News bites: January 6, 2024

28 January 6, 2024January 6, 2024

by tccolb

New character posters have come out for the romance Branding in Sungsoo-dong, where Kim Ji-eun (Longing for You) and Park Solomon (a.k.a. Lomon) (Revenge of Others) butt heads over conflicting ideals. As the latest series by LG’s U+ Mobile TV, the body swap hijinks are set to begin next month on February 5. [Sports Kyunghyang]

tvN is working on a new office drama called Thank You, lining up Shin Ha-kyun (Evilive), Jin Gu (Shadow Detective), and Jo Ah-ram (Doctor Cha). Expected to broadcast this coming July, production has plans to start filming in February, with PD Choi Min-ho at the helm and writing by Kwon Young-il. [Osen, Sedaily]
The promos continue on JTBC for Queen of Divorce, giving us another look at our divorce solutions company team leader Lee Jia (Pandora: Beneath the Paradise) in the newest stills. Together with business partner Kang Ki-young (The Uncanny Counter 2: Counter Punch), the series will be coming to our screens on January 31. [Sports Donga]

Over on SBS, we have teasers aplenty for the action-comedy Flex x Cop, showcasing our strutting hero Ahn Bo-hyun (See You in My 19th Life), much to the ire of our no-nonsense heroine Park Ji-hyun (Reborn Rich). The action-comedy will be busting crime on weekends starting January 26. [News1, SBS]
As we head into premiere week, MBC released their fourth teaser for Knight Flower, where our swashbuckling Honey Lee (One the Woman) strives to stay demure and hide her secret identity. Along with Lee Jong-won (The Golden Spoon), Kim Sang-joong (The Banker), and Lee Ki-woo (Miraculous Brothers), the comedy-sageuk begins soon on January 12. [MBC]
A bundle of new posters have dropped for JTBC’s upcoming Doctor Slump, taking our main doctor group out onto the track field for a change of pace. Starring Park Shin-hye (Sisyphus), Park Hyung-shik (Our Blooming Youth), Yoon Park (Delightfully Deceitful), and Gong Sung-ha (Daily Dose of Sunshine), the medical rom-com premieres on January 27. [Sports Donga]

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1 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

January 7, 2024 at 12:14 AM

This is a first, all dramas apart from the cop drama are on the potential watchlist. After a great last quarter of 2023 maybe quarter one of 2024 will be good too!

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Diana Hansen

January 7, 2024 at 2:51 PM

I join you in sending positive vibes out for this!

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2 Kurama

January 7, 2024 at 12:50 AM

1) I'm not a fan of Kim Ji-Eun. How they made Solomon looking so bland?

2) It's vague...

3) It looks like a revenge drama too. She was in prison and I'm pretty sure she was innocent...

4, 5, 6) I will try them.

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sonai

January 7, 2024 at 1:17 AM

Yes! 4, 5, 6: Bring it on! 🥳
I will give 3 a chance, too, because of a lead Kang Kiyoung.

Hopefully at least one of these will stick 😂

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Kafiyah Bello

January 7, 2024 at 8:18 AM

I agree about Kim Ji Eun. I don't even Park Solomon.

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Kurama

January 7, 2024 at 8:58 AM

Know? Recognize? Like? Dislike?

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Kafiyah Bello

January 8, 2024 at 4:12 AM

know, I don't think I have ever seen him in anything and if I have, I can't remember.

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Kurama

January 8, 2024 at 4:27 AM

He was in All of Us Are Dead (Netflix) and Revenge of Others (Disney+).

Kurama

January 8, 2024 at 6:51 AM

In my opinion you didn't miss anything. But not because of him rather because of the writing...

3 jerrykuvira

January 7, 2024 at 1:16 AM

2. Shin Ha-kyun + Jin Gu. Please, give it some fluff. I know you both can do it. Something like Unicorn minus Evilive minus Hometown.

3. Let me just say it. I preferred Amazing Troubleshooters to Queen of Divorce. I guess this is the second drama I'll be sticking to the initial title. First was Sacred Divorce.
Wait... Are those prison garbs?

3. I'm not sure I'm geared for this. I'll test the waters and see if it's for me.

4. Thank goodness it is Friday-Saturday.

5. Why isn't Yoon Park in scrubs😔. He better be a doctor by the time the slump begins.

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4 CasualDramaFan

January 7, 2024 at 2:19 AM

#2 - Shin Ha-kyun and Jin Gu in office drama? I though I misread it. Is it revenge thriller set in office? I can't think of them working in ordinary office doing photocopies, writing emails, and preparing presentations all day long.

#4,#5, #6 - Definitely tune in. #3 - Cautiously optimistic for Kang Ki-young's first lead role.

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5 🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸

January 7, 2024 at 3:07 AM

Reactions in emojis

1. Lomon ❤️

2. Shin Ha-kyun ❤️ ❤️

3. Kang Ki-young 🌼 🪴

4. Ahn Bo-hyun 🥰

5. Honey Lee 🙆‍♀️

6. Park Hyung-shik ❤️ 🥰 ❤️

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6 OAsia

January 7, 2024 at 5:04 AM

1.
Do LG's U+ Mobile TV dramas have English subtitles at all? Are they available on some English-language platforms somewhere?

