their own terms. I don’t know about you, but a story about a crime-fighting team (with good chemistry and characters) is always welcome, and can be loads of fun. Let’s hope this drama leans less towards Rugal, and more towards Mad Dog, eh?