Next on Omona's to-watch list: upcoming Kdramas in October 2022
Did you think that, since September was packed with Kdramas, October would be quieter? Well, like me, you were wrong! October brings a lot of new dramas with more variety in genre than last month. Yes, we've got another prosecutor drama, but also action, disaster, science fiction, college romance and fantasy. Active and former idols star as main characters, oftentimes next to a strong veteran cast. Dive in to see what October will bring!
Opinions are mine and should be taken lightly as they are just my first impressions. Other thoughts are welcomed!
Previous post: Kdramas in September
I marked trailers with English subtitles with an asterisk (*)
Click to viewThe Love in Your Eyes*
Release date: October 3 on KBS1, Viki (October 10 on KBS World)
Runtime: Monday to Friday
Cast: Baek Sung Hyeon, Bae Noo Ri, Choi Yoon Ra, Jung Soo HwanPlot: Depicts the second love of a rogue daughter-in-law who appears in a 30-year-old gomtang restaurant, and a confident single mother Young Ih who says anything no matter what.
Jang Kyung Joon, who has the charm of a black-and-white man. Even though he shows the coolness of self-restraint from a large company that doesn't show his emotions easily, he shows both sides of being friendly in front of Lee Young Ih. Lee Young Ih, a single mother of steel mentality and a daughter-in-law with a bad attitude. She is sometimes angry, but she is a colorful charmer full of justice. Kim Hae Mi, her mother's daughter who has both her work and love in her hands, and Jang Kyung Joon's fiancée. It forms a tense rivalry with Bae Nouri. Jang Se Joon, the half-brother of Jang Kyung Joon, who has a friendly personality.Will I watch? This daily short-form drama (episodes of 30 minutes!) will run until next March. I'm not the one for long-term commitments, at least for Korean dramas, but if you're in the mood for an easygoing, cliche drama starring a single mother, this might be the one for you!
Cheer Up*
Release date: October 3 on SBS, Viki
Runtime: Monday & Tuesday
Cast: Han Ji Hyun, Baek In Hyuk, Kim Hyun Jin, Jang Gyu RiPlot: The bright and diligent Do Hae Yi is a student at Yeonhee University. Because of her family's poor financial situation, she places a priority on making money rather than school.
One day, Do Hae Yi suddenly joins cheering squad Teyia that has existed for 50 years at Yeonhee University. She only joins the club for money, but while participating in the cheering squad, Do Hae Yi starts experiencing the joy of campus life and meets various people from Teyia including Bae Young Woong, who was once a member of Teyia and he is an alumnus of Yeonhee Univers, supporting the cheering squad financially and emotionally. Will I watch? This is Han Jihyun's first drama after the smash hit The Penthouse and Jang Gyuri's first drama coming out after leaving Fromis_9. The title of the drama reminds me of the drama of the same name (also called Sassy Go Go?) with Jung Eunji, also about a cheering squad. I don't remember anything else about that drama though! Anyway, we don't see college dramas much in Korean drama, so that's a plus! I'm not sure if I'll watch myself, since it seems like they're setting up a love triangle from the start.
Love is for suckers / Love that will freeze to death*
Release date: October 5 on ENA, Viki
Runtime: Wednesday & Thursday
Cast: Lee Da Hee, Choi Si WonPlot: "Love That Will Freeze To Death" is a romantic comedy-drama depicting the sweet and salty reality romance of two men and women in their 30s who have no romance or flirting.
Will I watch? Siwon is probably disappointed that he's not the lead for a Ronald Raegan biopic, and I am disappointed that he's the lead in this drama. I was excited to see a drama about the clumsy dating life of adults but I don't want Siwon to be part of that fantasy.
Bad Prosecutor*
Release date: October 5 on KBS2, Netflix (October 13 on KBS World)
Runtime: Wednesday & Thursday
Cast: Do Kyungsoo, Lee Se Hee, Ha Joon, Joo Bo YoungPlot: A story about a prosecutor named Jin Jung who is armed with bad manners and delinquency. He breaks down the sanctuaries created by wealth and power, and he even takes down the greedy people living in those sanctuaries. He uses expedient methods over conventional ones, tricks over standard procedures, and delinquency over sincerity in order to stop the corrupt authorities from undermining society.
Will I watch? Actor Do Kyungsoo's first drama role after his military service! There's a lot of legal dramas airing at the moment, some with similar storylines (1000 won lawyer), so I'm still not sure whether I'll pick this up right when it airs.
Glitch*
Release date: October 7 on Netflix
Runtime: Friday
Cast: Jeon Yeo Been, Nana
Plot: About a woman searching for her missing boyfriend, who disappeared one night in a flash of unknown lights. With the help of a community of UFO watchers, she uncovers the truth behind a mysterious secret.
Hong Ji Hyo is a “parachute hire” (someone who got hired based on their family connections). She has a steady job and a solid family background. Although they are no longer passionately in love, she also has a boyfriend that she’s dated for four years. The couple is beginning to think of marriage when her boyfriend suddenly goes missing.
Heo Bo Ra is an unsuccessful Twitch streamer and a YouTuber with only a few hundred subscribers, whose content is all about mysteries. She’s a warrior who wields a keyboard as her weapon, and she’s a member of the UFO watcher community. She spends day after day inside her room, editing her videos.
Will I watch? Jeon Yeobeen and Nana in a drama together?? A treat! From the trailer, the drama looks kooky in the best way possible.
