Some kdramas are creative and others are not. Like most things saying kdramas lack creativity generally be as wrong as saying generally they are creative. As with most things, the truth is somewhere in the middle and that's cool too.

Did... Did I ghost write this in a past life?
So well written and I love it thanks missvictrix!!

Also, did someone say recipe... http://www.dramabeans.com/members/sicarius/activity/678874/

As a rom-com fan, this post is particularly relevant. These dramas do tend to follow a format and rely on tropes a bit too often. But what keeps me coming back and what makes each one unique and creative is the characterization, relationships present, and witty dialogue. I think this is really where dramas excel - I care about the characters and what happens to them. However, I do hope dramas don’t stagnate and we get some truly innovative ones now and then.

I think in K-dramas, particularly romances and sageuks, the creativity comes down to character. We may get the same rehashes of plotlines and story beats but a unique character can always overcome the monotony of repetition. Some of the best dramas sound the most bland on paper but are written and performed with so much character and heart that it doesn't matter; you'd watch these guys go grocery shopping for eight episodes and be content. Or you get someone who doesn't react to the typical choice the way you're used to and it gets exciting to see what happens.

Great timing of this piece. As remakes take over the drama world, I feel Kdrama being more uncreative than ever before.

Kdrama is engaging. I’ll give it that. All else is a spin-off of old ideas — borrowed or stolen.

Since I see a screenshot of W, thought I’d drop this video to show how creative that turned out to be.
https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914

PS: For SIG/Mo-Kang fans, here’s his tribute to the song and MV: https://youtu.be/rmwJYTDeV2E

After watching over 100 Kdramas, I'm beginning to think they are all too predictable. The ones I remember are the ones with unpredictable endings: "Something Happened in Bali," "Fashion King," and "Princess' Man," to name a few. They left me satisfied with an, 'I didn't see that coming.' I feel really entertained when I can't figure out what will happen next--so I guess to me that's creative.

I think once in a blue moon a drama steps out of the box, but, depending on the genre, most follow a fairly similar formula-it's just the aesthetics that change. I read a lot of books and watch a lot of TV/movies and generally I think most things have a specific structure and are fairly predictable. However, as long as I enjoy the journey, then the unoriginality tends to not bother me. There's only so many ways to tell a story. I think there is a way to tell a story we've seen before, but in a way that makes it interesting. It's just not successful all of the time.

One hindrance in k-dramas is even if a drama starts out with a unique concept it, sometimes, gets cast aside for formulaic tropes or an uninspired/typical look. Some of that can be attributed to the live-shoot system, low ratings, viewer feedback etc. In that instance, I wish the creatives would stay authentic to their vision regardless of ratings.

I think when it comes to creativity in kdrama, that can probably be divided up into many sections, such as creative writing, directing, acting, music, costumes, cinematography and so forth. We can have a flop of a kdrama but still have seen some creative writing and acting (or any combination really) When they all work together, it's so amazing. But sometimes just one creative strength can still carry the drama. For instance, I really did not like "She Was Pretty" and even disliked the main actress to the point of cringing from time to time. But Choi Siwon was amazing in the creative approach he had to the character he was playing. For me, he stood out as the savior to that kdrama, made me laugh and want to see more. Most of the other parts of the the kdrama were typical and to be expected.
Another Kdrama I felt had lots of creativity through most of the production, still seemed to fall a little bit short of being as dynamic as it could have been. (The kdrama W Two Worlds) Even if this kdrama was pulled from a webtoon, the creativity was still there as no kdrama I had ever seen before or since had quite the same approach. And truth be told, creative does not spring up from a vacuum. Creativity comes from pulling together information and ideas into something brand new.

I care a lot more about execution than plot or originality, and character-driven dramas are my preference. As long as characters are well-developed and multi-faceted, I really don’t care about the originality of the plot or premise of a drama. I feel like any character type can feel fresh and new if the writer gives them enough depth and personality.

Oh, but no dumb, doormat female leads and chaebol asshole male leads, please, especially in my rom-coms. Stay away! Stay away!

