Premiere Watch: 365: Repeat the Year, A Piece of Your Mind, Welcome, A Couple’s World, Unique Chef Moon, Rugal
by stroopwafel
We’ve had a quiet time in dramaland, with just a couple of new premieres each week the past few months. But with spring comes new premieres and there are six new dramas to look forward to.
365: Repeat the Year
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: MBC
Genre: Fantasy, mystery, thriller
Episode count: 24 (35 minute episodes)
Reasons to watch: When a mysterious woman, played by Kim Ji-soo, invites 10 people to reset their lives by going back one year in time, it seems like a gift from fate. With the knowledge of a year’s worth events, our time traveling crew, which include Lee Jun-hyuk, Nam Ji-hyun, and Yang Dong-geun, attempt to improve their lives and prevent personal tragedies from occurring. But they quickly learn that the smallest change in the “past” impacts their future–and that death is looming over them all. Lee Jun-hyuk and Nam Ji-hyun come from very different backgrounds, Lee is a violent crimes detective while Nam Ji-hyun is a celebrity webtoon artist, but when they face unexpected obstacles and intractable mysteries, they team up to uncover the truths behind some difficult questions in their lives. The biggest question that faces them: Who will survive?
A Piece of Your Mind
Time slot: Monday & Tuesday
Broadcaster: tvN
Genre: Melo, romance
Episode count: 16 episodes
Reasons to watch: Love is a funny thing, even when unrequited, you can’t always stop yourself from holding a flame for someone. Jung Hae-in and Chae Soo-bin know this all too well–Jung has been nursing a years-long crush on his first love and Chae Soo-bin has her own unrequited feelings for Jung Hae-in. Lee Hana joins the drama as a longtime friend of Jung Hae-in’s who develops a love-hate relationship with Kim Sung-gyu’s character. Kim plays a very talented pianist–who just so happened to marry Jung Hae-in’s first love. That first love also turns out to be the catalyst behind Chae and Jung’s first meeting. As Chae grows closer to Jung Hae-in, she finds herself drawn to him, despite knowing about his feelings for another woman. We’ll have to watch to see if these two romantics be content with just a piece of someone’s mind, or if a new romance bloom between them.
Welcome
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: KBS
Genre: Fantasy, rom-con
Episode count: 32
Reasons to watch: When an aspiring webtoon writer, Shin Ye-eun, brings home a stray cat one day, she had no idea that her life was about to change. Friendly and prone to get attached to people easily, Shin Ye-eun’s new cat friend turns out to be a human who can transform into a cat (or maybe a cat that can turn into a human), played by L. Together, they get into all sorts of hijinks and L falls in love with Shin Ye-eun. His romantic feelings are tangled up with self-doubt as he’s not even sure how he manages to transform…and then there’s Seo Ji-hoon to contend with. A longtime friend of Shin’s, Seo Ji-hoon spends most of his time alone and he’s aloof with everyone and everything except for Shin Ye-eun and cats. Is friendship all that Seo Ji-hoon is after or is he hoping for more? Can the cat-human win over our puppy-like heroine?
A Couple’s World
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: JTBC
Genre: Melo
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: Based on the BBC show Doctor Foster, Kim Hee-ae stars as a protagonist who seems to have it all. She has a successful career in medicine, a loving son, and a perfect relationship with her husband, Park Hae-joon. When her husband starts to behave strangely, Kim Hee-ae’s suspicions grow into concern, then anger: the happy life she thought she had built with her husband turned out to be an illusion. Her husband, despite still loving her, committed a terrible betrayal. Her discovery can never be unlearned and it fuels a desire for revenge that can’t be sated, even though she may end up destroying herself in the process. The drama will ask difficult questions about the nature of love and just how thin the line between love and hate can be.
