Korean TELEVISION rocks

Recently there has been a boom in South Korean film and television in the west, no thanks to wonderful movies such as Oscar-winning Parasite and incredible TV shows such as the recent hit Squid Game. Thanks also in part to the rise of K-Pop, South Korea has become a juggernaut in the entertainment industry, flexing their creative and sometimes weird muscles to us in the west. Fortunately, the quality of TV shows doesn’t stop at Squid Game, with a ton of quality series available to watch right now. Here are some of the essential South Korean shows you have to watch right now.

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Hellbound

An original Netflix release about supernatural beings appearing out of nowhere to condemn people to Hell, the series stars Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah, and Yang Ik-june. Hellbound takes place in 2022–27 in South Korea. An otherworldly face called an angel suddenly starts to materialize to deliver prophecies called decrees that condemn certain individuals to Hell at a specific future time, either seconds or years away.

Three hulking supernatural monsters appear at almost the exact time to maul and incinerate the person’s body in a sort of spectacular show of force called a demonstration. Two organizations in cahoots, the cult-like New Truth Society and the gang-like Arrowhead group, gain power by playing on people’s fears. It’s a show filled with existential crises and plenty of moral dilemmas. Hellbound displays a cruelty that feels intentional, inspiring a helplessness and disgust at how things play out and perhaps more disturbing than the show is the realization that the actions of the characters are, after all, a reflection of human nature.

Vincenzo