Down-home K-dramas strike chord with global viewers

Actors Cha Seung-won, left, and Lee Jung-eun in a scene from tvN's series "Our Blues" / Courtesy of tvN

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Fast-paced storytelling, betrayals, suspense and dark twists were once considered key to the success of K-dramas. To satisfy content-hungry viewers, who look for non-conventional stories, TV productions have cycled through zombie, monster and slasher genres.

Now entering the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, shows have turned to slow-paced, feel good dramas to strike a chord with global viewers.

TvN's Multi-starrer series "Our Blues" follows a group of people in a seaside town on Jeju Island going through ups and downs in their lives. The main characters ― played by Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won, Lee Jung-eun, Han Ji-min and Kim Woo-bin ― each carry their own set of problems and deal with personal tragedies. Although they do not directly know each other, all characters are somehow connected to one another as the story unfolds.

The actors echoed the sentiment that the format helps the 20-episode show portray various kinds of people and their lives in a more balanced way, although their parts or roles are relatively short in "Our Blues" compared with their previous works.

Actor Kim Ji-won in a scene from JTBC's series "My Liberation Notes" / Courtesy of JTBC

"It's important for Korean storytellers and producers to come up with series that will appeal to global audiences. However, what's more important is telling a good story that resonates with viewers around the world," said an official at Studio Dragon, a production company under CJ ENM.

"Our stories usually include a number of characters, each with a different role or purpose in the series, and is based on profound appreciation for humans and life. We believe these shared feelings are universal."

JTBC's drama "My Liberation Notes" revolves around three grown-up siblings who are frustrated by and seeking escape from their lives on the outskirts of Seoul.

They are not in life-or-death or tragic situations, but the characters are unhappy with their lives ― social pressure to get married by a certain age, be more extroverted and live in Seoul. The series tells of coping and self-care strategies practiced by the misfits. Moments built on emotional bonding or tropes of shared trauma also help balance out melodramatic undertones.

"Block out all external noise and watch this drama when you need rest," actor Kim Ji-won said.

Two new mood-lifting series ― KT's "Never Give Up," featuring actors Kwak Do-won and Yoon Du-jun, and Netflix's "The Sound of Magic," fronted by Ji Chang-wook ― will hit screens in May.

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