What makes it easier to tell stories for the 20 - 30's age group is that at that age people are free enough to make choices for themselves. They have usually acquired a skill, have a job and income that makes them largely independent, have a degree of emotional maturity and can take responsibility for their decisions. As a writer, it is easier to put some conflict in their way, because they will be able to cope and dig themselves out of sticky situations. The viewers will know that, too and trust that all will be well in the end.
Still, my favourite dramas are not in this category, with Extracurricular, My Mister, Graceful Friends and Imitations top of the list!

Personally, I don't really care about the age, I like all the different phases. But sometimes, the age and the way act the characters don't match. We often have "chaste" or "childish" romance between grown-ups.

I think age matters more in formula driven shows like family weekenders where there are four age classes (children, young adults, parents and grandparents) who have to navigate through societal, cultural and family issues. In the West, many perceive age as just a number. But in an honorific society, age is baseline for respect and moral bearing.

I don’t think of age as a genre or an obstacle. I think part of the drama problem with age is miscasting in certain dramas. There is no doubt that there are certain actors and actresses who can realistically play a person plus or minus 15 years their actual age. Example, Jang Na Ra. Korean beauty mania makes stars seem ageless. But there is a paternalistic curse for actresses when they hit 40. They are no longer considered romanic leads. I read within the last year an actress with a long career who accepted the fact that in her early 40s, she would have to adjust to motherly roles instead of single, career women. She went to an audition only to find out that the mother role she had prepared for was wrong; the producer wanted her for a grandmother role.

Many other actresses have publicly stated that they fear reaching 40 as the offers they have been usually getting will dry up and their popularity will fall by the wayside. It is a sad state of casting that some fictional light switch is set to off for talented actors when they reach a certain age when in reality in life they have the same loves, likes, pressures and problems as 20 and 30 year olds.

It is also weird that it is more acceptable to have a noona romance than a story of a much older male lead towards a much younger woman. It may be as simple as marketing toward a target audience. But there are many examples where age does not factor into the story because the story itself does not put age as critical plot element.

With networks and advertisers pushing for the next young, superstar to sell, the push to put idols into lead roles solely based on SNS popularity has not worked out too well. Trying to land a 20-something breakout star is like trying to find the goose that lays golden eggs. In most recent dramas, where the writing is weak and direction marginal, it takes an experienced and talented lead to literally carry the show to the finish line.

Talent and the skill to correctly portray a character is more important than an actor’s age. I would rather see an experienced actress in her early 40s appropriately play a romantic character in her early 30s than an inexperienced 22 year old trying to be an charismatic, experienced, 33 year old office wonderkind. As I said recently, it is really up to the actor’s agency to navigate through the offers to find the most appropriate roles to meet their client’s career goals instead of picking bigger pay days.

I wish there were more optimistic and happy rom-com dramas featuring actors and actresses in their 40s romancing each other and getting into funny hijinx instead of dealing with cheating husbands, unhappy marriages, and struggling with their teenage kids. I remember enjoying He Who Can't Get Married a lot. I'm a forever single in my mid-30s. According to dramaland, I should be a heartbroken women in about 5-10 years.

I enjoyed reading the different perspectives in this thought-provoking article as well as the comments. Some of my favorite kdramas are masterful ensembles that highlight generational differences by virtue of having the characters interact in the same environment. Some are mentioned above but other examples are the melo Sky Castle with parents/kids and the romcom Drinking Solo with teachers/students. One group isn't simply a plot device to advance the other's storyline, but more brightly illuminate each other. Multiple characters of different ages in these shows resonated with me as complex people with conflicting feelings and motives. We see how they hurt each other while thinking they are doing their best to care for each other, within and between the generations. I could empathize with the struggles of both groups, as they juxtaposed with and played off each other, even though the show may not have been promoted this way.

What a very nicely written article @missvictrix!

I had never really thought about the main character's age when I'm looking for a potential drama to watch, but I guess it indeed has something to do with that without me realizing it.
It has always been under my consciousness that personally when the leads are in their 40-50s, the drama will immediately pique my interest (though I don't always end up watching it because of *groans* the time). That happens as well with youth drama like Racket Boys or Just Dance (this one.. watch this one y'all) for instance. And I think it's because it has something to do with what was mentioned, how the youthful story offers something fresh, a problem that in their perspective seems like the whole world is about to end.

With mid-age dramas, it is usually an instant interest because again, like what was mentioned, usually has something different and a unique momentum of their (supposedly stable) life to be made a story in that age. I mean if someone is serious enough to make a story out of it, then it'll be one hell of a story, right?

While it IS the 20s-30s dramas that are very relatable and most often touch me very deeply, the very wide possibilities of the kind of stories they offer really make it harder to decide whether something is interesting enough. THEN, I tend to look for actors/actresses I enjoyed the most. Because even if the stories aren't as satisfying, at least watching those actors is enjoyable on its own.

So, I guess I tend to look for one hell of a ride of a story when I'm picking my dramas but turns out it has something to do with the character's age. And for me personally, I do watch a lot of dramas with the main character's around my age, but it's actually the youth, mid-age, or even the elder dramas that immediately pique interest.

Ps. love how Extraordinary you is labelled as dark when the vibe of that drama is as bright as sunshine but it indeed is a dark story lol

For me, it's a combination of the actors and the themes that determine what I pick up, although some dramas surprise me. I would never have thought that I would have enjoyed Hot Stove League as much as I did, and there was absolutely nothing in it in terms of demographics that would have predicted it, but I'm eternally glad that I did not pass it over. I do admit, I prejudge according to age with some dramas. I'm more inclined to reject a school-based rom-com. Have not and probably won't ever watch Boys Over Flowers, but I loved Extracurricular for the darkness and for Choi Min-soo (coincidentally, if we are talking about age, but really talking more about the actor). I have not finished The Light in Your Eyes because I found it too harrowing, although I've promised myself I'll return to it one day, when I am feeling up to it (once again because of the actors). It's an interesting topic to think about, and something I'm constantly asking myself. What am I looking for in these dramas? What do I get most satisfaction from? Is it a story told from a certain perspective? I'm not sure. What gave me so much satisfaction from watching My Ajussi? The yearning. Yes, now I remember, it's the yearning and it always has been.

Love, Marriage has a character, A-Mei the Mistress, who is 29 years old but acts like she is nine: she pouts, widens her eyes every five seconds, hops and skips like a show pony, claps her hands excitedly, bursts into tears readily, throws childish fits of tantrums, and wails, "Oppa..." between batting her eyelashes and giggling. This hapless, helpless CANDY overload drives me up the wall. @ayaan and I are baffled at this bizarreness which is described as "innocence" and "purity" and "sweetness" by the older, married lover. Just typing this makes me see red. What say you @hebang? Does she drive you up the wall, too?