W (TV series)

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W
W (더블유) - poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Also known as
  • W – Two Worlds
  • W – Two Worlds Apart
GenreFantasy
Romance
Comedy
Thriller
Action
Written bySong Jae-jung
Directed byJung Dae-yoon
Creative directorsKim Seul-ah
Kang Hee-ju
Jung Yoo-jin
Jung Jin-chul
StarringLee Jong-suk
Han Hyo-joo
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producerSon Hyung-suk
ProducersOh Min-su
Kim Sang-hun
CinematographyJun Byung-mun
Min Sung-wook
EditorOh Serena
Running time70 minutes
Production companyChorokbaem Media
DistributorMBC
Release
Original networkMBC TV
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseJuly 20 (2016-07-20) –
September 14, 2016 (2016-09-14)
External links
Website
W at Chorokbaem Media

W (Korean: 더블유; RR: Deobeuryu) 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 modest ratings of 11.63%, topping viewership ratings in its time slot for its entire run.[7]

Plot[]

The series focuses on the eponymous fictional webtoon entitled W, written and illustrated by its legendary author and illustrator Oh Seong-moo (Kim Eui-sung) which begins to function on its own, like a distinct reality. W became so famous in South Korea that even its printed versions became best-sellers there.

The storyline of the webtoon W starts with the younger years of its main character Kang Chul (Lee Jong-suk), a handsome and intelligent boy who is also skilled in shooting. He becomes famous in South Korea for winning the 50-metre pistol shoot at the 2004 Athens Olympics. But this fame is interrupted when the unknown Murderer massacres his family, and he is erroneously accused of the crime. Another villain, Han Cheol-ho (Park Won-sang), handles the case to gain political popularity, urging the court to impose the death penalty upon Kang Chul. Despite his efforts, Kang Chul is deemed innocent of the crime. Depressed over losing his family, he attempts suicide over the Han River but stops himself and chooses to search for the real killer instead and devote his life to crime-fighting.

Ten years later, Kang Chul has become a multimillionaire. He starts "Project W" in an effort to catch the real culprit behind his family's death; part of the project is his television broadcasting company dubbed "W," after the initials of the interrogatives "who" and "why" (hence, the title of the webtoon). One night, he receives a suspicious phone call and is severely injured by the same mysterious Murderer on the rooftop of his penthouse. Then even stranger things happen when the illustrator's daughter Oh Yeon-joo (Han Hyo-joo) accidentally enters the comic world. The story turns on the question whether he will be able to have a happy ending.

Cast[]

Main[]

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 Chul was immediately suspected to be the killer due to his shooting background. After being proven innocent, Kang Chul 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.
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 Chul, with whom she eventually falls in love.

Characters from the webtoon W[]

The real killer of Kang Chul'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.
Kang Chul's long-time secretary and his friend since they were in high school. Her romantic feelings for Kang Chul 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 Chul's love interest, she is replaced by Yeon-joo when Kang Chul falls in love with her.
Kang Chul's loyal bodyguard and close friend. Using his knowledge of martial arts, he trained Kang Chul to fight and is always alongside him in beating bad guys.
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 Chul's case when the latter was accused of his family's murder.
  •  [ko] 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[]

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 Chul as a monster and seeks to eliminate him.
A disciple of Seong-moo and confidant of Yeon-joo
  •  [ko] as Gil Soo-sun
Yeon-joo's mother and Seong-moo's ex-wife.
  •  [ko] as Park Min-soo
Cardiothoracic surgeon and Professor at Myung-sei Hospital. He is a passionate fan of W
Second-year resident cardiothoracic surgeon at Myung-sei Hospital and Yeon-joo's friend
  •  [ko] as Gil Soo-young
Yeon-joo's aunt
Sung-moo's disciple
Sung-moo's disciple

Others[]

  •  [ko] as Assemblyman
  •  [ko] as Kim Yoo-ri
Nurse at Myung-sei Hospital.
  •  [ko] as Team Leader Park
  •  [ko]
  •  [ko]
  •  [ko]
  • Park Geon-ryool
  • Lee Yoon-sang
  • Yeo Woon-bok
  • Kang Chan-yang
  •  [ko]
  • Dong Yoon-seok
  •  [ko]
  •  [ko]
  • Min Joon-ho
  • Yoo Pil-ran
  •  [ko]
  •  [ko]
  •  [ko]
  •  [ko]
  •  [ko]
  • Joo Dong-hee

Special appearances:

