Things are not looking exactly up my alley over at SETTV for its upcoming TW-dramas that are slated to replace the two current duds – Sunday night’s Love Around with George Hu and Annie Chen and Friday night’s Just You with Aaron Yan and Puff Guo. Love Around is boring and insufferable, but Just You has a sliver of dramatic value by showing some cute chemistry between the leads. Even in the bargain basement requirements of TW-dramas, these two are basically duds. Thankfully both are ending soon, around the same time since both happened to premiere one week after the other. Both casts held their wrap party last week with plenty of hugs, kisses, and drinks to go around. I’m sure there is plenty gossip for the fodder. Coming up on Friday night will be a college-themed drama set in the 90s called My Generation of Freedom (我的自由年代). Starring Kristen Ren, Lego Lee, Jay Shih, Tzymann Weng, and newbie Steven Sun, the drama is set in a college campus in the 90s, which sounds just like Answer Me 1994, the college version of Answer Me 1997.
The production is digging up 90s Mando-pop as the soundtrack and finding the decade specific outfits for the cast. Lego Lee is the popular campus jock who rides a motorcycle and plays basketball, while Kristen is the country girl from Ping Dong who goes to Taipei for college along with her best friend played by Jay. Tzymann is the campus beauty while Steven is Lego’s best friend and a total ladies man. Over on Sunday nights, the network is airing Return to Love (回到愛以前) starring Yao Yuan Hao and Mandy Wei. She plays a ballerina and he’s her fiancée that dies to save her life. She gets a chance to go back to the past and this time she makes a different choice that leads to her not having a ballet career anymore and her fiancée ends up in love with her older sister played by Jenna Wang. I think both dramas sound interesting enough, nothing new or groundbreaking but armed with a chance to deliver something entertaining. Sadly I am severely allergic to Yao Yuan Hao (real life giant douchenozzle) so I’ll be skipping the Sunday offering and checking out the cute as a button Kristen & co. take a stab at the Answer Me concept. Check out the first cast pics from both upcoming dramas.
What happened to Terry? ??????? I desperately need a Chris Wu drama!
time travelling and college themed drama in the 90’s? hmm where have i heard that before?
though i’m sure, for the 90’s show at least, it’ll be of a different flavor as it deals with Taiwanese culture.
Is a douchenozzle better or worse than a douchebag? Need to know for the next conversation with my sister re her ex. 🙂
I couldn’t take my eyes off the clown shoes on the lady two pics? So ugly! The Answer Me show sounds cute.
She might as well put on stilts if she wants to be taller… (^^)…
Is it wrong that I kind of love Just You? Mostly because of the cute chemistry btw the main couple, but also because of the female second lead. She’s horrible – written so that you can’t do anything but hate her. It’s refreshing. Is it possible that I’ve spent too much time watching well-written dramas? lol
That said, Just You has taken that melodramatic sad turn dramas take towards the end, full of misunderstandings btw the main couple. I’ll be happy when that ends – and all the drama did before the sadness was give me lots of cute btw the main couple. The way things are going I might even get a whole last 2 episodes of it. Fingers crossed.
Oh man, I have a soft spot for Lego Li, and have been wondering where he’s been. Too bad I am not fond of Kristen Ren and the rest of the cast.
The sad thing about Taiwanese dramas these days is that they often do have a (somewhat) interesting concept, but always fizzle into nothingness with the lack of writing supporting the concept.
I actually love Just You. The chemistry is great between the OTP. Plus Aaron Yan is beyond gorgeous. ~sigh…
The supporting cast is good too. The ex-girlfriend is a witch that should jump from a building already and the Dean is just adorbs. I’m a fan.