It's difficult to tell what the powers-that-be on streaming platforms are thinking when they select K-dramas for us. For instance, why is the exquisite historical fiction Bloody Heart on Disney+ Hotstar, but not available to Indian audiences? (The platform does have the reality TV show In the Soop though, with BTS's V, Park Seo Joon and others, in case you were interested.) How is it possible that Yumi's Cells, about a young woman picking up her life after a difficult break-up, still hasn't been picked up by any of the major Indian platforms (while regrettable K-dramas like Snowdrop and She Would Never Know have found buyers)?
While we can't answer these questions, what we do have for you are recommendations from the new K-dramas that have landed this month at a platform near you.
Ji-Sung (The Devil Judge) has a double role, playing twin brothers who discover their birth father was framed for the murder of their stepfather. Woo-shin is a bestselling author while his twin brother, Soo-Hyun is a prosecutor. Helping the brothers uncover the truth that was buried 22 years ago is a journalist and a woman who is rebelling against her family. Adamas will begin airing on July 27th on Disney+ Hotstar.
Lee Jong-suk (Romance is a Bonus Book, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo) makes his acting comeback after his military service with this noir legal drama. He'll be playing the role of a "third-rate" lawyer nicknamed "Big Mouth" who is mistaken for a gangster known as "Big Mouse" when he lands up in prison after a car crash. The show is directed by Oh Choong Hwan, who has previously directed Start-Up and Hotel del Luna. Big Mouth will begin airing on July 29th on Disney+ Hotstar.
This fluffy romance starring Kim Min-jae (Do You Like Brahms?) and Park Gyu-young (The Devil Judge) was one of the sweetest K-dramas of 2021. Kim plays the brash and flashy businessman Moo-hak who falls for Dali, an eccentric art gallery owner. Their paths cross when Dali finds herself faced with bankruptcy after her father unexpectedly passes away. Folded into this classic love story about how opposites attract is a murder mystery, some tongue-in-cheek potshots at modern art and a whole lot of cuteness. All the episodes are available on Netflix.
What's not to love about a show that follows the workings of a real estate company that specialises in selling haunted houses? Ji-ah (Jang Na-ra) is a realtor who makes her living by performing exorcisms on haunted properties so that they are certifiably ghost-free. (She also bakes muffins, because women are multitaskers, thank you very much.) The one ghost that she can't get rid of is that of her mother, who haunts their family home. Partly comedic and occasionally scary, the series wobbles in the middle before settling down to a satisfying conclusion. All the episodes are available on Netflix.
The love story of a top-ranking medical and a young nurse plays out against the backdrop of the events that led up to the Gwangju Uprising of 1980, during which student protesters were fired upon, assaulted, raped and killed by government troops. Of course the show presents a romanticised take on history, but it's also a reminder of how the civil liberties that are taken for granted today have been earned on the back of protest and dissent. Lee Do-Hyun (Sweet Home, 18 Again) and Go Min-si (Sweet Home, Love Alarm) are wonderful as the lead pair and they're ably supported by a cast that includes some of the best character actors of the K-drama world.