Premiere Watch: Reborn Rich, Please Send a Fan Letter, Somebody, Weak Hero Class 1
by missvictrix
Our latest cohort of dramas is here, and in a crazy broadcasting decision, they’re all releasing on the same day. Granted, they each have different weekly airing schedules — and very different flavors — but, well, it will be a busy Friday.
Reborn Rich
Time slot: Friday-Saturday-Sunday
Broadcaster: JTBC
Genre: Fantasy, melo
Episode count: 16
Reasons to watch: After what feels like months of waiting and teasing and hype, Reborn Rich is making its premiere. With just about everything going for it, if this isn’t a smash hit I think all of JTBC will be crying. Song Joong-ki stars as the metaphorical servant of a chaebol group who dies wrongfully on their watch (and perhaps at their hand). When he reincarnates into 1987, he’s suddenly the youngest son of said chaebol family — but has retained the memories of his past life, it seems. Smells like revenge. With Lee Sung-min and Shin Hyun-bin also leading this stellar ensemble cast, this drama is expected to kill the competition.
TL;DR: Song Joong-ki returns (!!), giant epic cast, 3-episode airing schedule, chaebol’s youngest son, revenge
Please Send a Fan Letter
Time slot: Friday-Saturday
Broadcaster: MBS
Genre: Rom-com
Episode count: 4
Reasons to watch: MBC purposefully moved up the premiere of this adorable 4-episode drama to overlap with Reborn Rich, which I’m taking as a clear signal of tone — one akin to all the rom-coms that other networks air during the Superbowl, for instance. So, if chaebol revenge isn’t your speed, you can tune into this rom-com where Yoon Park finally lands the lead, and he’s paired with Sooyoung. The two get involved when Yoon Park fakes a fan letter reply in Sooyoung’s name for the sake of his ill daughter, and I’m sure there will be much squeeing and crying involved in this setup.
TL;DR: Yoon Park in a leading man role, short drama, promises to be adorable, bring tissues
Somebody
Time slot: Friday (single drop)
Broadcaster: Netflix
Genre: Psychological, thriller, mystery
Episode count: 8
Reasons to watch: I happen to love Kim Young-kwang — but I don’t know if I’m ready to see him become a serial-killing psychopath. That’s right, leave it to Netflix to give us another disturbing setup: a woman who creates a social connection app finds that it’s the link in a serial murder. But instead of, you know, amping up the app’s security and bringing the killer to justice, she gets into a sordid and disturbing romance with him. However, the writing and directing look like they’ll be masterful… if you can make it past the subject matter.
TL;DR: Deranged Kim Young-kwang, smitten Kang Hae-rim, Netflix, serial murders, hook-up apps
Weak Hero Class 1
Time slot: Fridays
Broadcaster: Wavve
Genre: Youth, drama, thriller
Episode count: 8
Reasons to watch: Maybe it’s because we’re neck-deep in another dark high school thriller (Revenge of Others), but I feel like I’m ready to dive into Weak Hero Class 1. The premise is a shrimpy-looking kid who fights back against the violence at his school using smarts, psychology… and yeah, probably more violence. Park Ji-hoon takes the lead with Choi Hyun-wook, Shin Seung-ho, and Hong Kyung, so even if some of them break our hearts playing cruel bullies, we know they’re actually puppies underneath (right??).
TL;DR: Park Ji-hoon from Wanna One, Choi Hyun-wook from Twenty Five Twenty One (!), fighting back against school violence, webtoon adaptation
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Tags: Please Send a Fan Letter, Premiere Watch, Reborn Rich, Somebody, Weak Hero Class 1
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1 Sieun
November 17, 2022 at 5:10 AM
Weak Hero Class 1 episodes will be released all at once in Wavve! It will also be available on Kocowa, Viki, iQIYI. Lastly, Jihoon is an actor (Flower Crew Joseon Marriage Agency, Love Revolution, At a Distance, Spring is Green) and also a soloist now. Hopefully his skills as an actor will be greatly acknowledged and appreciated with Weak Hero so everyone else can move on from always labeling him as just 'Wanna One Jihoon'.
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bong-soo
November 17, 2022 at 7:17 AM
Although I don’t plan to watch WHC1 I am pleased to see another Wavve drama picked up and available on Viki US.
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Love KDrama
November 18, 2022 at 7:31 PM
Just finished the series. He was very good in the drama. I hope he gets more recognition as an actor for this drama
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2 Kurama
November 17, 2022 at 5:18 AM
There are the KBS special dramas that have started yesterday \o/
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bong-soo
November 17, 2022 at 7:03 AM
Available on Viki US!
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Blue (@mayhemf)
November 17, 2022 at 7:24 AM
What! Oh wow. And I see them! Thank you!
