Reasons Why There Is A Remake Fever In Korean Dramas (What do you think about these remakes?)

[Gerick]

Following “The Good Wife,†“Entourage,†and “Criminal Minds,†“Suits†is up next in the series of American dramas to be remade in Korea. KBS2’s “Suits†is set to premiere on April 25 as a remake of a popular American series of the same name. Centered around the bromance between two lawyers of two very different backgrounds, the drama remake gained attention when actors Jang Dong Gun and Park Hyung Sik were confirmed to join.

 

The trend of remaking popular overseas dramas isn’t limited to just the United States. OCN’s upcoming drama “Mistress†set to air on April 28 is also based on BBC’s “Mistresses.†American network ABC has previously remade the series as well. OCN’s “Mistress,†featuring Han Ga In, Choi Hee Seo, Shin Hyun Bin, and Goo Jae Yi, is a mystery thriller that focuses on the twisted relationships between four mysterious women and men who are around them. The drama shows how an everyday cafe owner, psychiatrist, teacher, and legal office manager get caught up in a series of murders.

 

OCN’s upcoming drama that plans to air this summer is also a remake of BBC’s “Life on Mars.†With its huge popularity, the British television series was remade in both the United States and Spain. The Korean remake tells the story of a present-day detective waking up to find himself in 1988. Jung Kyung Ho, Park Sung Woong, and Go Ah Sung have confirmed to appear.

 

Remakes of Japanese dramas are ongoing as well. tvN’s “Mother†that recently came to an end is based on a Japanese drama with the same title. The Korean remake received positive reviews overall. MBN’s upcoming drama “Rich Man, Poor Woman†is also a remake of 2012 Japanese romantic comedy.

 

 

 

What could be the reason behind this remake fever? While the terrestrial networks (KBS, MBC, SBS) led the game in the past, cable channels and comprehensive programming channels are now stepping up their game with dramas. In other words, the competition is fiercer due to increased and diversified platforms. In a war over securing interesting contents, remaking an overseas drama is one of the most attractive options because its popularity and quality have already been confirmed.

 

A source in the broadcasting industry shared, “As drama productions increase in number, there are frequent comments that there’s a lack of scenarios. In this process, works that gained popularity abroad are viewed as stable because they’re less risky. They’re seen as confirmed by the public.†They added that remakes also have advantages in terms of publicity and creating a buzz at the beginning stage.

 

However, not all remakes have been successful. This is because it’s difficult to satisfy fans of the original work and the overall high expectations. Remakes of “Entourage†and “Criminal Minds†mentioned previously recorded low ratings and were criticized.

 

Regarding this, the broadcasting industry official said, “It’s not easy to produce something that satisfies those who haven’t seen the original work and fans of it. It’s also important how well you adapt the drama to suit the domestic culture and society. In the end, it’s about improving the quality of the drama.â€

 

https://www.soompi.com/2018/04/22/reasons-remake-fever-korean-dramas/

 

 

What do you guys think of remakes in Kdramas? Are you okay with them? Do you prefer they make original dramas?

[siwan]

this is IU's fault

[moondoll]

the good wife kr was really good imo, so if they make a high quality drama like that then i'm fine with remakes. 

[mdo7]

It's pretty ironic, I remember back in 2008-2009 people were complaining about Hollywood remaking Asian Entertainment and yes, this was for real:

 

Crunchyroll forum topic from 2008 about My Sassy Girl US remake

 

Crunchyroll forum topic about people complaining about Hollywood remake of Asian film 

 

Now I would love to see how many of these same people that complain about Hollywood remake are thinking about the same thing for South Korea and Asian countries doing the same thing.  I mean in 2010, there was a report that Japan, South Korea, and China were remaking Hollywood films.  These same people that bitch about Hollywood remake were silent when Asian countries does it.  So now the same people that complain about Hollywood remake are just suddenly realizing that Asia which include South Korea are on a remake binge.

