Is it possible for an actor to fall in love with their co-star while working together on-camera?
Well, anyone who has followed the career of Julia Roberts already knows the answer to that question. But is it likely to happen even if you're just a relatively unknown actor hoping to star in a K-drama?
That's the premise of the new Netflix series Love Like A K-Drama, which premieres today with a four-episode debut. The series is based on the series Falling In Love Like A Romantic Drama, which ran for three seasons and is currently available in the U.S. on Netflix.
The two shows share a similar premise - a group of young actors compete to win a role in that episode's romantic short film. Each film ends with a kiss. But is the kiss just acting or have one or both of the actors developed true romantic feelings as they rehearsed together?
Love Like A K-Drama makes some changes to the premise, which turn out to be big improvements. Producers ABEMA (who also produced the original series) focused the show not on some general romantic drama, but on K-dramas. That helps focus the premise because K-dramas have a very specific feel and overall storyline.
The change also allows the show to shake up the casting procedure. In Love Like A K-Drama, the cast consists of four South Korean actors and four Japanese actresses. That brings in all sorts of language and cultural complications the cast need to work out as they rehearse and live together. The Japanese actresses also are learning about South Korean culture as they try and absorb everything that is needed to excel in a K-drama.
Each hour-long episode consists of a few set challenges. There is some unique way to determine which actor and actresses will be working together. The couples rehearse and viewers see a bit of their off-time interactions. We then see a snippet of their audition in front of a couple of experienced industry judges. The chosen couple then shoots a short film that runs about ten minutes.
The process is structured in a way that is unique and also very instructive for the audience. The viewers get to see the entire completed film and that is followed with about 8 minutes or so of footage from the shoot. You get to see what worked and what didn't and how the actors interacted with each other in-between scenes.
As an American, the behind the scenes footage is also fascinating because we get to see a bit of the production process on the set. Each short film is directed by an experienced K-drama crew and they also have a very direct, well-oiled production style.
It took me about an episode to really get into the groove of the show. It takes a while to become invested in the actors and for some of the unfamiliar references and concerns to begin to make sense. But by the end of the first episode, I was fully invested in the series. And not just because a couple of the Japanese actresses are not just stunning, but incredibly gifted performers.
The strangest moments for me are the segments with the Japanese studio panel who pop in every so often to offer comments. It's a familiar concept in Japanese reality TV shows and while its used a bit in American productions, it's use here is a bit distracting.
Regardless of that bit of complaining, Love Like A K-Drama is a lot of fun to watch. The premise of the series is well thought-out and while there are some twists, nothing that ventures into cruel territory, which is nice change from many love/dating shows.
And the four actresses are uniformly talented and charming, which is also a welcome change from the typical TV "searching for love" series. If you are looking for a show that is a bit unexpected, you should be watching Love Like A K-Drama.
Love Like A K-Drama is now available on Netflix.