7 K-dramas to check out in September 2022
Written by ABR on 26/08/2022
September is looking to be another brilliant month for Korean dramas as rising stars make their way back onto our screens. Squid Game fan favourites Park Hae-soo and Lee Yoo-mi continue their winning streak with upcoming K-drama series Narco-Saints and Mental Coach Jegal.
- READ MORE: The 10 best K-dramas of 2022 – so far
Beloved actors Park Minyoung (What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?) and Jung Ryeo-won (Witch’s Court) are also set to return to TV doing what they do best, the former in romantic comedy Love in Contract and the latter in the Disney+ law procedural May It Please The Court.
It is also a great month for K-pop fans looking to get into Korean dramas as a number of idol-actors are set to dominate in September. Once Upon A Small Town stars Red Velvet’s Joy as a friendly neighbourhood policewoman, while Blind sees 2PM’s Taecyeon and Apink’s Jung Eun-ji teaming up to seek justice for society’s downtrodden.
Meanwhile, BtoB’s Sungjae learns the value of family in rags-to-riches fantasy tale Golden Spoon, accompanied by fellow idols Yeonwoo and Jung Chaeyeon in supporting roles.
Here are seven new must-watch K-dramas premiering in September 2022.
Once Upon A Small Town
Once Upon A Small Town is based on the web novel of the same name by Park Ha-min, in which prickly veterinarian Han Ji-yool (Choo Young-woo) is tricked into relocating from Seoul to the countryside by his grandfather. Stuck running his grandfather’s veterinary clinic for half a year, Ji-yool struggles to adapt to life in idyllic Heedong Village.
He crosses paths with local policewoman Ahn Ja-young, played by Red Velvet’s Joy (credited here as Park Soo-young). Charmed by her warm, reliable personality, Ji-yool soon begins falling for Ja-young.
Once Upon A Small Town premieres on KakaoTV on September 5, and will air on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It will also be available to stream on Netflix in selected regions.
Narco-Saints
Starring some of South Korea’s biggest actors, this upcoming Netflix crime-thriller follows a businessman Kang In-su (Ha Jung-woo), who unknowingly wanders into the heart of a Korean-run drug syndicate that dominates in the South American country of Suriname.
Left with few other options, he is roped into a secret mission by Korean National Intelligence Service agent Choi Chang-ho (Squid Game’s Park Hae-soo). He becomes central to a plot to take down Jeon Yo-han (Hwang Jung-min), the mastermind behind the drug ring who hides behind his cover as a local pastor.
Narco-Saints premieres globally on Netflix on September 9.
Mental Coach Jegal
Lee Yoo-mi (Squid Game, All Of Us Are Dead) takes on her first-ever lead role in this sports drama as short-track speed skater Cha Ga-eul. Despite her talent, Ga-eul struggles to get through a slump, and begins working with the athletic village’s new “mental coach” Jegal Gil (A Model Family’s Jung Woo) to overcome her mental hurdles.
Meanwhile, Jegal Gil struggles with his own past as a national Taekwondo athlete who was banned from the team under murky circumstances, potentially due to to ex-teammate Ku Tae-man (Kwon Yool), now the human rights director of the athlete’s association.
Mental Coach Jegal will air every Monday and Tuesday on tvN starting from September 12.
Blind
In the mystery-thriller Blind, ordinary citizens seek justice after having fallen victim to criminals in powerful positions. Taecyeon (Vincenzo) stars as the enthusiastic and upright detective Ryu Sung-joon, whose older brother Ryu Sung-hoon (Ha Seok-jin) is a perfectionistic judge. Meanwhile, Jung Eun-ji (Cheer Up!, Reply 1997) plays social worker Jo Eun-ki, who puts the children she works with above all else.
Blind is directed by Shin Yong-hwi, who previously produced and directed thriller dramas like Tunnel and Voice 4. He is joined by screenwriter Keun Ki-kyung, who previously wrote the screenplay for the 2018 drama Andante.
Blind premieres on tvN on September 16, and will air on Fridays and Saturdays.
Love in Contract
Following a successful run on Forecasting Love and Weather, Park Min-young is returning with yet another romantic comedy. In Love in Contract, Park stars as self-proclaimed “contract marriage master” Choi Sang-eun, an attractive young woman who works as a wife-for-hire with her clients Jung Ji-ho (Seoul Vibe’s Go Kyung-pyo) and Kang Hae-jin (Kim Jae-young).
Between playing the role of a perfect wife and daughter-in-law for her clients’ social and family gatherings, Sang-eun finds herself in a tricky situation when she begins getting more involved with both Ji-ho and Hae-jin than originally planned.
Love in Contract will air every Wednesday and Thursday night on tvN from September 21.
Golden Spoon
Golden Spoon stars BtoB’s Sungjae as Lee Seung-chun, a young man born to poor parents. He comes across an old street vendor one day who sells him a golden spoon, which she promises will bring him wealth. Seung-chun’s wish is soon granted, as he finds out he is able to swap fates with his wealthy best friend, Hwang Tae-yong (Lee Jong-won).
Also starring in Golden Spoon are DIA’s Chae-yeon and ex-MOMOLAND member Yeonwoo respectively as wealthy heiresses Na Jo-hee and Oh Yeo-jin, who cross paths with Seung-chun when he starts putting the magical spoon to use.
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Golden Spoon will air every Friday on MBC starting September 23.
May It Please The Court
Disney+’s upcoming law procedural drama stars Jung Ryeo-won (Wok of Love, Witch’s Court) and Lee Kyu-hyung (Prison Playbook, Seoul Vibe) as lawyers Noh Chak-hee and Jwa Shi-baek, who are tasked to work on a case together. Cold and cutthroat, Chak-hee finds it difficult to work with Shi-baek, the easygoing oddball of their law firm.
In each episode of May It Please The Court, the pair of lawyers take on a new case – based on real-life crimes – and learn to complement each other’s strengths, all while investigating an ongoing serial-killing case.
May It Please The Court premieres on Disney+ in September.
The post 7 K-dramas to check out in September 2022 appeared first on NME.
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