Thanks everyone, for your many suggestions, thoughts and contributions on the Group Watch brainstorm!

Lots of worthy titles were floated, and as promised, I sifted through all of them, and shortlisted the most popular titles for this poll. I also made the executive decision to add several wild cards into the mix, which you’ll see in a bit. 😉

There are a total of TEN CHOICES to choose from! Please vote wisely! 😁

Some considerations

Before diving into the contenders who made the shortlist, here are what I think are the main considerations to keep in mind, while making your choice:

1. Availability

We want the Group Watch to be as accessible to everyone as possible, so free streaming options are always the best. If you know of other platforms where these shows are available, please do let us know in the comments!

Getting around geo-restrictions

If you’re geo-restricted, a VPN service would help you get around that. Not only does it provide online safety, it also gives you access to lots of great geo-restricted content.

I personally use NordVPN. You can find my review of NordVPN here.

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An article on why it’s not illegal to use a VPN to access legal streaming content can be found here.

2. Commitment

I’ve broken down the commitment needed for each show below, so that you can easily tell at a glance, what kind of commitment each show would entail.

Contenders

Here are the shortlisted dramas in alphabetical order. The poll itself is at the end of the post. You may select up to FOUR options! But if you just want to vote for one, you can do that too. You may also revote, if you change your mind.

Poll goes till end of Monday, 7 February 2022, my time (GMT+8).

Autumn’s Concerto [Taiwan]

In the spirit of adding some retro flavor to the mix, and also, because Ele expressed that a Taiwanese show would be nice to have, I’m adding 2009 Taiwanese drama Autumn’s Concerto to the mix.

It’s a much loved classic for Taiwanese drama fans, much like how Coffee Prince is a much loved classic among kdrama fans. I haven’t seen this one myself, but have been curious to check it out, because it’s considered so iconic.

Plus, it’s actually quite hard to find good, subbed Taiwanese dramas on our various legal streaming platforms, so this feels quite serendipitous, that it’s available on both Netflix and Viki.

Romance: Yes.

Commitment: 34 episodes of 40 minutes each. 3 eps a week = 11 weeks.

Availability: Available on Netflix and Viki.

Healer

One of my all-time favorites. This one’s got romance, action, melodrama; a bit of something for everyone. Plus, y’all know I just can’t help swooning, every time Healer casually parkours off a building. 🤩 Review is here.

Romance: Yes.

Commitment: 20 episodes. 2 eps a week = 10 weeks.

Availability: Available for free on iQIYI and on Viu. Also available on Viki with Viki Pass, or for free on Kocowa.

Heard It Through The Grapevine

This one’s a request by Eda and Beez, who both love the show, and feel it would make for a great group watch discussion.

As I understand it, it’s a bit of a social satire / black comedy sort of thing, and is an underrated gem brought to us by PD Ahn Pan Seok, who also gave us the amazing Secret Love Affair. I’m actually pretty curious to see this one; it’s been on my list for years. Plus, Lee Joon and Go Ah Sung are both excellent actors, so that’s a definite plus.

Romance: Yes? Since it’s about a young couple?

Commitment: 30 episodes. 2 eps a week = 15 weeks.

Availability: Available on Viki with Viki Pass, and for free on Kocowa.

Just Between Lovers

This is JJ‘s suggestion. I found this very solid when I watched it (review is here), but had found it a little hard-going because of how Show leans into the traumatic flashbacks afflicting our leads.

However, with my recent newfound ability to tolerate tougher watches (like Sweet Home, D.P. and Hellbound), I thought I might be able to appreciate Show better, this time around. Also, it’s an excuse to have more Junho on my screen, so I’m not at all opposed to this as a group watch pick. 😁

Romance: Yes.

Commitment: 16 episodes. 2 eps a week = 8 weeks.

Availability: Available on Viki, and Netflix.

On The Verge Of Insanity

So many of you had good things to say about this in our year-end wrap-up series, that I thought I should include this as an option.

I think it’s rather underrated, in the sense that I didn’t hear a lot of people talking about it, when it aired. But those of you who’ve seen it, say it’s highly entertaining and amusing. I have to confess to being somewhat curious about this one.

Romance: No.

Commitment: 16 episodes. 2 eps a week = 8 weeks.

Availability: Available on Viki with Viki Pass, and for free on Kocowa.

Queen In-hyun’s Man

A suggestion by Beez, who describes it as an old-school, lighthearted classic. I did love this when I watched it, back when it aired in 2012. Yoo In Na is adorable in this, and Ji Hyun Woo is our really nice, decent, intelligent male lead, who time travels from Joseon, to meet his fated lady love.

Bonus factoid: Ji Hyun Woo fell for Yoo In Na for real, while filming this drama, and made a public love confession after the show wrapped, just before enlisting for military service. The buzz around this was HUGE. The two did date for a season, but ended up breaking up eventually, which is too bad. The point is, though, the smitten gazes that Ji Hyun Woo wears in this show, are real.

Romance: Yes.

Commitment: 16 episodes. 2 eps a week = 8 weeks.

Availability: Available on iQIYI and Amazon Prime.

Romance is a Bonus Book

This one’s a request by Shahz and JJ, who both loved this show, and therefore hope that we could all enjoy it together as a community.

I remember enjoying this one a great deal, when I watched it. Somehow, Show manages to be earthy yet whimsical at the same time, and Lee Na Young never looked so incandescent to my eyes. Review is here.

Romance: Yes.

Commitment: 16 episodes. 2 eps a week = 8 weeks.

Availability: Available on Netflix.

Signal

I’ve heard so many good things about this one, but never managed to get past episode 4, because I’d found the serial killing rather hard to watch. But, enough time has passed now, that I think I’d be up to give this another try.

Romance: No.

Commitment: 16 episodes. 2 eps a week = 8 weeks.

Availability: Available on iQIYI, Viki, WeTV and Netflix.

Stranger 2 / Secret Forest 2

A suggestion by Jonan23, that we continue our journey with Shi Mok and Yeo Jin, after having watched them in Season 1 together. Most drama fans agree that Season 2 is as solid as Season 1, though opinions are divided on which season is better.

Romance: No.

Commitment: 16 episodes. 2 eps per week = 8 weeks.

Availability: Available on Netflix.

The Princess’s Man

This one is Trent’s suggestion. Show is a pretty epic romance sageuk that I enjoyed very well, when I watched it (review is here). Since then, it’s been hard to find, but it’s now available on Viki and Kocowa, so this might be a good time to do a group watch of it, for those who’ve been curious to see this.

As I’ve shared in my recent Dear KFG post, I do have some struggle now, in terms of having male lead Park Shi Hoo on my screen. However, Moon Chae Won is fantastic in this, and it’s a very solid show, objectively speaking, which is why I thought I’d include it.

Romance: Yes.

Commitment: 24 episodes. 2 eps per week = 12 weeks.

Availability: Available on Viki with Viki Pass, and for free on Kocowa.

Poll

You may select up to FOUR options! But if you just want to vote for one, you can do that too!  You may also revote, if you change your mind.

Poll goes till end of Monday, 7 February 2022, my time (GMT+8).