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| Posters for the sci-fi anthology series "SF8," left, and season two of the crime drama "Stranger." / Courtesy of MBC and tvN |
By Lee Gyu-lee
For TV series, the first half of this year was rather devastating, marked by the unexpected flop of the multi-billion won project "The King: Eternal Monarch."
With only a few buzzed-about series ― such as "The World of the Married," "Itaewon Class," "Crash Landing on You," and "Hospital Playlist" ― so far, broadcasting networks are preparing to release more dynamic genre series in the latter half of this year.
Two science fiction series are set for release in the coming months ― the Korean version of the "Black Mirror" anthology series "SF8," and the sci-fi drama genre "Alice."
The cinematic drama "SF8," co-produced by the OTT service Wavve, MBC, and the Directors Guild of Korea, will consist of eight episodes each with a different director and story.
The series will revolve around the presence of technological advancement and the symbiotic relationship between people and robots in a futuristic world. It was pre-released through Wavve on Friday and will be aired on Aug. 17 on MBC.
SBS's time-travel-themed series "Alice" is also set to debut this year. Starring Joo Won and Kim Hee-sun, the series follows a couple who reunites through a mysterious time-traveling space.
The series will be a small-screen comeback for Joo since his discharge from mandatory military service last year.
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| Scenes from tvN's thriller drama "The Flower of Evil." / Courtesy of tvN |
TvN is also ready to take off with a diverse range of series.
The network's major hit series "Stranger" will return for a second season in August. The 2017 murder mystery drama, starring Cho Seung-woo and Bae Doo-na, has been praised as a "well-made" piece and was named among the best TV shows of 2017 by the New York Times.
The second season, written by the same writer Lee Soo-yeon, stars the same lead actors. It will follow a prosecutor (Cho) and a passionate police investigator (Bae) teaming to uncover the truth amid political corruption.
Thriller-romance drama "The Flower of Evil" is set to go on air on July 29. The series, starring Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won, revolves around an unusual concept ― what if your husband turns out to be a cold-blooded serial killer?
After being happily married for 14 years, the married couple faces an uncertain future as the wife becomes suspicious about her husband's past.
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| Scenes from tvN's upcoming drama "Record of Youth." / Courtesy of tvN |
Alongside the thrillers, two star-studded romance series await. "Record of Youth," starring heartthrob Park Bo-gum and "Parasite" actress Park So-dam, is one of the year's most anticipated series.
Directed by "Stranger" director Ahn Gil-ho, the 1.4 billion won project will revolve around a group of youngsters making their way to achieve their goals.
The series, slated for September, will be Park's last work before he takes a hiatus for military service.
Another series "Startup" ― starring Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Seon-ho ― began shooting since May.
The series ― directed by "Hotel del Luna" director Oh Choong-hwan ― follows young entrepreneurs, trying to become "the next Steve Jobs" in Korea's fictional Silicon Valley called Sandbox.
