King of Dramas Finalizes Cast with Kim Myung Min, Jung Ryeo Won, Choi Si Won and Oh Ji Eun

I’m seeing conflicting reports on which SBS drama will follow Faith on Mon-Tues. Some sites list The Great Seer, others list King of Dramas, and some sites list both as SBS Mon-Tues dramas. Clearly something has to give, and despite what I wrote earlier, I think logically The Great Seer ought to be a Wed-Thurs drama to follow To The Beautiful You since that drama is a 16-episoder that ends in early October, while King of Dramas will follow Faith which as a 24-episoder won’t end until the end of October. I’m actually super duper excited about King of Dramas, confirmed this week to star Kim Myung Min (swooooon!), Jung Ryeo Won (used to hate but now totally adore), Choi Si Won (always easy on the eyes), and Oh Ji Eun (I love this girl!). King of Dramas was scheduled to start filming this week but the start date has just been pushed back to the end of September, so there is no way this drama could follow Beautiful You and be ready to air.

I actually don’t care which drama gets which day of the week, since it’s the same in my book. The reason I’m so psyched about King of Dramas isn’t just the cast, but the fact that it sounds so much like On Air and The World We Live In. I loved On Air despite needing episodes to get into the story because of the shrill leading ladies, but the two male characters were just so much love and the story about the making of a drama was fascinating. The World We Live In is actually the superior drama of the two, but the PD for that drama was such a hack it kept taking me out of the story despite a truly phenomenal script. Watching dramas that are about making-K-dramas provides a great peek into the world of television show production in Korea, and its always good to know what going on behind the scenes so that we can all enjoy the dramas we love so much.

In King of Dramas, Kim Myung Min plays the titular king of dramas, a successful and arrogant television drama producer who is ready to produce his latest show. Joining him is Jung Ryeo Won playing a prickly screenwriter who insists on her work being respected, and together obviously they get along as well as cats and dogs. Choi Si Won is back to playing a big star, which he’s done twice before already, once in Oh My Lady! and the other time in Skip Beat. This time his character is cocky and brash, and he’ll likely have sparks fly with Oh Ji Eun who plays his leading lady in the drama-within-a-drama. Of the four actors, Si Won is clearly the weakest link, but he’s shown that this character trope is one that he really can handle with easy. Kim Myung Min is considered the leading thespian of his generation of male actors, and he’s never failed to deliver a character in any drama or movie I’ve seen, even if the source material sucks. I’ve only recently changed my mind about Jung Ryeo Won after watching her crackling performance in History of the Salaryman, and I think she plays bitchy and condescending so well because inside you can glimpse the humanity and vulnerability. And finally is Oh Ji Eun, who I am currently watching every single night for the past month as I’m marathoning I Live in Cheongdamdong. She’s beyond adorable and so natural of an actress. I can’t wait for this drama to arrive!