A Look At the Upcoming K-dramas for the First Half of 2014

It might be too early yet to look deep into 2014 for what’s coming on the K-drama horizon though the networks have indeed plotted out their entire year more or less. So far the leaks and rumors have only gone as far as the Summer projects but I thought it nice to lay out what I know so far on all the major networks. Some dramas are about to air (Age of Feeling) while others have just started filming (Full Sun and Three Days). I think the most high profile would be You’re All Surrounded if indeed Lee Seung Gi and Cha Seung Won sign up for it. Lee Seung Gi is a pretty sure fire ratings lock and the drama appears to be a police procedural and human interaction story that ahjummas will surely slurp right up. After last year’s two time-traveling dramas in Nine: Nine Time Travels and Marry Him If You Dare, this year only one is on the horizon and that is God’s Gift – 14 Days with Lee Bo Young which is a cross between MHIYD and Two Weeks. Full Sun tries to recreate revenge incarceration melodrama in the vein of the successful Secret while Lee Kyung Hee takes her melodrama pen to weekends with Wonderful Season. Two rom-coms are coming down the pipeline, the first being Cunning Single Lady with Lee Min Jung and Joo Sang Wook and then comes Mozart Romance with Jang Hyuk. MBC definitely will do a sageuk after Empress Ki but it may or may not be Dae Jang Geum 2. The production team behind The Princess’s Man is preparing a sageuk of their own called Joseon Sharpshooter. After The Incarnation of Money last year, Kang Ji Hwan may once again played a revenge-driven prosecutor in Golden Cross. And last but not least, the mere rumor of Jo In Sung pairing up with Gong Hyo Jin for a Noh Hee Kyung penned psychiatry drama has me going hhhhmmmmm delicious despite the drama not even having a network yet. This year definitely looks intriguing and now the hard part is actually executing all these concepts properly.

SBS Mon-Tues starting after Warm Words:

God’s Gift- 14 Days with Lee Bo Young and Jo Seung Woo in February. Followed by Dr. Stranger in May with Lee Jong Seok and Park Hae Jin.

SBS Wed-Thus after You From Another Star:

Three Days in February with Park YoochunPark Ha Sun, and So Yi Hyun.

You’re All Surrounded in May with Lee Seung Gi and Cha Seung Won.

KBS Mon-Tues after Prime Minister and I:

Full Sun in February with Yoon Kye Sang, Han Ji Hye, Kim Yoo Ri, Jo Jin Woong, and Son Ho Joon.

Mozart Romance in May with Jang Hyuk.

KBS Wed-Thurs after Pretty Boy (Bel Ami):

Age of Feeling in January with Kim Hyun Joong and Im Soo Hyang.

Golden Cross in April with Kang Ji Hwan.

Joseon Sharpshooter in July by the production team behind The Princess’s Man.

MBC Mon-Tues after Empress Ki – nothing confirmed with Dae Jang Geum 2 and Pa Cheong Won both being mapped out.

MBC Wed-Thurs after Miss Korea:

Cunning Single Lady in February with Lee Min Jung and Joo Sang Wook.

KBS Weekend after Wang’s Family:

Wonderful Season in March with Lee Seo Jin, Kim Hee Sun, Taecyeon, and Lee Elijah.

SBS weekend after Thrice Married Woman:

Angel Eyes with Kang Na Neul and Nam Ji Hyun as the teenage counterparts, adults with rumored leads Lee Jun Ki and Han Ji Min.

jTBC Mon-Tues:

Secret Love Affair in March with Yoo Ah In and Kim Hee Ae.

Summer drama with unconfirmed network:

It’s Okay, It’s Love with Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin.


Comments

A Look At the Upcoming K-dramas for the First Half of 2014 — 32 Comments

  1. For the most part I am pretty pumped for the upcoming dramas, 2014 is turning out to be an awesome year! Though I have to say I am most excited for God’s Gift – 14 Days, It’s Okay, It’s Love and You’re All Surrounded, but there are most definitely some other potential goodies in there! Thank’s for the drama roadmap Koala!

  2. Well, i have to say that all these upcoming dramas have casted some of my favorite actors and actresses with some that I am fond of so my excitement meter is a bit higher for 2014. Not many with a plot yet but so far the ones we do know about (You’re all surrounded, God’s gift — 14 days, three days) have already captured my interest.

  3. I usually hate sageuk dramas, but i can`t wait to see what writers of The Princess`s Man bring to us. The only historic Korean drama i liked and one of my favorites to date.

    Also You Are All Surrounded and Three Days sound great. Not sure about all the melos.

    • So agree about TPM. That one remains on the top 5 dramas I’ve seen. I love sageuks but that one is like another level. Hopefully the writer is also good, TPM’s writing was probably the best thing about it amongst every other great aspects.

  4. Jang Hyuk is out – apparently the follow up to Tae yang is Big Man. And SBS has announced a sageuk about Prince Sado and Jin Soo Wan is back with another psychiatry thriller of her own about dissociative personality disorder… but the male lead is a chaebol. Gag.

  5. The only casting news making me wince in pain is Lee Elijah. The girl sucked so bad – how did she get cast in anything? Her male co-stars in Basketball were amazing even with a craptastic script.

    • You’re wincing about Lee Elijah but not about Taecyeon? He sucks just as hard and unlike her he’s been in several productions.

      • I guess this depends on the person and all, but holy heavens – Taecyeon wasn’t even half as bad in WAY compared to the atrocity that was Lee Elijah in Basketball. That drama sucks to epic proportions but I could’ve tolerated it somehow – just… I can’t take more than a minute of her onscreen. She’s sucks so bad, I can’t even.

        Even if she was cast against someone I love, I would think twice – thrice – quadruple times before ever seeing anything with her again.

