The Producers (2015)

Different and good, but not great

The Producers is a strange show. I have to imagine the production was influenced by The Office. Characters speak directly to the camera, they lie to the camera to make punchlines, and in general it has an unusual vibe for a kdrama. This lessens as time goes on but is very pronounced in the first two episodes.

There are a few aspects of the show that I think are quite strong. First off the setting works well, having the show be about TV production is a good change of pace and it's legitimately interesting to see this fictional version of KBS. The episodes that involve filming a variety show are also good showing the amount of work that goes into putting together an episode of a travel show.

The cast is also great with the four leads all doing a good job and Kim Jong Kook stealing a bunch of scenes he is in. It's also loaded with cameos which doesn't add a ton to the finished product but is fun to see.

The show is also quite funny. The soccer game at sports day and a drunken walk home both stand out in my mind as two great funny bits.

However in the end I don't think the show quite comes together, and I have a hard time explaining why. I like the characters, and the core plot is solid, but it feels like there isn't a ton there. It needed more depth, I don't think the run time was too short, I just think more needed to be done with it.

So if you're looking for a kinda strange drama, give this a short. If you're looking for a lighter drama with plenty of funny moments, give this a shot. If you really like some of the cast, give this a shot. But on the whole it's enjoyable but not memorable.

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The Producers (2015)

A unique and creative premise built outside the boundaries of a normal TV series.

The show operates under the guise of a mockumentary offering a look into the inner workings of the "industry". Even excluding the four main star leads you get an impressive number of cameos from well-known faces in the business which makes for a very fun watch overall.

But, I can see how the stylistic choices could throw off the typical Korean viewer. Though I'd imagine audiences familiar with shows like The Office or Parks and Recreation would feel right at home. With that said, I was disappointed when they seemingly abandoned the mockumentary format and leaned more heavily on the typical romance/drama aspects. The dry satirical humor, fun character interactions, the behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes--- awkward at times, sure, but it was what made it fun.

A shoutout to the many hardworking staff members that work their butts off to ensure viewers get content to enjoy; the writers, cameramen, directors, sound, visuals, and importantly, the producers.

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This drama really could have been a 10/10--the premise of the story is very interesting and has a lot of potential. IU killed it in this. I fell in love with her character. I started watching the episodes at a faster speed when she wasn't on screen. I wish it had focused on her more. The romance in this is seriously disappointing. I was waiting for my happy ending the whole time and once the final episode hit; it was over, and things were left rather open-ended for my tastes.
I still do recommend watching this though, as it was a very good experience for me personally. Tears shed, screenshots saved. I watched this all in 2 days and this drama has spiraled me into watching Scarlet Heart Ryeo right after and now I think I may become addicted to KDramas.

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Endearing and positive story about relationships

I loved this drama. Plotwise, in my opinion it wrapped things well and satisfactory. As for romances, I wish there was one or two more episodes just to see how well these relationships have evolved. Maybe the creators hoped for another season, but for some reason it hasn't ever materialised.

All four main leads were lovable and cute even when their sincere feelings were misfiring, and I cheered for them all. What I liked the most, each character grew as a person. Mad respect, true friendship, mature communication and genuine love. I understood what attracted Seung-Chan to Ye-Jin and not to Cindy. Cindy was more age appropriate for him, but not challenging enough for his brain that was always working overtime, and his innocent heart went for kindness of Ye-Jin's. However, that doesn't mean he won't eventually fall in love with Cindy - she sure changed her demeanor and doesn't intend to give up on him yet. Jun-mo and Ye-Jin were definitely destined to be together, and I liked their bickering and understood the fear behind losing what you have for uncertainties of romance.

If you are looking for hot kiss scenes, there weren't any, just sweet, meaningful conversations and swoonworthy gestures. Oh I feel so much warmth in my heart now. I wish people would really be so kind to each other in real life.

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I want to say thanks and respect to creators for such an original idea. For me, this drama too turned from worthless to one of my favorite!

There is logic and nothing seems artificial in this drama. Even though this just a fiction, it looks realistic. I am the one who is really fed up with curtesy and artificial korean dramas. The Producers is different.

I'm not gonna describe the characters. You just have to see them by yourself. They all are so real and touching.

I like short dramas. I suspect that 11 - 12 episodes are meant for genius dramas. Not slow and never seem too long, and still have enough time to extend the pleasure of watching it.