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Elinor is trapped in the timeslip

January 7, 2024 at 9:12 AM

It's too soon to tell. Night Has Come showed up on Viki after it started. High Cookie hasn't been picked up by any English-language platform, as far as I can tell, and it's only on dark side sites with incomprehensible machine-translated subs.

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bong-soo

January 7, 2024 at 11:41 AM

And No. 5. MBC continues to keep US viewers of KNIGHT FLOWER in suspense. The only legal US stream as of now is Kocowa and I am not subscribing again.

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kiara

January 7, 2024 at 12:27 PM

I dropped Kocowa and picked up iQIYI. I have enough K-drama streaming subs. I need at least one for my C-dramas besides viki.

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bong-soo

January 7, 2024 at 2:34 PM

@kiara, late in 2022 I subscribed to iQIYI so I could watch ZRY’s ORDINARY GREATNESS. On iQIYI I am still journeying with A JOURNEY TO LOVE (at episode 31 of 40) and I just completed the satisfying gritty crime drama THE LONELY WARRIOR (2023) (24 eps). I discovered a number of actors from TLW (including Qin Hao) were in another 2023 crime/mystery this time from Tencent Video called THE LONG SEASON. All 12 episodes of TLS are available subbed on Tencent’s Youtube channel where I am watching it. As you know I am watching THE HOPE subbed on Youku’s Youtube channel. The one thing I did was upgrade to Youtube Premium (iirc $160) to watch these dramas without the annoying ads. The subbing on all seems fine to me.
Also on Youtube I have queued up from Youku: the 2022 mystery: BE REBORN (all 26 episodes) and the 2023 I AM NOBODY (all 27 episodes). I have plenty to keep me occupied.

kiara

January 9, 2024 at 10:53 AM

@marcusnyc20, bong-soo,
One of the fun things I enjoy about watching C-dramas is discovering talented actors in the 35+ range. I'll keep an eye out for Qin Hao(45). "The Lonely Warrior" is on my watch list.

Huang Xuan (38) in LUOYANG, Zhang Ruoyun(35), Chen Dao Ming (68), Wu Gang in JOY OF LIFE, Lei Jia Yin (40) in "LONGEST DAY in CHANG'AN," Zhou Yi Wei (41) and Yu He Wei (52) in "THE REBEL PRINCESS," Zhou Xun (49) in "RUYI's ROYAL LOVE..," Chen Kun (47) and Ni Ni (35) in "RISE of PHOENIXES" and many more.
I'll be watching more C-dramas this year, so there are more talents to discover.

Thanks for the C-drama recs, as always. Here's to 2024 in C-dramaland.

7 jillian

January 7, 2024 at 8:49 AM

Knight Flower will soon be here. Surprisingly, that and Doctor Slump are the dramas I am interested in checking out.

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8 Gikata

January 7, 2024 at 7:31 PM

1 - just curious - did this girl EVER improve to justify her keeping getting lead roles or?.. At lest she's moved on from being paired with top stars, now my skepticism cells can rest a bit.
6 - Yoon Park already hams it up, nice! Pls give Cha brothers reunion a proper bromance, that's all I hope for at this point.

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OAsia

January 8, 2024 at 3:17 AM

In one interview, she said that a few years ago she thought about giving up acting because it wasn't working out for her. Then Namkoong Min supported her and told her not to give up. He saw talent in her as a younger colleague in the same profession, and he saw himself in her from years ago, before he became famous. There was something like that in this interview. This was said publicly in the program when he had a fiancée (now wife) at the time, so there couldn't be anything wrong with his involvement in helping his fellow actors. I guess this support consisted in helping with employment in dramas, ensuring good words about her, etc? She played with him in two dramas, he probably likes working with people he knows, because she is not the only actress/actor with whom he has worked several times.

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Kurama

January 8, 2024 at 4:03 AM

But she's not good 😅 It's nice of him to help her, but she could find supporting or second roles, not main ones. They acted twice together and they never had any chemistry.

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Gikata

January 8, 2024 at 4:41 AM

That's very sweet of him. But the difference is that while he wasn't a great actor he is now since the start either, he surely took his time and worked hard to improve and EARN the lead roles - yet we cannot say the same about her. What's the point of her fellow actors liking to work with her if we the viewers do not enjoy results of her performance? They're free to just be her friends irl or something. She wonders why her career isn't progressing? Well, that's super easy to answer, but I suppose she's too coddled by all those nice folks around her to make the necessary first step for improving - admit that her skills are lacking and start picking roles befitting her capabilities.

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Elinor is trapped in the timeslip

January 9, 2024 at 12:42 PM

I agree - the last thing in which I saw her was One Dollar Lawyer, and she wasn't terrible or anything, just very bland. I probably wouldn't watch this even if it's available as I dislike body-swapping plots.

The Dr. Slump posters have me more interested than I was before. I was holding out some hope they'd change that off-putting title but it's too late now.

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Gikata

January 9, 2024 at 9:11 PM

Which is arguably even worse since skills can be learned, while the lack of charisma... well, probably possible too, but I can't recall many examples of that.

Pretty sure production team views this title as super clever or something, it's been there from the Day 1 after all. I'm not really excited for the show, but perhaps it's gonna be the case of low expectations elevating the experience? Hah, if only)))

9 Koalatown

January 9, 2024 at 7:01 AM

I love the different emojis for each of the character posters for Dr. Slump. Now how to decipher their different meanings. I need to run this past the kids.

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