Things I like about K-Drama Episode One: The K-Drama Format

Written by Kidge.

So what I like about K-Dramas is partly the format. I don’t know anything about Korean TV advertising, but it would seem to me that when a show is supposed to be an hour long, it’s actually an hour long. Not 42 minutes or whatever rubbish we get in the Western world, where I am convinced that every 4 minutes there is at least 3 minutes and 59 seconds of painful, painful advertising to sit through. That extra 18 minutes, is I think, the difference between actually being able to tell a meaningful story in one episode, or not.

I also happen to be a massive fan of the 16 episode series. I love that there isn’t going to be a sequel, or 5 other long series where the main couple struggles to get together because of the fact that they work together, or because one is completely emotionally stunted while the other is a macho man with scars to bare (Bones anyone?). No, unlike in the Western world, I can comfortably expect my couple to be together, probably break up, and be together again, all in 16 episodes!!! What’s not to love about that?

Moreover, the 16 episode format forces writers to actually come up with a plot line! Now I don’t mean to disparage Western dramas, but my feeling towards them after having been indoctrinated into the K-drama world, has become a little on the side of scathing. I cannot stand episodes where the only move forward in terms of character development is ONE interesting conversation between the two leads. No wonder we need 5 seasons of something in order for them to get together!! Seriously, as much as I occasionally complain about particular K-dramas lagging, they are going at lightning speed compared to many frustrating American series I have watched.

In my early months of watching K-drama, I tended towards ones that had already completely aired, sometimes several years ago. But as I fell further and further into the black hole that is K-drama obsession, I discovered what it’s like to watch currently airing series. Now my frustration at having to wait for new episodes to air has yet to abate (I doubt it ever will due to my obsessive and impatient nature). However, I have loved knowing that it wasn’t just one hour of hilarious, cute, anxiety inducing television that I get to watch, but two! Whoever the genius was to think up airing two, hour long episodes in a week (one day after the other no less!) was a genius and should be praised for his/her brains.