6 must-watch K-dramas to look forward to in August 2022

From the charming clichés of A Business Proposal to the melancholic Our Blues and everything in between, 2022 is shaping up to be an excellent year for K-drama fans. As we head into August, expect to set to see a number of promising new additions turning up the heat on the competition, including the much-anticipated remake of Little Women, led by Yumi’s Cells’ Kim Go-eun.

• READ MORE: The 10 best K-dramas of 2022 – so far

Additionally, A Korean Odyssey co-stars Lee Seung-gi and Lee Se-young will soon be reuniting on the romantic legal comedy The Law Cafe, while Kim Min-jae gears up for his return to the small screen – nearly a year after 2021’s Dali and Cocky Prince – this time with another whimsical new tale in Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist.

For those looking for something darker, Netflix will welcome the return of My Name’s Park Hee-Soon in twisted new crime-thriller original A Model Family, while industry veteran Park Ho-san takes the lead in a chilling missing person’s case deep within the idyllic countryside in Hunted.

Without further ado, here are the six new must-watch K-dramas to check out in August 2022.

Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist

Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist is based on the novel of the same name by Lee Eun-so, which won the Excellence Award in the 2016 Korea Story Contest. In this historical comedy-drama, Kim Min-jae (Dali and Cocky Prince) stars as Yoo Se-poong, a star physician and acupuncturist for the royal family who gets ousted from the palace after getting caught up in a conspiracy.

When he relocates to the beautiful but strange Gyesu Village, Se-poong embarks on a journey to becoming a true doctor who heals both the bodies and hearts of the people under the guidance of his eccentric new mentor, Gye Ji-han (Racket Boys’ Kim Sang-kyung) and Seo Eun-woo (Kim Hyang-gi), a young widow who listens to the stories of their patients.

Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist will air every Monday and Tuesday on tvN starting from August 1.

Hunted

Things turn dark in the countryside in Hunted when Young-soo (Park Ho-san) and his friends head to the mountains to hunt the wild boars damaging their village’s crops. As Young-soo battles an unexpected situation on the hunt, his son suddenly goes missing, driving his wife, Chae-jung (Kim Soo-jin) to mental ruin. Link: Eat, Love, Kill’s Ye Soon-jung also stars as Ok-soon, an elderly woman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease who lost her son and daughter-in-law in a tragic fire she believes was set by some of the villagers.

As investigations surrounding the boy’s disappearance begin, the dark secrets behind seemingly friendly faces in the village are unearthed one by one, sowing seeds of mistrust within the once-close-knit community.

Hunted premieres on August 1 on MBC and airs on Monday and Tuesday nights.

A Model Family

In this new Netflix crime-thriller, Dong-hwa (Jung Woo) is a once-ordinary family man on the brink of bankruptcy and divorce. Just as he reaches what seems to be the lowest point of his life, Dong-hwa makes a gruesome discovery that lands him in hot water with Gwang-cheol (My Name’s Park Hee-soon), the second-in-command of a dangerous drug syndicate.

A Model Family is helmed by director Kim Jin-woo, best known for his work in Suits and Healer. He is joined by Manhole screenwriter Lee Jae-gon.

A Model Family premieres on Netflix on August 12.

The Law Cafe

The Law Cafe stars Lee Seung-gi (Mouse) as Kim Jeong-ho, a former “monster genius” prosecutor who now owns a building housing a law firm and cafe. He soon crosses paths with lawyer Kim Yu-ri (The Red Sleeve’s Lee Se-young), a beautiful young woman with an eccentric but fiery personality. The forthcoming legal romance drama follows the events surrounding the cases she takes on at the law firm and the unlikely partnership between the duo.

Adapted from the web novel Love According to Law by No Seung-ah, The Law Cafe is helmed by director Lee Eun-jin, best known for Sassy Go Go. She is joined by Im Ji-eun, who will be making her screenwriting debut.

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The Law Cafe premieres on KBS2 on August 29, and will air every Monday and Tuesday.

If You Wish Upon Me

Just months after starring in Netflix’s The Sound of Magic, Ji Chang-wook is back with another heart-warming tale. In If You Wish Upon Me, he plays Yoon Gyeo-rae, a young ex-convict who volunteers at a hospice facility, having so far led a hopeless life spent in an orphanage, a correctional facility and finally prison.

Girls’ Generation’s Soo-young and veteran actor Sung Dong-il star as fellow workers at the facility, who, along with Gyeo-rae, attempt to fulfil the final wishes of their patients, forming meaningful bonds and finding meaning in their own lives once again.

If You Wish Upon Me will premiere on KBS2 on August 10, airing on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and will also be available to stream on Viu. 

Little Women

The South Korean remake of Little Women stars Yumi’s Cells’ Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun (100 Days My Prince) and Park Ji-hu (All Of Us Are Dead) as a trio of sisters who struggle to escape the cycle of poverty. Squid Game star Wi Ha-joon also appears as a student from a prestigious university who gets involved with the eldest of the sisters. Loosely based on the Louisa May Alcott novel, the forthcoming drama tells a heartwarming tale of sisterhood as they bravely stand up to the nation’s wealthiest family.

Little Women is notably helmed by Kim Hee-won, whose previous work includes 2021’s blockbuster revenge-thriller Vincenzo, as well as popular K-dramas such as The Crowned Clown (2019) and Money Flower (2017).

Little Women will air every Saturday and Sunday night on tvN from August 27, and will also be available on Netflix in selected regions.

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