I Need Romance to be tvN's next prime-time drama » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

23 April 10, 2011April 9, 2011

I Need Romance to be tvN’s next prime-time drama

by javabeans

Hm, it looks like tvN is jumping into the prime-time drama game in earnest with a second midweek drama offering in the works. Manny (about a haughty male nanny working for a careerwoman single mom) is its first, and now it has I Need Romance, another Wednesday-Thursday drama which stars Jo Yeo-jung, the film actress who gained a lot of attention for her role in last year’s ero-sageuk movie Bang-ja Chronicle.

I Need Romance is described as a Sex and the City-esque drama “about the love lives, marriage, careers, and families of twenty- and thirty-something women.” Jo Yeo-jung plays the confident and lovable heroine, who is described as “depict[ing] contemporary women in a realistic way.” Writing is Jung Hyun-jung, who wrote the warm and funny SBS series I Love You, and directing is Lee Chang-han, who also worked on I Love You, as well as Wonderful Life and My Sister-In-Law is 19.

The drama’s description is a generic one, but sometimes dramas with generic descriptions can be charming and witty, as long as the execution is solid. And I think I Love You bodes well for the execution of this one.

tvN is no stranger to dramas (it previously aired the well-received comedy-thriller Harvest Villa and the excellent sci-fi sageuk mystery Joseon X-Files), but its foray into prime-time content is new. And while I don’t watch a ton of cable shows, a lot of them have been solid offerings, and that gives me hope for the future of scripted cable shows in general. (Other dramas on various cable channels include Chosun Police, Someday, Mystery Detective Jung Yak-yong, and Rude Miss Young-ae.)

Truth be told, I was never a fan of the Sex and the City franchise so that comparison isn’t exactly a draw for me, but I do love well-written and witty stories featuring independent, contemporary women. Think The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, or My Sweet Seoul. Romance Hunter was a little shakier, but I enjoyed parts of it. Another one of its kind isn’t a bad thing.

Playing Jo Yeo-jung’s friends will be actresses Choi Yeo-jin (Dream) and Choi Song-hyun (Prosecutor Princess). I Need Romance will follow Manny and premieres in June.

Phew, and the to-be-watched list just keeps growing… Why doesn’t it ever seem to shrink? I swear, I’m doing my part watching ’em!

Via Segye

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1 nokcha

April 10, 2011 at 1:18 PM

I'm really looking forward to this.

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2 meenuby

April 10, 2011 at 1:20 PM

I'm really digging the dramas tvN's been coming out with so I'm looking forward to this one, even though Sex and the City wasn't my cuppa either.

Can't wait for Manny though! :)

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3 Arhazivory

April 10, 2011 at 1:58 PM

Hmm...I have a question. Does the fact that it'll be airing on cable mean that we'll have more than chaste kissing and holding hands?

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Leona

April 10, 2011 at 2:16 PM

Prime time - maybe not because they have strict regulations about what, when and how it can be done on TV (in my country we have those regulations too-ohh well which old lady was raped - the news is aired at 5 o'clock ..depends a lil bit on institutions too)

"Mrs Town, her husband has died" aired Friday at 24:00 .. and even so some cried: WHAT our pretty idol doin' a noona? wooot? (at a time when NMW wasn't as popular as he is today... and he is a small fish)- dunno sometimes I have the sensation that all the ppl that are watching kdramas are nuns, monks and virgins ... when implications in dialogue and images aren't that innocent (btw where can I find the subs for Mrs Town?

I still hope for this drama and Manny to see something more realistic than close lips kiss (more in the category Game Over and better some hints that sex still exists in Korea and kids aren't made with the stork and ppl who actually have hormones )

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mars

April 10, 2011 at 5:34 PM

This is really interesting! I can't readily recall many dramas that have DARED TO GO THERE. Coffee Prince, Gumiho Girlfriend (...? Mi-ho is pretty frank about sex and her desires) comes to mind but nothing else. Can a beanie with more drama-cred than me throw up some more solid examples?

