July was a mixed bag for fans of K-dramas with some hits and some misses. While the third season of Song Kang-starrer Sweet Home took the spotlight followed by Red Swan featuring Rain, the rest didn’t catch the attention or hearts of K-drama fans. However, August has an array of K-dramas lined up that promise wholesome entertainment. From the thriller The Frog to the romance drama Love Next Door to the new season of Pachinko, there are K-dramas from various genres.
Bad Memory Eraser – Aug 2
This heart-warming K-drama revolves around four main characters – Lee Goon (Kim Jae-joon), Kyung Joo-yeon (Jin Se-yeon), Lee Shin (Lee Jong-won), and Sae Yan (Yang Hye-ji). The plot revolves around Joo-yeon, whose thriving tennis career is cut short after a life-threatening accident. Devastated by his predicament, Goon uses a path-breaking psychiatric tool called 'memory eraser'. The tool plants false memories and makes him believe that he is in love with Ju Yeon, his psychiatrist and brain researcher. It will be interesting to see how this memory-meddling impacts the protagonists’ lives.
Where to watch: Viki Rakuten (select regions)
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Romance is in the House – Aug 10
Byeon Moo-jin (Ji Jin-hee) goes bankrupt and ends up leaving his wife Geum Ae-yeon (Kim Ji-soo) and children – daughter Mi-rae (Son Na-eun) and son Hyun Jae (Yoon San-ha). However, he reappears in their lives, 14 years later, as a billionaire. Ae-yeon and Mi-rae’s lives take a chaotic turn with his sudden arrival, leading to comedic situations that the trio finds themselves in. While Moo-jin wants to reconcile, the trio has no intention of forgiving him. Amid the recent onslaught of romance and thriller K-dramas, this family drama promises a comedic relief.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Tyrant – Aug 14
This exciting action thriller revolves around the development of a bioweapon under the secretive The Tyrant Project by the Korean government. The supposed bioweapon can enhance human abilities giving them enhanced powers. After the intervention of the US government, the project was shut. However, during the handover of the bioweapon, it is stolen, forcing the US government to send men to find the culprits. Mercenary Lim Sang is hired by the US agencies to find and terminate all those associated with The Tyrant Project.
Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar
Love Next Door – Aug 17
Choi Seung-hyo (D.P. actor Jung Hae-in) is a renowned, young architect who is loved by all, but has a dark past – Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min who was last seen in Alchemy of Souls in 2022). Seok-ryu is his mother’s friend’s daughter who he has known since childhood but grew apart due to unforeseen circumstances. Due to certain situations at work, Seok-ryu has to resign from her high-paying job. And, one fine day, she runs into Seung-hyo. The drama follows their reunion as adults while both grapple with personal dilemmas.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Frog – Aug 23
The trailer of the psychological thriller is enough to tell you that this K-drama is high on violence and bloodbath. It opens in 2021 with an old man Jeon Young-ha (Kim Yoon-seok) running a pension home. His life takes a violent turn when a guest checks in – Yoo Seong-a (Go Min-si), a mysterious woman who goes on a killing spree. A similar situation happened in 2000 with Gu Sang-jun (Yoon Kye-sang), who ran a motel back then and lost his family. Yoon Bo-min (Lee Jung-eun) is the investigating officer for both cases, struggling to connect the dots between the two.
Where to watch: Netflix
Pachinko (season 2) – Aug 23
The second season of the highly acclaimed series is finally here, continuing the story of an immigrant Korean family in Japan across four generations. The plot oscillates between two timelines – one in 1989 in Tokyo where Soloman is making new beginnings and the other in 1945 in Osaka, against the backdrop of the Second World War where Sunja is struggling with making risky decisions that will help her family survive. With the introduction of new characters, it will be interesting to see the impact they have on the plot. The K-drama marks the return of Lee Min-ho, Minha Kim, Jimmy Simpson, Anna Sawai, Jin Ha, Youn, Eunchae Jung, Soji Arai, Junwoo Han, and others.
Where to watch: Apple TV
No Gain No Love – Aug 26
Actress Shin Min-a is back with a romantic comedy, which also features Kim Dae-young in the lead role. She was last seen on TV in the critically-acclaimed poignant drama Our Blues in 2022. In No Gain No Love, Min-a plays Son Hae-young, an ambitious woman who gets into a fake marriage so that she doesn’t lose out on an important promotion at the workplace. Her potential husband is a convenience store worker Kim Ji-wook (Moon in the Date actor Kim Young-dae). While not much is known about the K-drama, given previous experiences of previous such set-ups, the series will be focused on their fake relationship turning into a real one, and Hae-young’s ambition playing the villain.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
