The drama ‘W’ starring actors Lee Jong-seok and Han Hyo-joo is aimed at American small screens. It is scheduled to be remade through CBS, a representative local terrestrial broadcaster, and is expected to be counted as another example that proves the power of Korean dramas.
According to the recent U.S. entertainment media Deadline, MBC signed a contract with CBS Studio for the rights to remake the drama ‘W’ in 2016. CBS previously promoted local remakes of some Korean dramas, such as ‘Good Doctor’ in 2014 and ‘Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho’ in 2016.
‘W’ is a drama depicting the romance and events that occur when a doctor accidentally gets sucked into a webtoon titled ‘W’ and meets the main character of the cartoon. The drama, starring Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo, recorded the highest viewership rating of 13.8% (Nielsen Korea) at the time of its airing, collecting topics.
The American remake of ‘W’ seems to have benefited from the novel material and story of the original drama, such as winning the Special Jury Prize at the Houston International Film Festival in 2017 along with such popularity. In particular, Smart Dog Media, a local production company that showed the American version of MBC’s ‘King of Mask Singer’ and Mnet’s ‘I Can See Your Voice’ series, decided to make a remake drama, attracting another attention. Smart Dog Media has been recognized for its achievements by attracting the attention of local viewers with content utilizing the format of Korean broadcast programs.
So much anticipation for the local remake of ‘W’. This is especially true in that Korean dramas that actively utilize changes in the environment, such as the expansion of the OTT (Online Video Streaming Service) market, are attracting global attention with their planning power and universal story. Broadcasters see the American remake of ‘W’ as showing the power of Korean dramas on the same line.
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