 

One more thing, when I found out that Life on Mars was getting a South Korean remake, I was caught by surprise because I kinda predicted it 2 years ago on another OH thread!!!  I never thought South Korea would actually dared to remake Life on Mars.  Well, looks like somebody in South Korea read my idea/wish and turned it into a reality.  My biggest disappointment is that they didn't cast Jang Hyuk as Sam Tyler/Han Tae-joo for the Korean remake.  I always thought Jang Hyuk fit well as Sam Tyler.

[oss.iosos]

It's pretty ironic, I remember back in 2008-2009 people were complaining about Hollywood remaking Asian Entertainment and yes, this was for real:

 

Crunchyroll forum topic from 2008 about My Sassy Girl US remake

 

Crunchyroll forum topic about people complaining about Hollywood remake of Asian film 

 

Now I would love to see how many of these same people that complain about Hollywood remake are thinking about the same thing for South Korea and Asian countries doing the same thing.  I mean in 2010, there was a report that Japan, South Korea, and China were remaking Hollywood films.  These same people that bitch about Hollywood remake were silent when Asian countries does it.  So now the same people that complain about Hollywood remake are just suddenly realizing that Asia which include South Korea are on a remake binge.

 

One more thing, when I found out that Life on Mars was getting a South Korean remake, I was caught by surprise because I kinda predicted it 2 years ago on another OH thread!!!  I never thought South Korea would actually dared to remake Life on Mars.  Well, looks like somebody in South Korea read my idea/wish and turned it into a reality.  My biggest disappointment is that they didn't cast Jang Hyuk as Sam Tyler/Han Tae-joo for the Korean remake.  I always thought Jang Hyuk fit well as Sam Tyler.

People complain about Hollywood doing anything, but really every large entertainment industry dabbles in remakes. It's just that people aren't as aware as they are with Hollywood.

[bluetoile]

Same reason why anything trends in K-drama land -- once someone else finds success, more writers and producers latch onto the trend.

[Map_Linh]

I don’t mind remakes as long as they’re good and sets the drama apart from its counterpart. I don’t want to see just a carbon copy that’s set in Korea.

[mrs.otter]

Suits is amazing. Entourage was boring imo. (tho i only watched a few eps)

[petai]

In this process, works that gained popularity abroad are viewed as stable because they’re less risky. They’re seen as confirmed by the public.†They added that remakes also have advantages in terms of publicity and creating a buzz at the beginning stage.

 

I think that almost answered your question. Normally remakes always about established, well received series.

 

Unlike free cable TV, paid cable TV must first garner subscribers. Creating buzz from popular series by remaking them will help cable TV stand out from free cable TV.

[geez]

I hope they stop soon

There's a reason I stopped to watch western tv shows and got into asians

[mdo7]

People complain about Hollywood doing anything, but really every large entertainment industry dabbles in remakes. It's just that people aren't as aware as they are with Hollywood.

 

Sorry for my late reply, I don't go to OH a lot.  But the idea of people in the US not knowing about these foreign remake is just ridiculous, and I don't believe their excuse.  The people that complain about US/Hollywood remaking foreign film (particularly Asian films) are fans of foreign films.  I find that hard to believe that the same people that complain about Hollywood remake of foreign films didn't know about Hollywood film getting foreign remakes.  So in my eyes, it looks like hypocrisy and probably what I dubbed "Asian supremacy".

 

I've seen these same people that bash Hollywood remake of foreign film, praising the foreign remake of Hollywood film.  They even go as far as to insult the original film the foreign remake was based on.  One time, a few years ago I saw an American user praise Zhang Yimou's A Simple Noodle Story, a Chinese remake of Coen Brother's Blood Simple, and guess what that person that did goes beyond praising the remake, that user insulted the original Coen Brother that the remake was based on.  He said Blood Simple was pure crap and said the remake was superior and said the Coen Brothers should bow down to Zhang Yimou.  So this show that entertainment remake has a lot of hypocrites and "foreign supremacist".    

[cheesymandu]

Suits is amazing. Entourage was boring imo. (tho i only watched a few eps)

 

Yes, I enjoyed Suits too. Entourage was bad. Not so interesting.