While viewers are talking about the record breaking ratings of Queen of Tears and the dark horse arrival of Lovely Runner, we have yet another potential hit on our hands making April 2024 just an amazing month for K-dramas. This Friday MBC premiered period drama Chief Detective 1958 starring Lee Je Hoon along a strong supporting cast of Lee Dong Hwi, Choi Woo Sung, and Yoon Hyun Soo and the first episode set a recent year record for the network with 10.1% ratings. For example, critically acclaimed MBC sageuk My Dearest didn’t hit double digit until episode 6. I’m thrilled for the production and cast as this definitely feels like a different offering and from all accounts has very high directing, acting, and writing all around.
I like Le Je Hoon…I do enjoy a number of projects he picks. He has a good eye for what suits him.
Another Fri-Sat hit for MBC. Whomever at MBC decided to invest and focus on this timeslot deserves a huge raise because their ratings were in the doldrums for years prior.
This looks good although the styling is not convincingly 1950s especially the hair.
Thankfully qot will be done by next week so this series will only be affected for two Saturdays.
Total 10 episodes. Every Fri & Sat. How can it be done so soon?
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On saturday, it dropped to 7 something. But that bcuz of QoT got 20.2% if im not mistaken.
Chief det is good. LjH really suits this type of character.
I love both dramas and also lovely runner. My fave kdramas nowadays.
Anyways, please watch lovely runner yeorobun.
Lee Je Hoon works really hard and has quite a range of characters and drama in his resume. Comparing his character Where Stars Land to Taxi Driver and Move to Heaven, he has done well. I thk this drama choice is really good. Both the period and the genre is a plus by setting itself different from other dramas offered to viewers.
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I like dramas as Signal, Taxi driver, …Life on Mars ( he isn’t in this one) ,Through the darkness …so i’ll watch this one after the end QOT . Seems to be totally my genre . The fact that ‘s in the end of 50’s will show me glimpse of Skorea back then .
Haven’t watched Life on Mars yet. The director had two critically acclaimed works, Crash Landing on You and Doona. I don’t know the leading actors though. Signal and Taxi Driver are also on my list to watch. I’ve got so many interesting dramas from recommendation that I don’t feel like continuing QoT at all. I watched ep6 yesterday and quit again. QoT is boring compared with some other old dramas.
I understand the fact that people may not like QOT, At first i liked it very much, but i think that after the 1st part i think that the drama is more about the couple which people may like or not, i’m still enjoying it but not waiting with angst for the next episodes . I couldn’t watch Goblin and it was a hit . Life on Mars is the remake of a BBC drama, the actors are all good but if you don’t like dramas which takes place in another era , you’ll have to pass, as far as i’m concerned i like it , Signal at the beginning may seems like the Us movie Frequency, but it’s much more than that I highly recommend it , Taxi driver is more about seeking revenge for the ones who can’t reach justice , Taxi driver’s gang is in a darker way the A team ! I’ll recommnend The good detective season 1, for the actors and for the story ! This why i’m still against the penalty death !
Also Tunnel but the end was disappointing .and Beyond evil that you are watching, Through the darkness( the story of the 1st profiler in Korea) is great .
@cahill, original Life on Mars Just just one of the coolest drama…I enjoyed the Kdrama version but I would call it inspired storyline…
@Somebody, the lead actor for Kdrama Life on Mars is a good actor…I enjoyed a number of his projects. He is a good man with a good soul. And he is dating a very pretty actress… Worth looking into it.
@Hl , i watched back then BBC’s Life on Mars, and i like both . Yep, it’s more an inspiration , i feel the same for Less than evil ( Luther). Both Life on Mars have great cast , i adore John Simm ( and his guest appearance in Doctor Who ) , as for Chief detective 1958, i like it because even it’s totally different, for me it’s like for the british drama that’s one of my fav’s off all the time in the police genre Endeavour ( Shauwn Evans , just fantastic, great cast too )which is also a prequel of Inspector Morse which i never could watch! Imagine a prequel of Barnaby !!!!! Another BBC drama that i liked but was stopped Ghost Squad ( Elaine Cassidy, Jonas Armstrong )If i continue , i’m going to be banned from France for not being a good patriot and only liking the british shows and the actors !!!
@cahill, all you recommended here seem to intrigue me. I need time to check them out and just have fun. LOL. I just can’t bear with repetitive storytelling with all bets on leading actors’ performance only. I appreciate a drama more with obvious collective efforts on all fronts rather than just highlighting attention or appeal of the lead actors. I’ll be scathing about my fave’s dramas if that’s not good even he does amazing jobs there. But rabid fans don’t have critical mind to take it that way. They worship whatever he’s done, is doing, and will do. He’s their GOD. LOL.
