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[HanCinema's News] Late April Marks a Shift to Genre Comedies

The first quarter for South Korean television this year was dominated by romance, with shows like "Twenty Five Twenty One" and "Business Proposal" dominating most discussion of popular culture. But the shows that have come to replace them on South Korean television have a markedly different approach in terms of genre. "From Now On, Showtime!" and the upcoming "The Killer's Shopping List" may both deal with crime- yet both also have markedly screwball hooks and marketing.

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On the same note this past April 22nd saw the premiere of "Shooting Star" which, despite the seeming romantic comedy premise, was neither marketed as a romance nor has it been presented as such in the two episodes to date. The exact relationship between the two leads remains ambiguous, save for that Lee Sung-kyung works at a talent agency while Kim Young-dae is a big star whose professional interests she represents. Workplace antics rule the show's tone.

Such subject matter for new dramas may be a disappointment to worldwide fans, as comedy often doesn't translate easily to international audiences. But to date neither "Shooting Star" nor "From Now On, Showtime!" has been doing especially well in the domestic ratings either. "Shooting Star" only had ratings of 1.73% for its second episode on April 23rd, while "From Now On, Showtime!" was only slightly better with 3.6% on April 24th.

There's plenty of time for either show to improve, and "The Killer's Shopping List" on April 27th will provide another crucial data point as to whether more emphasis to a comic approach is a good way to stoke viewer interest. This coming May, only "Never Give Up" is being marketed as clearly as a comedy. With the unexpected success of throwback style romances earlier this year, straight comedy genre dramas have a high bar to pass to remain competitive.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Shooting Star" is directed by Jamie K Lee, written by Choi Yeon-soo-II, and features Lee Sung-kyung, Kim Young-dae, Yoon Jong-hoon, Kim Yoon-hye, Park Sojin, Lee Jung-shin. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/04/22~Now airing, Fri, Sat 22:40 on tvN.

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"From Now On, Showtime!" is directed by Jung Sang-hee-I, Lee Hyeong-min, written by Ha Yoon-ah, and features Park Hae-jin, Jin Ki-joo, Jung Joon-ho, Jung Suk-yong, Ko Kyu-pil, Park Seo-yeon. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/04/23~Now airing, Sat, Sun 20:40 on MBC.

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"From Now On, Showtime!" is directed by Jung Sang-hee-I, Lee Hyeong-min, written by Ha Yoon-ah, and features Park Hae-jin, Jin Ki-joo, Jung Joon-ho, Jung Suk-yong, Ko Kyu-pil, Park Seo-yeon. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/04/23~Now airing, Sat, Sun 20:40 on MBC.

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