Unique! Chef Moon
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: Channel A
Genre: Rom-com
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: Eric stars as a celebrity chef who moves away to the countryside for his mental health after the sudden and tragic death of his parents. He’s all set to take time to grieve and cook his heart out with delicious ingredients when he runs into Go Won-hee. In her normal life, she’s a glam fashion designer, but when they meet in the countryside, she’s just lost her memory due to an untimely mishap. Despite being complete strangers, Go Won-hee manages to snag a place to stay at Eric’s home. As they grow closer together and closer to feeling whole, Eric comes to terms with his loss while Go Won-hee works to reclaim her lost memories. Their unusual living arrangement leads to some exasperation, lots cooking, and the start of a beautiful romance.
Rugal
Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: OCN
Genre: Action, crime
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: Choi Jin-hyuk and Park Sung-woong go head to head in this webtoon adaptation that focuses on an epic battle between forces of good and evil. Choi’s pleasant life is changed irrevocably when he loses both his wife and his sight in a horrific event. The event was no accident–it was engineered by Argos, an underground criminal syndicate headed by Park Sung-woong. Having hit rock bottom, it seemed there was no way out of Choi’s pit of despair–until a mysterious and powerful group going by the name of Rugal recruits him to join them on a mission to destroy Argos. In return for his allegiance, he’s fitted with bionic eyes and joins several other elite warriors, all hellbent on gaining justice and destroying Argos.
RELATED POSTS
- Cat-human L falls in love with puppy-eyed Shin Ye-eun in KBS’s Welcome
- Murder and mania in trailer for sci-fi action drama Rugal
- Jung Hae-in, Chae Soo-bin in new promos for tvN’s A Piece of Your Mind
- Rom-com Unique! Chef Moon releases still cuts of Eric and Go Won-hee
- Perfect happiness turns to utter emotional wreckage in A Couple’s World
- Bionetic battle between good and evil begins in Rugal
- First script read for fantasy rom-com drama Welcome
- First script reading for tvN’s A Piece of Your Mind with Jung Hae-in, Chae Soo-bin
- Cast of 365: A Fate-defying Year gather for script reading
Tags: 365: Repeat the Year, A Couple's World, A Piece of Your Mind, Premiere Watch, Rugal, Unique Chef Moon, Welcome
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1 Anisa
March 23, 2020 at 10:10 PM
OMG why are ALL THE SHOWS coming out the week I have to prepare for my thesis defense?!
(I'll come back to these. In the meantime I'll be rooting for Lee Jun-hyuk Oppa not to die or be dismembered!)
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panshel
March 23, 2020 at 10:29 PM
Weekend drama Once Again premieres this Saturday as well.
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Miky
March 24, 2020 at 11:57 AM
That's one show i wanna watch mainly because of the leads and my love for Lee Sang Yeob,hope the story will be heartwarming and funny even if we'll get like 50 eps...Talking about Lee Sang Yeob,guy is pretty busy with two dramas to film,happy for him to get more lead roles but hope he will be fine health wise.
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Moonbean
March 28, 2020 at 3:14 AM
TV Chosun's weekender Somehow Family is also starting this weekend. Like many I also need feel good fluff.
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2 panshel
March 23, 2020 at 10:26 PM
In today's pandemic, I need some fluff to cure my coronavirus-induced stress, and Welcome is the fluffiest fluffball.
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yayabean
March 24, 2020 at 5:07 AM
Indeed. Fluff is what I need too.
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kd6606
March 24, 2020 at 11:44 PM
Me too!
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3 kiara
March 23, 2020 at 10:39 PM
Gosh dang it Kim Hee-ae you are going to make me watch this melo. Park Hae-joon I want to love you but I guess it's not going to be in this drama.
I've never seen "BBC's Doctor Foster" but I'm going to look it up.
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sal
March 24, 2020 at 7:06 AM
Watched some episodes of Doctor foster but had to stop watching it. Show have a very claustrophobic atmosphere in it since you are in her head as she suspect her husband cheating and you really feel her paranoia. Seems like the Korean version gonna be a little different, but not sure I am in for it.
