I would say no simple as that. Korean drama charm is Korean culture and the way it totally affects every level of Korean life. So to take that out of the drama and what do you really have left?

I can see "The Devil" making it in America, but then again, I didn't watch the Korean version of it, just the Japanese one (which I loved). Then again, I think if you're going to go Hollywood, they would be better off making "The Devil" into a movie. Just sayin'.

woooooorrd with your thoughts.

1. Koreaboos are gonna wah-wah.

2. "Finiteness"? Haha, oh yes, the abruptly and shockingly vague K-Drama endings. Wow, those are awesome.

3. "ger..er..uh...no cute korean boys!"

I could go on but I just find this whole handjob of an entire genre as "full of new ideas!!!" and "so fresh! (really, we're gonna call k-dramas fresh?) 그게 .... 재밌네요^^

Same shit when koreaboos whelp on about kpop. Really? I think people's quality blinders are turned off just because it's a "different" culture. At least when koreans got all hot for american dramas it wasn't because of the "Americanness" of it but the production values and arching multi-season storylines dealing with shit that hadn't been touched upon in korean dramas (keke remember all the doctorial procedurals/cop/blah blah that came out circa 2007-).

So korea can adapt all this stuff and a simple revenge storyline (twist!) can't be done justice by hollywood cause it's gonna lose all that koreasauce. Give me a break.

The American remake will be localized (Westernized) to the point where you wouldn't even be aware that it was originally a Korean drama. It will be a lot faster paced with significantly less character development, and the storyline will be simplified (dumbed down) for American audiences. At least, that's how American remakes of Asian movies go anyway.

#11 -- "I wish people would just watch the originals of things. We are a global village now after all and subtitles really aren’t that bad people! LOL"

As others have already said, it really isn't that simple. Exporting cultural products (East -> West) are incredibly difficult, as the failures of Asia's finest pop stars Rain and BoA (promoted by SM entertainment as BestofAsia) in the American market are testament to that fact.

It does however work the other way around. West -> East. The reason for this is because Asian audiences tend to be a lot more open minded: They don't mind reading subtitles, have no problems with cultural nuances and do not typecast American actors.

So at the end of the day, the 'Koreanness' definitely needs to be taken out and given a Hollywood makeover. Fans of the original will cringe, there's no doubt, but that's the only chance you'll have of commercial success in a very narrow minded market.

I'm loving Mawang's Japanese version though I haven't seen the original one. But I must say I think American and Japanese like this kind of genre. It's the opposite from Korean viewers' taste, Korean tends to like romantic, overly dramatized, and fluffy dramas.

I cannot agree more with your reactions. I hate it when Hollywood mucks up a perfectly good foreign movie or show and those who have yet to see "the original" assume that it's just as sucky as Hollywood's version.

I know am being bias but i would love too see a liittle more America culture a slap back, a responsive kiss. I can;t see how American could adapt any of korean cultures it just too crazy/scary to think too think about.

I agree with you Girlfriday. I don't really see the point of remaking these dramas into American shows because "the koreanness", the Korean culture, is mainly the reason why I watch Korean dramas. Take out the Korean actors, the Korean language, the Korean culture concerning the family ties and the characters' special relationships, well, I won't be interested in these shows. Besides, the Americans already produce really their own TV series which are good. What they should do, however, is to broadcast on some US channels some Korean dramas, the original ones with English subtitles! I'm sure some Americans would be interested in that...

Korean TV to American film should be an improvement.

It's less about culture than about the format. Korean telenovela/soaps have high concepts, but are not that theme-driven (Resurrection being an exception.) It's not that hard reworking the original plot into a 3-act proper movie.

I hate to say this (or do I?) but American TV producers will hack these series to death. They will ruin them and try to extend them and milk every since inch of it.

American TV is so unlike Korean TV or their audiences. I don't or can't think of a way this will translate. They will ruin it for sure, which upsets me. Asian countries do drama so much better than the US. Asian TV stars are truly stars in their own right whereas in the US if you are not on the big screen you are "small potatoes".

In general, if you think about a Korean drama and the way it is made being turned into a drama stateside - would you get a big name actress AND actor to play the leads? Would you be able to get the most popular bands/acts to do the soundtracks for the show? Would you be able to get the most popular stars to do a cameo in the series?

I just cannot see how this will translate.

@Ugh..Right on point!

Being non-Korean and Calif born&raised, the content in KDramas is precisely why folks like myself venture into the KDrama world. I love the culture, the traditions, family dynamics, the adorable actors/actresses, the tropes without all of the gratuitous "skinship" & crap we have to see on American TV. Not to mention the recaps on Dramabeans, of course! I don't watch much American TV anymore either..just a few choice shows Mad Men, etc., since I discovered KDramas a few years ago. I couldn't be happier! Obviously, there will be much lost in translation with the remake of these two shows. I'll stay tuned ... ;)

I'm torn on this. On the one hand, I love the stories in K-dramas so much that, as an English-speaking non-Asian, it would be great to see those stories adapted into my native language. On the other hand, however, I also love the cultural aspects and concepts that are inherent among these. In many of the dramas these aspects are nuanced, sure, but still in others they are almost dependent upon them.
Something like "Shining Inheritance" could more easily translate into something interesting for an American audience, but "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho?"... not so much. And only then if someone like Joss Whedon were to do it.
What I'd *really* like to see Hollywood take on is any kind of show where you can really let the beauty of the culture shine. Set it in any Koreatown, with a majority of your cast being Korean-American actors, throw some K-drama staples in there (love triangles, noona-killers, vaguely-defined oppas, meddling grandparents and friends) and then you'd have something to at least bridge the gap.

