There is a genre of Kdramas that I can only classify as family kdramas. I’m not sure what else to call them and I’m sure there is a proper name for them. I’ll ask my mom one day. They’re multi-generational stories.

These stories contain the following:

1. Most have a theme of a HUGE secret that everyone eventually finds out about. This is usually what hooks the viewer. The pain and frustration of no one knowing and the anticipation of when everyone will find out.
2. A very unrealistic, loving, and kind Korean father (based on my own anecdotes, real-life Korean fathers are the exact opposite)
3. A realistic, overly dramatic mom who makes a big deal out of nothing and makes the lives of her children harder than necessary.
4. A psychopathic mother in law.
5. A crazy loving family who always work through their problems together.

They’re mostly a bit corny but I love them. It kind of gives a bit of a break from the blockbuster, intense 16 episode kdramas. I enjoy them to wind down and really appreciate how much my neighbours mind their own business.

My advice, don’t binge these. They’re 50+ episodes and can sometimes drag on. 2-3 episodes per week is enough to keep you interested and it’s an easy watch.

These are the ones that I have watched and a brief review.

My Father is Strange

• Lead Actors: Jung So Min, Lee Joon, Ryu Hwa Young, Lee Yu Ri, Min Jin Woong, Kim Hae Sook, Kim Han Soo

This is my absolute favourite family KDrama. All of the characters are so loveable and hilarious. It’s about a family with four siblings and two very loving parents. Joon Young (Min Jin Woong) is the eldest and only son, Koreans call the “Jang Nam” and he has failed the civil servant exam so many times but continues to keep trying. Hye Young (Lee Yoo Ri) is the eldest daughter, a smart, confident, and sassy lawyer who will do everything for her family. Mi Young (Jung So Min) a mousy former judo champion who is trying to figure out what she wants to do. Ra Young (Ryu Hwa Young) is the baby of the family and a carefree yoga instructor. Their parents run a restaurant and their father has a huge secret, hence the title.

Being about 50 episodes long lots of things happened and it has a great story and I love all of the character development that happens to everyone. I had to pick the one thing about this show that makes it so great, it’s how loyal the whole family is to each other. Joon Young failed the civil servant’s exam so many times yet his family did not make him feel bad and always supported him so he felt encouraged to keep going. Hye Young ended up with a controlling psycho mother in law and my only thought was, “just cut her out!” and she handled her so perfectly using her wits, without cutting her off.

Each of the children overcome their own challenges with each other’s help. Everyone is adorable and some are also frustrating to watch. This show is a definite must watch.

Once Again

• Lead Actors: Cheon Ho Jin, Cha Hwa Yeon, Lee Jung Min, Lee Sang Yeop, Lee Sang Yi, Lee Jung Eun, Lee Cho Hee

This is another cute one and it’s a close second for me. All of the kids in the Song family kids end up getting divorced and need to move back in with their parents. There’s lots of character development and in an ideal situation during a divorce there is a lot of self reflection. Everyone starts off slightly immature and annoying and eventually they’re endearing and you end up loving all of them. Even the psycho mother in law. Each of their reasons for divorce are different and we see how some of them navigate single parenthood.

The parents run a fried chicken restaurant in a traditional market and are friends with all of their fellow small business owners. I love visiting these markets when I go to Korea and hope they don’t get pushed out by the big grocery stores that are currently taking over Korea. All of the shop owners in the market have their own stories and fight and make up with each other.

This is one of those re-watch worthy shows because of all of the feels.

Father, I’ll Take Care of You

• Lead Actors: Park Eun Bin, Lee Soo Kyung, Lee Tae Hwan, Kim Chang Wan, Kim Hye Ok, Kim Sun Young, Shin Dong Mi

This show was also fun and heart warming. Again, it is the theme of adult children moving back in with their parents and the mother is not happy about it. The eldest son moved back with his family because he fell on some hard times financially. The second son wanted to live in Gangnam and moved back home. The youngest son moved back to Korea and he was really the only one who was welcomed back with open arms.

