Written by Tasya
There’s no denying that Korean entertainment has been taking the world by storm. From music to beauty products, they are getting increasingly popular in the last few years! The adaptations of stories between western and Korean entertainment are also getting more common in the past year, with the adaptation of Life on Mars and Suits into k-dramas, as well as The Good Doctor to a western TV show. Read on to discover five more k-dramas that we think will be perfect to be adapted to a western TV show as they have unique premises and amazing storylines!
Kill Me, Heal Me
This is the most recent drama I’ve watched and the first one that pops to my mind when I think about k-dramas that deserve a western show adaptation. The story is about an heir of a company that secretly suffers from multiple personality disorder. He has seven personalities in total and they always come out when he’s under a lot of stress, which considering the nature of his job is often. I think the disorder is portrayed really well; the writers have done a lot of research prior of writing this drama and it shows. The personalities are not portrayed as evil or harmful as most portrayals are, but as humans and as the story goes, viewers will even sympathise with them.
W
K-dramas are famous for their contemporary romance setting, but they can also delve into sci-fi. W tells the story of famous webtoon creator, whose daughter accidentally falls into the webtoon world and meets the characters. There, she has to work to solve the story ending without endangering people in the real world as the line between webtoon and real world blurs. I found the premise very unique and refreshing, and I can see how it can be adapted to the western audience as there have been a lot of surge in the sci-fi genre.
Strong Girl Do Bong Soon
Do Bong-Soon may seem like a petite and cute woman, but behind that, she is super strong a la superman. In a country where it’s socially instilled that women needs to be cute and sweet, this drama turns the stereotype upside-down and breaks those traditional values. Do Bong-Soon is not a damsel in distress or in need of a charming, rich heir to save her; she is the one that will save the charming rich heir! Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon also includes childhood crushes, over the top reactions, and intriguing mystery of serial kidnapping, so it’s a blend of funny, sweet, and action-packed drama surely to thrill viewers.
Reply 1988
The story of this drama is not unique at all, in fact it’s very ordinary. Yet it’s what makes this drama so popular and stays in our hearts. Reply 1988 follows the story of 5 childhood friends (4 boys and 1 girl) growing up in their neighbourhood during the 1980’s. There are parents fighting, family emergencies, first crushes, heartbreak, and basically every normal thing that happens to an individual in their teenage years. In the end, the biggest mystery is who, out of the 4 guys, that the girl ends up marrying. But despite that, the heart of this story is family and friendship you cherish and the easy nostalgic time of your childhood.
Full House
A well-known classic and not to be confused with the 1990s US sitcom, Full House is a hilarious but sweet story that starts the popularity of k-drama among international fans. The story begins with a mishap where an average girl and a famous movie star accidentally rent the same house. When neither of them were willing to budge, they were forced to live together. They also gets into up in a faked relationship that ends with, you guess it, both of them falling in love for real. Was it cheesy? Well, yeah. But I can see it be a famous sitcom due to its cheesiness and humour.