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mary

April 10, 2011 at 5:51 PM

Lovers
Dalja's Spring
Athena (not sure, but I think CSW and that Beethoven girl had a scene there)
PSH's kiss scene near the end of Queen of Reversals :P
PSH's Prosecutor Princess Kiss 1
PSH's Prosecutor Princess Kiss 2

Uhm.. there's probably a lot more. Haha

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ck1Oz

April 10, 2011 at 7:09 PM

What's up fox? they had a one night stand in the ?2nd episode.

City Hall!! Did you guys forget City Hall....don't you remember that night?

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absothe

April 11, 2011 at 6:51 AM

I just wanted to type that LOL. This was absolutely a turning point in my kdrama watching history. I think it's mandotory for every kdrama fan to watch that drama City Hall.
Cha seung won...*swoon*

Selli

April 11, 2011 at 1:41 AM

Well, in TWWSWTM, they had the Sang-mi and...whatever his name was scene, too XD I for one don't mind not seeing actors naked, pretending to have sex all the time like in many western series and movies @_@~

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Arhazivory

April 11, 2011 at 2:57 AM

Ohhh...I thought maybe cause its 'cable'. Thanks.

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tinnybo

April 11, 2011 at 10:41 AM

I was a little confused as well. I am new the kdrama this year and Coffee Prince was my first and I was hooked after that, but the ones i was watching is like the barely wanted to touch each other. I am from the U.S.V.I so what i am accustom to is much different. I think i watched a "Wonderful Life" and their was just one kissing scene at the end and i would swear he was kissing his mother on the cheek. I guess it would be nice to know what is allowed and what isn't.

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4 sleeplessinwgtn

April 10, 2011 at 2:32 PM

I so loved SATC that I have the entire six series and the two movies. Some episodes were better than others and it was more the friendship between the girls that drew me to it; altho' Samantha has more than enough scenes to justify the sex in the the title.

There are kiss scenes in Personal Taste, Prosecutor Princess, Coffee Prince and City Hall that are more than the usual touch on the lips type. If this one goes as far as the ones I cited, then it will be good.

I will watch out for this.

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5 ditdut

April 10, 2011 at 2:34 PM

OMG, I loved I Love You A LOT!! Am definitely tuning in for this!

JB, would it be possible to add TVN to your 'What's On This Week' side bar?

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6 Vyvy

April 10, 2011 at 2:49 PM

What is the difference between channels such as KBS, SBS, MBC and tvN?

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7 jomo143

April 10, 2011 at 3:05 PM

At least the title is good!

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8 sandy80

April 10, 2011 at 4:03 PM

I hate this actress not only that her hit movie is cheap but she was really rude in we got married show and I really hated her

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9 Neph

April 10, 2011 at 4:42 PM

tvN's Once Upon a Time in Saengchori was hilarious, so I'm definitely looking forward to this TV station's next dramas now.

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10 ar

April 10, 2011 at 6:13 PM

I wasn't too into sex and the city either. The only character that I could find myself liking was probably Miranda. There is not enough information to get me interested yet so I can't wait to find out more news about it and about who the other female characters will be played by!

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11 Ora

April 11, 2011 at 1:53 AM

Not a fan of sex and the city (tried watching one episode, but after ten minutes dropped it so to speak...) wish they could make more shows like Someday or The Devil or Sandglass. No disrespect intended but friends talking about love lives and career lives is getting same old same old...

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12 badmamajama

April 11, 2011 at 3:30 AM

why don't they pick up what's up or poseidon . gah , i hope they won't just evaporate into nothingness .

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13 carmz

April 11, 2011 at 5:22 AM

LOL. That picture makes me crack up. Makes me think she's busting and needs a toilet. Anyone else think so? Maybe it's just me.

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14 Carinne

April 13, 2011 at 11:50 AM

'Bout time, something needs to come out to chase after Hyena.

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15 wendy dale

April 14, 2011 at 3:11 PM

Western style kissing is found in The lovers eps 18/19 and Goong The Palace episode 23

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