May has truly become a feast for TV viewers!
From crime thrillers and human dramas to romantic comedies and wacky comedies, a wide variety of genres are pouring out to capture every viewer’s taste. It’s not just about the variety; each work brings solid quality and guaranteed fun, breathing new life into our living rooms.
First up, JTBC’s Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’ (hereafter ‘Everyone is Fighting’) kicked off this drama boom.
The story follows a man (played by Gu Kyo-hwan) who, feeling like the only failure among successful friends, struggles with envy and jealousy on his journey to find peace.
The project garnered huge anticipation even before airing, thanks to the collaboration of writer Park Hae-young (‘My Mister’, ‘My Liberation Notes’) and director Cha Young-hoon (‘When the Camellia Blooms’, ‘Welcome to Samdal-ri’). The fresh pairing of Gu Kyo-hwan and Go Youn-jung also added to the buzz.
Gu Kyo-hwan plays Hwang Dong-man, a movie director who has failed to debut for 20 years by society’s standards. He brings the character to life with his signature high-toned speech and natural acting.
He proved his presence by turning a character who could have been unlikeable into a charmingly annoying one. Go Youn-jung is also receiving praise for her deep emotional acting and powerful delivery.
Above all, ‘Everyone is Fighting’ realistically portrays the emotions we all harbor but prefer to ignore. It exposes the raw depths of human nature, such as the desire for recognition, jealousy of others’ happiness, inferiority, and anxiety, without leaning too heavily into self-pity.
In a scene where Hwang Dong-man says, “I’m not as unhappy as you think. I’m just as unhappy and happy as you are,” the characters’ ability to acknowledge their primal anxiety while silently pushing forward offers a strange sense of comfort to viewers.
In the crime investigation thriller genre, ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Scarecrow’, starring Park Hae-soo and Lee Hee-joon, is showing powerful momentum.
‘Scarecrow’ is a crime thriller where a detective (Park Hae-soo) chasing a serial killer is forced to collaborate with the person he hates most (Lee Hee-joon). The work is inspired by the Lee Chun-jae serial murder cases that occurred in the Hwaseong area of Gyeonggi Province from 1986 to 1991.
The latest episode 8 recorded a national average of 7.4% and a peak of 8.2% (Nielsen Korea), ranking first among Monday-Tuesday dramas. As word of mouth spreads, ratings are rising every episode, signaling the birth of a massive hit.
The intense acting of Park Hae-soo and Lee Hee-joon, combined with the tense plot and chilling atmosphere, has captivated viewers. A major strength is the meticulous placement of clues and suspicions typical of crime thrillers, which are resolved quickly without dragging.
While crime thrillers usually reveal the culprit at the end, ‘Scarecrow’ delivered a twist by revealing the killer in episode 7. The fact that the tension doesn’t drop even after the reveal, but instead increases curiosity about the subsequent plot, is the show’s greatest strength.
The romantic comedy genre is also making its mark. tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Secret Audit’ is firmly holding the number one spot in its time slot, including cable and general programming channels.
‘Secret Audit’ depicts a close-knit audit romance between Joo In-ah (Shin Hye-sun), an audit head with a secret, and Noh Ki-jun (Gong Myung), an audit ace demoted to the task of catching workplace misconduct.
The biggest strength of this drama is the pure “dopamine.”
There’s a reason for the saying “watching a fire from across the river.” Someone else’s conflict always attracts onlookers. ‘Secret Audit’ constantly introduces themes that stimulate instinctive human curiosity, such as workplace affairs, company secrets, and conflict structures.
The addition of romance further increases the immersion. Shin Hye-sun and Gong Myung are leading the show with passionate performances that blend perfectly into their characters.
On the other hand, there’s a work you can watch and laugh at without thinking too much: tvN’s ‘Becoming a Legend as a Cook’.
First released on the 11th, ‘Becoming a Legend as a Cook’ proved its explosive popularity in just two episodes. It is on an upward trend, recording 5.8% for episode 1 and 6.2% for episode 2 (Nielsen Korea national).
Park Ji-hoon serves as a strong central pillar here. Having played King Danjong (Lee Hong-wi) in the movie ‘The Man Living with the King’ released this February, he gained recognition for his acting, even sparking a “Danjong Syndrome.” This momentum seems to have positively influenced ‘Becoming a Legend as a Cook.’
However, the show’s popularity isn’t just because of Park Ji-hoon. It’s because the “B-grade” sensibility, which allows viewers to laugh comfortably, is fully alive. It features exaggerated direction, CG, comic-like development, and wacky codes.
Scenes like the ‘Creation of Adam’ parody when the battalion commander (Jung Woong-in) admires Kang Seong-jae’s (Park Ji-hoon) sea urchin seaweed soup, Park Ji-hoon wrapped in seaweed, and the imaginative scenes of characters intoxicated by the taste of bean sprout soup all evoke laughter. The seamless acting of the supporting cast further enhances the quality.
As such, works of various genres are capturing viewers with their own unique charms.
Netizens are showing great interest, reacting with comments like, “These days, Korean dramas feel like there’s at least one for everyone’s taste,” “I’m happy there’s so much to watch,” “It’s fun to pick and choose because the genres are so diverse,” and “It’s like a well-prepared feast.”
