9 new K-dramas to watch in November 2021: Netflix series Hellbound, Song Hye-kyo, Kim Soo-hyun’s latest shows, and more
- Song Hye-kyo, star of Descendants of the Sun, returns for her first series in two years as the lead of the romantic drama Now, We Are Breaking Up
- Part investigation drama, part social thriller and part dystopian horror, Hellbound is poised to challenge Squid Game and become Netflix’s next global hit
Both Apple TV+ and Coupang Play will launch their first Korean original series in November, which is shaping up to be a particularly busy and exciting month for K-drama fans.
Netflix is also launching one of its biggest series of the year, while South Korean channels will feature the returns of several major stars.
1. Melancholia
The show will also involve the mysterious Seung-yoo, who entered MIT as a 10-year-old but suddenly fell off the grid two years later and now struggles with his school grades following his return. (tvN, November 3)
2. Dr. Brain
Apple TV+ are getting ready to enter the busy streaming Korean streaming market on November 4, when they will unveil the six-part SF-thriller webtoon adaptation Dr. Brain.
The show is the debut drama series of Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, known for A Bittersweet Life, I Saw the Devil and many other modern Korean classics. (Apple TV+, November 4)
3. Happiness
ZE:A’s Park Hyung-sik, in his first post-military service role, plays Yi-hyun, a detective who used to have feelings for Sae-bom and now tries to protect her during the crisis. (tvN/TVing, November 5)
4. Red Sleeve
Based on a 2017 novel by Kang Mi-kang, Red Sleeve chronicles a love story between King Jeongjo and a royal concubine in the 18th century.
It begins when Crown Prince Lee San (Lee Joon-ho) falls in love with court lady Deok-im (Lee Se-young). He asks her to become his concubine when he becomes king, but she initially refuses, fearing that she would lose her freedom if she agreed.
Lee Joon-ho is a member of the band 2PM, while Lee Se-young appeared in Kairos last year. (MBC, November 5)
5. Secret Royal Inspector Joy
Through his work, he meets Jo-yi, played by SKY Castle’s Kim Hye-yoon, a young woman creating waves with her desire to divorce her no-good husband. (tvN, November 8)
6. Now, We Are Breaking Up
7. School 2021
The long-running School anthology series will return for its 2021 iteration next month. This season, which is based on the 2011 novel Oh, My Men by Lee Hyun, will follow the lives and loves of a group students who attend a vocational high school rather than go to college.
Among the students is Ki-joon, a talented Taekwondo athlete who will be played by Kim Yo-han of the band WEi. (KBS2, November 17)
8. Hellbound
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9. One Ordinary Day
Coupang Play, the streaming service run by Korea’s top online retailer Coupang, is jumping into original programming with highly anticipated eight-part series One Ordinary Day.
The series made headlines earlier this year when it was revealed that Kim would be earning a record 500 million won (US$427,000) per episode. (Coupang Play, November 30)