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kiara
March 24, 2020 at 1:39 PM
I binged through it in one day.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"
I felt like I was watching a psychological thriller and I'm mentally exhausted.
The writing and the acting of the female lead in the original had staying power but I'm not so sure about this writer. Kim Hee-ae will be fantastic in this kind of role though so I'll give it a shot.
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4 javinne
March 23, 2020 at 11:01 PM
So, I am watching an oldie: "A witch's romance" (which doesn't make me feel very satisfied, but for that I have the FF button), I haven't finished "Romantic teacher doctor Kim 2", I am watching "when the weather is nice" (to my delight, everything is perfect about it), I
haven't even started hospital playlist because of apparently no time, but now I also have "A piece of your mind", "365", and the Cat story to watch on my plate! At least, this week is not only quarantine but I cannot work, due to chronic pain. New dramas can help me cope with pain, don't you guys think?... so, this is a blast🙂☺😊😀😁
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PakalanaPikake
March 24, 2020 at 5:46 AM
@javinne,
I've been watching BISCUIT TEACHER AND STAR CANDY for an infusion of Gong Yoo and Gong Hyo-jin circa 2005. They don't make 'em like they used to. ;-)
Sorry to hear that you are feeling bad. I, too, medicate with Kdramas. ;-)
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javinne
March 24, 2020 at 8:54 AM
Oh, yeah,I have heard about it, for is another noona romance. I don't feel very connected to these actors, but maybe I could try to watch and see if I like it 😆
Thanks for the tip
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Miky
March 24, 2020 at 12:01 PM
Hope we'll get a reunion someday with them in another drama and indeed,kinda miss the oldies,they had that something special(some of them not all),loved it when i saw it 10 years ago and watch it from time to time and it's still great...
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5 dramamad
March 23, 2020 at 11:09 PM
Will be checking out piece of your mind and rugal. Maybe even unique chef. I just can’t seem to unsee go won hee’s beard from Waikiki. Every time I see her picture I seem to imagine I see a 5 o clock shadow on her face 🤷♀️
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6 Ibyang0916
March 24, 2020 at 2:45 AM
Done watching Episodes 1 & 2 of 365: Repeat the year. Cant wait for the next episodes. So far, im loving the performance of all the actors in this drama. Hope this show is goiod from start to finish. No major plot holes please!
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Nhatz
March 24, 2020 at 5:38 PM
Due to lockdown, i was able to finish Episodes 1 to 4 of 365 A YEAR OF DEFYING FATE in one sitting. I find this drama to be very very interesting. Actually, i never hope that this drama will be this good. Each character is WELL PLAYED. The drama had me hooked.
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7 Kafiyah Bello
March 24, 2020 at 3:49 AM
So many shows, this is exciting. I'm happy Koreans are able to film and happy due to their precautions they seem to have escaped the worse of this virus!!!
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8 Edgar Pordwed
March 24, 2020 at 4:25 AM
One week more and I shall be free to start 365 and Welcome. Maybe even Rugal and Unique! Chef Moon! Excited!
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9 PakalanaPikake
March 24, 2020 at 5:35 AM
Thank you for your Premiere Watch update, @stroopwafel. Holy moly! It's raining Kdramas!
I thoroughly enjoyed the two new additions to my Mon-Tues lineup. They join NOBODY KNOWS and WHEN THE WEATHER IS FINE – both of which had dandy episodes on Monday. 365: REPEAT OF THE YEAR had me hook, line, and sinker right from the get-go. It is well paced, has a great cast, and even has a cute dog. Lee Joon-hyuk, who turned 36 on 03/13, is all kinds of fine. 365 sported Roy Orbison's gorgeous classic "In Dreams."