Sometimes I like having that recipe on repeat --it really depends on my mood and the time in my life-- with a little plot twist here and there sprinkled on the side. Having a basic structure sometimes gives you a sense of stability and security, and i find it comforting.

Not to say a completely new plot isn't refreshing, too. I'm listing Misaeng, My Ahjussi and life on mars to name a few. (I am aware life on mars is a remake but i hadnt watched the original(s) and to me it was all quite new and revolutionary.)

Thanks again for such a wonderful thought-out piece @missvictrix! I love these so much.

Unless it's an indie movie, drama which doesn't care about commercial success we could find a new recipe, new creative approach, something unseen. But even when there are some with this intention, they tend to change to people's satisfaction halfway through - changing a writer, retaking the traditional route of success. There can be creativity, but it has to be within the usual drama scheme.

There are few Korean TV series which tried something unconventional, but were heavily denied or criticized by public. It's like to try to eat something new, unknown, but happily craving for homemade food. So there must be someone who's hungry enough to try other cuisines and have a way of expressing him/herself in some delicious manner.

It's like a watermark and trademark like Hollywood movies, Bollywood movies, South American soaps, Turkish drama, etc. k-drama has it's own audience which is happily eating popcorn while watching. Is it bad? No, just for a change to stay sane we should try something other, more creative, more crazy or more realistic.

I recall how Dramabeans was caught flat-footed by 'Sky Castle', not only not recapping it but hardly noting it's existence at all until the ratings went through the roof. The previous year they had to quickly play catch-up with 'Misty' as well. Sometimes K-dramas are creative but often the creative ones are not where our attention is being directed. The series 'Matrimonial Chaos' hardly got noticed and has apparently been buried on Viki in the 'You won't know it exists unless you do a word search' bin next to 'My Wife Is Having An Affair Next Week' and 'The Producers'.

yes and no of course. but they can be. creative doesn't mean not formulaic bc nothing in the world is truly original anymore (which is good for a reason.) it means can they do this well and differently. but it's rare sorta. i think 'different' or 'unique' is a good way to put what goes out of the box.

i think most of the like incredibly well acted and written dramas are creative in their execution. it's like all tv and movies. but there are just so many flaws.

um anyway rly what does creative mean cos now im going in circles in my brain and reading the post haha

A couple of thoughts come to mind as I read this. The first is a (butchering) of an old quote that someone important once said. I'm not even going to put it in quotation marks, thats how uncertain I am about the actual wording, but the gist is: there are 26 letters in the English alphabet. All people use those same 26 letters to create and write different words and sentences that become books and isnt that amazing?

I think what you said about kdramas being a recipe is just exactly right. You dont follow a recipe for bread and then wind up surprised and disappointed when you have a delicious lasagne instead. But there are so many different kinds and types of breads out there to try that even though you may follow a basic recipe for making bread, a basic formula--there are still a million different kinds of bread out there to make depending on how you put those same ingredients together.

I watch kdramas for the warmth and the affection that the characters have for each other. I watch them because they tend to be one season and for a predetermined number of eps. I watch because theres an end (even if there are some dramas that I wish would last forever). Even though I love a sexy drama I watch them because they are never as explict and gratitious as what gets shown on American tv. I watch for romance.
Here's another cliched quote for you, "all of the best stories have already been written. All thats left is the journey". I watch kdramas for the journey. Are they creative? I came for bread. Sometimes that bread is a tortilla. Sometimes its an artisnal oatmeal loaf with sundried tomoatos and spinach. Sometimes its honey wheat. Its all bread. But there's a lot of room for creativity in the recipe.

When I watch US TV shows, I don't think they are more creative. A lot of them are inspired by comics : Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Cloak and Dagger, Lucifer, Deadly Class, The Umbrella Academy, The Gifted, etc. There are remakes or spin off like Charmed, Roswel, MacGyver, Legacies, Magnum, Hawaii 5-0,etc. Even GoT is inspired by a book (I mean a lot of books in this case...).

