Will tvN continue to be a “kingdom of dramas” in 2022: controversial actress Seo Ye-ji’s comeback and the return of screenwriters Hong Sisters
tvN will also present a variety of new dramas in 2022.
2022 has been a year that tvN keeps boasting its pride as a “Kingdom of dramas”. Starring actor Song Joong-ki, “Vincenzo” (written by Park Jae-beom/ directed by Kim Hee-won) was introduced at the beginning of 2021 and recorded its highest rating of 14.6% (based on reports from Nielsen Korea). The drama received favorable reviews as it gained both high viewership and impressive popularity. With the main characters played by Lee Bo-young and Kim Seo-hyung, “Mine” (written by Baek Mi-kyung/ directed by Lee Na-jung) also exceeded double-digit ratings thanks to the two actors’ outstanding performances.
Returning with its 2nd season after 1 year and a month, “Hospital Playlist” (written by Lee Woo-jung/directed by Shin Won-ho) continued to reveal more stories of the “99s”, a team of 5 doctors at Yulje Hospital who are best friends: Lee Ik-joon (Jo Jung-suk), Ahn Jung-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho), Yang Seok-hyung (Kim Dae-myung) and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do). Therefore, its rating soared to reach a peak of 14%.
Despite having to bear the aftermath of actor Kim Seon-ho’s private life controversy on the release date of its last episode, “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” (written by Shin Ha-eun/ directed Yoo Jae-won) still successfully ended up recording its highest ratings of 12.7%. Owning a golden cast with famous names like Jeon Ji-hyun and Joo Ji-hoon, “Jirisan” (written by Kim Eun-hee/ directed by Lee Eung-bok) ended safely with stable ratings in the range of 7-9%.
Since many hit dramas have been produced in 2021, the viewers are raising high expectations for the new lineup of tvN’s dramas in 2022. Accordingly, tvN plans to join the 2022 competition with numerous dramas with diverse genres and many famous actors, such as Jung Ji-hoon (Rain), Kim Bum, Kim Go-eun, Jinyoung, Ahn Bo-hyun, Jo Bo-ah, Kim Sung-ryeong, Kim Seol-hyun, Seo Ye-ji, Lee Jong-suk, Im Yoon-ah, Yeo Jin-goo, Oh Na-ra, Yoo Jun-sang, Kim Min-jae, etc.
▲ “Ghost Doctor”: Rain X Kim Bum, will the “golden hand” and the clumsy ones be able to work with each other and succeed?
The first work to have been finalized is the Monday-Tuesday drama “Ghost Doctor” (written by Kim Sun-soo/ directed by Boo Seung-chul), which will premiere at 10:30 P.M on January 3rd. This drama tells a medical story that takes place when 2 doctors with different backgrounds and skills – an arrogant genius doctor and a resident, who was born in a rich family but has no sense of duty, merge into one person.
Director Boo Seung-chul (“My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho”) and writer Kim Sun-soo (“Live Up to Your Name”) have joined hands to create this drama. In addition, Jung Ji-hoon will play Cha Young-min, who has amazing medical skills, while Kim Bum will take on the role of resident Go Seung-tak. The two characters, whose backgrounds, skills and levels are different from each other, will be intertwined with a special relationship and express their growth together.
▲ “Yumi’s Cells 2”: It’s time for Babi… Will Season 2 make a success?
This year’s TVing original season-based drama “Yumi’s Cells“, which aired simultaneously on tvN and TVing, will return with its 2nd season next year. “Yumi’s Cells” is a romance that draws cell-stimulating empathy and deals with the story of an ordinary girl Kim Yumi, who eats, loves, and grows with her cells. Based on the webtoon of the same name, this drama was created by director Lee Sang-yeop, who showed sensuous directing through “Shopaholic Louis” and “Familiar Wife,” and screenwriter Song Jae-jung, who is trusted for his original and solid script writing skills through “Memories of the Alhambra” and “W“.
