Shows/Movies That Should Get A K-Drama Remake
Do you like K-drama remakes? Here is a list of Western films and TV shows that producers should consider.
Whether you are a hardcore K-Drama fan or a hardcore Western film/TV show fan, you’ll come to light of a future trail that definitely should be near!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
90s television would not be 90s show television without the iconic teenage vampire slayer, Miss Buffy Summers. Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a teen supernatural series created by Joss Wheaton. The teen phenomenon is about a teenage girl in the city of Sunnydale, who saves the world, along with her friends and her watcher. However, don’t let the title distract you from the fact that they fight off more than just vampires. There are horrifying creatures, witches, demons, and even ruthless human beings that they have had to go against.
Korean shows such as The Uncanny Counter or My Name, contribute to giving women slayers and fighters, whereas a variety of characters can only impact a certain crowd of viewers if it becomes too unimaginative. To be clear, The Uncanny Counter and My Name have done a fantastic job on their leading ladies. Despite those characters in the drama universe, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the women-empowered dramas usually have clear differences.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a feminine character with a girly wardrobe. A teenage girl catching onto the average teenage girl fashion in that era (floral skirts, leather pants, leopard print, bright color patterns). Personality-wise, Buffy was witty and confident. Her life catered to hanging out with her friends, being involved in the party scene, and talking to boys without deserting the duties of being a vampire slayer. The soft, yet powerful characters are fading away from shows or films.
Tough, crude dispositions with non-girly interests have dried out the triumphs of girl bosses like Buffy Summers.
Korean dramas are on a wave to grab a global audience (more than they already have currently). Imagine how much stronger they would become if we got a monster hunter who was proud of her femininity. Putting on an actress such as Son Na Haeun, on the journey of stake-eliminating kills while rocking a skirt back to the small screen, would blow me away.
New Girl (2011–2018)
New Girl is a show about a young, awkward woman who has undeniable issues with her relationships. She goes through a break-up and coincidentally moves in with three young men. The quirky, offbeat humor is truly the significance of the show. We’re going in on each character delightfully bringing a fresh energy to comedy television.
Welcome to Waikiki, a series with a similar concept to New Girl might convince you enough to a revival. The exchange of newcomer actors and actresses, namely Choi Hyun-Wook, Han Sung-min, Lim Ji-sub, Woo Da-Vi, and other rookies, has clearly shown how we need an ensemble of adults in their 20s living in a home together. Give me the kooky dramas back!
Charmed (1998–2006)
“The power of three will set you free.” Anyone?
Charmed was a series centered on three sisters who discover they are witches who use their powers to conquer good and demolish evil. The series is based on fantasy, but the impact of its realistic portrayals of the dangers in the world made the show magical. The humor of each sister plays a role in the chemistry between the characters’ connection and spunky nature. Witch dramas are a grapple to find, at least the kind that the 90s and 2000s comprised. If you find them, they are usually in the horror genre. Nothing that gives lightness, or darkness, or makes you wish you had the power to freeze villains or shatter a demon’s ego.
The 2022 fantasy drama, The Witch Store Reopens, might swirl into considerable conversation if it didn’t situate around high schoolers. My dream is to see Bae Suzy, Ahn Ha-Young, and Choi Ye-Bin in a charmed revival.
Derry Girls (2018–2022)
Political concerns, overbearing mothers, cultural aspects of society, uniforms, and it’s in the 1990s? Where are the Daegu Girls? Or the Seoul girls?
Hmm, we’ll work on the name later.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Do you know those movies from your childhood that are a faint memory, but as you grow up, they’ve created a bond between you and the romance genre? ‘The popular guy befriending the unpopular girl’ has been a repeat for decades. The trope’s reputation is shown on today’s streaming platforms.
The film, A Walk To Remember, starring Mandy Moore and Shane West, was about a shy religious girl named Jaime, who speaks highly of her faith and God and has a love for astronomy. Landon, the school’s brooding bad boy who associates himself with troublesome antics accompanied by his friends, has to engage in serious consequences when one of his friends winds up in a dangerous accident. Landon’s punishment relies on service work and being a part of a play, a play that Jaime is a part of as well.