  6. I will watch my man KJH in anything…DUHHHH…He will always be my bias!

    Secret love affair sounds interesting at JTBC… I love me some cougar love!!!

    3 days with Yoochoon but I don’t like the girl paired opposite him: she’s a complete turn off for me.

    I will watch you’re all surrounded for Cha Seung Won; I must be the only person in the world who doesn’t see anything special in Lee Seung Gi.

    By the way, Kim Hyung Joon is killing it in KBS2 “Age of Feeling”! What a transformation.. The 1st 2 episodes were absolutely gripping and they took 2nd spot after ‘ man from another star, leaving Miss Korea in 3rd place…

    The young counterparts are so spot on is eerie, and the boy playing the young KYJ is a show stealer!

    Check it out.. KYJ shed his flower boy image and he’s sexy as hell IMO.

    • btw…kwak dong yun, the boy that play Kim hyun joong younger counterpart look so similar with chinese star, hwang xiao ming! he got kind of charm too! i can see that he will be the next successful child actor after yeo jin goo and hey they are at similar age too! they both are 17!!

  7. I’m also pretty excited for a drama u didn’t list….its called emergency man and woman with choi jin hyuk and song ji hyo

    • Emergency Couple is the drama I am most looking forward to right now. The teasers look good, him using sharpie to write on her purse…priceless. I also have a big thing for Choi Jin-hyuk, and I would not mind having the show bring in a shower prank, killing two birds with one stone in my opinion. Yes, I am excited if you cannot tell 🙂

  8. I’m super pumped up for You’re all surrounded. I’m kinda in love with the premise – sounds fun with loads of action and heartwarming stuff. But even if it sounds like the crappiest drama, whenever I see LSG – I’m sold without any questions asked whatsoever lol.

    I’m also looking forward to God’s gift. LBY has been on fire so I’m l

    • Woops. Posted too early. Yea pretty much looking forward to LBY’s project. As for GHJ-JIS, I’m liking the idea of the pairing but the drama sounds way mentally exhausting or something lol. But I’ll probably get pulled in. I’m a sucker for good pairings.

  9. The only one of this lot that gets me truly excited with no reservations re: cast or writer, is the unnetworked Noh Hee-kyung drama starring Jo In-sung and Gong Hyo-jin. (because it’s my prince and my queen).

  10. I actually haven’t particularly loved any of the LSG’s dramas… Not because of him or his acting, just the dramas themselves. But a police procedural? I love those… So this could be the one that wow’s me. Definitely in for watching that.

    Thanks koala for the nice breakdown of all the upcoming dramas. I am also a sucker for good pairings and it just depends on the timing, just how much bad writing I can take in exchange for a good pairing. So I hope that all of the dramas have good writing and storylines. I am interested in the JSW and LMJ drama. I liked her after seeing AAMR even though it wasn’t well received. JSW – I will watch him in just about anything, just about.

  11. SBS got the bigger stars, but that doesn’t always translate to ratings success. Though it does look pretty good…I wonder if they’ll be able to take out Empress Ki with Lee Bo Young.

    Okay and all I need in my life is Seunggi and Cha Seung Won to sign (along with a high profile female lead) and I’ll be happy. Though I wonder if Cha Seung Won will actually take it.

    I want to watch Kim Hee Ae in a drama, but man I’m going to have to scrub Noona’s over Flowers out of my mind before I do it. My mind is taking me places….

    • i feel you. seung gi hea ee noona romance moment had so much chemistry i wish he could do the drama with her. and it takes my mind to placess too. but got to pull myself together. they are like family and seung gi unexpectadly is dating yoona not a noona.

  12. Anything with Seunggi’s name I’m in for sure! It’s gonna be great if Cha Seung Won joined the cast. the brief release of the plot seems very promising. It needs a good writer, checked. PD, checked. That’s awesome already. Hopefully a good actress too! oh can’t forget it’s on SBS which imo is the best drama network.

    I’m the only one who is not that happy about Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin! Idk, like both of them alot individually but their pairing doesn’t make me excited!

    jang hyuk is doing a rom-com! Noooo! Saguek land missed you alot! I’m all for trying different genres but I literally couldn’t go through Midas or Iris 2! And loved his acting in Chuno and TDR! Maybe I’m weirdo but I think he will look awkward doing rom-com! I’m not underestimating his level! the man is a great actor and all.

  13. Omg lee seung gi and cha seung won are giving me “the greatest love” flashbacks. 😀
    Excited for the new dramas, love that there is some genre variation.

  14. Hi Koala, Age of feeling aired the first 2 episodes last week. I would appreciate it if you can write a first impression post.

  15. highly anticipating “your all sorounded” since i heard seung gi and cha seung won are considering it. this is it!! loved them since greatest love and always wanted to do a drama together. its like fate between these two. usually my attention should be next on the leading lady and its rumored it’s someone arround seungi ‘s age.

    fans are speculating it can be moon chea won , park min young. hope to hear more updates and hope they will confirm

  16. . . . SBS . . .is indeed a home of famous stars, but frankly speaking, MGC has the most number of great dramas i’ve ever watched. i really hope that both these stqations would produce a heartfelt dramqas this year.

  17. Thank God Lee Jun-Ki did not accept the role in Angel Eyes. I’d much rather watch him in The Choseon Gunman.

    I also look forward very much to the following drama

    1. Into the Flames with Choi Soo-Jong, Son Tae-young, Ryu Jin, Lee In-Hye, and Lee Ki-Chan debut as an actor.

    2. Triangle with Kim Jaejoong.
    3. Jang Bo -Ri was here with Kim Ji-Hoon and Oh Yeon-Seo
    4. Wild Chives and Soy Been Soup with Nam Goong-Min

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