W (TV series)

W () is a 2016 South Korean television series, starring Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo.^[1][2] Consisting of 16 episodes, it aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 (KST) on MBC from July 20 to September 14, 2016.^[3] W centers on the clash between "two worlds": the real world and an alternate universe inside a webtoon, from which the title of the television series was taken.^[4][5]

The series received praise for its unique premise and ranked first in Content Power Index in its premiere week.^[6] It achieved respectable ratings of 11.63%, topping viewership ratings in its time slot for its entire run.^[7] The series also won numerous accolades at the 35th MBC Drama Awards, notably Drama of the Year, Daesang (Grand Prize) for Lee Jong-suk and Top Excellence awards for both lead actors. Additionally, the chemistry between the leads was well-received and they also won the Best Couple Award that year.

Plot

A romance takes place between Kang Cheol (Lee Jong-suk), who is super rich and exists in the webtoon "W," and Oh Yeon-Joo (Han Hyo-joo) who is a surgeon in the real world.

Oh Seong-moo, the father of cardiothoracic surgeon Oh Yeon-Joo, mysteriously goes missing while writing the last chapter of his webtoon "W". Yeon-Joo goes into his office looking for him, but a hand from his monitor suddenly pulls her in, and she finds herself on the rooftop of a building, next to a bloodied man. She manages to save the person, only to realize that he is Kang Cheol, the main character of her father's webtoon. Yeon-Joo later discovers she can only enter and leave the webtoon depending on Kang Cheol's feelings.

Cast

Main

• Lee Jong-suk as Kang Cheol

The lead character of the popular comic series W. He is the co-CEO of the e-commerce company JN Global, owner of broadcasting channel W, and an Olympic gold medalist in shooting in his youth. His family was murdered by an elusive murderer, yet Kang Cheol was immediately suspected to be the killer due to his shooting background. After being proven innocent, Kang Cheol seeks vengeance on the murderer through his broadcasting channel W. When he is stabbed on the rooftop of his penthouse by the murderer, he meets Oh Yeon-joo who saves his life and with whom he falls in love.

• Han Hyo-joo as Oh Yeon-joo
  • Hyun Seung-min as teenage Yeon-joo
  • Park Min-ha as child Yeon-joo

A second-year resident cardiothoracic surgeon in Myung-sei Hospital. She is the daughter of the Oh Seong-moo, author and illustrator of the famous webtoon W. A fan of her father's work, she goes to his studio to investigate his sudden disappearance. There, she is pulled into W's alternate universe and meets its protagonist Kang Cheol, with whom she eventually falls in love.

Supporting

Characters from the webtoon W

• Kim Eui-sung as Han Sang-hoon

The real killer of Kang Cheol's family. His identity is not revealed until much later, and his face resembles the comic series's author Oh Seong-moo. Before Seong-moo gives him a name and face, he mostly appears as a shadowy, faceless human form.

• Jung Yoo-jin as Yoon So-hee^[8]

Kang Cheol's long-time secretary and his friend since they were in high school. Her romantic feelings for Kang Cheol are subtly alluded to throughout the series through her actions and behavior around him, which lead to readers' general expectations of their marriage. Originally intended to be the main female character who would later become Kang Cheol's love interest, she is replaced by Yeon-joo when Kang Cheol falls in love with her.

• Lee Tae-hwan as Seo Do-yoon^[8]

Kang Cheol's loyal bodyguard and close friend. Using his knowledge of martial arts, he trained Kang Cheol to fight and is always alongside him in beating bad guys.

• Park Won-sang as Han Cheol-ho

A secondary antagonist of the webtoon. He is a power-hungry prosecutor and a member of Congress who is also the presidential prospect of a new democratic party. To gain political popularity, he becomes the prosecutor in charge of Kang Cheol's case when the latter was accused of his family's murder.

• Cha Kwang-soo as Son Hyun-seok

The director of Project W, a program specializing in criminal investigation, and the general manager of the broadcasting channel W.

