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| Netflix's Korean-language original, "Squid Game," became the most-watched series on the streaming service after its release in September. Courtesy of Netflix |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Korea's drama scene has gone through quite a roller-coaster ride this year, filled with both positive and negative surprises.
Netflix's biggest hit ever, "Squid Game," took the world by storm, focusing global attention on K-dramas even more than before. A wave of diverse genres gained the spotlight on the small screen, from women-centered series to vigilante-style action dramas, whereas some much-anticipated TV series ended up with lackluster viewer ratings and one ― the period series "Joseon Exorcist" ― even got canceled due to controversy over distorting history.
The battle among the over-the-top streaming platforms in Korea has continued, with each platform releasing their own original series hoping to win the game. According to app tracker WiseApp in September, Netflix continued to dominate the market with about 9.1 million users in July, followed by the local platforms, Wavve at 3.19 million and Tving at 2.78 million. Wavve also came in strong, racking up the highest monthly average minutes that its users spend on a platform ― 475 minutes ― followed by Netflix at 382 minutes.
Here are the top 10 K-drama news stories from across both TV and OTT that made headlines in 2021.
1. 'Squid Game' takes world by storm
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| A scene from "Squid Game" / Courtesy of Netflix |
This year's major hit series is undoubtedly Netflix's Korean original, "Squid Game," which became the streaming service's most-watched series ever in October, beating out the previous title holder, "Bridgerton."
Filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk's first series topped the service's global top 10 streaming chart for 46 consecutive days since it launched on Sep. 17. The number of subscribers who streamed the series within four weeks of its release was 111 million.
The suspense thriller, about cash-strapped people playing deadly children's games for an enormous prize, created a global craze, with fans making memes and parodies of the games featured in the series ― including "red light, green light" and the dalgona candy game.
The series took home trophies from U.S.-based awards, winning the Best Long-format Breakthrough Series at the 2021 Gotham Awards, the Bingeworthy Show of 2021 at the People's Choice Awards, and a special honor from the American Film Institute (AFI). It also earned three nominations at the 27th Critics Choice Awards and two Golden Globe nominations for its cast members, Lee Jung-jae and Oh Young-soo.
Amid the global sensation over the series' success, the director confirmed, last month, that it will return with a second season.
2. Viewers shut down 'Joseon Exorcist'
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| SBS' period series, "Joseon Exorcist," was canceled after two episodes following a backlash for distorting history and using Chinese-style props. Courtesy of SBS |
SBS' period series, "Joseon Exorcist," faced the disgrace of cancelation, just two episodes into its 16-part run, after being embroiled in a controversy over distorting history.
The series, set during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, met enormous criticism when it premiered in May for improperly portraying highly-regarded historical figures ― King Taejong and his crown prince ― and for using Chinese-style props and designs for a Korean period setting.
This use of Chinese-style costumes and props drew Korean viewers' ire, especially amid the intensifying cultural feud between Korea and China, as China also claimed to be the origin of kimchi and hanbok.
Following mounting criticism from viewers, the show's network and production companies came to the decision to withdraw the series, apologizing for being irresponsible in the depiction of figures well-known in Korean history.
3. Korean dramas ride the 'Squid Game' tide
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| "Hellbound" debuted at the top of Netflix's official non-English Top 10 chart. Courtesy of Netflix |
Following the smash-hit "Squid Game," other successive Korean-language series on Netflix also garnered more attention overseas.
The crime action series, "My Name," led by "Extracurricular" director Kim Jin-min, landed at the third spot of Netflix's official non-English Top 10 chart during the week of its premiere, Oct. 15. It also topped the daily streaming chart in Korea and climbed up the chart in various countries, reaching second place in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia and fifth in the U.S.
Star director Yeon Sang-ho's new series, "Hellbound," reached the top place on the non-English Top 10 chart after debuting on the platform, Nov. 19.
The dystopian fantasy, about a chaotic society where people face bloody condemnation to hell, also topped the daily streaming charts in 36 different countries, including Korea, Singapore, India, Finland and Egypt. Even over a month after its release, the series has still managed to stay on Netflix's official weekly chart.
4. Women-centered series gain spotlight
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| Posters for the series, "Mine," from left, "One the Woman" and "My Name" / Courtesy of tvN, Netflix, and SBS |
This year has seen a wave of women-centered series on the small screen, ranging across different genres, from the mystery dramas, "Mine," to "High Class" and "Inspector Koo," and the crime action series, "My Name," to the comedies, "One the Woman" and "Work Later, Drink Now."
TvN's mystery thriller series, "Mine," starring actress Lee Bo-young and Kim Seo-hyung, saw an over 10-percent viewership rating, with the story of two women in a superrich family finding their own identities.
Anchored by the compelling performances from the lead actresses, the series explores extra-marital affairs, the twisted desires of a high-profile family and its household staff, the "forbidden love" between a wealthy heir and a maid and a lesbian romance.
Actress Lee Ha-nee also delivered a strong performance, leading another women-centric series, "One the Woman." Lee proved herself to be a capable actress across genres, playing double roles in the series: the irresistible, comical character, Yeon-joo and her mysterious lookalike, Mi-na.
Kicking off with a rather humble start ― with a single-digit viewership rating ― the series soon gained popularity with Lee's performance and unpredictable plot twists, reaching its highest rating of 17.9 percent with the final episode.
5. Homegrown OTT services kick it up a notch
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| A scene from the Tving original series, "Work Later, Drink Now" / Courtesy of Tving |
With Netflix leading the streaming platform industry, local OTT platforms have also been stepping up their game with their own original series.