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Kurama
November 17, 2022 at 7:42 AM
I'm Swiss... 😭
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3 Linarrick
November 17, 2022 at 5:19 AM
Okay so we currently have the choice of a Song Joong-ki revenge drama, a serial killer romance and a story of a terminally ill child. WTF I want my cheesy romance with little angst and now I’m stuck with whatever Christmas harlequin romance shit Netflix puts out *sigh*
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
November 17, 2022 at 5:29 AM
Feeling your pain ‘serial killer’ and ‘romance’ are two genres that should never mix. It is frustrating that the choice of plain and simple romance gets smaller and smaller.
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Linarrick
November 17, 2022 at 5:44 AM
Right? Sadly the romanticising of serial killers have seemed to be a trend lately and with the rise of true crime documentaries and shows without the consent of the families of the victims is very worrying. And content like this just leaves me a bad taste in my mouth.
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bong-soo
November 17, 2022 at 7:04 AM
SUMMER STRIKE (Viki US) is almost here.
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4 Blue (@mayhemf)
November 17, 2022 at 5:29 AM
Viki says ‘Summer Strike’ is in 3 days.
Now how do I choose. Arghhh.
Not a fan of Joong-Ki so will give that a pass.
Will probably watch Fanletter and Summer Strike.
But I also want to watch KYK! Need more time :)
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5 Nefret
November 17, 2022 at 5:34 AM
I will check out the first three dramas.
In this autumnal grimy weather, a drama with a serial killer is just perfect.
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6 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
November 17, 2022 at 5:36 AM
I was looking forward to Summer strike alongside Please send a fan letter to counterbalance the violence of most of the other releases and Viki has Summer Strike labelled as romance, thriller and suspense. I don't remember getting anything like that from the trailers or posters. 🥺
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bong-soo
November 17, 2022 at 7:12 AM
I really don’t think (unless we are being set up for a royal fake out) that SUMMER STRIKE will be a CAMELLIA 2 which along with the marinated crabs had a serial killer.
Folks who have read the webtoon on which SS is based may have an idea.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
November 17, 2022 at 7:45 AM
I couldn't continue to watch Camellia for that same reason.
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7 Unaspirated
November 17, 2022 at 5:36 AM
Why is Kim Young-kwang doing such a good Lurch (from the Addams Family) impression in that photo? I'm sure his shoulders are already broad enough without padding them out and making them droopy like that. I get that wider fits are fashionable right now, but the poor man looks like he wore clothes four sizes too big in case he suddenly transforms into a werewolf or something. Although. I would probably watch that drama.
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8 Jezz
November 17, 2022 at 5:49 AM
Legal streaming sites for Reborn Rich: Viki/Viu (outside South Korea only) (for viewers in South Korea, only view on Netflix and Disney+)
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9 kellie
November 17, 2022 at 7:30 AM
One out of four is 16 episodes? Shorter dramas is not good news for me. I like 'em longer.
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10 loveblossom🌸
November 17, 2022 at 8:18 AM
Too bad there's nothing new that's light and funny...
Gonna check out Reborn Rich though. The atmospheric teasers were well done. Hopefully not a bait and switch type of thing. The acting should be stellar too.
Wanted to catch the other dark school drama before this new one, but maybe too much dark stuff going on.
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11 miss h
November 17, 2022 at 8:49 AM
I'll check out the first three. I have my fill of school violence with Revenge of Others. I hope for Jtbc's sake Reborn Rich is the hit they are expecting it to be, and for my sake, there is something to differentiate it from all the other chaebol revenge stories.
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12 antonio83
November 17, 2022 at 11:06 AM
Sadly the westernization of kdramaland continues because of Netflix and Disney... It's absurd that they don't understand why people love Korean and Chinese entertainment.
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missvictrix
November 17, 2022 at 1:58 PM
I agree the content is losing a lot of what made it special and great many years ago. When I'm feeling pessimistic, sometimes I think we have another 5 years or so until K-dramas as we know them are defunct, and content is more or less the same across the boards. But when I'm optimistic, I remember how many people out there LOVE the K-drama world and hold it safe (ahem, everyone here!), so there's hope!
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hacja
November 17, 2022 at 3:51 PM
@missvictrix What would you say in particular made the content particularly special and great that is being lost today? Not challenging you, just wondering what you think as an expert.
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missvictrix
November 17, 2022 at 4:14 PM
@hacja Just the flow of media as it is now generally, I think. For me, K-dramas have always lingered in the past a little and carried the same elements as the things I adored when I was younger -- super long painstakingly adapted Jane Austen BBC productions from the 1980s, Glenda Jackson playing Queen Elizabeth for the slowest but most wonderful 10 hours you could imagine, etc. Our attention is so fragmented these days that our media matches it (or inversely, maybe creates the issue). Media now is mostly about catching and keeping attention, and K-dramas are slowly leaning into this too. I'm not saying it's not highly entertaining (it totally is!), but it's definitely not the same as watching 20 episodes of Summer Scent, for instance — which is entirely a love story and full of painstakingly drawn out melodrama, but the story doesn't even care about showing the main couple kiss in the end. That kind of slow, old-fashioned (in the best sense) storytelling is going by the wayside. I sometimes think I liked "old television" because it's more novel-like than TV-like, and that might still be true.