In this sense, I think Kdramas tell original stories even if they use the same tropes.

Fantasy K dramas... I always have an issue with them. It's hard to explain but what I find is they tend to bring interesting and creative concepts and we all go like "wow" that blew our minds but then all of a sudden they don't know how to execute it properly.
Like the beginnings and all are just superb and everyone is on their nerve wondering whats gonna happen and then few episodes later it all just goes downhill... I hate when that happens and 99% it was the case with Fantasy themed K dramas.

Some are and some are not. But I think nowadays with all the pressure from traditional tv and streaming services they need to be more creative than in the past in order to be successful.
But there is also the fact that some are based on amazing literary works and some are created by the kdrama writer with little or no help from literature.
I recently watched Kingdom on Netflix and I did find it very good and creative but it is based on a famous novel so I always wonder how much credit should be given to the kdrama writers if the base material is already great to begin with. They are talented and able to adapt something for the small screen but I assume that coming up with something from scratch should be looked at with a tiny bit of more respect.

One of the reasons I started watching K-Dramas was because I thought they were creative, at least compared to the Western Dramas I often watched at the time. While they're somewhat different from their Western counterparts, you quickly realize just how formulaic they are--the episode 8 rule pointed out in this article is a good example of that. What's sad is that when a drama subverts some of the hackneyed tropes you tend to get annoyed seeing over and over again, you either love it more than it's merited--1% of Something (2016)--or it often comes at a cost later--Temperature of Love.

At the end of the day, from my perspective, dramas will be limited by culture. When there is a major shift in the cultural norms etc. then we can expect to see some changes in the dramas. A good example of this that comes to mind is Something in the Rain. It's starts off so different and engaging, but then the monster-in-law completely ruined it--for me. Ironically though, it was the difference in culture than also drew me into dramas in the first place.

There are some dramas that I think should be commended for being as unique/progressive as a drama were: Coffee Prince, Because This Is My First Life, Dal-ja's Spring, and Tomorrow With You.

Thanks for this article!
This is exactly why I love so many of the dramas I love.

There are so many underrated dramas that have a great plot line.
(see: Dance Sport Girls, which was the perfect slice of life I wanted to see at the time it aired. I started it 2 weeks in its airing and was hooked and loved it)

Also as much as I looooove the elaborate world building in certain dramas (I'm looking at Queen In Hyun's Man, W, Memories of Alhambra, Circle etc) sometimes even adding one small aspect can create a wonderful story line (like the lie hiccups in Pinocchio)

Some dramas start off with a wonderful premise (Reply 1997) but when other dramas try to bank on it, we don't always get similarly awesome results (Reply 1994, yes it was still a lot of fun to watch but each episode was twice as long so things dragged a bit)

And then there are dramas like Age of Youth (this time, both seasons were amazing) that just hit you right in the feels. The have the right level of slice of life, mystery , comedy to keep you yearning for more.

Actually one of the reasons I like Korean Dramas so much is the lack of multiple season story lines. (yes I know I mentioned one above but that is an outlier). This way I know I am getting a self-contained story that has an 'end' (well most of them do haha) and I don't have to wait years to get to know what happens next. This I think allows the writers to have a goal for where the story goes, its pace and its 'on screen' conclusion instead of waiting for a season to be picked up and then extending the story. (just a personal opinion. I still watch a couple western shows. I would just rather have a 16-20 episode show and then closure about the story)

Creativity is the use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work. All entertainment is a creative process. I think the tone of the article is whether k-dramas "break the normal expectations." Whatever genre of the show, there is a standard blueprint of characterization, plot and the routine "happy" ending fan service (especially in rom-coms). After a while, the use of the same tropes makes a viewer begin to compare with other similar shows to create an overall "meh" effect. What we want are unexpected plot twists, a story that exceeds our expectations, and performances that go beyond reading a script, i.e. a creative show.