The Tving original series, "Work Later, Drink Now," about three female friends who live for a good time and alcohol, has brought big success to the platform, contributing to the surge in its subscribers.
The comedy series became its top original series, bringing in the most new subscribers, counting those who streamed the series for the first time after signing up. Following its popularity, the platform announced that it will be making Season 2 earlier this month.
The political satire comedy series, "Going to the Blue House Like This," by the largest homegrown streaming platform, Wavve, was also a surprising success, creating a buzz online. On the day of its release, Nov. 12, it became the top series to attract newly registered users and topped the service's streaming chart.
6. The Rise of 'Dark Heroes'
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| Actor Song Joong-ki plays a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer in tvN's action series, "Vincenzo." Courtesy of tvN |
"Dark hero" series, centering on vigilante-style "bad defeating evil" narratives, have seen popularity throughout this year, offering a sense of catharsis through unconventional styles of taking down criminals.
Actor Song Joong-ki made a successful small-screen return with tvN's crime comedy series, "Vincenzo," in February of this year. The series, about a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer (Song) putting his ruthless skills to seek justice against a conglomerate, soon became the talk of the town, scoring a 14.6-percent viewership rating.
The action series, "Taxi Driver," about a group of vigilantes running a service that offers to take revenge on behalf of their clients, and the dystopian crime series, "The Devil Judge," about a judge (Ji Sung) who takes an "eye for an eye" approach in punishing criminals, also won audiences' hearts.
"Taxi Driver," starring Lee Je-hoon, garnered a 16-percent viewership rating and has earned a second season.
7. Streaming services give boost to TV series
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| The romantic comedy series, "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha," ranked second on Netflix's non-English Top 10 chart in September. Courtesy of Netflix |
Some of TV series are receiving more attention by streaming on OTT platforms rather than airing through broadcast networks.
TvN's "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha," which saw single-digit viewership ratings before ending at 12.7 percent, scored a bigger win through Netflix. The romantic comedy series debuted at seventh place on Netflix's official weekly streaming chart for non-English series in August, before taking second place in a month. It has remained on the chart for about four months.
KBS' period romance series, "The King's Affection," which barely reached double-digit ratings with its last episode ― at 12.1 percent ― started off in last place on Netflix's weekly chart in October. But thereafter, it climbed up the chart each week, eventually reaching second place in November.
8. Highly-anticipated series sputters
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| A scene from tvN's mystery thriller, "Jirisan" / Courtesy of tvN |
A handful of this year's much-anticipated TV series have had not-so-happy endings, showing rather disappointing performances.
The TvN mystery series, "Jirisan," premiered amid high expectations for its star cast members ― Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon ― backed by talented writer Kim Eun-hee, the creator of hit series "Kingdom" and "Signal," and director Lee Eung-bok, who directed the smash-hits, "Mr. Sunshine" and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God."
However, it didn't take long for the series to lose the spotlight, with viewers complaining about its excessive product placement and complicated, unconvincing plot.
MBC's 60th-anniversary project, "The Veil," starring TV veteran Namkoong Min, seemed to give high hopes for the network to finally have a hit series this year that scores a two-digit viewership rating. Yet, the big-budget spy action series failed to pick up its rating, ending with 8.8 percent.
Other romance series, like JTBC's "Nevertheless," starring rising stars Han So-hee and Song Kang, and KBS' "School 2021," the latest installment of the network's popular franchise, barely left much of an impression on viewers.
9. New players join the streaming war
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| Apple TV+ releases its first Korean-language original, "Dr. Brain," on its Nov. 4 launch day. Courtesy of Apple TV+ |
The competition among streaming services was expected to become even more heated than ever in Korea this year, especially with the launch of two global platforms: Disney+ and Apple TV+.
The flagship streaming platform of the U.S. media giant, Walt Disney Co., "Disney+," landed in the country on Nov. 12, expectedly posing a big threat to the competition with its extensive range of content from Pixar and Star Wars to Marvel.
However, the much-anticipated service has yet to hit its stride, facing disappointing reviews from users complaining about its poor subtitling and hostile user interface. According to WiseApp, the number of subscribers to Disney+ only accounted for about 6 percent of that of its major competitor, Netflix, in November.
Apple TV+ made its launch on Nov. 4 with the release of its first Korean original series, "Dr. Brain," starring "Parasite" star Lee Sun-kyun. But neither the series nor the platform have seemed to succeed in capturing people's attention.
As both platforms are planning to roll out more Korean-language series, like action thriller "Moving" for Disney+ and the adaptation of the best-selling novel, "Pachinko," for Apple TV+, their stake in the heated competition is still to be determined.
10. Year-end awards lose luster due to COVID-19
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| The hosts of the KBS Entertainment Awards, Kim Seong-joo, from left, Han Sun-hwa, and Moon Se-yoon, pose for pictures during a socially distanced red carpet event, in photos released later by the network. Courtesy of KBS |
The year-end awards ceremonies of the three major terrestrial broadcasters ― KBS, MBC and SBS ― are normally festive celebrations to finish off the year.
However, as the country is currently experiencing another wave of coronavirus cases, with the spread of the Omicron variant, the networks have tightened their guidelines for the ceremonies, holding them behind closed doors, and setting protocols to minimize contact between the recipients and the presenters.
All three broadcasters have announced that they will hold their Drama Awards and Entertainment Awards without any audience in attendance. As for the red carpet events that usually take place before the ceremonies, the broadcasters have announced that these events will not be inviting any press and instead, that they will provide photos afterwards.
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