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hacja
November 18, 2022 at 7:25 AM
Thanks for your reply! I can see where you are coming from. However the slow drawn out story telling also puts enormous pressure on the show to sustain a mood or a narrative, if it is reflective; or requires ridiculous turns and twists of the plot, if its a melodrama. I don't know that writers or directors have ever had the skill to put these kind of shows together consistently. I'm not arguing for the short form of kdramas, but I do think there are times when it could actually benefit its artistic impact, and fit the skills of those creating the show. There are short stories by minor authors that have stuck with me my whole life; whereas I have always had trouble getting though one of Henry James's late novels.
Of course you are very likely right-- I wouldn't doubt that my attention span is shot!
Diana Hansen
November 17, 2022 at 5:37 PM
I agree! They are changing too fast. I hold out hope with you though. If not, I will have to quit watching shows. I already only watch Korean fare (long face). But then I guess it leaves more time for something else. Or not.
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missvictrix
November 17, 2022 at 5:41 PM
Back to being a bookworm!
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Diana Hansen
November 17, 2022 at 6:07 PM
Books? Perhaps! I am just so spoiled with Kdramas though for a long time! How does one keep up with favorite actors etc. Could be a whole new world out there I forgot existed. ^_*!
13 latebloomer
November 17, 2022 at 11:08 AM
With a reincarnation premise like the one in Reborn Rich, I get stuck on logistics. Like, what happened to the family's real son? If the hero became him, then where did the real son go? What happened to the first timeline, without which the hero wouldn't have gained his knowledge, wouldn't have been killed, and wouldn't have been reborn? If the hero causes this timeline to be different, then how could he have died and become the family's son? And, what happened to his role in the first timeline, if he's not available to play himself in the second timeline. It's too convoluted, sorry. It's been a long time since I've been interested in a Song Joong-ki drama, and I guess I will pass on this one, too.
I am a Kim Young-Kwang fan, but this script is not for me.
So I will be watching Yoon Park, and hoping his adorable child gets a miracle cure while he gets a second chance to flirt with his first love.
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14 earthna
November 17, 2022 at 11:44 AM
Ohhhh so many dramas, so little time!
So far, I'm wanting to watch Fan Letter coz Sooyoung and finally a lead for Yoon Park!
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15 missjb
November 17, 2022 at 3:22 PM
Ready for Song Joong Ki show. I like the writers and I trust Joongki Lee Sung Min and shin hyun been to pull it off.
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16 john
November 17, 2022 at 5:23 PM
Reincarnated , maybe, better not be any golden spoons.
Love letter, a mini series, I hope it is short and sweet
Serial killer love app ? Mmm is it’s dark humor? sounds iffy
High School Scooby Gang probably pass
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john
November 19, 2022 at 7:08 PM
Reborn Rich the first Ep was a slow start, ho hum , however it ends with a [SPOILER].
Ep2 was much better. A+ Cast, acting, the set, the story, was wonderful, I hope that continues.
Please Send A Fan Letter. I like it so far except for some kind of trauma flashback for our FL. 🙄
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17 Diana Hansen
November 17, 2022 at 5:27 PM
if I make another to watch list will it give me more time to watch?!
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18 DancingEmma
November 18, 2022 at 12:23 AM
Does anyone know if “Please send a fan letter” is going to be on any streaming platform?
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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
November 18, 2022 at 12:29 AM
Viki US says episode 1 will be available today.
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DancingEmma
November 18, 2022 at 12:42 AM
@elinor: Thank you for replying lovely Elinor! Btw, I also like your new handle. That should be my goal too!:)
I hope Viki outside the US also will show this! Please cross your fingers for me!
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DancingEmma
November 18, 2022 at 12:47 AM
@elinor: Just checked and is not listed. Sigh.
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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
November 18, 2022 at 8:47 PM
@dncingemma: 🙁
Viki US now has episode 1 up (under the title Fanletter, Please) so it will probably be available on the usual unlicensed streaming sites soon, if you're able to go that way. I'm going to wait until tomorrow and watch 1 and 2 together.
19 fab
November 18, 2022 at 5:53 AM
Totally believed that Yoon Park was Lee Jehoon. Either way great casting. Excited for Reborn but it mostly depends on what platform to watch it.
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20 bengalifob
November 18, 2022 at 5:44 PM
That Netflix Somebody drama is creepy. Looks like they were inspired by Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka... truly disturbing.
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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
November 18, 2022 at 8:52 PM
Ugh. There are some stories that don't need to be retold.
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ananke
November 29, 2022 at 8:43 PM
It's adapted from the "American Psycho" novel, "sardonic" horror? Not sure what I think of it yet actually - Netflix is definitely pushing boundaries with Korea's drama industry in any case..
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21 OldLawyer
November 19, 2022 at 2:04 PM
On Viki PLEASE SEND A FAN LETTER is simply titled FANLETTER, PLEASE. We will definitely be watching this one, in addition to SUMMER STRIKE.
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