I want to give a shout-out to Matrimonial Chaos, one of the 2018 dramas that is given little love as seen in mydramalist. I wish more people would watch this show.
It's a giant slice-of-life and very character driven story, but the dialogues will keep you awake, I promise.
I'm not sure if it counts as creative, because it's a remake from its J-dorama counterpart, but it has quite a distinct taste as compared to other k-dramas.
This drama is very harsh in depicting the nature of human, our deepest desires to actually be loved and understood. With all our characters longing for that are surely inviting the clashes that we often witness when they interact.
The interactions themselves in turn create some poignant, some bittersweet, and some endearing scenes, all with a refined and sensitive approach to them. And always, with glass shards-clear of reality sprinkled in here and there.
Last but not least, this drama, like others, is not everyone.

I love how you write about the recipes and formulas that make kdramas work, then use screenshots from shows that stepped WAY outside of those formulas and turned out fantastic :)

A general rule of thumb is '80% of EVERYTHING is mediocre'. That includes movies, books, politicians, relationships, jobs and K-dramas. The best food is very good indeed, the best music is very good indeed, and the best K-drama is very good indeed. If you can achieve a 20% excellence rate, rising above the base standard of mediocrity, that's an achievement.

Kurt Vonnegut on the shape of stories ... worth a watch.

https://youtu.be/oP3c1h8v2ZQ

Thanks for the interesting article!

It reminded me of Jane Austen's novels retellings (I know... I thought it was an horrible idea, too, but some are good).
There are hundreds of them, and a lot of people that love reading them.
For example, I am happy when I find a retelling of Persuasion, that is my favorite novel, and happier if it is good.

I haven't watched so many dramas, but as the recipe of the article, the bread @isthatacorner wrote about and JA's novels retellings, sometimes I enjoy watching a story even if it is not completely original - or not at all. It is fun to notice little differences here and there, the different use of the tropes and in general to follow the characters' journey even if I can guess what the destination will be.

I'm one of those people (though only a few) who thinks that K-dramas are not that creative. I always think about this whenever I'm watching rom-com. The heroine ALMOST always drunk, doing something silly in front of the hero while drunk, and drunk again (I last saw this in Touch Your Heart). The hero is also ALMOST always have a sad past, whether they're abused as a child, or have unloving parents, or others. It's just that K-dramas hero tend to have the same sad past, and I'm beginning to get tired of it. Oh, and they're ALMOST always geniuses (they're never an ordinary man)

I sometimes tend to think, is it the plot that's not creative, or is it the characters? Or is it the production team? Is there someone out there who can help me answer this?

Watching The Crowned Clown and Haechi, and considering some of the other Kdramas that have captured my attention, I tend to love historical and fantasy dramas, as well as a really well done "slice of life" drama.

I think the historical Korean and Chinese dramas have a license to be creative that is missing in American historical films and series (which I also love - I was riveted by AMC's original series, "Turn: Washington's Spies," which was a historical drama about American spies during the Revolutionary World, based on historical people and events. Loved it). However, as American history is only hundreds of years old, and very well documented, there is a limit to how creative writers can be. We have some wonderful historical dramas/theater, like Lin Manuel Miranda's fabulous musical, Hamilton, but even trying to do something creative like he did has exposed him to tsk-tsking and even anger by snotty historian "purists," who frown upon artistic license. (Which is ridiculous IMO. I mean, prior to Hamilton, my favorite musical was 1776, and it's not as if I or anyone else actually believed my forefathers were singing, dancing and cavorting around while writing the Declaration of Independence in a few days back in July 1776). Just google "Hamilton musical criticism," and check all the outraged historians and others who can't wait to tell you how horrible it is to be "creative" with American History!

OTOH, with the thousands of years of Korean - or Chinese - history, and the incomplete and missing records that give a lot of the details, writers of novels and dramas have unlimited stories to tease out, or just flat out make up. I love that aspect of the sageuks. Plus the costumes and sets are spectacular. Ditto for the dramas based on folklore and myths. Both are great inspirations for creative storytelling.