Happy New Year everyone! New year, new month and new dramas! I hope I can watch more, write more and enjoy more Korean dramas this year.

Here is a list of dramas coming up in January — lots of webtoon adaptations this month:

Love Song For Illusion

Premiere Date: January 2

Network: KBS

Stars: Park Ji Hoon (Weak Hero Class 1), Hong Ye Ji (On My Way Home), Ji Woo (Age Of Youth 2)

Slot: Monday & Tuesday

Number Of Episodes: 16

Genre: Historical, Romance, Fantasy

Synopsis: An assassin who wants to assassinate the king somehow ends up losing her memory and she is appointed as the crown prince’s concubine. Meanwhile, the crown prince works as a fashion designer by disguising himself and has an alter ego who is charming but experiences pain when touched by others.

Thoughts: The story sounds very interesting but it feels like too many plots are at work here. Hopefully, the actual watch would make proper sense and coherence.

Doctor Slump

Premiere Date: January 27

Network: JTBC, Netflix

Stars: Park Shin Hye (You’re Beautiful), Park Hyung Sik (Happiness)

Slot: Saturday & Sunday

Number Of Episodes: 16

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Synopsis: Two former rivals, a plastic surgeon and an anesthesiologist, reunite and unexpectedly become each other’s light during the darkest period of their lives.

Thoughts: I don’t need synopsis to watch the pairing of Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Shik in a rom-com! (But it sounds good too!). Bonus: the writer penned zippy rom-com dramas like What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, My Roommate Is a Gumiho and A Poem A Day.

Flex X Cop

Premiere Date: January 26

Network: SBS

Stars: Ahn Bo Hyun (See You In My 19th Life), Park Ji Hyun (Reborn Rich)

Slot: Friday & Saturday

Number Of Episodes: 16

Genre: Action, Romance, Comedy

Synopsis: An immature third-generation chaebol heir unexpectedly becomes a detective after he helps catch a criminal. He starts working with the team lead of violent crimes team unit (played by Park Ji Hyun).

Thoughts: I really liked Park Ji Hyun in Reborn Rich and the synopsis sounds fun. “Serious cop, immature cop” has been a very common trope in action comedies and I’m looking forward to its use here.

Marry My Husband

Premiere Date: January 1

Network: tvN

Stars: Park Min Young (Love In Contract), Na In Woo (Longing For You), Lee Yi Kyung (Welcome To Waikiki), Lee Gi Kwang (Mrs. Cop)

Slot: Monday & Tuesday

Number Of Episodes: 16

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis: A woman who is suffering from terminal illness witnesses her husband having an affair with her best friend and is murdered by him. She is then transported 10 years back into the past. She decides to seek revenge against them with the help of her boss.

Thoughts: The plot sounds very similar to recent Perfect Marriage Revenge which received good reviews. Based on a web novel, the show sounds makjang through and through.

Knight Flower / Flower That Blooms At Night

Premiere Date: January 12

Network: MBC

Stars: Honey Lee (The Fiery Priest), Lee Jong Won (The Golden Spoon), Lee Ki Woo (My Liberation Notes)

Slot: Friday & Saturday

Number Of Episodes: 12

Genre: Historical, Comedy, Action

Synopsis: A woman who is a widow and who belongs to one of the most prestigious noble families during Joseon dynasty, lives a quiet life during the day but at night, she sneaks out to help people who are in need.

Thoughts: Color me interested.

A Shop For Killers

Premiere Date: January 17

Network: Disney+, Hulu

Stars: Lee Dong Wook (Tale Of The Nine-Tailed), Kim Hye Joon (Connect)

Slot: All episodes released together

Number Of Episodes: 8

Genre: Action, Thriller, Mystery

Synopsis: A woman is raised by her uncle after her parents’ death. Her uncle runs a mysterious shopping mall. One day her uncle suddenly dies and she becomes the target of suspicious killers.

Thoughts: The plot is interesting but my overall interest in the drama is low.

The Bequeathed

Premiere Date: January 19

Network: Netflix

Stars: Kim Hyun Joo (Trolley), Park Hee Soon (Trolley, Moving), Park Byung Eun (Eve), Ryu Kyung Soo (Tale Of The Nine-Tailed 1938)

Slot: Friday (All episodes released together)

Number Of Episodes: 6

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Synopsis: After the death of an unknown uncle, a woman inherits a burial ground and finds herself in the centre of a string of murders and dark secrets.

Thoughts: Mystery-thriller is one of my favourite genres and this drama looks like a perfect example of it. Very intrigued.

LTNS

Premiere Date: January 19

Network: TVING

Stars: Ahn Jae Hong (Be Melodramatic), Esom (Taxi Driver)

Slot: Friday

Number Of Episodes: 6

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Synopsis: A married couple has reached to a point where nothing excites them about their relationship. Both of them then form a team of blackmailers who blackmail people who are having extramarital affairs. In the process, they reflect upon their own broken marriage.

Thoughts: This is a fresh subject for a kdrama or even in general. The cast is good too.

Captivating The King

Premiere Date: January 21

Network: tvN, TVING

Stars: Jo Jung Suk (Hospital Playlist), Shin Se Kyung (Run On)

Slot: Saturday & Sunday

Number Of Episodes: 16

Genre: Historical, Romance, Drama

Synopsis: A love story between a king who harbors an emptiness within him despite his high position and a spy who initially plans on seeking revenge against him but falls in love with him.

Thoughts: I love the cast and the plot sounds good but also like a tragic love story.

Queen Of Divorce

Premiere Date: January 31

Network: JTBC

Stars: Lee Ji Ah (The Penthouse), Kang Ki Young (Extraordinary Attorney Woo)

Slot: Wednesday & Thursday

Number Of Episodes: 12

Genre: Legal, Drama, Comedy

Synopsis: A divorce problem solver and an eccentric lawyer team up to run a firm called Solutions that helps bring justice to “bad spouses” in problematic marriages with their solutions.

Thoughts: The show looks like it’s another episodic “agency solving xyz issues” drama but I’m excited to see Kang Ki Young in a main lead role.

Gyeongseong Creature (Part 2)

Premiere Date: January 5

Network: Netflix

Stars: Park Seo Joon (Itaewon Class), Han So Hee (Nevertheless), Wi Ha Joon (Squid Game), Claudia Kim (Chimera)

Slot: Friday (all episodes released together)

Number Of Episodes: 7

Genre: Action, Thriller, Historical, Sci-Fi

Synopsis: In the year 1945, during the Japanese colonization of Korea, an entrepreneur and a sleuth fight against a monstrous creature born as a result of greed.

Thoughts: Part 1 received mixed reviews and I didn’t watch it because I read that it is full of gore.

Death’s Game Part 2

Premiere Date: January 5

Network: TVING, Amazon Prime Video

Stars: Seo In Guk (Café Minamdang), Park So Dam (Record Of Youth)

Slot: Friday

Number Of Episodes: 8

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Fantasy

Synopsis: A man gets more than one second chance at life after facing death — 12 cycles of life and death.

Thoughts: The reviews are good for part 1 so I might check out both instalments together!