I don't know about this. One of the reasons why I love Korean dramas so much is that they have an ending. Not like American TV shows, where they could go on forever and the stories get sacrificed.

I do. I am up to the latest (aired) episode. So far so good. But I am kinda feeling the character by KJE and Ryu Jin may change to be "not so cool"... have to wait and see. CTH has a good grip on his role; so are all the female characters (the 3 nurses and the two doctors (in ER and CTH's long-time friend). I look forward to the rest of the GH2 episodes.

I don't really know how to explain this but I'm not into medical stories -- I just get scared with blood scenes & all that -- the only drama I stayed on till the end was Cloud Stairs with Shin Dong Wook & Han Ji Hye as it was more of a love/romance drama as opposed to a lot of hospital scenes such as this I guess & loved that drama! I'm still hoping for a sequel which may not happen at all! Thnx Javabeans for all your good articles & updates on our fave K-stars/dramas etc. etc. Happy New Year to you & all!

...why follow america? are we seeing another grey's anatomy in the making?

i agree with pearl. reason why asian dramas are appealing is because they END. american dramas get dragged on forever...after a while, it loses appeal. i used to watch house everytime it's out...but into the fourth season i'm already.......

I started watching this kinda recently and I'm enjoying it! Cha Tae Hyun always makes me laugh. The first episode was kinda blah, and Kim Jung Eun was over-acty, but the later episodes got more interesting and I started liking her character. I don't usually like medical dramas either (too stressful usually, and gory) but I like this one for some reason.

I agree, one of the nice things about Korean dramas is they usually end after 1 season. For this drama though, I think doing the multiple series format will work well, because the way it's structured they do 1 storyline that lasts for 3-4 ep, and then move on to another story line. Plus, each episode/2 episodes are centered around a different patient, and once things are settled with the one patient (they either get well or die), then they move onto a diff. patient. So the new patients coming in and out keeps things fresh, and would easily allow for the drama to be carried over to more seasons. Whereas for other dramas, where it's based on a main couple, after the main couple gets married/gets together then the series should kinda end after that.

Actually, Asia in general is going through medical drama mania right now, especially around winter time. A seasonal medical drama makes a lot of sense. New Heart did great in 2007, General Hospital has performed pretty well in 2008. Establishing a proper brand is a good idea, and medical soaps can be tweaked to be as depressing or as funny as you want, while mantaining a consistent identity. Also, episode count can be highly variable for a medical soap (just add patients), and so it's a good way to buffer this year and next and set up your next season's programming schedule.

"…why follow america? are we seeing another grey’s anatomy in the making? "

My hunch is that they're looking at how Japan runs multiple seasons (usually at the same time every year) for their medical dramas (Emergency, Iryu, etc.) I'm not sure why -- but medical dramas and sitcoms are often primary candidates for seasonal run. Not cop shows. Not lawyer shows. Not transgender and intersexual romantic comedies. Just medical dramas and sitcoms.

ooh yay :) im watching general hospital 2 because of cha taehyun :)

They should make a season 2 for Soulmate. I'm still bitter that they decided not to.

i missed the 1st few eps, but i just started cause of the cast KJE & CTH, & Ryu Jin looks really good in this.

I'm interested in watching this but haven't because no one seems to be subbing this drama. So here I am still patiently waiting and waiting.

i would not mind following the US dramas...at least this will be something new in Korea as most dramas in Korea right now are suffering bad ratings...

somehow, we can see changes in every character in every season, as they are not forever who they are starting from season 1...they grow and mature and that affects their decision making and also how they deal with problems, personal and professional.

Also, because it is a seasonal medical drama, it's pretty easy to rotate in new characters and have them become the "main romantic leads" of the show, while Chae Tae Hyun and Kim Jung Eun show up for a few episodes or only a few scenes here and there. Also it's easy in a medical drama just to throw in On Air-style guest appearances. For example, they could cast Lee Seo Jin as a heart patient . . .

*dom dom!!!*

To majata: you can watch GH2 with eng sub here:
http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/generalhospital2

Although everyone above me had something nice to say. I just gotta say "Why" to me it was boring.

Thanks Jean for that valuable info. I'll check it out today.

me too so boring when i found out the character of kje was so hopeless.....not alike cht he was so lovely and energetic all the time.

Im watching GH2 because of KJE.I like her acting especially comedy.

luv diz ...

I want Lee Jae Ryong to include as Jim Do Yong in next serie.His performance is really great!