We're not fooling you: This month's line-up of new k-dramas is excitingly diverse. We're getting the absolutely star-studded Jeju-based drama Our Blues, a new healing drama from the writer of My Mister, and a promising mystery thriller from TVING. We'll also have a legal fantasy series, a dramedy, a couple of rom-coms, and more. How spoiled are k-drama fans?
April 1: Tomorrow
Despite his prestigious background, Choi Joon-woong (Ro Woon, Extraordinary You) can’t seem to get a job—until he crosses paths with two grim reapers, Gu Ryeon and Im Ryoog Gu. Accidentally turned into a half-spirit, he now has to work for Jumadeung, a company in the underworld, as the youngest contractor in its special crisis management team out to prevent people from hurting themselves.
Where to watch: Netflix, every Friday and Saturday April 6: Green Mothers’ Club
Are they friends, co-workers, competitors, or a bit of all these? Five different types of mothers—ranging from the clueless new mom to the feared tiger mom—who meet at an elementary school parents association called “Green Mothers’ Club” navigate their complex relationships with each other in this 16-episode JTBC drama.
Starring Lee Yo-won (The Great Queen Seondeok) as the new mom, Choo Ja-hyun (My Unfamiliar Family) as the tiger mom, Kim Gyu-ri (Designated Survivor: 60 Days) as the outsider mom, Jang Hye-jin (The Red Sleeve) as the woke mom, and Joo Min-kyung (Jirisan) as the alpha mom, the k-drama promises to explore the challenges and complexities of parenting today.
Where to watch: Netflix, every Wednesday and Thursday April 8: Again My Life
Rising prosecutor Kim Hee-woo (Lee Joon-Gi, Flower of Evil) is mysteriously killed while investigating Jo Tae-seob (Lee Kyoung-young, Hyena), a politician suspected of corruption. But in a perplexing twist, Hee-wo suddenly wakes up alive. What will he do with his second chance at life?
Adapted from Lee Hae-nal’s eponymous web novel, the cast of this 16-episode legal fantasy series from SBS also includes Kim Ji-eun (Strangers from Hell) as the brilliant heir of a conglomerate family, and Jung Sang-hoon (The Lady in Dignity) as Hee-wo’s trusted friend.
Where to watch: Viu, every Friday and Saturday
April 9: Our Blues
How do you spell star-studded? With the cast of Our Blues, of course, a 20-episode tvN/Netflix drama anthology about the bittersweet stories of people in Jeju Island.
Some episodes will focus on a Jeju-born truck maker (Lee Byung-hyun, Mr. Sunshine), working with a Jeju newcomer (Shin Min-ah, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha). Other episodes will depict a city man who returns to his hometown Jeju (Cha Seung-won, Night in Paradise) and meets again his first love who is running a fishing store (Lee Jung-eun, Parasite). Her best friend (Uhm Jung-hwa, Montage) also comes back to her hometown. And the rest of the episodes are about a ship captain (Kim Woo-bin, Uncontrollably Fond), who falls in love with a diver (Han Ji-min, One Spring Night).
One of the most highly anticipated shows this year, Our Blues marks the return of Kim Woo-bin after battling cancer, and is helmed by Baeksang awardees—director Kim Kyu-tae (That Winter, The Wind Blows) and screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung (Dear My Friends).
Where to watch: Netflix, every Saturday and Sunday
April 9: My Liberation Notes
Three siblings who want to escape their dead-end lives in a small town. One mysterious stranger who disrupts their dreary existence. From the same writer as the brilliant drama My Mister, award-winning screenwriter Park Hae-young, this 16-episode JTBC series promises to be a healing and liberating journey.
Kim Ji-won (Arthdal Chronicles) stars as the timid and lonely youngest sibling, Lee Min-ki (Because This Is My First Life) is the middle child lost with no direction in life, and Lee El (Black) is the eldest exhausted from working in Seoul. One day, Son Suk-ku (Designated Survivor: 60 Days) appears in their small village, an outsider who’s always drunk, and their days are suddenly no longer so mundane.