A PIECE OF YOUR MIND also grabbed me right out of the starting gate. Unsurprisingly for a show with a recording engineer as a main character, its music floated my boat as well. It included what sounded like an OST by Norwegian indie musician Lasse Lindh, whose compositions graced SOULMATE and GOBLIN. Episode 1 of A PIECE OF MY MIND also featured "Je te veux (Valse pour Piano)" ["I Want You"] by Erik Satie. Alas, I don't know the name of the vaguely familiar popular music performed with accordion and fiddle at the house concert, but I enjoyed it. PD Lee Sang-yeob came through again. The atmosphere of his interiors is exquisite, and really sets the mood for the action that unfolds therein. I loved the cinematography, especially the scenery of the snowy Norwegian woods. There is extensive interior footage of a vintage hanok (Korean traditional house) that is simply exquisite.
I could have sworn that I'd read some months ago that Mon-Tues time slots were being abandoned by various broadcasters. It sure doesn't look that way to me. ;-)
WELCOME joins FIND ME IN YOUR MEMORY and HOSPITAL PLAYLIST in my Wed-Thurs schedule. CHEF MOON will keep HYENA company on the weekend. I’ve commented on all the premiering shows I intend to watch in last weekend’s What We’re Watching.
So many Kdramas, so little time. ;-)
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bong-soo
March 24, 2020 at 9:15 AM
@pakalanapikake,
Greetings from a practically shut down NYC.I hope all is well with you. I am so pleased to read your (and @ibyang0916) review of 365: REPEAT OF THE YEAR. I have been waiting for Lee Joon-hyuk (1984)'s new drama and I am pleased the early returns are so positive. It looks like it will be a 12/24 episode drama. I am also watching and enjoying NOBODY KNOWS and WEATHER so M/T are full.
ITAEWON CLASS just wrapped up and my other (and one tvN drama at a time ) HOSPITAL PLAYLIST is one episode a week so in addition to 365 I will be checking out UNIQUE! CHEF MOON.
Now notwithstanding my tvN rule you got me interested in A PIECE OF MY MIND. I have warmed up to Chae Soo-bin from STRONGEST DELIVERYMAN to INAR to FOX BRIDE STAR.
In the last two dramas she (as FL) and because of the story really had to take the romantic initiative. Both MLs were rather inexperienced in that area. I wonder if that will continue in her new drama. Almost like a bit of typecasting.
A couple of months ago I watched JUNG HAE IN'S TRAVEL LOG.
That was only my second reality show (after the excellent COFFEE FRIENDS) and it covered his first trip to NYC last October with buddies Eun Jong Geon and Im Hyun-soo.
It was light but delightful. Let me tell you, a surprise for me was how much food JHI can pack away. In one sitting in Madison Square Park he polished of 4 Shake Shack burgers no problem. In the image above he obviously is no worse for the wear. This guy can pack it away though, lol.
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PMSahjumoni
March 25, 2020 at 2:03 AM
I just watched the first episode of 365 and I gotta say, my man Lee Joon Hyuk looks so fine there. Also, the show gives me Vanilla Sky vibes. Maybe it's all that psychological in your mind stuff. Although I can't say I actually understood much of what Vanilla Sky was about. hahaha
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pickleddragon
March 27, 2020 at 5:31 AM
PD Lee Sang-yeob is the same director who made MY HOLO LOVE. It is great to see the same PD experimenting with styles, and not getting stuck in a single 'voice'. A PIECE OF MY MIND is in complete contrast to the earlier show.
Thank you also for the leads on the music in the show (I'm not watching the rest). I have hardly heard Satie, and this (along with #NICEWEATHER) is a good introduction to his oeuvre for a noob like me.
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10 OldLawyer
March 24, 2020 at 7:24 AM
CHEF MOON sounds like a good one.
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11 windsun33
March 24, 2020 at 9:46 AM
The first two are looking good so far, the rest either not seen yet or looking lame, except for couples world. Rugal, Unique Chef Moon, Welcome - none of those seem intriguing, but as usual will catch the first couple episodes just in case.
