Brace yourselves, six dramas are premiering! We have two doctor-centric dramas (both airing on the same network, natch) and a strong thematic emphasis on justice in several of the new shows. Now excuse me while I down all the coffee as I attempt to keep up with everything that’s airing this week.
Justice
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: KBS
Genre: Thriller
Episode count: 32 episodes (35 minute episodes)
Reasons to watch: Adapted from a Korean web novel, the drama revolves around heavy questions regarding morality and the value of life. For jaded lawyer Choi Jin-hyuk, right-versus-wrong isn’t what matters, money and power are what make life meaningful. He falls in with an unscrupulous CEO (Sohn Hyun-joo), and strikes up a deal to “take out the trash” for society’s most powerful people. In exchange, Sohn Hyun-joo compensates Choi handsomely. But when Choi Jin-hyuk gets caught up in covering for the disappearances of several young actresses, his deeds begin to weigh heavily on him. Clearly, serial disappearances won’t go unnoticed and I assume this is where Nana comes into the narrative. A dogged prosecutor, she’s willing to chase perpetrators to the ends of the earth in the name of justice. This could spell trouble for our morally conflicted antihero, as he grapples with his actions and his conscience.
Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: MBC
Genre: Fusion sageuk
Episode count: 40 episodes
Reasons to watch: In a new take on the fusion sageuk, Shin Se-kyung stars as the first woman historian in all of Joseon (without resorting to crossdressing to boot). In a break from the mores of the era, she was afforded an incredible education and spent time studying abroad. Upon returning to Korea, Shin Se-kyung chafes at the restrictions society wants to place on her and defies expectations by passing the civil servant exam. Shin earns a position as a royal historian, which is how she crosses paths with black sheep, Prince Yi Rim (Cha Eun-woo). The second-born son of the king, he’s spent his life hidden away in the palace and turned to secretly writing romance novels to stave off his loneliness. With the support of his doting older brother (Park Ki-woong as the crown prince) and a daring Shin Se-kyung by his side, Cha Eun-woo ventures out of his gilded cage. I’m expecting a fun take on young love that’s heavy on cuteness and comedy.
Doctor Detective
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Crime, suspense
Episode count: 32 episodes (35 minute episodes)
Reasons to watch: Doctor Detective kind of sounds like someone playing madlibs, but the phrase is an apt description of Park Jin-hee and Bong Tae-kyu’s jobs. The two are doctors who investigate the causes of mysterious illnesses and deaths of people who worked at industrial sites. Though the main leads are doctors, the focus is less on the practice of medicine. Rather, the drama broaches the ways that industrial “accidents” affect the lowest rungs of society and the shadowy efforts put into covering up these issues rather than preventing them. Complicating their work, the very company they suspect is responsible for countless deaths is owned by Park Jin-hee’s former in-laws. Lee Ki-woo will play Park’s ex-husband and heir to the company. Though they’re divorced, he never stopped loving her and he cares more about winning her heart than inheriting the company. Does that mean he’d be willing to expose the rot and corruption in the family business? If you love complicated relationships and medical mysteries, give the show a watch.
Class of Lies
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: OCN
Genre: Crime, thriller
Episode count: 16 episodes
Reasons to watch: When a student is murdered at a high school for the children of Korea’s elite, the “facts” of the case leave a lot of unanswered questions and lead Yoon Kyun-sang on a hunt for the truth. Yoon starts out as a profit-driven lawyer who wouldn’t normally be the sort of person to concern himself with truth. But when a case he’s handling goes horribly wrong, in the aftermath of the fallout, he decides to take a position at the elite high school to find out what goes on within its walls. Though the school seems perfect, the pampered students may harbor some dark secrets. While he’s there to seek the truth, his fellow teacher (Geum Sae-rok) may not be ready to accept his findings, as she’s an idealistic teacher who thinks the world of her students. Could the culprit really be a student? OCN is synonymous for darker stories and there’s a wealth of subject matter to mine when privilege, murder, and justice collide.
Doctor John
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Medical
Episode count: 32 episodes (35 minute episodes)
Reasons to watch: Our other medical drama of the week, Doctor John is based on a Japanese novel. Ji Sung stars as the eponymous doctor, John Cha. He’s as arrogant as he is brilliant, but that arrogance belies his utter devotion to his patients. He’s practically obsessed with relieving them of their pain, so when a long-suffering patient dies under his care, it’s easy for people to assume the worst. And so, that’s how Ji Sung ends up on trial and in prison. It’s not all bad as that’s where he meets costar Lee Se-young. Lee is a 2nd year resident of anesthesiology and pain management at her family’s hospital. She meets Ji Sung while volunteering at his prison, and he inspires her to approach medicine with a renewed vigor. Post-prison, they’re reunited at her family’s hospital, this time with Ji Sung as her advisor. But he’s not quite free–Lee Kyu-hyung will be playing the Javert to his Jean Valjean. Having prosecuted him years prior, Lee believes Ji Sung to be as dangerous as ever. It remains to be seen if Ji Sung will be able to escape the watchful eye of Lee Kyu-hyung.
Golden Garden
Time slot: Saturday
Broadcaster: MBC
Genre: Melo, mystery
Episode count: 40 episodes (Four 30 minute episodes will air consecutively)
Reasons to watch: Four strangers have more in common than meets the eye in this melo mystery. Han Ji-hye plays a woman who’s made the best of a bad hand dealt to her by life. Abandoned at an orphanage as a child, she grew up to be a well-adjusted adult. But when she somehow learns that her life was stolen from her it becomes her life’s purpose to solve the mysteries of her past. Oh Ji-eun is the thief in question as she somehow took over the life that was rightfully Han’s. Oh is a successful social media influencer and budding celebrity who’s romantically involved with Lee Tae-sung (who’ll be playing an executive at his family’s firm). But Han Ji-hye won’t have to face the couple alone, she’ll have Lee Sang-woo for backup. Lee plays a violent crimes detective who meets Han by chance. During their time together, they realize they’re both afflicted by nightmares about the same car accident. A dangerous game is set into motion as the two couples face off and Han Ji-hye pursues the person who’s stolen her life. High drama alongside mysteries and birth secrets make for a heady mix.