Where to watch: Netflix, every Saturday and Sunday
April 9: It’s Beautiful Now
This new 50-episode weekend family drama from KBS has an interesting premise: To convince his three busy grandsons to get married, a grandfather makes an offer they can’t refuse—the first to get married will receive an apartment!
Given the housing issues plaguing Korean youth today, this was the incentive needed by the three brothers—played by Yoon Si-yoon (Your Honor), Oh Min-suk (Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life) and Seo Bum-june (Rookie Cops)—to start looking for a woman to marry. Who will win the race?
Where to watch: KBS
April 22: Shooting Stars / Sh**ting Stars
The head of a public relations (PR) team Oh Han-byul, played by Lee Sung-kyung (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo), is known in the industry for her excellent communications and crisis response skills. However, she has one weakness—she constantly bickers with the famous but short-tempered actor she manages, Gong Tae-sung, portrayed by Kim Young-dae (The Penthouse: War in Life). Amid the chaos, press releases, spins, and damage control, will love find its way between the PR star and the top celebrity?
This 16-episode tvN rom-com shines a light on the PR professionals—like agency managers, lawyers, and reporters—that could make or break A-listers. The cast also includes Yoon Jong-hoon (The Penthouse: War in Life) and Kim Yoon-hye (Vincenzo) as agency managers, Lee Jung-shin of CNBLUE (My Sassy Girl TV series) as a corporate lawyer and agency consultant, and Park So-jin (The King: Eternal Monarch) as Han Byul’s close friend and entertainment reporter.
Where to watch: Viu and iQIYI, starting April 23
April 23: From Now On, Showtime (Showtime Begins!)
Magic, ghosts, and crime come together in this new k-drama from MBC. Park Hae-jin (Kkondae Intern) stars as Cha Cha-woong, a mysterious magician who can see and summon spirits, who will team up with hot-blooded investigator Go Seul-hae (Jin Ki-joo, Homemade Love Story) to solve cases. Will this odd pair learn to trust each other—and even fall in love?
Where to watch: Viu, every Saturday and Sunday
April 27: The Killer’s Shopping List
When a body is found near an apartment in Seoul, the key evidence turns out to be a receipt from MS Mart supermarket. Solving this mystery thus begins in the tvN eight-episode dramedy thriller The Killer’s Shopping List, a series based on a novel written by Kang Ji-young.
Lee Kwang-soo (Live) portrays Ahn Dae-sung, a timid MS Mart cashier who has extraordinary memory. K-pop idol Seolhyun of AOA plays Do Ah-hee, a police officer and Dae-sung’s girlfriend. Portrayed by Jin Hee-kyung, Jeong Myeong-sook is the supermarket owner and Dae-sung’s mom.
Where to watch: Viu and iQIYI, starting April 28
April 29: Monstrous
An unexplained phenomenon surrounds Jinyang County, where a gwibul, a Buddhist statue believed to contain an evil spirit, is excavated. One of the visitors to the place is archaeologist Jung Ki-hoon (Koo Kyo-hwan, D.P.), who specializes in researching the supernatural and now runs an occult magazine and YouTube channel. His ex-wife, archaeologist Lee Soo-jin (Shin Hyun-bin, Hospital Playlist), is a cryptanalyst. When her daughter dies, she goes back to the county to look for answers.
Directed by Jang Kun-jae (director, Eighteen and A Midsummer’s Fantasia), the TVING six-episode mystery thriller was written by Yeon Sang-ho (screenwriter and director, Train To Busan and Peninsula) and Ryo Yong-jae (screenwriter, Peninsula and Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area). The cast also includes Kim Ji-young as police substation chief, Nam Da-reum as the police chief’s son, Park Ho-san as governor, and Kwak Dong-yeon as troublemaker.
Where to watch: TVING
What to Watch after "My Liberation Notes" https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/what-to-watch-after-my-liberation-notes-kdrama
What to Watch after "Again My Life" https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/what-to-watch-after-again-my-life