Premiere Watch: If You Wish Upon Me, A Model Family, Stock Struck

34 August 9, 2022August 9, 2022

Premiere Watch: If You Wish Upon Me, A Model Family, Stock Struck

by missvictrix

New dramas, you say? A complete smattering of different genres and tones, you say? Well, that’s what we have with this week’s new shows: a healing drama set in a hospice, another dark crime thriller from Netflix, and a quirky ensemble dramedy on TVING.

If You Wish Upon Me

Premiere Watch: If You Wish Upon Me, A Model Family, Stock Struck

Time slot: Wednesday-Thursday
Broadcaster: KBS
Genre: Drama, life, healing
Episode count: 16

Reasons to watch: If You Wish Upon Me seems like the perfect intersection of the heart-rending goodness of Chocolate and the troubled boy in need of healing from Just Between Lovers. Or is this just me being relentlessly optimistic? Maybe. Either way, that’s what I’m expecting, since Ji Chang-wook plays a tortured and tattooed hero who finds himself working with a hospice team that grants last wishes to its patients. With the ever-great Sung Dong-il and Sooyoung (who seriously made me love her in Run On) also leading the way, there is nothing bad I can say about this cast, this premise, or anything.

TL;DR: Tortured, troubled, tattooed Ji Chang-wook. That’s literally all you need to know, folks.

A Model Family

Premiere Watch: If You Wish Upon Me, A Model Family, Stock Struck

Time slot: Friday (single drop)
Broadcaster: Netflix
Genre: Crime, thriller
Episode count: 10

Reasons to watch: Not gonna lie, it’s hard to find reasons to watch this one, at least in my brain. The cast is basically it. With the impossible-not-to-love Jung Woo as our hero who gets mixed up in some terrifying drug crimes, Park Hee-soon who couldn’t be not magnetic if he tried, and Yoon Jin-seo as a wife with secrets — well, that’s basically it. The rest is your standard Netflix crime show: desperate men, desperate measures, and overall desperation. It will surely be gritty and impactful, but likely stick to the Netflix recipe of being beautifully produced, skillfully made, and almost unbearably dark.

TL;DR: Jung Woo, Park Hee-soon as another sexy-scary bad guy, why does Netflix have to keep making shows like this

Stock Struck

Premiere Watch: If You Wish Upon Me, A Model Family, Stock Struck

Time slot: Fridays
Broadcaster: TVING
Genre: Comedy, drama, slice-of-life
Episode count: 12

Reasons to watch: As I’ve said before, it’s hard to nail down what to expect from TVING these days — they’re either master-quality dramas that should have been simultaneously aired on tvN (IMHO), or they’re fly-by-night dramas that whiz past the world without much attention (I’m looking at you Dr. Park’s Clinic). With Stock Struck, though — from the promos to the cast — it feels like we might be getting something fun. The drama follows five main ~~ants~~ characters (Han Ji-eun, Hong Jong-hyun, Jung Moon-sung, Kim Sun-young, and Jang Kwang) who team up to “conquer” the stock market and change their lives for the better — i.e., make a killing. All does not go according to plan, but that’s where the story is, eh?

TL;DR: Cast of 5 cute “ants” who try to win at the stock market, TVING, streaming, Hong Jong-hyun comeback, we could use a cute comedy

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1 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

August 9, 2022 at 2:52 PM

Finally! If you wish upon me is here.

So, now I have something to watch Monday to Saturday. No light low key rom coms amongst the ones I am currently watching, despite their posters and early clips trying to deceive me 😏 so I am resigned that there will be heavy with these new ones but my hope is to also see lighter bonding moments to lift the mood.

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2 Kafiyah Bello

August 9, 2022 at 3:29 PM

I am very excited for If you wish upon me.

A model family looks like drudgery to me, pure drudgery and unfortunately I am not in the mood for that.

Stock Struck looks interesting.

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3 miss h

August 9, 2022 at 3:43 PM

I haven't finished a Ji Chang-wook drama since Healer but maybe If You Wish Upon Me will be good. Here's hoping, anyway.

I'll definitely check out A Model Family.

Stock Struck sounds interesting but will there be subs?

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4 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)

August 9, 2022 at 3:52 PM

Wish sounds like the kind of show in the "Sob It Out" post. Was that by any chance posted because this was coming?

As for the others curse you Netflix (and TVING) for making my Fridays a living (but not sleeping) hell as I rush to prepare my Saturday morning What We're Watching writeup. If I'm lucky they'll be lemons and I can drop them after 20 minutes and get some sleep.

