''Dramaworld'' is a

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

set in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea with 10 short episodes (each 10–20 minutes long). The series follows the

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

s of Claire Duncan, an American college student and huge fan of

Korean Drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

s, after getting transported to her favorite show with a touch of

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

. Dramaworld is co-produced by video-streaming platform Viki,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

’s Jetavana Entertainment, and US Third Culture Content. The first season premiered at the

Ace Hotel Ace Hotel is a chain of hotels headquartered in Los Angeles and New York City. Founded in 1999 in Seattle, it operates hotels primarily in the United States, with locations in Portland, Oregon; Brooklyn, New York City; Palm Springs, California; ...

on April 16, 2016, followed by the worldwide exclusive release on Viki and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. Nearly every episode includes cameos from well-known

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

and

K-drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

stars, including

Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their prominent ...

Choi Siwon Choi Si-won (; born 7 April 1986), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi committed as special representative of UNICEF K ...

, who starred in ''

The King of Dramas ''The King of Dramas'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series, starring Kim Myung-min, Jung Ryeo-won and Choi Siwon of Super Junior. It is a satirical dramedy about what goes on behind the scenes in making a TV drama. It aired on SBS fro ...

'' and ''

She Was Pretty ''She Was Pretty'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Hwang Jung-eum, Park Seo-joon, Go Joon-hee and Choi Si-won. It aired on MBC from September 16 to November 11, 2015, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00. The series was b ...

,'' and Han Ji-min, lead actress of ''

Padam Padam ''Padam Padam'' () is a 2011 South Korean television series starring Jung Woo-sung, Han Ji-min, and Kim Bum. The romance / fantasy series was written by Noh Hee-kyung, and the title is a reference to a 1951 French song by Edith Piaf, an onom ...

'' and romantic-comedy ''

Rooftop Prince ''Rooftop Prince'' () is a 2012 South Korean fantasy romantic comedy television drama, starring Park Yoo-chun, Han Ji-min, Jeong Yu-mi, Lee Tae-sung, Lee Tae-ri, Jung Suk-won, and Choi Woo-shik. It is about a Joseon crown prince who, after ...

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

Plot

Claire Duncan (

Liv Hewson Liv Hewson (born 29 November 1995) is an Australian actor and playwright. Their written work includes "lots of re-imaginings of fairytales and mythology with a queer and dark slant." They starred as Abby Hammond in the Netflix series ''Santa Cla ...

), a geeky 20-year-old college student, is obsessed with

Korean drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

s. 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 Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

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 A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

and transported into her favorite

. 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

as Claire Duncan :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. * Sean Dulake as Joon Park :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. *

Justin Chon Justin Jitae Chon (born May 29, 1981) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has directed three films, ''Gook'' (2017), '' Ms. Purple'' (2019), & ''Blue Bayou'' (2021). He is also known for portraying Eric Yorkie in '' The Twilight Saga'' film ...

as Seth Ko :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 Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

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. *

Bae Noo-ri Bae Noo-ri (born February 4, 1993) is a South Korean actress. She began modeling in 2008 for the brand Litmus, then made her acting debut in 2010. Bae is best known for playing a shaman in a period television series ''Moon Embracing the Sun ...

as Seo-yeon :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. *

Kim Sa-hee Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese fo ...

as Ga-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. *

Woo Do-hwan Woo Do-hwan (born July 12, 1992) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas '' Save Me'' (2017), ''Mad Dog'' (2017), '' Tempted'' (2018), '' My Country: The New Age'' (2019), and '' The King: Eternal Monarc ...

as Seung-woo (season 1) :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. *

Ha Ji-won Jeon Hae-rim (; born 28 June 1978), better known by her stage name Ha Ji-won () is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the historical dramas '' Damo'' (2003), ''Hwang Jini'' (2006), and '' Empress Ki'' (2013), as well as the melodra ...

as Ji-won (season 2) :The new love interest for Joon in ''Love Undercover, 1988''. She was also married to Doug for a while, and is Sam's mother. *

Henry Lau Henry Lau (; ko, 헨리; born October 11, 1989), often mononymously referred to as Henry, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor based in South Korea and China. He debuted in 2008 as a member of Super Junior-M ...

as Woo Sung (season 2) * Brett Gray as Evan (season 2) :A boy in Claire's Korean language class. Claire tries to date him before Joon appears in the real world. *