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A hidden gem. Although it started slowly, the storylines and the characters personalities were consistent from beginning to the end. It was really nice to see more of the producers world, as a kpop fan I love watching music shows and variety programs but I never really thought about the people who are behind the curtains.
The episodes had more than one hour and if we were to split them we'd basically have a 16 episodes drama. But I'm glad it's a short one, they told us a story, they didn't extend anything and it wasn't tiresome.
The acting is top notch. I love all of the 4 main characters but I'm so amazed with how they wrote Cindy. She has such a strong personality and she stayed true to herself, they could go many places with her character, they could have played safe but they didn't, and that's why, for me, she ended being so much awkwardly likeable and relatable, she was my favorite part of the show.
It also had many odd supporting characters that had their own little storylines and even with them, the writing was really good.
Oh, not forgetting the editing, it was nice and weird, loved it.

I get that it's not a drama for everyone, but I'd recommend this one to anyone seeking something unusual and entertaining with a very nice writing. This is not a romantic drama, is a drama with romance as part of the many stories to be unfold. 9/10.

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The show promised so much with its meta and too-real teasers, but sadly the premise fizzled out and what promised to be an innovative show turned into a pretty normal Korean drama.

As if you couldn't love Cha Tae Hyun any more, I totally LOVED him in this show. He brought his trademark delivery and humour to the show. His character, however, is another matter altogether. That area could see improvement. Gong Hyo Jin has great chemistry with everyone, as she always does. Kim Soo Hyun was good as always, and his character was pretty amusing, but in some aspects his character morphed into something different towards the end of the show that made me forget what his character was actually about and at times enraged me. Also get ready for several cameos from other celebrities.

Surprisingly, IU's character really stole the show. Her character Cindy was the one who I was cheering for all the way to the end of the show. That's credit to her since she is the youngest member of the main cast of four, but not as much as to the writer for giving her a compelling character.

As for lovelines, the drama poster encapsulates what the show was trying to do and how it was trying to play with the viewers. I became supremely frustrated towards the end of the show because I really just wanted the show to choose one pairing, stick with it, and show us the happy ending.

Despite these complaints, I still tremendously enjoyed the show, because it really is funny. Not just the inside jokes about the showbiz industry, particularly about variety shows, but just laugh-out-loud moments in general.

Overall, a pleasant show with fewer but really looong episodes and an excellent cast.

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The first few episodes didn't grab me and I dropped it but I had nothing to watch so went back for KSY :). By ep 5 or 6 it became my favorite airing drama at the time. I heard the director was changed out after the second ep. Sad but good move cause the following episodes were fresh and it seemed like they had a blast filming. Great cast and characters. KSY was hilarious. This drama really showcased how good of an actor he is, especially when he was being flattered or when he was drunk haha. Honestly I don't remember the music and I don't usually rewatch dramas so I gave both those just a 5.

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Ok, I started this for Kim Soo Hyun and Cha Tae Hyun, but even my love for them cannot bring me to complete this series. I would admit that i am quite a picky watcher, but nothing in this drama satisfies. Treat this like a documentary to learn about how variety shows are run in Korea (Though I'm not sure how accurate of a depiction this is). THE CAMEOS though were hilarious and I loved the little nuances that were brought in here and there throughout the drama. (Kim Jong Kook's kiss scene was uncalled for but super super hilarious albeit a little hard to watch). Don't remember much of the OSTs so I'd say they're subpar.

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Lightweight and foregettable

Creating a TV show about producing a TV show has been done before - (the British "Moving Wallpaper", American "Action!" and "Unreal") but I hadn't seen a Korean take on this concept before (well, I have seen "Pinocchio", but that was centred around a news program so that doesn't count).

Unfortunately, unlike those aforementioned programs, "The Producers" doesn't really send up or skewer the industry. So no laughs or interesting revelations to be had. Which would be fine if there was an interesting story - but it lacks a gripping storyline. Which would be OK if the characters were good - but I don't really care for any of them.

On the storyline, it centers around Seung Chan, who's landed a dream job at a TV station... and been assigned to the team behind a failing variety show. Will they be able to rescue the program before it gets cancelled??.....the real question is, will you care?

The one positive here, is the cast, who mostly do a pretty good job with the flimsy script. I HATED Soo Hyun Kim and his stony face and bland expressionless voice in "My Love From The Star" and (to a lesser extent) "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" but he actually does a pretty good job here playing the awkward and bumbling Seung Chan. IU does pretty good job as the stuck-up pop star Cindy, though she comes across as slight hesitant. Hyo Jin Gong plays the part of music show producer Ye Jin well, it's too bad the character is so annoying and unlikable you relish when bad things happen to her.

Look, it was decent enough for me to watch a few episodes, but I just don't care about the characters or story enough to finish it. It's not unpleasant to watch, but aren't there better things to do with your time than watch forgettable K-Dramas?

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