I’ve checked out a slew of new dramas in the past few months but never write about them because its first episode simply failed to capture my interest. In the past I’d probably keep on watching, but lately I’ve got no motivation to plow forward. When I casually started to watch episode 1 of History of the Salaryman, which premiered today on SBS, I figured it’d be another watch-and-set-aside proposition. With zero expectations, this drama has won me over with sheer chutzpah. It’s bold and daring, unafraid of being ridiculous or insane, all for the sake of meta-entertainment.

This is not so much a story as it is an epic farce with gung ho underpinnings. I laughed until I almost cried in the first episode alone, which does worry me since no drama can sustain this level of hilarity without taking a turn for the serious somewhere down the line. When the first episode involved a throwdown on a golf course between two rival corporate gangs AND a super secret new anti-aging medicine being developed for a pet rooster, you know this isn’t your grandma’s K-drama. Continue reading →