Bride of the Typhoon / Vengeance of the Bride*
Release date: October 10 on KBS2 (October 18 on KBS World)
Runtime: Monday to Friday
Cast: Park Ha Na, Kang Ji Sub, Park Yoon Jae, Oh Seung Ah
Plot: The story of a woman who becomes the daughter-in-law of an enemy for desperate revenge.
Will I watch? Another weekday drama with shorter episodes of 40 minutes each that will run until 2023. I like the theme of rejecting pureness in the trailer, but I'm not ready to commit!
The Witch's Game
Release date: October 11 on MBC
Runtime: Monday to Friday
Cast: Jang Seo Hee, Oh Chang Seok, Kim Gyu Seon, Han Ji Wan
Plot: A bloody confrontation between two mothers and daughters sacrificed to a great evil, and a combined revenge drama between two mothers and daughters to punish the great evil.
Will I watch? So many dramatic gazes in this teaser! I'm all for women revenge dramas, even though I never watch them myself. Jang Seo Hee is a very well-known weekday drama actress, so fans must be rejoicing that she's back on tv!
Yonder*
Release date: October 14 on TVING
Runtime: Friday
Cast: Shin Ha Kyun, Han Ji Min, Jung Jin Young, Lee Jung Eun
Plot: Set in the 2040s in the large city area of South Korea. It depicts the story of a man who lives in agony, unable to forget his wife who died of cancer. Then one day, he receives an unknown email and chooses to abandon his body to go live with his wife. It will portray a world where one can live forever without death, and will question the meaning of eternal life, death, memory and oblivion, and happiness and misery.
Will I watch? I prefer to stay away from terminal illness dramas, but I must say the premise of this drama is very fascinating. I'll keep an eye out for it!
The Queen's Umbrella
Release date: October 15 on TVN, Netflix
Runtime: Saturday & Sunday
Cast: Kim Hye Soo, Kim Hae Sook, Choi Won Young, Kim Eui Sung, Moon Sang Min, Chani, Ok Ja Yeon
Plot: Within the palace exist troublemaking princes who cause nothing but headaches for the royal family and are about to be turned into proper crown princes. Their mother, Im Hwa Ryeong, is the wife of a great king. But instead of having an aura of elegance and grace, she is a prickly, sensitive, and hot-tempered queen. Once more serene, she changed since people kept pushing her buttons. She is a queen who sometimes abandons her pride and is even known to swear! Every day of her life is full of trials, but she withstands them, all for the sake of her children.
Will I watch? Described as a black comedy set in the Joseon era, this drama brings together a veteran, starstudded cast to zoom in on the politics in royal education system. I'm imagining it to be a Joseon era SKY Castle, so I'll most likely check it out!
100 Won Butler / May I Help You*
Release date: October 19 on MBC
Runtime: Wednesday & Thursday
Cast: Lee Hye Ri, Lee Jun Young
Plot: It tells the story of Butler Kim, who runs errands that begin at a cost of 100 won per job, and funeral director Baek Dong Joo, who grants the wishes of the dead, as they operate an errand-running business called Ildangbaek (meaning one person doing the work of 100, and in this specific case, also referring to the fact that one errand costs 100 won).
Will I watch? Even though Hyeri's is not the most naturally talented actress, I'm usually charmed by her and she knows to choose roles that (mostly) fit her range. (How come she doesn't have a tag btw??) This story is a bit more wild than I expected with the mix of fantasy - I might check it out if I'm in the mood!
There's no teaser or poster available yet for this drama, so please enjoy this subbed video of Kang Haneul instead!
Curtain Call / Trees die on their feet
Release date: October 30 on KBS2
Runtime: Monday & Tuesday
Cast: Kang Ha Neul, Ha Ji Won, Go Doo Shim, Sung Dong Il, Kwon Sang Woo
Plot: “Trees Die on Their Feet” is about an elderly woman from North Korea who doesn’t have much time left to live and a theatre actor who acts as her grandson in order to fulfill her final wish.
Ja Geum Soon is a woman born in 1930 in North Korea. She escapes to South Korea during wartimes and is separated from her husband and child. While waiting for her family, she establishes Hotel Nakwon, a hotel chain in South Korea.
Jae Heon is an unknown theatre actor who acts as Geum Soon’s grandson Moon Sung in order to fulfill her wish.
Se Yeon is Geum Soon’s granddaughter who is in charge of Hotel Nakwon.
Will I watch? There's not a lot of information available about this drama aside from the plot, but the premise sounds like it could be a heartwarming and heartbreaking story. It sounds more appealing (and accessible...) to me than Kang Haneul's last few dramas, so that's always a plus!
Ransom
Release date: October 28 (most likely) on TVING
Runtime: ??
Cast: Jin Seon Kyu, Jeon Jong Seo, Chang Ryul,
Plot: No Hyung Soo visits a motel room to see Park Joo Young. He is pleased with her appearance and happy to pay for her services, but a surprise is waiting for No Hyung Soo. He is soon surrounded by people who have come to buy his organs. They bargain over the price of his organs with Park Joo Young conducting the auction, but an earthquake suddenly occurs. Within the collapsed building, they struggle to survive.
Will I watch? I will not watch because this drama seems to stressful for me!! But others might like it! It's based on a short film of the same name.
Source: MyDramalist 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 | KBS World 1, 2, 3 | Kocowa TV 1 | Kdrama Zone 1, 2 | TVING 1 | The Swoon 1 | MBC Drama 1 | Zapzee 1 | Tran Puong Anh 1 | TVN d ent 1 | @kdramaladies on Tumblr
What are you watching and what will you be watching Omona? I'm currently watching Little Women, 1000 Won Lawyer, and Golden Spoon. And Drag Race UK of course!