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

August 10, 2022 at 1:12 AM

You're so dedicated. I would never be able to keep up your routine as long as you have haha.
I would "fail" and pick sleep over dramas or the WWW any day of the week 😅😅😅

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Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)

August 10, 2022 at 1:54 AM

It helps to be semi-retired and have such an easy job that I can watch kdramas at work with a clean conscience.

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StacyA

August 10, 2022 at 7:14 AM

Oh look! I'm not the only one who can watch dramas at work! :D

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5 Jezz

August 9, 2022 at 8:43 PM

Legal streaming sites for If You Wish Upon Me: Viki/Viu

Still an availability angst for Stock Struck.

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6 spazmo

August 9, 2022 at 9:13 PM

sadly, i am now always hesitant to watch anything JCW is in... but like the other dramas, i will check out an ep or two... am usually quick to drop. this sounds more serious, so maybe he won't be doing the cheesy crap/cheesy cutesy smile he does that no longer works for him as it did in Healer....

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spazmo

August 9, 2022 at 9:14 PM

WAIT, he did that K thing... what was it called... oh, K2 with yoona, that was awful even tho he wasn't doing the cheesy thang...

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brian

August 9, 2022 at 11:50 PM

K2 wasn't that bad, although I should say that casting Yoona just because she's popular didn't work very well in the story. She should have been a young girl that he was protecting, not some really weird love interest.

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7 redfox

August 10, 2022 at 1:13 AM

yawn. I dont want to watch dying people, or drugs or stocks.

unfortunately, nothing to watch.
but also im gonna be exptremely busy anyway.

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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

August 10, 2022 at 3:20 AM

Hopefully the next batch will have something you like and it’s good timing so you won't have anything calling you when you need to focus on real life anyway.☺️

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redfox

August 10, 2022 at 5:14 AM

yeah I hope. or maybe I possibly don´t. dramas do steal a lot of time. if I want to keeps some promises, then dramaland must wait

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8 Unaspirated

August 10, 2022 at 4:52 AM

I'll probably watch A Model Family eventually, but it will be at a time when I am looking for something quick and tense to watch, and likely when I have limited time before a trip or another premiere. After the success of Business Proposal and Extraordinary Attorney Woo on their platform, I wonder if Netflix will start diversifying the types of dramas they actually make themselves? It sure would be nice.

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Emperor

August 11, 2022 at 3:03 AM

Yup others have mentioned about types of dramas that Netflix produced - its just these Netflix-produced thriller/mystery/action dramas is more popular, and more critically acclaimed as well (this year's Baeksang are full of Netflix originals, actually)

If Netflix wanted to produce sweet, lighter fare, they could've done it from many years ago. And they did. Remember, they started with Love Alarm. Before Business Proposal and EAW's success, pre-pandemic era they also own exclusive rights for highly successful shows like CLOY and Itaewon Class - both are lighter fare. But Netflix still going with their own way and produce darker dramas such as Extracurricular, Squid Game, Juvenile Justice, Hellbound, All of Us are Dead, and more.

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9 StacyA

August 10, 2022 at 7:16 AM

"Tortured, troubled, tattooed Ji Chang-wook. That’s literally all you need to know, folks."

Yep, I'm sold.

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10 Lixie

August 10, 2022 at 8:34 AM

Why nobody talks like that about OCN? They usually make much darker and weaker dramas and get compliments. Meanwhile people talk as if Squid Game and Extracurricular had no reason to be as they were and no quality.

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Unaspirated

August 10, 2022 at 3:47 PM

I think that Netflix makes great dramas. They are good quality and have interesting stories and I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with them. But as far as I can tell they mostly just make one kind. They are always in the gritty/suspenseful/psychological thriller/horror area. Don't get me wrong, I love this area! I just think it would be great if they were also bringing some of that great production quality to other genres. They still have a lot of other offerings on their platform, but they aren't commissioning and producing those. I could be wrong though! It's hard to find a list of just the dramas that they've made on their own, vs. the ones they have streaming rights for or have co-produced.

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Lixie

August 10, 2022 at 4:15 PM

Yes, I agree, my post was mainly to others who talk as if those dramas were cheap just because of their genre. Last year some of my favorites were Mad for Each Other and Move to Heaven, I'm not sure if they were original productions but they were very different kind of dramas. I think it's natural that they are careful to try to please the western audience which is not so familiar with romcoms and family dramas, those have a lot of tropes that would be much more difficult to understand, but I also think they are slowly reaching out and broadening their offers. Successful dramas like Attorney Woo will probably take them even more towards that direction.