Season 1 depicted the thrilling romance and heartbreaking breakup between the main characters Kim Yu-mi (Kim Go-eun) and Goo Woong (Ahn Bo-hyun). However, in Season 2, Babi (Jinyoung), along with Woogi (Choi Min-ho), will appear as Kim Yu-mi’s second boyfriend. With his sweet and handsome appearance, Yumi’s coworker Babi is expected to stimulate the viewers’ love cells. The performance of the cells, which received as much love as the actors in Season 1, is also an indispensable point to watch.
On November 5th, director Lee Sang-yeop, screenwriters Song Jae-jung, and Kim Yoon-joo said in an interview with Newsen to mark the end of season 1, “We hope the second season will be a fun and amazing drama in which you can see Babi and Yumi’s relationship and their growths”. They also hinted, “You can find new charms from Babi, which will be different from his image in the original webtoon. He will not have the same personality as Goo Woong. You might have felt a little frustrated in Season 1 but when it comes to Season 2, Yumi’s changes in her job and her growth will give you pleasant feelings.”
▲ “Military Prosecutor Doberman”: Ahn Bo-hyun X Jo Bo-ah and the first drama about military court in Korea
Ahn Bo-hyun, who was recognized as an passionate actor when playing Goo Woong in “Yumi’s Cells Season 1”, will make a comeback on the small screen next year with “Military Prosecutor Doberman“ (written by Yoon Hyun-ho/ directed by Jin Chang-gyu). In addition to Ahn Bo-hyun, actors such as Jo Bo-ah, Oh Yeon-soo, Kim Young-min, and Kim Woo-seok will also appear in this drama. “Military Prosecutor Doberman” is written by Yoon Hyun-ho (movie “The Attorney”, drama “Remember” and “Lawless Lawyer”) and directed by Jin Chang-gyu, who directed the dramas “Bad Papa” and “Chip In”.
“Military Prosecutor Doberman” depicts the story of when two military prosecutors, Do Bae-man (Ahn Bo-hyun), who works for money, and Cha Woo-in (Jo Bo-ah), who do this job for revenge, meet and break down the dark and rotten evil reality in the military then grow themselves into real military prosecutors. The drama is attracting attention as it will reveal the military court that has never been shown on Korean dramas before.
▲ “Kill Heel”: Kim Ha-neul X Kim Sung-ryung raised high expectations for their performances
Actress Kim Ha-neul, who has re-proven her romance acting through JTBC’s drama “18 Again” last year, and Kim Sung-ryeong, who performed well through a wavve’s drama this year, will return in “Kill Heel” (written by Shin Kwang-ho and Lee Chun-woo/directed by Noh Do-cheol) in 2022.
“Kill Heel” is a drama that depicts the fierce world of home shopping. It centres around women surviving in a world of competition and power that involves show hosts with diverse personalities. It is said that the argument about human nature that will be revealed during the competition is also an exciting viewing point.
▲ “The Murderer’s Shopping List”: Lee Kwang-soo’s comeback work as an actor, not an entertainer
Based on the novel of the same name by Kang Ji Young, “The Murderer’s Shopping List” (directed by Lee Eon-hee / written by Han Ji-wan) is a neighborhood-based comic investigate drama started by mother-run MS Mart intern Ahn Dae-sung (Lee Kwang-soo), district police officer Do Ah-hee (Kim Seol-hyun) and Dae-sung’s mother Jung Myung-sook (Jin Hee-kyung) based on mart receipts after a questioning dead body was discovered in an apartment near them.
The male lead Lee Kwang-soo dropped out of SBS’s entertainment show “Running Man“, in which he had been participating for a long time, with the will to focus on acting this year. In “The Murderer’s Shopping List”, Lee Kwang-soo will play Ahn Dae-sung, the son of the president of MS Mart, who was a memorization genius in the past but has been failing the level 9 civil service exam for three years now. Seol-hyun, who starred in tvN’s “Awaken” last January, will transform into Ahn Dae-sung’s girlfriend Do Ah-hee, a passionate police officer from Odong District who only had eyes for him from a very young age. Jin Hee-kyung was chosen for the role of Jung Myung-sook.
