How K-Dramas Used Classic Movie Magic to Conquer TV

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00:00K-dramas have been growing in popularity across the world for decades now, but they've seen a

00:05particularly huge explosion in interest in the 2020s. While some might chalk this up to the

00:10success of Netflix's Squid Game, it's actually a lot deeper and wider ranging than that.

00:16So what is it about K-dramas that make them so beloved and so addicting?

00:20The world of K-dramas is vast and constantly expanding and evolving,

00:25so there's no way we could cover everything in one video.

00:28But we want to begin with this quick dive into K-dramas and what we love about them.

00:32So whether you've been hearing about them for a while but still haven't taken the leap to begin

00:36watching, or have been loving them for years, let's dive in.

00:41Korean dramas, Korean-language TV shows developed and produced in South Korea,

00:45have become a major part of audiences' lives all over the world. One report notes that South

00:50Korean movies and TV shows were the second-largest section of Netflix's entire global viewership,

00:55behind only their U.S. content. But things didn't start out this way.

00:59K-dramas first began as often historical programs on the Korean broadcasting system channel in the

01:041960s in South Korea. They grew in popularity over the 70s and then really began ballooning in

01:10popularity in the 80s with the adoption of color TV across the country. Many K-dramas pull in huge

01:16numbers, sometimes being watched by well over half of the population of the entire country.

01:21Just for comparison, the most-watched Super Bowl of all time by percentage of the population

01:25pulled in 49.1% of U.S. viewers. After the turn of the millennium, they also began expanding their

01:32reach more and more outside of South Korea as well, finding new audiences globally.

01:37Some have been surprised at K-dramas' continually growing popularity in the West given how reluctant

01:42so many people have been to having to read a TV show or film. But as the world has become more and

01:48more connected, that's been evolving as well.

01:51K-dramas are particularly interesting because they combine the new with the familiar. The language

02:06and parts of the culture may be different, but many of the plots and characters feel like ones we've

02:11known and loved forever. While, as we'll go into in a second, K-dramas certainly don't shy away from

02:16getting a little off the wall, they often hew close to very relatable subject matter that viewers can

02:21directly connect to their own everyday lives and dreams. One element that helps rope in audiences

02:27is actually the consistency inherent within each series. No show is perfect every single episode,

02:33of course, but the fact that most K-dramas are produced more like a film, where they have a

02:37consistent writer-director tone and visual styling across the entire series, makes everything feel

02:42more deliberate and connected across the series. As opposed to Hollywood TV production, where a show

02:48could have a different lead, writer, and director for every single episode in a season, which sometimes

02:53means you can really feel like you're on a rollercoaster in terms of quality. Production is incredibly

02:58fast-paced, both for the individual shows themselves and for the schedule of new shows popping up.

03:04The shows feel responsive to audience wants, because they very much are. While most shows in the US are shot

03:10in full before the season begins releasing, K-dramas usually run in a more soap-opper-like

03:15production schedule where they're filming episodes very close to their time of release.

03:20This allows time to take in audience feedback from the previous episode and tweak the upcoming one

03:25as needed. Sometimes these schedules have gotten so down to the wire that later scenes of an episode

03:30were still being filmed while the earlier scenes were airing. This isn't without its own downside,

03:36though, of course, as it means that the entire cast and crew are stuck in very demanding schedules for

03:41the entirety of the shooting season. A K-drama actor explained,

03:45Now, with the scripts provided page by page, three teams of cameramen work on a rotating basis,

03:50and the actors find themselves in front of a camera without any rest. This may be the only country

03:54in the world where the actors stay up all night and wait for the script as they're getting their

03:58makeup done. They talk about the IV sets, where everything looks nice on the outside,

04:02but things are actually really brutal. A broadcast staff union was formed and had begun helping to

04:08improve the situation in terms of working conditions and pay, though there are concerns

04:12that backsliding has begun. With the head of the broadcast staff branch of the Korean Confederation

04:18Trade Union stating,

04:19We're now shooting for 27 to 32 hours straight again. Official start times are at 7am, but workers

04:26are called in at 4am for rehearsals, and they cannot protest. Without a contract, they face easy dismissal.

04:32Both workers and fans alike hope that they will be able to leverage the global mega popularity of K-dramas

04:37to begin working back towards better working conditions. And K-drama fans are very dedicated.

04:43As with K-pop fans, they love their faves and want to see them succeed. And this intense fandom is another

04:49thing that's helped skyrocket the popularity of K-dramas. While modern TV watching can often feel like it's lost

04:55that watercooler conversation element where everyone is watching and talking about the same show,

05:00K-dramas have huge dedicated audiences who are always ready to talk about what went down on the last episode.

