July is poised to bring us a deluge of dramas (17 in total!) and we’re starting off the month with two remakes.
Designated Survivor: 60 Days
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: tvN
Genre: Political thriller
Episode count: 16 episodes
Reasons to watch: Can a man with no political ambition become president? When you’re the only ranking survivor of an unprecedented attack on the government, you sure can. That’s the situation Ji Jin-hee finds himself in in Designated Survivor: 60 Days. As the entire government, and most of the president’s cabinet, is gathered at the National Assembly Building for a presidential address, an explosion decimates the entire government. The sole survivor is the Minister of the Environment: Ji Jin-hee. In the aftermath of the attack, he’s installed as interim president for a 60 day term. During those 60 days Ji must protect both his family and his country–all while fending off rivals to the presidency and getting to the bottom of the attack. The cast is chock full of veterans and strong rising actors such as Heo Jun-ho, Bae Jong-ok, Kim Gyu-ri, Sohn Seok-gu, and Lee Jun-hyuk. Kang Hanna rounds out the cast as the intrepid investigator who’s determined to the truth of the terrorist attack.
Weekday Afternoon Lovers
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: Channel A
Genre: Romance, melo
Episode count: 16 episodes
Reasons to watch: Weekday Afternoon Lovers is a remake of a hit Japanese drama (Hirugao) and it’s a rather unconventional romance melo. The plot revolves around two married women who ultimately fall in love with men who aren’t their husbands. Park Ha-sun and Ye Ji-won are both married but that’s where their similarities end. Park is a faithful and reserved housewife who leads a quiet life, whereas Ye Ji-won is more of a thrill-seeker and habitual adulterer. Park Ha-sun’s uneventful life with her husband turns upside down when she suddenly finds herself falling in love and contemplating an affair with Lee Sang-yub. On the other end of the spectrum, Ye Ji-won has no compunction about cheating and never gets too attached to her flings–until she meets Jo Dong-hyuk. Angst, affairs, and romance make for an intense mix of topics and though adultery-centered dramas make for a tough sell, the cast and the strength of the original drama have caught my eye.