Scripted

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, global entertainment service, Netflix, continues to provide subscribers with content from around the world. Being free from border constraints has allowed the popularity of dramas produced by Korea’s premium content studio, Studio Dragon, to continue to grow.

K-drama Crash Landing on You began to find its global audience in early 2020. The drama was soon followed by popular dramas of other genres such as Hi Bye, Mama!, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Stranger 2, Record of Youth, and Start-Up.

Many of the more well-known K-dramas tend to be sweet romances, but this year has seen global audiences consuming dramas of other genres as well. The drama “Stranger 2,” for example, has not only managed to garner a loyal fan base in Korea but a global one as well despite the fact that the show is focused on Korea’s financial and political circles.

“Stranger 2” received a steady stream of favorable reviews including “Not a single dull moment” and “Best Korean drama in years” on the global film and television review site, IMDb.com. One American viewer commented, “The plot is very well-thought-out, and the characters are appealing. Even though the drama depicts a situation specific to Korea, it is still absolutely relatable.” Other fans from around the world have also listed the intriguing plot structure and attention to detail as the strengths of the drama.

Yoo Sang-won, CP of Studio Dragon, says that when the studio chooses projects, the most important question they ask themselves is, “Do we want to be a part of this?” He further added to this by saying, “Whatever the direction of the project, or whether we’re looking at an original work or a script, the project must be interesting and fun. There also needs to be a reason why the drama should be made at that specific time.” Perhaps the secret to Studio Dragon’s international success is in linking relevance and entertainment in dramas.

As we move towards the end of 2020, we can see K-dramas making it to the list of most popular TV series from around the world with “Start-Up” and “Record of Youth” being ranked 8th and 14th respectively. We’ve included a brief description of the series below. Even more K-dramas are expected to be released on Netflix in 2020.
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“Start-Up”
“Start-Up” follows the journey of four young entrepreneurs from different backgrounds as they strive for success in Korea’s Silicon Valley. They’ve made it to Sand Box, where start-ups can fall without getting hurt. What will our four young entrepreneurs look like when they get back up again?
Directed by Oh Choong-hwan Written by Park Hye-ryun Starring Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho, Kang Hanna

“Record of Youth”
“Record of Youth” follows a group of young adults as they struggle against harsh realities in the pursuit of love and success. But while their pursuits may be the same, their struggles and family life are colored by the privileges and socioeconomic backgrounds their lives began at. Will the three of them find both love and success in the end?
Directed by Ahn Gil-ho Written by Ha Myung-hee Starring Park Bo-gum, Park So-dam, Byeon Woo-seok

“Awaken”
Mysterious cases take place in a small town. These mysterious cases are connected to cases that took place 28 years ago. Do Jung-woo and Kong Hye-won try to uncover the secret behind an enigmatic incident that took place in a village 28 years ago and the present day cases.
Directed by kim Jeong-hyun Writed by Shin Yu-dam Starring NamKoong Min, Kim Seol-hyun, Lee Chung-ah

“True Beauty”
High school student Lim Ju-kyung always had a complex about her appearance since she was young. To hide her bare face, she started to wear heavy make-up. Her excellent make-up skills makes her beautiful, and convinces others that her beautiful, made-up face is her natural appearance. She befriends with her high school mate Su-ho, a wealthy, but cold boy, and Seo-jun, an aggressive student with good talents. The plot follows Ju-kyung as she navigates her daily life and goal of becoming a cosmetologist.
Directed by Kim Sang-hyub Writed by Lee Si-eun Starring Moon Ka-young, Cha Eun-woo, Park You-na, Hwang In-yeop

“Mr.Queen”
Working as the President’s chef, free-spirited man, Bong-hwan, wakes up one day in Joseon Dynasty as a woman named So-yong, who has to marry King Chul-jong the next day. He tries to return to the present day, or even at least back to being a man, but fails. He marries the King and becomes the Queen Cheorin, but feels devastated that he has to spend the nights with a ‘man.’ Luckily, the king does not touch him in any way. Living as So-yong, Bong-hwan finds out many conspiracies behind So-yong, including finding about people who tries to get rid of her. Also he finds out that the King does not love So-yong, but someone else. Now as a tradition, So-yong turned Bong-hwan has to spend 7 nights together with the King.
Directed by Yoon Sung-sik Writed by Park Gye-ok, Choi A-il Starring Shin Hye-sun, Kim Jung-hyun

“The Uncanny Counter”
A noodle restaurant that’s only open for three hours during lunchtime? The Uncanny Encounter is a story about demon hunters whose secrets are more mysterious than the stock recipe. Demon hunters, or “counters”, pose as employees of a noodle restaurant to defeat evil spirits in this cathartic action hero fiction.
Directed by Yoo Sun-Dong Writed by Yeo Ji-na Starring Cho Byung-kyu, Yu Jun-sang, Kim Se-jeong