Both characters form a complicated bond that leads to a sappy, heartbreaking love story. A television spin-off of the film has sparked how the story could have deeper creativity in mind, without disrespecting the original. As illness is predominant in the plot, Jaime’s illness upbringing should be developed for the male lead instead. What a twist it would be if it was the ‘popular girl falling for the unpopular guy’ trope. To summarize my choice of film, it’s only fair to give fan casting to Jung Ji-so and Dawon.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Communication is the ticket to a healthy, sensational non-committed relationship, right? Or at least what When Harry Met Sally has taught us. The two main characters are each other’s drive for perspectives on relationships, the view on devoted aging sentiments, and debates on sexual attractions and experiences. The 80s rom-com stands on the enemies-to-friends-lovers pipeline, making its relevance a fall classic. I love a good story that fills the season with joy and a thrill it would be to see a Korean romance-comedy provide an autumn aura. Seasonal backgrounds are prime for conversational, mockumentary-type fiction (Lovestruck In The City is a Netflix drama with a mockumentary-styled display).
My attention is on Seo In-guk (Doom At Your Service has made everyone fall for him and his charm!) and regardless of the criticism of her acting abilities, Shin Se-kyung is a stunner to watch. She executes herself in dramas alluringly. Her clumsy, level-headed characters suit her foremost and this would set the degree of what she is capable of.
Julie and The Phantoms (2020)
Julie and the Phantoms is another victim of Netflix’s parade of destroying their series that are bearable. Julie and the Phantoms is a musical dramedy show surrounding a 15-year-old girl named Julie, who loses her longing for music after her mother’s passing. She meets three ghosts who passed away in the 90s. Before their tragedy, they were teenage boys who were equally lovers of music as they were in a rock band. These teenage boy ghosts come together with Julie, reviving what they lost, including Julie, who finds her love for music again.
The series has an American version and a Brazilian version. However, the American version took off by storm, with the audience topping the show’s soundtrack on iTunes and going straight to number one on The iTunes Charts. Petitions for the show are nonstop, even since its cancellation in 2022. With dramas feeding the adolescent soul with heartfelt teen shows, it’s only right for there to be a Korean Julie and the Phantoms. To bring originality, it would be interesting to see more of a mature approach, perhaps a university concept.
Here’s my recommended band-cast:
- Julie Molina, played by Choi Ye-na
- Luke Patterson, played by Hwang In-youp
- Alex Mercer, played by Nam Da-reum
- Reggie Peters, played by Choi Jung-ho
The Sure Thing (1985)
The reason I can speak about the film industry is because my standard lies with the beauty and significance of 80s production, dialogue, and cinematography. The decade has hatched a romance admirer. NO movie other than an 80s selection of romance can keep me satisfied for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours (speaking as someone with the attention span of a squirrel).
The Sure Thing directed by no other than Rob Reiner, who also was the Director of When Harry Met Sally and other remarkable 80s films, is centered on a college student who seemed to be quite unlucky with the women that he unapologetically takes an interest in. He discovers that there is one woman who happens to have a fascination with him, and he willingly decides to put in the effort to suffer through a carpool whirlwind just to reach that woman. However, Plans change as he’s forced to go with another person on this journey. The problem is that the person he is carpooling with is a woman who rejected him in the past.
You observe this comedic, cunning journey of these two college students who are the definition of opposites attract. At full length, you watch the leads get on each other’s nerves to find each other quite amusing and, of course, you know exactly what happens afterward. K-dramas have silly dialogues from time to time that pull the expanded viewership. It’s only the principle of the matter to give 80s supremacy a new approach. I’ll leave it to your liking of actresses and actors to give a fan casting.
Holidate (2020)
In every average K-Drama, the lead will either get dumped within the first 10 minutes or wallow in their desire to pursue a nice-going relationship. The American film, Holidate gives you that type of feel for almost 2 hours. We’ve got two desperately lonely strangers who come together for every holiday to be each other’s plus one.
Here we go again with When Harry Met Sally (can’t help that it’s a pop culture classic) but, it is one film that has inspired the 2020 rom-com. The film has its usual soft-hearted antics and swoon-worthy moments. However, the adult crude humor captures the essence of what makes adult rom-coms realistic and refreshing. Han So Hee or IU, along with Kim Taehyung or Kim Woo-seok or Byeon Woo-Seok, this is your calling.
Thanks for reading. Leave a comment and suggest the movie or show that you would like to see in K-Drama style!
