10 Dramas To Watch Out For In 2021

Korean dramas continue to serve up inventive storylines. In 2021 k-dramas will present a mystery set in space, a tale of time travel, a Goguryeo-era folk story, a modern-day romcom about cosmetics marketing and a super-power action story. There’s even a drama about a Korean lawyer who worked for the Mafia. With multiple imaginative stories in the works, here are more than a few that seem noteworthy. Some of these dramas have official start dates, while others hope to air some time during 2021.

She Would Never Know

First up in January is She Would Never Know, also known as Senior, Don’t Put On That Lipstick. Based on the 2017 web novel, Senior, Don’t Put On That Lipstick the title refers to the senior/junior workplace relationship between Yoon Song-ah, played by Won Jin-Ah (Melting Me Softly) and Chae Hyun-seung, played by singer-actor Rowoon, last seen in Extraordinary You. The characters work together marketing a cosmetics brand. The JTBC series, due to air Jan. 18, also stars Lee Hyun-wook and Lee Joo-bin.

Marriage Lyrics and Divorce Music

This TV Chosun drama focuses on three women who work in the same industry and each face challenging times. One of those women is Bu Hye-Ryoung, played by Lee Ga-Ryeong. She’s a 30-something radio disc jockey who finds it hard to balance her career and time with her husband, played by Sung Hoon. Sa Pi-Young, played by Park Joo-mi is a 40-something radio producer, married to a psychiatrist. The third woman is 50-something Lee Shi-eun, played by Jeon Su-kyeong. She’s a radio program writer, but in the 30 years of her marriage, has sacrificed a lot for her professor husband. Given the drama’s title it is likely to explore what makes a marriage work and what doesn’t. The drama airs January 23.

River Where The Moon Rises

Also known as Moon Rising River, this KBS2 series is based on the 2010 novel Princess Pyeonggang. The series stars Kim So-hyun as a warrior princess, who dreams of being the first female ruler of Goguryeo. Kim was last seen in another historical drama, The Tale of Nokdu. Princess Pyeonggang is protected by the simple On Dal, played by Ji Soo, who last starred in the drama When I Was Most Beautiful. The tale of On Dal is told in Samguksagi, a historical record of The Three Kingdoms, which says he eventually became a great general. Although many historical k-dramas focus on the Joseon era, this one is set in an earlier time. The drama also stars Lee Ji-hoon as a general and Choi Yu-hwa as a woman who wants to control Goguryeo. The series is slated to air in February.

L.U.C.A. The Beginning 

If you prefer dramas with plenty of action scenes and a touch of the supernatural, look out for L.U.C.A. The Beginning. In this paranormal action drama, Kim Rae-won, plays Ji-O, a detective with special abilities that help him solve crimes but also complicate his life. His powers may be the reason he is always being chased by mysterious figures. His life is also complicated by the fact that he does not know who he is. Actress Lee Da-hee plays a detective, whose parents disappeared when she was a child. The tvN drama is directed by Kim Hong-sun, who directed Voice 1, Black and The Guest. It will air Feb. 1.

Sisyphus: The Myth

Billed as JTBC's 10th Anniversary Special Drama, Sisyphus: The Myth, is scheduled to premiere in February. The title of the time travel drama refers to the Greek myth in which the arrogant general Sisyphus is punished by the gods. He must eternally roll the same boulder up a hill, so his task is always difficult and never done. Cho Seung-woo plays an engineer who tries to solve the mystery of his brother’s death. Park Shin-hye plays Kang Seo-hae. She travels back in time to help him solve the mystery. Park can be seen in the films The Call and #Alive. Cho stars in both seasons of Stranger and the film Feng Shui.

The Silent Sea

Also known as The Sea of Silence, this sci-fi thriller stars Bae Doona, Gong Yoo and Lee Joon as the members of a special space research team. The Netflix NFLX drama is adapted from the 2014 short film The Sea of Tranquility, written and directed by Choi Hang-yong, who will also direct the eight-episode series. In this film’s vision of the future the world is a barren desert. The special team is sent to the moon to retrieve a mysterious sample. Gong, who appeared in Train To Busan and Guardian: The Great and Lonely God is the team leader, one who makes the safety of his team a priority. Bae, who appeared in Kingdom and Sense8, plays a microbiologist and Lee Joon of Father is Strange, plays an engineer who volunteered for the dangerous mission. Actor Jung Woo-sung is the drama’s producer.

Snowdrop

Snowdrop is set in 1987 when a nationwide democracy movement generated mass protests and forced the South Korean government to hold elections. Jung Hae-in plays a graduate student who hides in the dorm of a women’s university, after participating in a protest. Blackpink singer Kim Ji-soo plays the woman who finds and hides him. Jung appeared in the dramas Something In The Rain and One Spring Night while Kim appeared in the Arthdal Chronicles and The Producers. The drama, which also stars Yoo In-Na, Kim Hye-yoon and Jang Seung-Jo, airs some time in 2021.

Vincenzo

The protagonist of this drama is a man named Park Joo-hyeong, who grew up in Italy under the name Vincenzo Casano. Played by Song Joong-ki, Vincenzo is a lawyer for the mob, who escapes to Korea because of a mafia war. There he meets lawyer Hong Cha-young, played by Jeon Yeo-bin. She will do whatever it takes to win a case and they wind up working together. The drama also stars Ok TaecYeon and Yoo Jae-myung. Song’s last TV drama was Arthdal Chronicles, Jeon Yeo-bin appeared in Be Melodramatic and Ok played the lead in The Game Toward Zero. This drama airs in February.

Jirusan (Cliffhanger)

This drama has alternately been called Mount Jiru, Jirusan and Cliffhanger. Jun Ji Hyun, who starred in The Legend of the Blue Sea and You Who Came From The Stars and Ju Ji-hoon, who starred in Hyena and Kingdom, play park rangers hiking Mount Jiru. The mountain has a mysterious effect on its visitors, driving them to kill or to commit suicide. Also starring in this drama are Sung Dong-il as a park official and Oh Jung-se as a park ranger. Sung recently appeared in The Cursed and Hospital Playlist, while Oh riveted audiences in It’s Okay Not To Be Okay and When The Camellia Blooms. The script is by Kim Eun-hee, who wrote Kingdom and Signal, and directed by Lee Eung-bok who directed Mister Sunshine, Descendants of the Sun and Guardian: The Great and Lonely God. As yet the drama has no air date.

Kingdom: Ashin of the North

A few dramas that promised second seasons will hopefully deliver them in 2021. Fans await the second season of Arthdal Chronicles, Love Alarm and Hospital Playlist, but one sequel likely to air in 2021, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, is actually a “sidequel.” Kingdom is based on the webcomic Burning Hell Shinui Nara by Kim Eun-hee. The first two seasons of the Netflix historical zombie drama starred Ju Ji-hoon and Bae Doona. Kingdom: Ashin of the North will star Jun Ji-hyun, but as yet has no definite date. Kingdom: Ashin of the North tells the story of the mysterious character that Lee Chang encounters while searching for the origins of the zombie plague. The story will be directed by Kim Seong-hun, who directed the first season of Kingdom.