Daniel Dae Kim Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in ''Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the ''Saints Row'' ...

as Doug (season 2) :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. *

Jung Man-sik Jung Man-sik (; born December 11, 1974) is a South Korean actor. His name is also romanized as ''Jeong Man-sik'' or ''Joung Man-sik''. Filmography Film Television series * ''Jungle Fish 2'' (KBS2, 2010) * '' Athena: Goddess of War'' (SBS, ...

as Hyun (season 2) *

Choi Myung-bin Choi Myung-bin (Korean: 최명빈; born on 15 April 2008) is a South Korean child actress. She made her acting debut in 2016, since then, she has appeared in number of films and television series. She is best known for her roles in historical d ...

as Sam (season 2) :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

* Han Ji-min * Jisook *

Lee Ji-ah Kim Sang-eun (; born August 6, 1978), known professionally as Lee Ji-ah, is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame with her role in the television drama'' The Legend'' (2007), and has since further participated in ''Beethoven Virus'' (2008), ...

* Yang Dong-geun (a.k.a. YDG) *

Sam Hammington Samuel Mayer Russ Hammington (born 31 July 1977) is a New Zealand-born Australian comedian who is primarily active in South Korea. Hammington hosted radio show ''Drivetime'' with Annabelle Ambrose from 2008 to 2012. He was a cast member of popul ...

* Sung Hyuk *

Park Jin-joo Park Jin-joo (born December 24, 1988) is a South Korean actress. She starred in television series such as ''Jealousy Incarnate'' (2016), and ''Something About 1 Percent'' (2016). Filmography Film Television series Web series Television ...

Ji Il-joo Ji Il-joo (born November 7, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his role in the drama series ''Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo'' (2016–2017) and '' Hello, My Twenties!'' (2016) Directing In 2018, Ji is making his debut as a direc ...

* Lee Jung-hyuk * Kim Byung-chul

Season 2

* Song Jin-woo *

Han Hyo-joo Han Hyo-joo (Korean: 한효주; born February 22, 1987) is a South Korean film and television actress, model and singer. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as ''Heaven & Earth'' (2007), '' Iljimae'' (2008), ''Brill ...

Kim Dong-jun Kim Dong-jun (born February 11, 1992), also known as just Dongjun, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as member of boy group ZE:A (and later its subgroup ZE:A Five and ZE:A J). Apart from his group's activities, he has established ...

Ahn So-hee Ahn So-hee (born June 27, 1992), better known by the mononym Sohee, is a South Korean actress and singer. As a singer, she is best known as a former member of the South Korean girl group Wonder Girls. As an actress, she is best known for her pe ...

Kevin Woo Kevin Woo (born November 25, 1991), also known mononymously as Kevin, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and television host based as a Korean in New York City. He is primarily known as a former member of South Korean boy band U-KISS from ...

* Park Sung-hoon *

Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cr ...

* Lee Jung-hyun *

Kim Da-som Kim Da-som (born May 6, 1993), better known mononymously as Dasom, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as a former member of South Korean girl group Sistar and formerly under Starship Entertainment. She has acted in films a ...

* Kim Yoon-ji *

Yoon Bo-ra Yoon Bo-ra (born December 30, 1989), better known by the mononym Bora, is a South Korean singer, rapper and actress. She is a former member of the South Korean girl group Sistar and its sub-group Sistar19. Early life and education Bora was b ...

Lee Hee-joon Lee Hee-joon (born June 29, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Lee Hee-joon and model Lee Hye-jung confirmed their relationship in August 2015. They registered their marriage prior to the ceremony and had their private wedding ceremon ...

Production

Filming of the series, slated for 10 episodes running 20 minutes each, began on October 4, 2015 and ended on November 3rd, 2015 in

and

. Josh Billig and Chris Martin co-write the series, with Martin directing the series’ first season. Dramaworld is co-produced by China's Jetavana Entertainment and Third Culture Content. The project is spearheaded and financed by an online video streaming site, Viki.

Awards and nominations

References

{{reflist * * * * 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2016 American television series debuts 2016 South Korean television series debuts American fantasy television series Metafictional television series Television series about parallel universes Romantic fantasy television series Television shows filmed in California Television shows set in Seoul Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series about television 2016 television specials American fantasy drama television series Viki (streaming service) original programming