  •  [ko] as Kang Yoon – Chul's father
  • Kim Na-woon as Yoon Mi-ho – Chul's mother (episode 1)
  • Seo Shin-ae as Kang Soo-yeon – Chul's sister (episode 1)
  • Choi Min-young as Kang Joon-seok – Chul'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)
  •  [ko] 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 In-hyun's Man.[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[]

W : Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
Released2016
GenrePop, K-pop, soundtrack
LabelSebunguri/Star&Tree/LOEN
L200001314
ProducerSon Nak-hee, Kim Young-ho (both executive)

OST Part 1[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Where Are U" (내가 너에게 가던 네가 나에게 오던)Seo Dong-sungPark Sung-il (Copykumo)Jung Joon-young4:19
2."Where Are U" (Inst.) Park Sung-il (Copykumo) 4:19
Total length:8:38

OST Part 2[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Please Say Something, Even Though It Is a Lie" (거짓말이라도 해줘요)Red Socks, Choi Jae-wooRed SocksPark Bo-ram3:33
2."Please Say Something, Even Though It Is a Lie" (Inst.) Red Socks 3:33
Total length:7:06

OST Part 3[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."In the Illusion" (환상 속의 그대)Leah Min-young Park (Hwayobi), Lee Cheol-joo (Basick)Park Sung-il (Copykumo)Basick &  [ko]4:09
2."In the Illusion" (Inst.) Park Sung-il (Copykumo) 4:09
Total length:8:18

OST Part 4[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Remember" (기억)5ily, Choi Kang5ilyKCM4:13
2."Remember" (Inst.) 5ily 4:13
Total length:8:26

OST Part 5[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Falling"Han Joon, Benjamin KLee Yoo-jinJo Hyun-ah (Urban Zakapa)3:21
2."Falling" (Inst.) Lee Yoo-jin 3:21
Total length:6:42

OST Part 6[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."My Heart" (내 맘)Cadence, Seo Jae-ha, Kim Young-sungCadence, Seo Jae-ha, Kim Young-sungJeon Woo-sung (Noel)3:52
2."My Heart" (Inst.) Cadence, Seo Jae-ha, Kim Young-sung 3:52
Total length:7:44

OST Part 7[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."You And I" (그대와 나)Shoulder Bully (어깨깡패)Shoulder Bully (어깨깡패)Ahn Hyun-jeong3:45
2."You And I" (Inst.) Shoulder Bully (어깨깡패) 3:45
Total length:7:30

OST Part 8[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Draw a Love" (사랑을 그려요)Han Joon, Benjamin KTom & Jerry [ko]3:59
2."Draw a Love" (Inst.) Tom & Jerry 3:59
Total length:7:58

OST Part 9[]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Without You" (니가 없는 난)Red SocksRed SocksN (VIXX) & Yeoeun (Melody Day)4:34
2."Without You" (Inst.) Red Socks 4:34
Total length:9:08
Disc 2:
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Title of W" (Opening Title)Various Artists0:44
2."A New Variable"Various Artists1:17
3."Black Shadow"Various Artists2:44
4."Collapsed Dimensions"Various Artists4:00
5."Crazy Dog, Professor Park"Various Artists2:03
6."Forgotten Memory"Various Artists2:02
7."Falsified Incident"Various Artists2:04
8."Hidden Content"Various Artists3:27
9."I want to erase sadness"Various Artists3:38
10."I Love you"Various Artists1:59
11."I've changed the heroine"Various Artists2:17
12."It is your setting"Various Artists2:38
13."Instead of being eaten, I will be eating"Various Artists2:27
14."Key to my life"Various Artists3:23
15."Like normal couples"Various Artists3:02
16."Lost Time"Various Artists2:38
17."Moment of Decision"Various Artists3:08
18."Meaning of ring"Various Artists4:19
19."No Dark Entity"Various Artists4:51
20."Non-existent Existence"Various Artists1:56
21."Nice to meet you Kang Chul fan!"Various Artists2:22
22."Ordinary Happiness"Various Artists2:42
23."Reason of Existence"Lee Yun Ji2:10
24."Real Criminal's Face"Various Artists2:33
25."Sour Charm"Various Artists2:38
26."Today's Homework"Various Artists2:14
27."Two worlds, One heart"Various Artists3:13
28."10 years of waiting"Various Artists2:35
29."To be continued"Various Artists3:46
30."Twisted Fact"Various Artists2:07
31."The strongest type of abnormal"Various Artists2:07
32."Win a losing game"Various Artists2:14
33."When I feel I'm into you"Various Artists2:59
34."Wish to happy ending"Various Artists3:22
35."Why did you look at me like this?"Various Artists2:22
36."W (Main Theme)"Various Artists3:57
37."Wealthy young man, Kang Chul"Various Artists2:35
38."World within webtoon"Various Artists2:26