People around Oh Yeon-joo

• Kim Eui-sung as Oh Seong-moo

Yeon-joo's father and a famous artist who created the webtoon W. Once a failed webtoon artist, alcoholic and divorcé, he gains popularity from W. However, he notices that his webtoon and its characters have taken on a reality of their own. As a result, he perceives Kang Cheol as a monster and seeks to eliminate him.

• Lee Si-eon as Park Soo-bong^[9]

An apprentice of Seong-moo and confidante of Yeon-joo.

• Nam Gi-ae as Gil Soo-sun

Yeon-joo's mother and Seong-moo's ex-wife.

• Heo Jung-do as Park Min-soo

Cardiothoracic surgeon and Professor at Myung-sei Hospital. He is a passionate fan of W.

• Kang Ki-young as Kang Suk-beom^[8]

Second-year resident cardiothoracic surgeon at Myung-sei Hospital and Yeon-joo's friend.

• Lee Se-rang as Gil Soo-young

Yeon-joo's aunt

• Ryu Hye-rin as Sun-mi

Seung-moo's apprentice

• Yang Hye-ji as Yoon-hee

Seung-moo's apprentice

Extended

• Kim Ik-tae as Assemblyman
• Noh Haeng-ha as Kim Yoo-ri

Nurse at Myung-sei Hospital.

• Ri Min as Team Leader Park
• Seo Gwang-jae
• Yang Seung-geol
• Seol Ji-yoon
• Park Geon-ryool
• Lee Yoon-sang
• Yeo Woon-bok
• Oh Hee-joon as Motel receptionist
• Kang Chan-yang
• Park Sung-taek
• Dong Yoon-seok
• Hwang Yoon-geol
• Kim Kwang-hyun
• Min Joon-ho
• Yoo Pil-ran
• Park Seon-woong
• Jang Moon-seok
• Cheon Ye-won
• Park Geon-rak
• Jo Sung-hee
• Joo Dong-hee

Special appearances

• Park Choong-seon as Kang Yoon – Cheol's father
• Kim Na-woon as Yoon Mi-ho – Cheol's mother (episode 1)
• Seo Shin-ae as Kang Soo-yeon – Cheol's sister (episode 1)
• Choi Min-young as Kang Joon-seok – Cheol's brother (episode 1)
• Hwang Seok-jeong as Webtoon Writer (episode 6)
• Ahn Se-ha as Kim Poong-ho – Yeon-joo's blind date (episode 6)
• Kim Jung-geun as Anchorman (episodes 1, 4)
• Heo Il-hoo

Production

The series is helmed by director Jung Dae-yoon, who directed She Was Pretty, and writer Song Jae-jung, whose previous works include Nine: Nine Time Travels and Queen and I.^[3]

The first script reading of the drama was held in May 2016.^[10]

The drama is Han Hyo-joo's small screen comeback after six years.^[11]

Original soundtrack

Part 9

Charted songs

Album charts

Ratings

Other adaptations

A Thai remake of the drama, Switch On was aired on Channel 3 on November 19, 2021.^[17] The adaptation changes the setting of the alternate universe from a webtoon to a virtual reality video game.

An American adaptation, titled Angel City was in development at The CW. The project will be produced by CBS Studios with Craig Plestis as executive producer.^{[18][19][needs update]}

A Malaysian remake of the drama, which also titled W: Two Worlds premiered in November 2023 on Viu and aired its final episode in early January 2024.^[20]

A Chinese remake of the drama titled "The Next stop W" started streaming in 2023. Available on WeTV, it is a shortened version of the drama set in Guangzhou.

