With Netflix also starting with producing K-dramas in 2019, K-dramas became even more accessible for foreign audiences. Honestly, watching a Korean drama for the first time was quite a shock. Logical if you are used to American shows. Let me prepare you for some… particularities that you will most definitely notice when you are watching K-dramas for the first time in 10 things about K-dramas that just make sense.
1. 16 episodes are the way to go
With K-dramas the average number of episodes per season is 16-24, which on Netflix is mostly 16 episodes, which run for 45-55 minutes. These typically called mini-series (in most non-Netflix cases) initially air on the nationwide TV Networks MBC, KBS or SBS in Korea during prime time. The choice for 16 episodes is it being enough, but not too much to be binge-worthy.
This might seem strange as many shows used to be 10-13 episodes, but seasons have been shortened to 6-10 episodes (especially first seasons) in recent years for the exact same reason: to make it more binge-worthy. However, there is a good explanation for why such long seasons are possible with K-dramas…
2. Second season?
Which brings me to the next point: follow-up seasons. Don’t expect your favorite K-drama to have a second season! The reason these shows remain binge-worthy is due to their short, but intense introduction to the memorable characters and an engaging storyline. Sometimes it leads to disappointed fans, but it prevents milking out the story in unnecessary ways. Much appreciated from my side, as I feel this happened a lot with western shows.
Of course, there are exceptions, especially since Netflix started producing K-dramas. For example the 3rd season of Sweet Home will air in June 2024 and Squid Game will also have a second season released in 2024
3. Graphic novels, webtoons and comics
And honestly, when people do argue over the lack of episodes or seasons or being ‘left hanging’, usually you could have seen it coming. As most of the storylines used in K-dramas are not exactly ‘new’. They are usually based on an existing graphic novel, comic, or webtoon, which is the online version of a comic. Some examples of Netflix K-dramas based on webtoons are: Itaewon Class, Love Alarm, All of Us Are Dead and Sweet Home.
4. (Not so) subtle advertisements
It is no secret that celebrity endorsement [internal link] is a well-used marketing technique in South Korea. You might have seen K-pop idols using and promoting a variety of tech, fashion or food brands. In K-dramas this type of advertisement is also very present!
There will be a moment in the show where the main character will suddenly complain about dry skin and abruptly, and not so subtly start using a face balm, or during a late night at the office a caffeinated sweet will be popped out of a gum-like package and the main characters will exclaim how much more energized they feel. I can go on if you’d like, but I think you get the point.
On the other hand, something I recently noticed is brands that are not under contract being censored. The main characters will absolutely wear designer clothing and use Samsung phones, but part of the brand name will (very visibly) be taped off. Does anyone know what that’s about?
5. Subway
There is one brand that seems to be absolutely essential when producing romantic K-dramas. At some point in the show the main characters will end up in a Subway. So much so that it needs to be notified as a separate characteristic of K-dramas in this list. It’s not like the characters will continuously walk around with Subway food or drinks, just at least one moment in the story, where they will be in a Subway to eat or drink.
6. The first kiss
Let’s stay with the romantic K-dramas for a bit. Unlike American shows where one night stands and kissing after first dates are not that unlikely to happen, this is absolutely not the case in K-dramas. As described by Youna Kim in her book The Korean Wave: Korean Media Go Global, Koreans are quite conservative in terms of how they show love, emotion and sexuality.
This shows in the usual moment of the first kiss. Spoiler alert: it happens probably in the last seconds of episode 8. I didn’t do some scientific research on this, but in my experience that’s the most common moment. Mind you, that means there are almost 8 whole episodes of 45-55 minutes in which the main characters will circle around each other.
Ow, and don’t be too excited, because of governmental regulations one of both parties does not or barely react during TV kisses… yes, that’s also quite the experience watching for the first time. Anyway, it works for me. I feel, and apparently a lot of watchers with me, that this is quite ‘refreshing’ compared to sometimes (over)sexualized western dramas.
7. They kiss a maximum of 5 times
If you thought you were free after the first kiss and would enjoy some happy romance afterwards, wrong! The circling around each other will probably continue after as this ‘first kiss’ is also most likely happening when one or both characters have drank alcohol and, although they will remember and you will see various flashbacks of it, will deny having kissed, or it was a kiss ‘necessary to get out of a situation’, such as another character asking out one of the main characters, or hiding from one of the bad guys. Of course there is nothing else to do in those situations, but kiss the person you are denying to have feelings for, right?
In general I think there are around five kisses per romantic K-drama, but don’t worry! The character will contemplate the kiss about a hundred times and you will see a flashback (from a different angle) each time.
8. Flashbacks
Flashbacks can happen with any kind of important scene to the storyline. The editors will simply put some effect over the edges of some shots and use it as a flashback. Several times. In cases where you see the same scene a few times in flashback, there will probably be important elements added every time it’s repeated.
9. Slow motions
If an important moment is really shocking they will put it in slow motion. And with that I mean SLOW motion. I think I recently saw the most extreme one ever in Episode 11 of True Beauty. Trigger warning: In this episode the main male character and the second male character get hit by a car and the ‘fall’ or… it looks more like a ‘flight’ of the main male character is given to you in ultra slow motion from various angles. I put a 2 minute clip of the show in the video below, it happens about 1 minute into the video. These scenes have their own beauty, and I actually quite like the sometimes comedic content that comes from it.
10. Endings & beginnings
Staying in the region of slow mo’s at some point at the end of the episode you will simultaneously think: ‘is something going to happen?’ and ‘is this the end?’. The answer to both is: yes. The endings of K-drama episodes are quite interesting. It usually is some kind of emotional cliffhanger. And it will show in an extensively detailed scene and just when you think something is going to happen, the background music will start playing and you will see a series of slow motions of the scene, followed by recap images from the episode and some kind of ending credits or preview of the next episode. The End. Questionmark?
And then in the next episode it’s quite possible that the whole last scene of the last episode will repeat as the start of the episode, sometimes without some details, or with some extra details, and sometimes just exactly the same. This usually takes up 2 to 5 minutes of the episode. Again, it’s an experience.
I do recommend you try out some K-dramas for yourself and see if you like them. If you need some Netflix recommendations, you can find them in my Ultimate Guide to Netflix K-dramas. I’m curious what stands out in K-dramas for you compared to western TV dramas. Let me know in the comments if I missed any ‘peculiarities’ about K-dramas that you can’t help but notice.
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