▲ “Eve’s Scandal”: Controversial Seo Ye-ji’s return with a romantic melodrama
“Eve’s Scandal” is a romantic melodrama about a divorce suit worth 2 trillion won by a chaebol who overturns Korea. The cast includes Seo Ye-ji, Lee Sang-yeop, Yoo Seon and Park Byung-eun. Seo Ye-ji will play the role of Lee Rael, who is the center of the 2-trillion won divorce suit. Lee Sang-yeop will portray Seo Eun-pyeong, a human rights lawyer who is in love with Lee Rael.
Earlier, Seo Ye-ji dropped out of her scheduled drama “Island” after getting involved in various controversies, including gaslighting her ex-lover Kim Jung-hyun. Seo Ye-ji banned Kim Jung-hyun from all physical contact and friendly conversations with his partner, actress/SNSD member Seo-hyun, as well as other female staff, and even demanded a revision of the romance scene.
▲ “Big Mouth”: Lee Jong-suk X Im Yoona’s transformation into a professional couple
tvN’s new drama “Big Mouth” (created by Jang Young-chul, Jung Kyung-soon / written by Haram / directed by Oh Chung-hwan) is scheduled to be aired in 2022. Jang Young-chul and Jung Kyung-soon, who have made their names known with their previous blockbuster “Vagabond”, will participate in this project as creators. Oh Chung-hwan, who directed “Hotel Del Luna”, is going to portray the world of “Big Mouth”.
Park Chan-ho (Lee Jong-suk) is a lawyer with a winning rate of only 10%. One day, he suddenly gets involved in a murder incident that makes him become “Big Mouth”, a great genius yet a fraud. To protect his family, he has to uncover the truth behind the massive conspiracies of the people in high social class. Im Yoona will play Ko Mi-ho, a confident nurse with outstanding beauty and also Park Chan-ho’s wife. Ko Mi-ho is the person who supports and helps Park Chan-ho to become a lawyer. After her husband gets trapped in the incident related to “Big Mouth”, she tries to help him clear the charges.
▲ “Link: Eat, Love, Die”: “Trustworthy actor” Yeo Jin-goo’s return
“Link: Eat, Love, Die” is a fantasy melodrama about interesting human mysteries and emotional sharing that occurs when a man suddenly links himself to a woman’s feelings one day then they share all kinds of joy, sadness and pain together. Attention is focusing on how director Hong Jong-chan, who created many realistic worldviews in “Dear My Friends” and “Life”, will team up with screenwriter Kwon Ki-young, who showed solid scripts that combine romance and mystery through “Suspicious Partner” and “All About My Romance”.
Yeo Jin-goo will play Eun Gye-hoon, a sous chef at a luxurious restaurant. This character not only has great cooking skills but also owns a beautiful visual and a sexy voice. However, someone’s feelings suddenly begin to invade him, causing him to shed tears unexpectedly and laugh for no reason. As a result, fans are wondering how actor Yeo Jin-goo, who has proved his in-depth acting skills, will portray the personality of Eun Gye-hoon, who has to go back and forth between joy, anger, love and sorrow in an instant. Yeo Jin-goo’s co-star Moon Ga-young will take on the role of Noh Da-hyun, a job seeker whose life is full of misfortunes.
▲ “Return”: Hong Sisters’ new drama
“Return” depicts stories about young sorcerers following God’s plan as well as experiencing love and growth. This is a new work written by Hong Sisters (Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran), who was behind the success of “Sassy Girl Chun-hyang”, “My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho”, “Hotel Del Luna”… Director Park Joon-hwa, who was greatly loved for “Because This Is My First Life” and “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, will grab the megaphone for this drama. Actors Oh Na-ra, Yoo Joon-sang, Joo Sang-wook, Lee Jae-wook, Oh My Girl Arin and NU’EST Hwang Min-hyun will appear in this series.
