ktown konnection #45 | Thanksgiving Kdrama Watch List

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-jin sign up for a contract marriage in “The Trunk”

• CJ and SK invest $180M in Wavve, TVING merger

• Thanksgiving Kdrama picks - from bingeable thrillers and romcoms to body-swapping time travel

PREMIERES

• November 29 “The Trunk” (Netflix)

• November 30 “The Tale of Lady Ok” (JTBC)(Netflix)

Latest premieres “The Trunk” stars Seo Hyun-jin (“Why Her?”) opposite Gong Yoo (“The Silent Sea”) in a contract marriage with dark melodrama vibes. Lim Ji-yeon (“The Killing Vote”) goes into survival mode and fakes her class in historical drama “The Tale of Lady Ok.”

Kdrama Day is November 29. (Yeah, it’s a fairly new thing.) Viki is marking the occasion by offering 10 free Kdramas for 2 weeks and live streaming interviews with talent.

*Correction to last week’s issue: “Marry YOU” is available on Netflix - but in Korea. Use a VPN if you have one. (Note: It still takes digging to navigate which platforms are streaming shows in which territory. Licensing rights are global patchwork and not always promoted by streamers with much lead time. OTT - are you paying attention?)

Freshly bingeable “Family By Choice” (16 eps), “Gangnam B-Side” (8 eps).

Wednesday-Thursday November 27-28
“Family By Choice” (JTBC)(Viki)
“Face Me” (KBS)(Viki)
“Gangnam B-Side” (Disney+)

Friday-Saturday November 29-30
“When The Phone Rings” (MBC)(Netflix)
“The Trunk” (Netflix)

Saturday-Sunday November 30-December 1
“Iron Family” (KBS)(Viki)
“Marry YOU” (Channel A)(Netflix/Kocowa)
“Love Your Enemy” (tvN)(Viki)
“The Tale of Lady Ok” (JTBC)(Netflix)

Monday-Tuesday December 2-3
“Brewing Love” (ENA/Genie TV)(Viki)
“Parole Examiner Lee” (tvN)(Viki)

(*Streaming platforms shown are for U.S. only; distributors vary by country.)

KDRAMA/FILM/TV/ETC.

Among Top 10 🌎 Global Titles Today (11/28/24) 🌎 “Gangnam B-Side,” “The Fiery Priest 2,” “When The Phone Rings,” “Love Your Enemy,” “Marry My Husband,” “The Judge From Hell,” “Pachinko 2.” FlixPatrol 

Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV (Nov 18-24): “When The Phone Rings” (#4), “Mr. Plankton”(#9).

Korea’s watching: 📺 “Iron Family,” “The Fiery Priest 2” (Nov 18-24). dramabeans

Thanksgiving Kdrama Watch List

Here are some Kdrama picks I’ve rounded up for your holiday weekend; you bring the chicken and beer.

I’ve included a range of titles across genres (bc we’re complex with many Kdrama moods). I curated my selection with bingeable titles that I haven’t already covered this year.

On the feature film side (to enjoy in a single evening)

“Midnight” (2022) (Amazon Prime Video): A thriller with a swift plot and Wi Ha-jun (“Squid Game”) as a cold-blooded killer.

Though at times oversimplified, character logic crumbles, and the police are suffocatingly dense and bumbling (its own commentary, I suppose), “Midnight” pulls the viewer in to the wrenching frustration experienced by the differently abled heroine Kyung-mi (Jin Ki-joo). It’s a fast-paced ride that ties everything up neatly in its ending. Filmed in 2019, “Midnight” includes a pre-”Lovely Runner” Kim Hye-yoon.

“On Your Wedding Day” (2018)(Viki): This hit romcom stars Kim Young-kwang and Park Bo-young who first meet as high school students: him - the fighting delinquent, and her - the model transfer student with the occasional penchant for spicy rice cakes and ditching class. It’s fun and genuine, our leads have a bubbly chemistry, and it gives the feels as we follow Woo-yeon’s (Kim) journey from directionless joe to grounded adult.

“Midnight Runners” (2017) (Viki) Buddy cop comedy. Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul. That’s all I’m gonna say.

For a full binge-watching weekend

Something nice and long to keep you entertained while you curl up on the couch and hibernate for at least 16 episodes.