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Unaspirated

August 10, 2022 at 6:17 PM

I forgot about Move To Heaven! (Which is silly because I really loved it). I wonder if someone has made a complete list somewhere. It's hard because they call so many things "Netflix Originals"

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Unaspirated

August 11, 2022 at 6:27 AM

Wikipedia to the rescue! Finally found this, which seems pretty complete: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Korean-language_Netflix_original_programming

It is not totally accurate, as there are some on there that Netflix just co-produced or has streaming rights for, but mostly I think this is pretty good. It also lists a ton of upcoming ones, and not all of the shows are dramas. Still, even with all those caveats, it's kind of nice to have a list.

Linarrick

August 10, 2022 at 4:51 PM

Netflix has a few:
Love Alarm S1&2
My Holo Love
So Not Worth It
School Nurse Files
One More Time

But yeah I would definitely like more lighter fare from Netflix

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Unaspirated

August 10, 2022 at 6:20 PM

Maybe I just think they don't have them because it seems like all the famous ones are the darker type? It's funny to me that Netflix messes with the format a lot more than more traditional dramas. I guess that is the flexibility that streaming gives you, but the 12-20 episode length is one of the things I really like about dramas! I hope they make some that get released week by week, and not just dropped all at once. I think it helps to build community around the show.

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Ally

August 10, 2022 at 9:25 PM

Both ENA dramas have dropped on Netflix Korea and the in the US. And they’ve been more slice of life, human interest stories. DOOJOON’s Never give up and the currently airing Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Not sure if they coproduced them, but I’m liking ENA content a lot.

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Unaspirated

August 11, 2022 at 4:36 AM

Right, I know they co-produce and have streaming rights for lots of things, I was talking more about the ones that they commission and produce themselves.

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Ally

August 11, 2022 at 7:27 AM

Was Navillera Netflix produced? It had less episodes (typically a sign of a Netflix-produced drama). Also, My Name and Nevertheless. Actually, almost everything Song Kang has done seems to have been Netflix produced. Was Sweet Home also Netflix produced? I feel like they do like the darker side of television, though.

mindy

August 11, 2022 at 7:49 AM

Navillera and Nevertheless are not Netflix productions, they just have the exclusive international licenses. Navillera is a Studio Dragon drama and Nevertheless is a Studio N (the Naver studio that produces most webtoon adaptations) and JTBC Studios drama.

Ally

August 11, 2022 at 8:51 AM

thanks, @mindy

bong-soo

August 11, 2022 at 10:56 AM

Btw and O/T @ally-le last night I watched the first two episodes of Yoon Doo-joon’s NEVER GIVE UP on Netflix US. I enjoyed them and I am still chuckling over some of the stuff. However, what is going on in kdramaland these days with (should I say) older actors playing the younger versions of themselves. Are budgets too tight to cast younger actors? I swore that Lee Joon-gi set the record in AGAIN MY LIFE who at age 40 played himself as a young college kid. Well I think his record was broken in NEVER GIVE UP by both ML Kwak Do-won who now in 2022 at age 49 played himself as a young martial arts athlete in 1999 and FL Han Go-eun who now in 2022 at age 47 played herself as a college coed in 1999.
Please producers/directors/somebody stop the foolishness already.
Thanks for the rant lol.

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Ally

August 11, 2022 at 11:02 AM

I prefer that, actually. If they can use the same actors, it saves me from trying to figure out who the younger in is supposed to be! I remember watching My Love Eun Dong, and I had no idea what was happening because I didn’t know which young actors were supposed to be playing the main adults, especially in the middle of that show.

Lixie

August 11, 2022 at 11:16 AM

I also prefer when they use the same actors.

bong-soo

August 11, 2022 at 3:59 PM

@ally-le, We’ll, I am sure Kwak Do-won didn’t do all those moves in the 1999 scenes so I am sure there was a stunt double. Perhaps the stunt double actor could have been given a chance to play the young Pil Soo rather than the 49 year old original. That is all I am saying.
Look what kind of career Nam Da-reum has had playing the younger version. I am saying let’s give other NDRs a chance. (I know I am pushing it there lol)
Also I believe we will be seeing something similar in the upcoming Lee Seung-gi/Lee Se-young drama LOVE BY LAW.

11 KDFL

August 12, 2022 at 2:10 AM

"Tortured, troubled, tattooed Ji Chang-wook. That’s literally all you need to know, folks."

Hehe, that's true

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