A strange man moves into the tallest building across the street and they can’t tell if he’s being nice or trying to screw everyone over. He is slowly taking over the highly valued Bang Bae Dong (rich neighbourhood in Seoul) and pushing out the people who have always lived there.

What I didn’t like about this show is how they portrayed the female characters. There was some unnecessary slapping and yelling. Oh Dong Hee (Park Eun Bin) was the best female character and even she was very meek at times but she had a quiet strength. I think they wanted to portray them as being strong women but just made them obnoxious.

I enjoyed this one and it’s worth watching.

What Will Happen to My Family?

• Lead Actors: Park Hyung Shik, Kim Hyun Joo, Nam Ji Hyun, Kim Sang Kyun, Yoon Park, Yoo Dong Geun, Seo Kang Joon

I loved this one as well mostly because Park Hyung Shik and Nam Ji Hyun were so cute. It’s about a single father who is raising his three kids. His kids start off as ungrateful brats but eventually grow up into proper adults. The characters start off very unlikeable and it’s hard to watch their loving father take care of them.

They show flashbacks of the kids when they did appreciate their father and before they got caught up in their own lives and became ungrateful. The eldest son became jaded by the whole hospital system and resented his father for not being rich. The eldest daughter seemed so focused on her career and she forgot how to live. The youngest son is just the typical youngest child.

I never liked the eldest son and I hate how he cheated on his very loyal girlfriend to move up at work and everything just worked out fine for him! His character changed way too suddenly and it was not believable. I feel the appeal of this show is the warm and loving single dad. This is not common in real life in Korean families and more a hopeful dream.

This show is entertaining and there were some laughs and tears but I wouldn’t consider this a must watch.

Five Enough

Lead Actors: Ahn Jae Wook, Soo Yoo Jin, Shin Hye Sun, Sung Hoon

This one is about a single mother of three and a single father of two who fall in love and struggle to combine their families. There are a bunch of sub plots and other characters in it as well. There was a lot of laughing and frustration. The two had to fight really hard for their relationship and there were children involved.

I enjoyed this one but I’m kind of on the fence about it. It was really cringy and cheesy at some points. If you can stomach this much cheese, go for it.

I finished these and don’t reccommend them….

Mother of Mine

Lead actors: Kim So Yeon, Kim Hae Sook, Kim Ha Kyung, Hong Jong Hyun

As much as I wanted to love this show because of Kim So Yeon and Kim Hae Sook and all that feminist energy that came with it I could not get into it. The story was just too ridiculous. The unnecessary drama. The male lead played by Hong Jong Hyun was so terrible. He’s so beautiful but needs to go to acting school. Him and Kim So Yeon had zero chemistry. The story just didn’t move at a good pace and the romance was lacking.

Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life

Just don’t. It’s so terrible. I watched it because I wanted a good show with Seol In Ah as the lead and I just finished Love in Contract with Kim Jae Young and I found him so sexy. I almost stopped watching this after the first few episodes. I couldn’t stand 80% of the characters. They all wanted to make me rip my hair out. How can you blame a child for a suicide?

All of the previously mentioned show, the psychopathic MIL always grows and develops into a better person and you kind of see their side and why they are so protective of their sons. The crazy MIL in this one could not be redeemed. I was hoping the entire time that she would end up in jail and it never happened.

Side bar: Seol In Ah needs a new booking manager. Honestly, this girl is so talented and gorgeous and I want to see her in more leading blockbuster roles.

Everything about this show was so frustrating. Just don’t.

On my current watch list…

Three Bold Siblings

• Lead actors: Lee Ha Na, Lim Joo Hwan, Kim So Eun, Lee You Jin

I am loving this one and have been watching the episodes as they come out. It’s about a family of three siblings and their relationships with unlikely partners. They have to go to great lengths to be with the ones they love. The eldest is in love with a celebrity whom she grew up. The issue is that he supports his entire family, including his cousins. The younger sister is in love with a man who is closer to her father’s age and has a daughter in her twenties. The son, who is the youngest is also in love with an older woman who happens to be his brother in law’s aunt. Yes, things are spicy on this show.

There are many crazy things going on and I’m always excited to see what happens next.

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