To me, the most significant difference between American and Korean series is the pacing. Korean series start slow; painfully slow. So slow, it takes forever to watch the first episode and once you finally finish watching it, you are tempted to forget it and let go of the whole thing; except that there is a good hook at the end. So, you go ahead and continue watching the next episode.
Suddenly, it’s three in the morning. You are bleary eyed and deeply focused on the final scene, and even though you have exceeded your screen consumption quota by a lot, you have a strange smile full of satisfaction on your face. And now you are hooked.
Korean series are great. The stories are captivating, slow-burning, and compelling. There’s romance, but it doesn’t take the predictable path. They manage to surprise, which is delightful. There’s drama, and an ever present quirky comedy with characters often showing self-doubt and thinking out loud. If there’s action, it is unusually unvarnished and intense. There’s also a glimpse into their cultural codes, including some of the famously demanding family expectations, and observing them is an absolute treasure.
The content has to be drawing visitors into the peninsula. Maybe the Korean government is a producer, like K-Pop.
Some glorious examples of what made me love Korean Drama are: The Killing Vote, Crash Landing on You, and Vincezo. If you haven’t yet seen any Korean series, I invite you to start. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. If you have already fallen under the Korean Drama spell, and have some recommendations of your own, please share them with me!