Dramaworld
North American promotional poster
GenreComedy drama
Satire
Fantasy
Pastiche
Written byJosh Billig
Chris Martin
Directed byChris Martin
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languagesEnglish
Korean
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producersChris Martin
Sean Dulake
Production locationsLos Angeles
Seoul
Running time10-20 minutes
Production companiesJetavana Entertainment
Third Culture Content
RaemongRaein
Original release
NetworkViki
ReleaseApril 16, 2016 (2016-04-16) (United States)
April 17, 2016 (2016-04-17) (internationally)

Dramaworld is a comedy-drama set in Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea with 10 short episodes[1] (each 10–20 minutes long) in season 1. The series follows the adventures of Claire Duncan, an American college student and huge fan of Korean Dramas, after getting transported to her favorite show with a touch of magic.[2] Dramaworld is co-produced by video-streaming platform Viki, China’s Jetavana Entertainment, and US Third Culture Content. The first season premiered at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on April 16, 2016, followed by the worldwide exclusive release on Viki and Netflix.[3][4]

Nearly every episode includes cameos from well-known K-pop and K-drama stars, including Super Junior's Choi Siwon, who starred in The King of Dramas and She Was Pretty, and Han Ji-min, lead actress of Padam Padam and romantic-comedy Rooftop Prince.[5]

The second season of Dramaworld premiered on April 2, 2021, with 10 new episodes of around 35 minutes per episode.[6]

Plot

Claire Duncan (Liv Hewson), a geeky 20-year-old college student, is obsessed with Korean dramas. While most of her fellow students are out partying, Claire is glued to the screen watching her favorite k-drama actor, Joon Park (Sean Dulake), in the drama Taste of Love. Claire's waking days, sadly, are not nearly as thrilling as the ones depicted in the k-drama world. Between work and school, her only escape is the glamour and excitement of Taste of Love and Joon Park's intoxicating charm and good looks. Claire spends almost every second wishing he would walk through the doors and sweep her off her feet. Her world, however, is turned upside down when, through a twist of fate and a touch of magic, she finds herself sucked into her smartphone and transported into her favorite k-drama. Stuck inside Dramaworld, Claire finally gets to meet Joon Park in the flesh. But now that she's a leading lady, she can't just watch the drama unfold. She has to be a part of it.

Cast

An American college student and K-drama fan who is transported into Dramaworld and attempts to repair the storyline, only to end up making things more difficult when she tries to correct the situation. She revealed the truth to Joon after he falls for her after learning of Seth Ko's plot to reimagine Dramaworld.
A character in the K-drama Taste of Love, a restaurant owner who is supposed to fall in love with his sous-chef Seo-yeon and is haunted by the death of his father, the president of a frozen foods company, but Claire's presence has him experiencing feelings for Claire instead, until she revealed the truth to him about his life in the fictional world.
A "Facilitator" of Dramaworld, whose mission is to make sure that every K-Drama stay on track and assist Claire by making sure they don't interfere, but is actually the main villain by altering Dramaworld to his liking as he is deceiving Claire and going after Seo-yeon, even using minions from other programs to stop Claire. He has ties to characters that reside in the Joseon Dynasty universe of Dramaworld, and has pursued Seo in every K-Drama they've been in, and is jealous of every leading man that kissed Seo.
A sous-chef and Joon Park's intended romantic interest in Taste of Love, whom Claire hopes to pair her up with in order to restore the storyline she interfered in, unaware that Seth is after her as he wants Seo to be his love interest and is the object of his obsession in every K-Drama they've been in.
Another potential love interest in Taste of Love. She is later revealed as a partner in Seth's plan to alter the storylines, so she can marry Joon.
Seo-yeon's friend. He owns a flower shop and helps Claire and Joon Park defeat the masked villain who had killed Joon's dad.
The new love interest for Joon in Love Undercover, 1988. She was also married to Doug for a while, and is Sam's mother.
A boy in Claire's Korean language class. Claire tries to date him before Joon appears in the real world.
A Facilitator who taught Seth when he first arrived. He fell in love with Ji-won and held the book of rules that governed Dramaworld.
A mysterious child who acts as a Facilitator in Dramaworld. Her actions start the plot of Season 2, and why Seth and Claire can return to Dramaworld.

Guest cast

Season 1[edit]

Season 2[edit]

Production

Cafe Scene with two main characters, Liv Hewson and Sean Dulake filmed in Seoul, October 2015

Filming of the first season, slated for 10 episodes running 20 minutes each, began on October 4, 2015, and ended on November 3, 2015, in Seoul[7][8] and Los Angeles. Josh Billig and Chris Martin co-write the series, with Martin directing the series’ first season.[9] Dramaworld is co-produced by China's Jetavana Entertainment and Third Culture Content.[10][11] The project is spearheaded and financed by an online video streaming site, Viki.[12][13]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations
Year Awards ceremony Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2016 Seoul International Drama Awards Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year Season 1 Won [14][unreliable source]
2021 Best Short-form Drama Season 2 Nominated [15]

References

  1. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (September 16, 2015). "Viki Greenlights First Original Series". Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "Viki co-producing first original Web series with China, Korea". Yonhap. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  3. ^ Blair, Gavin (September 16, 2015). "The Asian drama specialist is producing a bilingual, American-Korean comedy series, due to start shooting in L.A. and Seoul this month". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "Why Dramaworld Should Be Your Next Netflix Show". Cultured Vultures. 2016-05-28. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  5. ^ "Viki to Co-produce First Original Series 'Dramaworld', Homage to Millions of International Fans of Asian Dramas". Hancinema. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  6. ^ Frater, Patrick (March 31, 2021). "Second Season of Korean-American 'Dramaworld' Debuts Across Asia". Variety. Archived from the original on 2021-03-31.
  7. ^ Benightedxflame (October 20, 2015). "Surprise! The Truth Behind Siwon's Alarming Instagram Post". Soompi. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  8. ^ Weintraub, Steve (October 29, 2015). "Studio Ghibli Store Opens in Seoul, South Korea; Check Out Over 100 Pictures". Collider. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  9. ^ Schultz, Cody (September 20, 2015). "Viki Announces First-Ever Original Series, Dramaworld". Hidden Remote. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  10. ^ Marino, Joel (September 17, 2015). "Digital Platform Viki Producing First Original Series". World Screen. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  11. ^ "Korean, Chinese, American producers to join hands for 'Dramaworld'". The Korea Times. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  12. ^ Tomale, Diana (October 1, 2015). "Korean, Chinese And American Producers Collaborate To Create Drama Series 'Dramaworld' To Showcase Korean Pop Culture". Collider. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  13. ^ Longwell, Todd (September 17, 2015). "Why Viki is Getting Into Originals with K-Drama Hybrid Series 'Dramaworld'". Video Ink. Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  14. ^ Kokoberry (8 September 2016). "Winners Of The 11th Seoul Drama Awards 2016 Announced". Soompi. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  15. ^ "16th Seoul International Drama Awards – Winners list". Naver.
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