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| Scenes from "The Producers" / Courtesy of KBS |
By Kwon Ji-youn
"The Producers" has all the makings of a fine drama series ― an all-star cast, impressive cameos and an original setting and plot. But the first two episodes, which aired May 15-16, only went to prove that when expectations are this high, it's almost impossible to meet them.
More or less everything about The Producers was unconventional, perhaps even foolhardy and reckless. The camera angles were suggestive of sitcoms, the shooting took place at the actual KBS building in Yeouido, Seoul, and the fusion of entertainment and drama was certainly eccentric. Well known celebrities, including the likes of actress Youn Yuh-jung, singer Kim Jong-kook, actress Cho Youn-hee and members of Girls' Generation, made guest appearances.
The drama made headlines when it became known that hallyu (Korean wave) star Kim Soo-hyun would be starring alongside veterans Cha Tae-hyun, Gong Hyo-jin and singer IU in a story set in KBS's entertainment department. It garnered even more interest when KBS announced that comedy producer Seo Soo-min, whose works include "Happy Sunday" and "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook," would be helming the production, and "My Love from the Star" writer Park Ji-eun would be scripting it.
But the first two episodes were "great boast and small roast."
The narrative, which revolved around Kim's first few days at KBS as a new recruit, dragged on tediously as the production crew's compulsive need to draw laughs created scenarios that were often too much of a stretch. Its use of a documentary set-up to introduce the characters and the entertainment bureau only disrupted the dramatic flow. Some likened The Producers to a promotional video for KBS.
IU's acting wasn't up to scratch, either. The singer didn't quite fit the clothes of a sexy idol starlet whose attitude remained surly and irritated even in the face of fans lining up for autographs, and her lazy drawl was more than distracting.
The Producers seemed to sloppily mimic tvN drama "Misaeng" in its attempt at detailing the lives of today's office workers.
It looked into the hardships of program writers, who work for broadcasters on a project basis _ when a series is cut short, so is the writers' source of income. It dealt with the struggles of producers who must hire and fire celebrities as programs are added and removed from the TV guide based on viewer ratings. References were made to real producers-directors including Na Young-seok of "Grandpas over Flowers" and Kim Tae-ho of "Infinite Challenge."
But before it even began working its magic on viewers, whose anticipations have skyrocketed since Misaeng, a brawl between Producer Tak (Gong) and Cindy (IU) ensued, a particularly cage-rattling scene in which Tak, who directs KBS's music show "Music Bank," asks Cindy to make changes to her much-too-provocative costume. Cindy responds with a boycott, to which Tak backs down. One broadcaster staffer described this happening as "highly unlikely."
But a silver lining could be spotted in the three remaining characters. Kim's transformation from his former character on My Love from the Star was striking, and Cha was a natural, having become accustomed to regular appearances in both dramas and entertainment shows.
The second episode was an improvement on its first. "JYP" Park Jin-young and 2NE1 member Sandara Park are set to make guest appearances this week.
But drama, sitcom, documentary and comedy all at once can be too taxing for viewers who are looking to loosen up on Friday and Saturday evenings. More pressing for the production crew than sprinkling the drama with cameos may be deciding on a direction and sticking to it.
