2023 might be starting off with a bang, drama fans! From buddy cops to revenge to reluctant romance comedy, there’s a lot of fun in store for everyone. Come see what you have to look forward to in the new year!
(All information acquired from our favorite database: MyDramaList.com. Subscribe today for the latest updates and more! As per usual, the premiere dates and streaming platforms are subject to the whims of corporate negotiation or the drama gods — maybe the corporate drones negotiate with the drama gods?? — and are subject to change. We’re all just doing our best here. )
Brain Cooperation
January 2, Viki, starring Jung Yong Hwa (Sell Your Haunted House), Cha Tae Hyun (Police University), Kwak Sun Young (Behind Every Star), Ye Ji Won (The King of Tears)
Shin Ha Ru works as a neuroscientist. He comes from a family that has had doctors for 3 generations and he is wealthy from inherited property. Shin Ha Ru is a confident person who acts and speaks according to his convictions, but he has no mercy for people he views as scum.
Geum Myung Se works as a detective. He acts and speaks surly around people, which causes people unfamiliar with him to assume he might be a corrupt cop. In reality, Geum Myung Se is a kind and righteous detective. He was also once married to Kim Mo Ran. She has a particularly strong libido.
Shin Ha Ru and Geum Myung Se solve criminal cases together with the help of Hypnotic Investigator Seol So Jung.
Run Into You
January 4 (may be delayed), Wavve, starring Kim Dong Wook (The King of Pigs), Jin Ki Joo (From Now On, Showtime!)
Yoon Hae Joon started his career at a broadcasting station as a local news reporter. He now works as an anchor for the weekend news program and is the youngest anchor to ever work at the broadcasting station. He is calm and straightforward as a journalist and kind to people in his personal life.
Baek Yoon Young dreamed of becoming a writer, but, to support herself, she works at a publishing company. She is under a lot of stress because of her job and she sometimes takes it out on her mother. One day, Baek Yoon-Young faces a shocking case that changes her life.
Yoon Hae Joon and Baek Yoon Young somehow both travel back in time to the year 1987. There, Yoon Hae Joon tries to find the truth behind a serial murder case and Baek Yoon Young tries to prevent her parents from marrying. Their goals seem completely unrelated, but they soon realize that their objectives are connected.
(No promotional materials available at this time, which points to a likely delay.)
Payback
January 6, Amazon Prime, starring Lee Sun Kyun (Dr. Brain), Moon Chae Won (Flower of Evil), Kang Yoo Seok (Light on Me), Park Hoon (Remarriage and Desires)
Law Money follows the revenge story of a group of people—including Eun Yong, a money trader—who refuse to remain silent in the face of unjust authorities and fight against a cartel conspiring with the law.
Agency
January 7, starring Lee Bo Young (Mine), Jo Sung Ha (Adamas), Son Na Eun (Ghost Doctor), Han Joon Woo (The Empire), Jeon Hye Jin (My Liberation Notes)
An office drama depicting a woman who became the first female executive in her group to make her career beyond her first to the highest position. In the background of an advertising agency, it contains realistic stories of the daily lives of those who live a life like war and behind the scenes in the industry.
Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist season 2
January 11, starring Kim Min Jae (Dali and the Cocky Prince), Kim Hyang Gi (Moment at Eighteen), Kim Sang Kyung (Racket Boys), Kang Young Seok (Mental Coach Jegal), Woo Da Vi (Dear.M)
The saga continues!
Crash Course in Romance
January 14, Netflix/Prime (rumored), starring Jeon Do Yeon (Lost), Jung Kyung Ho (Hospital Playlist)
Nam Haeng Sun used to be a national athlete. She now runs a side dish store. She has a super positive personality and unlimited like stamina. She takes another turn and enters the private education field, which is for students preparing for their university entrance exam. Unexpectedly, Nam Haeng Sun gets involved with Choi Chi Yeol.
Choi Chi Yeol is a popular instructor in the private education field and is known as Ilta Instructor (most popular instructor). He works hard at his job. As an instructor to his students, he speaks without reserve and implements showmanship in his lessons. He has accumulated wealth and fame as a popular instructor, but, with increasing success, he has become more sensitive, prickly, and indifferent to people. He then meets Nam Haeng Sun with her super positive personality and never ending stamina. The relationship between Nam Haeng Sun and Choi Chi Yeol develops romantically.
Can We Be Strangers?
January 18, starring Kang So Ra (Revolutionary Love), Jang Seung Jo (The Good Detective 2)
It follows an ex-married couple who are both lawyers that specialize in divorce. They find themselves working together as colleagues dealing with cases related to divorce and relationships.
Individual Circumstances
January 19, Viki, starring Jun.Q (The Witch’s Eye), Hang Jung Wan
A story depicting a war-like reunion romance between Ha Yeon Woo, a movie director who was once a promising prospect in Chungmuro, and Seong Woo Jae, a writer who disappeared from his first love due to past wounds.
(No promotional materials available at this time.)
Kokdu: Season of Deity
January 27, Viki, starring Kim Jung Hyun (Mr. Queen), Im Soo Hyang (Doctor Lawyer), Kim Da Som (Was It Love?), Ahn Woo Yeon (Check Out the Event)
A fantasy medical drama about a high-ranking grim reaper named Kkok Du, who is the only being to exist in the underworld. Every 99 years, the cold and cruel Kkok Du must take a break from his job in the underworld and spend 49 days in the mortal realm—and this time, he winds up inhabiting the body of the human Do Jin Woo. While living as Do Jin Woo, he meets Han Gye Jeol, a female doctor who has the mysterious ability to order Kkok Du around.
There you have it, drama fans — the shows that will keep you watching into the new year. Drop down below and let us know what’s got your attention!
The Fangirls
Dramas with a Side of Kimchi