05:06We all love watching K-dramas, but have you ever wanted to bring your own story to life?

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06:19And that brings us to the K-dramas themselves. They are, first of all, not all dramas, but instead

06:24encompass every genre you can imagine. The shows manage to combine a lot of twists and surprises

06:30with very well-worn tropes, to create a best of both worlds situation where you're simultaneously

06:35always wondering what's going to happen next, but also can feel comfortable in the fact that

06:39you have a pretty good idea of where things are going to go. Usually. The tropes aren't beloved

06:44because they're new or particularly innovative, but in fact just the opposite. Because they aren't

06:50afraid to dig in and be exactly what you expected. It can be comforting to be able to put on a show

06:55and, even through all of the tears and troubles, know exactly how things are going to end up.

07:00Romantic K-dramas have also become particularly beloved because they feel more like old-school

07:05rom-coms that weren't afraid to be earnest and genuinely romantic. So what are some of these

07:11recurring tropes? Beyond the classic, wait, don't go, wrist grab, and the ever-looming threat of the

07:16white trucks. There are also larger themes that pop up again and again like enemies to lovers,

07:22the classic slow burn romance type that sees two people who start out at odds,

07:26come to find that no matter how much they might think they hate each other,

07:30there's just something pulling them together. It also strikes on our inner desire to find the good

07:35in people, but especially to be the one that manages to see and pull out the good in someone

07:40who also happens to be really hot. Fake relationships. Pretending to date,

07:45only to actually fall for each other. Similarly to enemies to lovers, this trope hits the spark

07:51of finding deep connection in a surprising place with someone that you might not have ever expected.

07:57Financial imbalance. Our main character is broke, but plucky, and is swept off their feet by someone

08:03with endless funds. Many times their own boss. Being in a financially precarious situation can be

08:09immensely stressful, and it can often feel like no matter what you do, you'll never be able to claw

08:13your way out. So having someone with an excess of money just come in and wash that problem away

08:19isn't a surprising fantasy. This trope does usually reflect rather traditional gender roles,

08:24with the guy being the rich one who swoops in to take care of the broke girl. Though not always.

08:29Sometimes the roles are reversed, like an encounter. Makeovers. K-dramas love to lean into the idea that

08:35you can change your entire life and set yourself on the proper path to success just by tweaking your

08:41look. Body swapping. What really makes you, you? And what would it actually be like to walk a mile in

08:48someone else's shoes? Body swapping stories are here to explore those questions and more. Seeing the

08:54world through someone else's eyes, literally, can totally alter your own perception. Amnesia. Whether it's only

09:01momentary after a night out on the town, or more long-term due to injury or illness, amnesia pops

09:06up again and again to act as a reset button. It can open up room for new connections with unexpected

09:12people, or force an existing connection to put in some real work to prove that the bond is real.

09:18Reconnecting. Where a chance meeting in their younger years turns out to have a major impact on

09:23their lives when they reconnect in adulthood, making it feel like they were truly pulled together by

09:29fate. This trope also ties into the desire to imagine that even those small moments that we

09:33forget about, or think that others have forgotten about, can actually be leading up to something

09:39bigger. And finally, one of our favorite tropes. Found family. While romance is wonderful, finding an

09:45entire group of people who love you for you and are willing to be there for you is amazing too. And

09:51as we all start to feel more disconnected, our joy in watching found families come together on screen

09:57only grows. They also prove that romantic relationships aren't the only types of

10:01relationships that matter in life. Kdramas also aren't afraid to lean really far into visual and

10:05audio tropes and cues either. From sound effects to on-screen graphics, in a way that's often

10:10deserved for the fun of shows aimed at younger audiences in the west. Music is also incredibly

10:15important to the experience of kdramas, both in their use of popular songs and their creation of new

10:21songs specifically for the show that go on to be popular in their own right.

10:25Kdramas have streamlined the creation of engaging, relatable media that's simultaneously true to

10:30life while also allowing us moments of escapism and hope. They show the importance and benefit of

10:36our global connections and being able to share our favorite creations with others around the world.

10:41They're certainly not without their own problems, but it's no surprise that they've captured the

10:45hearts and minds of people everywhere. Of course, this is all just barely scratching the surface.

10:51There's just so much to uncover when it comes to kdramas. If you're a big kdrama fan, let us know

10:56your faves and what you think everyone should watch in the comments. And let us know if we missed your

11:00favorite or most hated trope. There are so many great shows that are ripe for analysis, so we'd love

11:05to hear what you're enjoying watching right now or your past faves and which ones you'd like to see us

11:10cover more in-depth. That's the take! Click here to watch the video we think you'll love. Or here to

11:16check out a whole playlist of awesome content. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications.

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