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12 Linda Palapala
March 24, 2020 at 10:04 AM
Should I only post positive thoughts? Because it seems all I do is complain. Oh, well, here I go again...
Was really looking forward to 365. Started off funny and I really like the male lead (sorry I don't know anybody's real name). Then the girl in the wheelchair who was supposed to be really sad and crying - my first though was, ooh, this person can't act at all. You can tell she's trying to look sad and cry but she's not convincing me at all. Who is this person? So I looked her up, and it's the actress that everybody adores but I can't stand (again).
So instead I'm looking forward to the rest of the pack starting this week. I heard Rugal was on Netflix but it hasn't shown up in U.S. Netflix as coming soon. So I don't know.
I'm looking forward to the cat one (though it seems too silly) just because I love the two male leads and have been looking forward to seeing Seo Ji hoon again (hopefully with a better role).
Back to sitting here watching as Calif is pretty much shut down.
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windsun33
March 24, 2020 at 5:40 PM
The Cat one kind of sounds like Forest 2.0. I hope I am wrong, but the entire premise just seems really silly.
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PMSahjumoni
March 25, 2020 at 2:09 AM
I also do not like the FL in 365 (Nam Ji Hyun) and couldn't watch Suspicious Partner (I also could not watch anything Ji Chang Wook) and dropped 100 Days Prince. But she is serviceable here. For now. So we'll see either the show goes downhill first or her. Ooops..
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Abigail
March 25, 2020 at 2:25 AM
It is okay if you dont like her. To each his/her own. But what surprises me is that even you do not ike her you know all the drama that she was in. Why would she do downhill? i do not get it. Im her fan but i must admit that shes not very popular yet to go "downhill" or whatever. Just saying.
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PMSahjumoni
March 26, 2020 at 7:13 PM
Oops, sorry, I apologize. I meant if my tolerance of her goes downhill, not her. I'm sure she's a perfectly good actress and well loved by many, just that she's not my cup of tea. It so happens that I am attracted to a drama based on the synopsis of the storyline and when I went to check out the drama, I realized she was in it. Those are the only 2 dramas I know she was in as I happened to check it out, so I don't actually know ALL the drama she's in.
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13 Miky
March 24, 2020 at 11:55 AM
Such a feast!!! Guess i'm gonna check them all and see what i'll continue...At the moment the one that calls to me the most is Rugal...
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14 Kurama
March 24, 2020 at 12:12 PM
365: Repeat the Year and A Piece of Your Mind are the ones that interest me the most. So I tried it and I liked their first episode. I'm curious about the story.
For the others, I'm not convinced or interested by the story. A Couple’s World's casting looks good but I'm not in the revenge mood...
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15 levdeveta
March 25, 2020 at 1:34 AM
Im interested in anything time- travel so 365 A YEAR AGAINST DESTINY a must watch for me. besides, i love the actors in it so i will definitely check this out.
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16 Eazal
March 25, 2020 at 11:10 AM
I've started 365 and A piece of your mind.
I want to see Chef Moon, because I love Eric, but I'm already watching 4 other dramas... no way. And even with lockdown I have to work everyday, so no that much time free.
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17 lillamy
March 25, 2020 at 11:18 AM
Chae Soo-Bin is always great so I'll be tuning in to A piece of your mind .
365: Repeat the year sounds interesting, but also very easily turned into loony, bad craziness. I'll let the beanies guide me on this.
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18 PakalanaPikake
March 26, 2020 at 6:07 AM
I just finished watching the premiere episode of WELCOME / MEOW, THE SECRET BOY, and enjoyed it. I need a straight-up light, fluffy show to balance out my smorgasbord of dramas. What's not to love about a cute white kitty? I like the vibe, and hope that no serial killers or other mayhem pop out of the woodwork. I've already gotten a whiff of that in ep. 3 of FIND ME IN YOUR MEMORY -- which seems to be an homage to the 1948 film THE RED SHOES.
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19 Doremi
March 27, 2020 at 4:07 AM
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