Are you ready for the new year? I’m not sure if I am, but apparently there’s no stopping it! So it looks like we should embrace the onslaught of new dramas about to head our way. Let’s start the new year right with some amazing dramas! Let’s see what we have to look forward to in this January 2019 edition of “Korean Dramas You Need to Be Watching.” This monthly series is meant to keep you updated on what’s happening in that amazing world of Korean dramas so that you don’t miss out on anything!
Here are the kdramas you should keep an eye out for in January 2019:
My Pick:
1. The Crowned Clown
2019 looks to be bringing an end to the historical drought we experienced last year, and that all begins with The Crowned Clown starting off the year. Yeo Jin Goo seems like a perfect fit for dual roles in this drama, and I’m more than ready to see a historical full of emotion and intrigue!
The Crowned Clown follows the story of a king (Yeo Jin Goo) who fears for his life so he brings in a kind look-a-like clown to stand in for him. A love triangle will also ensue between the two and the queen (Lee Se Young).
The Crowned Clown is scheduled to premiere January 7 on tvN.
PREMIERING IN JANUARY:
2. What’s Wrong, Poong Sang? (Liver or Die)
What’s Wrong, Poong Sang? is about a middle aged man (Yu Ju Sang) who hasn’t been able to live his own life because he had to care for his four younger siblings. The drama comes from the writer of Our Gab Soon.
What’s Wrong, Poong Sang? is scheduled to premiere January 9 on KBS.
3. Kingdom
Kingdom is a zombie sageuk about a crown prince (Joo Ji Hoon) in the Joseon era who discovers a terrible zombie epidemic in the kingdom after the deceased king is resurrected. The 6 episode drama comes from the writer Kim Eun Hee of Signal and Ghost.
Kingdom is scheduled to premiere January 25 on Netflix.
4. Romance is a Bonus Book
Romance is a Bonus Book is a love story focusing on people in their 30’s at a publishing company. Lee Jong Suk plays a writer and chief editor with Lee Na Young as a copywriter struggling to get a job because she is overqualified so she lies about her education to get a position.
Romance is a Bonus Book is scheduled to premiere in January 26 on tvN.
5. Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho 2
Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho 2 follows lawyer Jo Deul Ho (Park Shin Yang) after he is wrongly accused by a powerful law firm that results in his license being taken away.
Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho 2 is scheduled to premiere January 7 on KBS.
6. Spring Must Be Coming
Spring Must Be Coming tells the story of two women (Lee Yoo Ri and Uhm Ji Won) who switch bodies which gives them new opportunities and perspectives on life.
Spring Must Be Coming is scheduled to premiere January 23 on MBC.
7. Touch Your Heart
Touch Your Heart is a romantic comedy about a lawyer (Lee Dong Wook) who hires a secretary (Yoo In Na), but it turns out she is an actress that was recently involved in a big scandal who is trying to get a new role through the job.
Touch Your Heart is scheduled to premiere January 30 on tvN. (UPDATE: Premiere date pushed to February 6)
8. Babel
Babel is a mystery melodrama about a prosecutor (Park Shi Hoo) who learns a big corporation was connected to his father’s death and sets out to find the truth. He then becomes the prosecutor on a case with a former top actress (Jang Hee Jin) as the lead suspect in her husband’s murder.
Babel is scheduled to premiere January 27 on TV Chosun.
CURRENTLY AIRING IN JANUARY:
9. The Last Empress
The Last Empress is set in a fictional South Korea which operates under a constitutional monarchy. It follows a musical actress (Jang Na Ra) who marries the emperor (Shin Sung Rok) and becomes involved in the palace power struggle and a mysterious murder.
The Last Empress airs Wednesday and Thursday on SBS.
10. My Strange Hero
My Strange Hero is a romantic comedy about a man (Yoo Seung Ho) who is wrongly accused of committing violence at school because of his first love (Jo Bo Ah) and is expelled. Then as an adult, he returns to the school for revenge but finds himself out of place and in the middle of another situation.
My Strange Hero airs Monday and Tuesday on SBS.
AND SO YOU’RE UP TO DATE,
OTHER DRAMAS THAT WILL BE ENDING IN JANUARY:
Memories of the Alhambra
Memories of the Alhambra deals with augmented reality computer games that alters what a person experiences around them. A CEO (Hyun Bin) travels to Spain and stays at the hostel of a woman (Park Shin Hye), and the two get caught up in a strange incident.
Memories of the Alhambra airs Saturday and Sunday on tvN.
Encounter (Boyfriend)
Encounter is an opposites story that follows the complicated romance between a free-spirited ordinary man (Park Bo Gum) who seems to have nothing and the daughter (Song Hye Kyo) of a politician who seems to have everything.
Encounter airs Wednesday and Thursday on tvN.
Clean With Passion For Now
Clean With Passion For Now is based on a webtoon of the same name about the relationship between a cheerful and untidy woman (Kim Yoo Jung) who works at a cleaning company and the company’s owner (Yoon Kyun Sang) who suffers from germaphobia and is completely obsessed with cleanliness.
Clean With Passion For Now airs Monday and Tuesday on JTBC.
Children of Nobody (Red Moon, Blue Sun)
Children of Nobody is about a woman (Kim Sun Ah) who has a great life but loses everything after a brief accident The story follows her as she tries to uncover the truth behind what happened with the help of a detective (Lee Yi Kyung).
Children of Nobody airs Wednesday and Thursday on MBC.
SKY Castle
SKY Castle is a satirical comedy about the lives of 4 wealthy women and their families and all they go through to make sure their children are successful and get into good universities. Starring Yum Jung Ah, Yoon Se Ah, Lee Tae Ran, and Oh Na Ra.
SKY Castle airs Friday and Saturday on JTBC.
Less Than Evil
Less Than Evil is a crime drama that is a remake of the British series Luther about a detective (Shin Ha Kyun) who is tormented by the crimes he solves and a psychopath (Lee Seol) who helps him.
Less Than Evil airs Wednesday and Thursday on MBC.
Priest
Priest is a medical horror drama dealing with exorcism that is set in a Catholic hospital. Yeon Woo Jin plays a priest who is skilled in exorcism, Jung Yu Mi an emergency room doctor who has lost her faith in God, and Park Yong Woo (Life Tracker Lee Jae Goo) plays another priest who raised Yeon Woo Jin.
Priest airs Saturday and Sunday on OCN.
What dramas are you looking forward to or enjoying in January?
Make sure to get caught up because there are more dramas coming your way in February!
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