It happens all the time. One culture's entertainment industry making an adaptation onto another culture's blockbuster. I expect many more to come. This is a precaution towards all those writers' strikes.

I am iffy on this. Look how terrible Il Mare turned out in The Lake House. Well, a weak attack, that show doesn't have sinful drama as these pronounced Kdramas so just let the audience decide later as those air. Any controversial drama to begin with will work in the project's favor anyhow.

I'll look at it this way, if any American adaptation flops then those original Korean dramas will only raise more awareness and catch a larger fan base.

Americans were so anti anything unfamiliar that producers are scared to put Asians in anything. Then Lost came along....
the 3 last winners of a NY fashion design award were Asian or
Asian American.... Things will change as the next generation of Americans will have a global view. ( next year the white
births in the US will be less than 50%.) Demographics
change everything in this country in surprising ways so
viewing foreign won't be odd and then there is the internet
which gets around a lot of barriers.

I would love to see a Korean romantic comedy remade in the US, however my solution for taking the least amount of all that makes KDramas great is to make it for Nickelodeon or Disney. WHY!?!? Kids are more ready to accept a miniseries, plus you could make it super fun, romantic, innocent, and addictive like "You're Beautiful" If the kids love it, the parents will take a peek and maybe, just maybe if its popular enough other studios will consider KDramas and the miniseries format. It could happen! There are parents watching "Hannah Montana" and singing along to "Camp Rocks".

BTW, I'm am half African-American/Mexican-American registered nurse, that lives in the midwest. I never even visited an Asian country, but I love me some KDRAMA! Maybe, I'm more open other cultures b/c of my heritage, my dad was in the military, and I loved reading novels set in foreign countries....

I am a kdrama fan but I don't think korea is the "epicenter for all that can work in Asia" I do agree that korea has among the best scriptwriters and directors and actors. There's still bollywood and Hong kong drama, slightly behind would be taiwanese and japanese drama. Jap drama is weird but caters to an avid audience nonetheless. Taiwan and jap drama centres mostly around manhwa or mangas while hong kong caters to the chinese history audience. Korean drama has little of the former and none of the latter. Bollywood is india's hollywood so they do have their own large audiences as well. So yea, different parts of asia works out different stories. kdramas are more relate-able I guess?

Resurrection is my all time favorite! I love this drama and loved Um Tae Woong in it. If any Korean drama could translate well into an American drama this would be it. There's going to be some changes but compared to most Korean drama, this would translate the best. How exciting!

To be honest, I can't imagine there will be much left of the original dramas after they've been pressed into the US series formula. I've seen it happen before to fantastic European series and movies, and the result was always a total disaster.

The Devil in particular was fascinating for me because the plot and characters are handled so very differently from the way they would have been in a US series. This is a crime drama that is not about finding and stopping the criminal; it's about unravelling the mystery in part, yes, but more than that it's about stopping the ripples of hate, anger and aggression flowing outwards from the original deed of anger and aggression. To me, this seemed like a very Buddhist worldview coming through, and to me, it was new and unique and absolutely amazingly done.

I will bet anything that nothing of this interest will remain. There'll be simple black and white again, no shades of grey, a simple goal of hunting the evildoer and stopping him, with maybe some angsting about the heroes past in between the hunt.

I will never understand why US audiences are never presented with dubbed foreign-made series. Yeah, they aren't used to being confronted with any plot and/or main characters not 100% US, but I don't think they'd actually *mind*, if they were ever given the choice. Other nationalities do just fine with it, after all.

Maybe American TV should get the idea that we can't all subsist on a mere diet of crime dramas and reality TV! I mean, I know I'm not the only non-Asian on here taking refuge from that stuff. And look at how successful shows like Glee (oh wait, I mean SHOW like Glee since there's only one) have become. There are obviously a lot of people wanting something more. If they're going to remake a Kdrama why not take something that would be seen as unique to US audiences? Like Boys Over Flowers or some other classic.
But maybe this is a good start.

Hmm I had been thinking the same thing for a while and even thought I could adapt me a K-drama into a movie and win me an Oscar lol but nah...when films, shows are adapted they lose alot of their appeal and American audiences being as fickle as they are the shows would never get the time to grow. I'd rather watch a drama with subs and like it than to watch an american version that sucks and kills it for me.

OMG !! Resurrection is my most fave Uhm Tae-Wong Drama! US please don't ruin it !!!! but I agree if they chose to remake resurrection .. that is one damn good story!

As an American, I love Korean dramas.
I wouldn't want them to be adapted for our television because I don't think they'd be as good.

I wish I could learn Korean, so I could enjoy the music and dramas more, but it's difficult and not as useful as other languages... *sigh* maybe someday.

No thanks, I'll stick with the Korean ones. I am a native English speaker (Irish, living in the UK), and I have seen before when foreign dramas are remade for Western audiences. Recently, Wallander, a Swedish drama was remade by the BBC, and even though it had Kenneth Branagh in it, it wasn't a patch on the original. Also a Danish drama, The Killing, was remade in the US. The original Danish version was gripping and enthralling, the US one was just another murder story, seen so many times before.

For me, part of the attraction of Kdramas is viewing a culture I had no previous knowledge of (I do now!!), and hearing a language I had never heard spoken before (that's changed too, now I am studying the language). Having their Korean uniqueness removed to make them more palatable to the general audience in the US, would just make them formulaic dramas no different from the vast majority of other dramas out there. I'm sticking with the originals!!