We’ve got nine brand new dramas for the ninth month of the year! We've got comedies, romance, action, murder mysteries, and more. Can k-drama fans be more spoiled?
Sept 4: Lost
“Perhaps if we ever run into each other again, do you want to die with me?” The heart-wrenching line from Kang-Jae (Ryu Joon-yeol, Reply 1988), a 27-year-old guy who still feels lost, to Bu-Jung (Jeon Do-yeon, The Good Wife), a 40-year-old ghostwriter who feels like she hasn't achieved anything in her life, hints of a deep and thought-provoking dissection of this feeling of being lost — something many among us struggle with. Though it looks like a heavy show to plod through, producers promise it will be a healing drama that will be worth your while. Streaming on iQiyi.
Sept 6: High Class
After SKY Castle, Penthouse, and Mine comes another high drama revolving around the lives of Korea’s richest and most prestigious families. Starring Cho Yeo-jeong, Kim Ji-soo, Park Se-jin, and Gong Hyun-joo as mothers whose children attend an ultra-luxurious international school located on an island paradise, the show is premised on a murder mystery, promising to fill our need for high-class drama, suspense, and—of course — designer outfits and Hermes bags. Streaming on iQiyi and Viu.
Sept 17: Yumi’s Cells
Kim Go-eun (Goblin, The King: Eternal Monarch) is back, this time in a short bob to play the titular character in this rom-com — an ordinary office worker whose story is told through the animated cells in her brain controlling her every thought and feeling. Based on the hit webtoon that ran from April 2015 to November 2020, the k-drama premiering on Sept. 17 will just be the first of multiple seasons. With 14 episodes combining animation and real-life footage, the show also features Ahn Bo-yun (Itaewon Class, Her Private Life) as Yumi’s love interest, and Shinee's Minho in a special appearance. Streaming in iQiyi.
Sept 17: One the Woman
The talented Honey Lee (The Fiery Priest) takes center stage in this comedy drama about a corrupt prosecutor who gets amnesia after a case, and then finds herself living her doppelgänger — a chaebol daughter-in-law. Interestingly, the Korean title for this show, 원더우먼, is the hangeul spelling of Wonder Woman. Streaming on Viu.
Sept. 17: Squid Game
It's a survival game that can literally cost you your life, and you’re not allowed to stop playing. But at stake is a life-changing 45.6 billion won ($10 million). That's what Ki-Hoon (Lee Jung-jae), a desperate man who was fired from his job, gets himself into in this k-drama. Suspense, violence, and perhaps hints of Hunger Games are in store in this eight-episode show. Streaming on Netflix.
Sept. 18: The Veil
Namgoong Min (Hot Stove League) transforms into a top spy with revenge on his mind in what looks to be an action-packed 12-episode series. He reportedly gained about 10 kg of muscle to portray Han Ji-hyuk, an elite National Intelligence Service agent who suddenly disappears after cornering an organized crime syndicate. He reappears a year later to hunt down those responsible for his downfall. Streaming on Viu.
Sept. 22: Hometown
Yoo Jae-myung (Vincenzo, Itaewon Class) takes the lead in this mystery thriller as detective investigating strange murders in a rural town "where everything is upside down". Set in 1999, the show also stars Han Ye-Ri (Minari) as a woman searching for her missing niece, whose disappearance might be connected to the same terrorists responsible for the death of the detective's wife a decade ago. Streaming on iQiyi and Viu.
Sept. 22: Dali and the Cocky Prince
Kim Min-jae (Do You Like Brahms?) and Park Gyu-young (Sweet Home, It's Okay To Not Be Okay) star in this rom-com as an unlikely couple who first start liking each other without knowing each other's backgrounds. It turns out that while he comes from a rich family and has a knack for making money, he's not quite academically gifted. She, on the other hand, is the multilingual only chid of a prestigious family. Streaming on Viu.
Sept. 25: A Gentleman and a Young Lady
Lee Young-kook (Ji Hyun-woo) takes the lead role in the k-drama as a widower with three children, who hires Park Dan-dan (Lee Se-hee) as a live-in tutor for his kids. As The Sound of Music has trained us to expect, they will of course start falling for each other. But that doesn't mean we won't want to see the heart-fluttering scenes leading up to that, right?
Which ones sound interesting?
Best of 2021: Our Second-Half Picks https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/best-kdrama-of-2021-second-half-recommendations
We've written a review of some of the completed k-dramas: The Weekend Binge: "Squid Game" https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/weekend-watch-squid-game
The Weekend Binge: "Yumi's Cells"
https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/the-weekend-binge-yumi-s-cells The Weekend Binge: "One The Woman" https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/the-weekend-binge-one-the-woman