Court Dramas All Year Round, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" Effect?

Published on 2022/09/21 | Source

Court dramas are taking over.

Is it the aftermath of "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" that ended in popularity? Following the craze, court dramas are pouring out. "The Law Cafe", "Blind - 2022", and "One Dollar Lawyer" went on air one after another.

KBS2's new Monday-Tuesday drama "The Law Cafe" is a romance drama between Kim Jeong-ho (Lee Seung-gi), a former prosecutor, and Kim Yoo-ri (Lee Se-young), a four-dimensional lawyer tenant. It is a drama adaptation of a popular web novel by Noh Seung-ah, who has more than 25 million views.

It deals with what happens when Kim Yoo-ri, a legal nut who throws her resignation letter to a law firm, opens a "The Law Cafe" in a building owned by Kim Jeong-ho, the son of the family who was in charge of litigation related to her father's death. If the existing court dramas proceed hard against the backdrop of the court, this work lowers the entry barrier and is decorated with daily episodes of lawyers who run out of the law firm.

tvN also introduces legal articles through "Blind - 2022". "Blind - 2022" tells the story of ordinary citizens who have become unfair victims and perpetrators who turn a blind eye to the uncomfortable truth. Ryu Seong-hoon (Ha Seok-jin), a perfectionist judge, and Jo Eun-ki (Jung Eun-ji), a human-first welfare worker, lead the story with a hot-blooded detective Ryu Seong-joon (Ok Taecyeon) in between.

The poster for "Blind - 2022" reads a copy saying, "After the trial, the real murder begins". The process of digging into the mysterious murder case and the truth of the trial stimulates viewers' curiosity and adds to the fun of the mystery. The production team said, "It will be the point to watch this drama to figure out the real killer hidden in the fog".

SBS' new Friday-Saturday drama "One Dollar Lawyer" which will air for the first time on the 23rd, is also a story of a lawyer who unfolds openly as the title suggests. Cheon Ji-hoon (Namkoong Min), who has a fee of only 1,000 won and is by far the best, advocates a legal action against rich law makers and expensive lawyers.

In particular, Namkoong Min, who has been causing high ratings and buzz in each appearance, plays the role of a lawyer for the first time since his debut. It is also notable that it is his first SBS appearance in two years since "Stove League". Attention is focusing on how Namkoong Min, who announced his transformation from his visuals with perm hair, will play.

There is also the Disney+ original series "May It Please the Court" which starts on the 21st. Jung Ryeo-won works as a solo lawyer and Lee Kyu-hyung as a special lawyer. The court mystery, in which the two polar lawyers track the truth together, will be exciting.

Coincidentally, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" triggered continuous court dramas to be produced but it is too much to see them as intention to continue the syndrome. Most of these legal works, which are pre-produced, were planned and filmed before the "Woo Young-woo" syndrome.

A broadcast official said, "It was long before the 'Woo Young-woo' syndrome that the legal drama wind began". This year alone, "Juvenile Justice", "Again My Life", "Why Her?" and "Doctor Lawyer" became popular, and "Big Mouth", which recently ended, is also a lawyer's story, he said. "K-drama is finding a new breakthrough in court where various variations are possible. The wind will continue for the time being", he said.