Awards and nominations

Notes

1. ^ Episode 8 didn't air on August 11 due to broadcast of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This episode aired on August 17, 2016.^[30]

References

1. ^ Kim, Soo-hyang (March 29, 2016). "Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo in new drama 'W'". The Korea Herald. Archived July 11, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
2. ^ Jang, Jin-ri (March 29, 2016). "ko:'더블유' 이종석-한효주, 7월 안방 특급 커플이 뜬다" (in Korean). TenAsia. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
3. ^ "Worlds of reality, fantasy meet in "W"". The Korea Times. July 19, 2016. Archived September 1, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
4. ^ "Cartoon hero meets doctor in new sci-fi drama". Yonhap News Agency. July 18, 2016. Archived March 11, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
5. ^ "Two worlds collide in MBC mini-series 'W'". The Korea Herald. July 19, 2016. Archived December 9, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
6. ^ "Reality and webcomic world collide in 'W'". The Korea Times. August 3, 2016. Archived December 9, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
7. ^ "Sci-fi drama 'W' takes top spot on CPI chart". Yonhap News Agency. August 2, 2016. Archived March 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
8. ^ ""W" to feature Lee Tae-hwan, Lee Si-eon, Jung Yoo-jin". HanCinema. Edaily. May 12, 2016. Archived March 6, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
9. ^ "Lee Si-eon joins Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jong-suk for drama 'W'". HanCinema. Star News. May 14, 2016. Archived January 27, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
10. ^ "'W' Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jong-suk join for first script reading session, drama to premiere on July 20". HanCinema. Xports News. May 23, 2016. Archived December 9, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
11. ^ "Han Hyo-joo to return to TV after 6 years". The Korea Times. March 29, 2016. Archived April 20, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
12. ^ "Gaon Download Chart". Gaon. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
13. ^ "Gaon Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. 2016. Archived February 5, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
14. ^ "FIVE-MUSIC Korea-Japan Album Chart" (in Chinese). FIVE-MUSIC. 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
    To access, select the indicated week and year in the bottom-left corner
15. ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu" (in Korean). AGB Nielsen Media Research. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
16. ^ "TNmS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu" (in Korean). TNmS Ratings. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
17. ^ Magazine, Adobo (2021-11-05). "Entertainment: TrueID streams Thai remake of K-Drama 'W' called 'Switch On' this November". adobo Magazine Online. Archived April 12, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
18. ^ White, Peter (April 1, 2021). "'The Masked Singer' EP Craig Plestis Moves Into Scripted With Korean Supernatural Format 'W: Two Worlds' For CBS Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Archived April 1, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
19. ^ White, Peter (4 November 2021). "Genre-Bending Drama 'Angel City' In The Works At The CW From Craig Plestis, Damon Wayans Jr., Corinne Brinkerhoff, Jen Braeden & Heather Thomason". Deadline. Archived November 4, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
20. ^ "W: Two Worlds' Malay adaptation". July 10, 2023. Archived July 13, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
21. ^ "[2016 APAN] 송중기, 생애 첫 대상 해냈다…조진웅 최우수상 (종합)" (in Korean). MyDaily. October 2, 2016. Archived July 29, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
22. ^ "Winner Of Grand Prize For 2016 MBC Drama Awards Determined By Viewer Votes". Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
23. ^ "[MBC 연기대상] 맥락 있는 시청자 선택=이종석…안방점령 'W' 7관왕(종합)" (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. December 31, 2016. Archived April 4, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
24. ^ "2016 대한민국 콘텐츠대상에 김은희 작가·이완희 PD(종합)" (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. December 6, 2016. Archived March 30, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
25. ^ "ko:방통위, '2017 방송통신위원회 방송대상' 시상식 개최" (in Korean). ET News. July 30, 2017. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017.
26. ^ "'W' wins Special Jury award at WorldFest-Houston film fest". The Korea Herald. April 30, 2017. Archived December 9, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
27. ^ "ko:공유·박보검·남궁민·한석규…백상예술대상 男TV연기상 4파전" (in Korean). Star News. April 7, 2017. Archived July 29, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
28. ^ "'도봉순' 2개 노미네이트…박보검·박보영 참석 확정 [SDA 2017 종합]". August 17, 2017. Archived July 26, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
29. ^ "[SDA2017] '구르미', 한류드라마 최우수상…우수상은 'W'·'닥터스'" (in Korean). MyDaily. September 7, 2017. Archived August 7, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
30. ^ "The MBC broadcasting schedule on August 11, 2016" (in Korean). Archived August 11, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 10, 2016.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• W at IMDb
• W at Daum (in Korean)
• W at Naver Movies (in Korean)