This week we have a new melodrama on SBS and a new paranormal crime thriller on (where else) OCN, or as I like to think of it, Kim Sun-ah falling in love and Kang Ji-hwan fighting crime.
Should We Kiss First
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Romance melodrama
Episode count: 32 (half-hour episodes)
Reasons to watch: Kim Sun-ah and Kam Woo-sung star in this romantic melodrama about a middle-aged man and woman who had given up on love for varying reasons, only to end up falling in love when they least expect to. I Have a Lover’s writer, Bae Yoo-mi, is penning the script that follows the rather funny (for a melodrama) setup of a couple reuniting with a kiss that awakens love cells they thought had died off long ago. Kam Woo-sung plays a producer at an ad agency who’s being pushed out of relevancy due to his age, while Kim Sun-ah plays a flight attendant who suffered the loss of her child. The teasers have been upbeat and contemplative, setting the stage for a feel-good healing drama that asks very relatable questions about aging, self-reflection, and love. I expect Kim Sun-ah to make me laugh and then wring my heart out, so that’s pretty much the main reason to watch this one.
Children of a Lesser God
Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: OCN
Genre: Supernatural crime thriller
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: Spine-tingler alert! Children of a Lesser God is a crime investigation drama with a creepy supernatural twist, about two detectives who partner up to fight a shadowy organization—one detective only relies on cold hard facts, while the other has a paranormal sense that allows her to relive a victim’s gruesome death. This is otherwise known as OCN’s bread-and-butter formula, but it obviously works, and with Kang Ji-hwan and Kim Ok-bin starring as the investigator duo, I’m expecting great antagonistic sparks between them. I’m a big wuss about the gruesome deaths though, so I’ll have to check out the first episode with my eyes covered in case it turns into another Voice, which broke OCN’s ratings records at the time but scared me away. If it’s closer to Vampire Prosecutor’s method of seeing the victim’s final seconds in a stylized vision, I can deal with that. PD Kang Shin-hyo of Heirs and Midas is at the helm, so it’s anybody’s guess what direction the thriller will take.