6 New K-Dramas to Catch This September

It has been an exciting year for K-Drama fans and it looks like the coming month has only more to offer. September will culminate with two of Disney+ Hotstar’s biggest K-Dramas reaching their finale: tvN’s murder mystery Adamas, starring Ji Sung, and MBC’s crime-legal drama Big Mouth, starring Lee Jong-suk and Im Yoon-ah. The latter saw all-time high viewership numbers in its time slot (according to Nielson Korea) and has continued to gain a steady following in India. However, Netflix continues to outshine its counterparts with its curation of some of the best titles in South Korean television, with Kim Hee-won’s Little Women being the latest addition. With more K-dramas set to drop on streaming platforms this month, here’s our pick of the September releases. 

Narco-Saints 

Release Date: September 9
Streaming on: Netflix 

Reportedly the most expensive Korean drama ever made (per episode), Narco-Saints marks the series debut of acclaimed director Yoon Jong-bin, known for films like The Spy Gone North (2018) and Nameless Gangster (2012). The series stars Ha Jung-woo as an ordinary businessman in Suriname, South America, who is forced to pose as a drug smuggler in order to help the government capture a Korean drug lord. The six-episode crime thriller is based on true events. Much like Narcos was inspired by Pablo Escobar, Narco-Saints is based on the true story of Jo Bong-haeing, a drug lord convicted of smuggling charges in 2011.  

Little Women 

Release Date: September 3
Streaming on: Netflix 

When Vincenzo’s director Kim Hee-won teams up with The Handmaiden’s writer Jeong Seo-kyung, expect something spectacular. Inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s most popular novel, Little Women is set in modern-day Korea and revolves around three sisters – Kim Go-eun (Yumi’s Cells), Nam Ji-hyun (The Witch’s Diner) and Park Ji-hu (All of Us Are Dead) – battling poverty. Their worlds are upended when they get embroiled in a web of deceit, lies and embezzlement and are forced to take on much larger forces at play. From the cast’s stellar performances to the drama’s tightrope act of balancing poignancy, humour and mystery promises, this 12-episode series promises to be fantastic. The first two episodes have met with rave reviews. Pro tip: Do not press ‘Skip Intro’ on the drama’s beautiful and artistic opening credits. 

May It Please The Court 

Release Date: September 21
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar 

Jung Ryeo-won could play a lawyer while she’s asleep by now. The actress, who has played an attorney in multiple dramas such as Witch’s Court (2017) and Diary of a Prosecutor (2019), will take on a similar role in May It Please The Court. Directed by Kang Min-gu of Itaewon Class, the legal mystery drama shows Jung as brilliant lawyer Noh Chak-hee. She is working at a top firm and on her way to make partner when she is suddenly suspended. Now a public defender, she teams up with a dedicated attorney, Jwa Si-Baek (Lee Kyu-hyung). The drama reportedly consists of 12 episodes. 

Once Upon A Small Town 

Release Date: September 5
Streaming on: Netflix 

Rom com lovers rejoice! Once Upon A Small Town is the wholesome tale of a veterinarian from Seoul, Han Ji-yool (Choo Young-woo), who is tricked by his grandfather to move to the countryside. Finding himself cornered by nosy villagers, a horde of rebellious animals and a chaotic work-life balance, Han finds solace in his friendship with the village’s police officer, Ahn Ja-young (girl group Red Velvet’s Joy). Based on a web novel of the same name by Park Ha-min, the drama will have 12 episodes. 

Grid

Release Date: September 7
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar 

Loved the investigative thriller Stranger, starring Cho Seung Woo? Writer Lee Soo-Yeon presents another layered narrative through Grid, a sci-fi dystopia that marries time travel, a murder mystery and the end of the world. The story revolves around an entity called ‘The Ghost’ – a mysterious figure who saved all of humanity from a deadly catastrophe in 1997 by building the eponymous Grid. 24 years later, The Ghost is back with questionable intentions: he helps a serial killer escape prison. To catch the elusive persona, an ordinary employee (Seo Kang-joon) and a detective (Kim Ah-joong) embark on a pursuit that blurs the line between the present, past and future. The 10-episode drama marks Seo’s first appearance on the small screen after his military enlistment. 

Love in Contract 

Release Date: September 21
Streaming on: Rakuten Viki 

Trust tvN to come up with the whackiest premise and deliver on it. One of the network’s latest projects, Love in Contract stars Park Min-young as Choi Sang-eun, a spouse-on-hire for social gatherings and events. What could possibly go wrong? The talented Ms. Choi is soon caught up between two clients – Jung Ji-ho (Go Kyung-pyo) and Kang Hae-jin (Kim Jae-young) – resulting in an enviably good-looking love triangle. The 16-episode romantic dramedy is directed by Nam Sung-woo who is known for hit dramas such as My Roommate is a Gumiho (2021) and Because This Is My First Life (2017).

This story was originally published on September 5, 2022