@HL, I just googled it. He’s dating Soo-young, one of the most gorgeous GG girls. I used to be an avid Kpopper of that generation. He’s foreign to me but not his gf. LOL.
@cahill, I lol at your last comment. TBH, I watched way more British dramas and movies than French one even French has been known for very artistic film making. It’s all influenced by my dad who’s a fan of British culture. My dad looked down Hollywood and dismissed many of the productions from Hollywood. LOL.
@Somebody, Jung Kyung Ho is really a good actor i watched a lot of his works , the kind of actor who isn’t popular for his looks( not fan war type) even if i find him handsome, his acting is subtle , he is dating Soo young since a decade and they are one of the most low key and cutest of the celebrities couples . She is my fav of GG and If Yoona has more projects than her, Soo Young is a better actress ( Tell me what you saw, Not others )
@cahill, I’ve never watched Soo Young’s dramas nor his bf’s. But Soo Young stands out from all GG gals for her visuals. I personally think she’s more beautiful than Yoona who’s always the center of the praises back then.
Digressed from this back to Kim Ji Won. Although I may very possibly not gonna finish her QoT and miss her great acting fans raved about, I plan to watch My Liberation Notes sometime (hopefully soon since there’re so many interesting recommendations on my bucket list and I may have hard time picking next one to watch LOL). I recall some ppl might have recommended My Liberation Notes to me before but I didn’t really pay attention cos I’m not familiar with any of the cast. But I just found out my fave (C actor Xiao Zhan) was a fan of My Liberation Notes too. He even blogged about MLN on his social media back then. A huge fan of XZ and a Youtuber mentioned it days ago. LOL. XZ has rarely got any time for his own entertainment off work that’s imaginable given how busy he is. What he’d like to do most of the time off work is sleeping per his interviews. LOL. But he even mentioned MLN on his SM account anticipating what’d come up in that day’s episode. Only a fan of the drama would have done so in public. I love this man’s artistic tastes in a lot of stuff. So, wait for me, My Liberation Notes!!!! LOL.
My liberation notes is a a great drama and the work of a all cast . It’s a drama about 3 siblings working in the city but living in the countryside with their parents . It’s an intimate, introspective , …slice of life of each character , the drama has a slow pace . It affected me very much as i saw a little of myself in each one .
@cahill @Somebody, I have such a bad flu these few days…Brain fog…cannot comment here much.🤧
Midsomers murder is one of my fav!! so much goes on in one tiny village…!!! I have to hand it to the scriptwriter. I dont know Ghost Squad…Will check out.
@Somebody…yes Soo-Young is beautiful, inside and outside.
@HL, get well soon! We have many ppl sick this season in the US too. Our immune systems have all seemed more vulnerable since COVID-19. I still wear masks whenever inside buildings. I don’t care how a lot of Americans don’t have this habit and stare at you like you’re weird. Masking has been protecting me quite well so far. Vaccines and flu shots don’t necessarily work all the time. People in Taiwan wear masks a lot in public, like Japanese. That’s why they were the best in controlling the pandemic.
Take good care of you @Hl . I will continue ” ALL By Myself” to annoy @Somebody with my suggestions and my bad english 😜
I always found Soo Young the most beautiful, charismatic of th GG , She has also a healthy image . Never understood why Yoona was the most popular one, but i suppose that she fits the standards of the asian beauty !
I could never finish ANY of Yoona’s dramas. King of Land is snoozefest to me even I got my hope high for Junho’s sake after watching the Red Sleeves. I quit KoL right after ep1. Sorry Junho even he’s my 2PM bias. LOL. Still need to check Soo Young’s dramas yet. I had no idea she even acted. We had a sizable following of Girls’ Generation fanboys here in the US. LOL.
@cahill, I’d like to rave about Beyond Evil that I’m following now. Fans are mesmerized by KSH in QoT. Sorry not sorry. KSH’s acting appears junior compared with Shin Ha-kyun. SHK in BE is what I consider great acting!!!!!!! This is my sincere review even I didn’t know SHK before and BE is my first drama of SHK.
@Somebody, Shin Ha Kyung is mine , They aren’t from the same generation . I’ve watched many of his works and Beyond Evil is one of my fav, Watch Less than evil, and if you want an older and lighter drama watch him in Brain, a drama from 2011 it was when he caught my everything ! Did you know that he dated during a little time Kim Go Eun.
Lee Je Hoon is a wonderful actor that has never disappointed me. (And I love his quirky humour off screen!) Looking forward to watching this one.