Premiere Watch: Undercover

30 April 21, 2021April 21, 2021

by stroopwafel

Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: JTBC
Genre: Thriller, melo, action
Episode count: 16

Dramaland has just one new show premiering this week and our sole newbie is a remake of an acclaimed British show of the same name. Ji Jin-hee and Kim Hyun-joo headline as a married couple who, by all appearances, have a normal and healthy marriage. But, (and there’s always a “but”) as Kim Hyun-joo’s star rises at her workplace and she’s nominated for a political appointment, she begins to have suspicions about who her husband really is. Ji Jin-hee is indeed hiding something, and the discovery of his secret could have Kim Hyun-joo questioning the very foundations of their relationship. I’m pretty excited to see our lead pair back together (this is their second project together, the first being I Have a Lover) and both of them do so well with the thriller genre generally so I have high hopes for this project. (It’s also a reunion between PD Song Hyun-wook and Ji Jin-hee, as they worked together on the 2015 mini drama Lucid Dream.) Let’s see if JTBC can capture the magic (and ratings) that they had with their last BBC remake, A Couple’s World with Undercover.

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Tags: Premiere Watch, Undercover

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1 snfran

April 21, 2021 at 10:53 PM

This is the third! There was Miss Kim's Million Dollar Quest.

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tsutsuloo

April 23, 2021 at 8:09 AM

I've watched Ms. Kim's Million Dollar Quest a couple times. Being a 2004 rom-com, it's cheesy and the acting is cringe-y at moments but they're so, so *chef's kiss* together.

It is my fervent hope that Kim Hyun-joo and Ji Jin-hee perform together every 5-10 years forever.

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2 OLakes

April 22, 2021 at 12:07 AM

I hear echoes of Flower of Evil, or is it just me?

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Shae Den

April 22, 2021 at 1:08 AM

Most definitely. But more of those don't hurt.

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knewbie

April 22, 2021 at 11:10 PM

I don't think so, cos according to an earlier article (https://www.dramabeans.com/2020/07/kim-hyun-joo-joins-ji-jin-hee-in-jtbcs-undercover/) and the publicity materials, Ji Jin-hee's character is a former NSA agent who had presumably gone undercover to spy on human rights activists and lawyers like the Kim Hyun-joo character. So the conflict between husband and wife seems much more rooted in real sociopolitical situations.

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3 myra

April 22, 2021 at 12:56 AM

"Dark hole" on OCN will also premiere this Saturday!

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Jezz

April 22, 2021 at 8:49 PM

I saw on Prime-Time Shows This Week that there was no Dark Hole yet until next Friday (April 30).

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4 bnaina

April 22, 2021 at 4:19 AM

Looking forward to this, the acting is going to be superb.

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5 Kurama

April 22, 2021 at 5:50 AM

My brain has some issue to process that Yeon Woo-Jin and Han Sun-Hwa are playing the younger version of Ji Jin-Hee and Kim Hyun-Joo. But Kim Hyun Joo was really good in Watchers, so I'm excited to watch her in a new drama!

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tsutsuloo

April 23, 2021 at 8:15 AM

Yeon Woo-Jin is an interesting choice. Good actor but face shape is quite different from Ji Jin-hee's chiseled jaw. Can we call it a form of blind casting? 😉

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Kurama

April 23, 2021 at 9:05 AM

He's very tall and thin when Ji Jin-Hee is shorter and more "large" too...

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spazmo

April 28, 2021 at 12:29 AM

well, "we" (older folks) do get a bit shorter and middle age is when the "thickness" starts to collect everywhere on our bodies...

i think Woo Jin is a good pick for the younger Jin Hee... there's something about their expressions that match.

i'd say the young girl playing Hyun Joo's younger self is a very good match also, it's in the eyes...
: )

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tsutsuloo

April 28, 2021 at 9:49 AM

I agree that Han Sun-hwa is well cast as the younger Kim Hyun Joo! I happy for the younger actress because I've only seen her bitchy ex-girlfriend roles in Marriage Not Dating (2014) and My Husband Oh Jak Doo (2018). She played the girlfriend in Backstreet Rookie too, which I skipped.

💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

April 23, 2021 at 9:19 PM

It's probably more likely to be related to the Director having directed two of his lead shows before, Introverted Boss and Marriage Not Dating- maybe they like working together and the PDnim wanted YWJ in it.

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tsutsuloo

April 24, 2021 at 8:34 AM

Okay! Marriage Not Dating—a classic— while Introverted Boss is best to be forgotten. I hope this one's a winner!

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6 Kafiyah Bello

April 22, 2021 at 6:19 AM

will check out.

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7 larelle79

April 22, 2021 at 7:43 AM

Kim Hyun joo rarely, if ever, picked a dud so I will check this out.

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PYC

April 22, 2021 at 8:53 AM

Very true. Her projects are mostly good to very good. And it’d be a treat to see the KHJ-JJH pairing. I Have A Lover is such a watchable and re-watchable drama. I am in.

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8 ＼(^o^)／

April 22, 2021 at 9:10 AM

jTBC has been scraping the bottom of the ratings barrel. Makes sense that they'd resort to remaking another Western show to hopefully get another hit drama. Tsk-tsk. Dramaland has been out of original ideas for a looooong time now. And the drought doesn't look like it'll be ending anytime soon.

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knewbie

April 22, 2021 at 9:34 AM

I don't know much about how hit K-dramas are made, but I've seen the original Undercover and in many ways it is far from an obvious choice for both a hit and a remake. Its ratings were not great; in fact viewer numbers dropped steadily over the course of its run. And it has only 6 episodes plus a lot of plot/character elements that are not transferable to Korea, which means a lot of the Korean version's 16 episodes must be original material.

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9 Islander north

April 22, 2021 at 9:12 AM

I'm confused, what ever happened to "Undercover" that was supposed to be on Netflix at end of 2020 that was Mafia daughter going undercover? And where will the above Undercover be streaming, I can't find it for U.S.

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miss h

April 22, 2021 at 10:04 AM

Netflix's Undercover is still in the works, I believe, but hopefully they change the title. This Undercover hasn't been picked up by any streaming site, as far as I know.

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Luna

April 23, 2021 at 9:13 AM

Undercover and Nemesis were work titles of the Netflix drama, the final(?) title is My Name

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10 soulsearch12

April 22, 2021 at 1:03 PM

Legit, the lesser hyped K-dramas tend to have the much better casting. Like this is a perfect match up for both actors, they actually look they're a married couple!! This show is on my radar, as under hyped but surprises in a good way!! It has a BBC show that was highly acclaimed/successful, so I hope it works here!