Charted songs[]

Chart Performance

Album charts[]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Album Chart)[13] 16
Taiwan (FIVE-MUSIC Album Chart)[14] 17

Ratings[]

In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
TNmS[15] AGB Nielsen[16]
Nationwide Seoul Nationwide Seoul
1 July 20, 2016 9.9% (10th) 11.3% (7th) 8.6% (17th) 10.4% (10th)
2 July 21, 2016 10.1% (9th) 11.5% (5th) 9.5% (12th) 10.7% (10th)
3 July 27, 2016 11.6% (7th) 13.7% (4th) 12.9% (4th) 15.0% (4th)
4 July 28, 2016 13.4% (5th) 14.7% (4th) 12.9% (4th) 14.3% (4th)
5 August 3, 2016 15.1% (3rd) 17.8% (1st) 13.5% (3rd) 14.3% (3rd)
6 August 4, 2016 14.2% (5th) 15.9% (2nd) 12.2% (4th) 12.2% (4th)
7 August 10, 2016 15.2% (4th) 17.3% (2nd) 13.8% (4th) 14.7% (3rd)
8 August 17, 2016 13.5% (5th) 15.0% (4th) 12.2% (5th) 13.3% (4th)
9 August 18, 2016 12.7% (4th) 14.7% (3rd) 11.3% (7th) 12.5% (5th)
10 August 24, 2016 13.9% (5th) 15.3% (3rd) 12.3% (6th) 13.7% (4th)
11 August 25, 2016 14.6% (6th) 15.8% (5th) 12.2% (6th) 12.8% (5th)
12 August 31, 2016 13.3% (6th) 15.1% (5th) 11.1% (7th) 12.0% (5th)
13 September 1, 2016 12.9% (6th) 15.0% (3rd) 11.9% (5th) 13.2% (5th)
14 September 7, 2016 13.1% (5th) 15.3% (3rd) 10.9% (5th) 11.8% (4th)
15 September 8, 2016 11.8% (6th) 14.1% (4th) 11.4% (6th) 12.3% (4th)
16 September 14, 2016 10.6% (4th) 10.9% (4th) 9.3% (7th) 9.8% (6th)
Average 12.87% 14.59% 11.63% 12.69%

*Episode 8 was not aired on Thursday August 11 due to broadcast of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This episode was aired on Wednesday August 17, 2016.[17]

International adaptation[]

An American adaptation was in development by CBS Studios with Craig Plestis as executive producer.[18]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2016 5th APAN Star Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Lee Jong-suk Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Han Hyo-joo Won [19]
Best Supporting Actor Kim Eui-sung Won
Best Couple Award Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo Nominated
1st Asia Artist Awards Best Artist Award, actor Lee Jong-suk Nominated
Best Artist Award, actress Han Hyo-joo Nominated
36th MBC Drama Awards Drama of the Year W Won
Grand Prize / Daesang
(Determined through fan votes)[20]		 Lee Jong-suk Won [21]
Han Hyo-joo Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Lee Jong-suk Won [21]
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Han Hyo-joo Won
Golden Acting Award, Actor in a Miniseries Kim Eui-sung Won
Writer of the Year Won
Best New Actor Lee Si-eon Nominated
Lee Tae-hwan Nominated
Best New Actress Jung Yoo-jin Nominated
Best Couple Award Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo Won [21]
Kim Eui-sung and Lee Si-eon Nominated
Korea Content Awards Prime Minister Commendation Song Jae-jung Won [22]
2017 Korea Communications Commission Broadcasting Awards Korean Wave Program Excellence Prize W Won [23]
50th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival Special Jury Award Won [24]
53rd Baeksang Arts Awards Best Drama Nominated [25]
Best Director Jung Dae-yoon Nominated
Best Screenplay Song Jae-jung Nominated [26]
Seoul International Drama Awards Outstanding Korean Drama W Won [27]

References[]

  1. ^ Kim, Soo-hyang. "Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo in new drama 'W'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  2. ^ Jang, Jin-ri (March 29, 2016). ‘더블유’ 이종석-한효주, 7월 안방 특급 커플이 뜬다. TenAsia (in Korean). Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Worlds of reality, fantasy meet in "W"". The Korea Times. July 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "Cartoon hero meets doctor in new sci-fi drama". Yonhap News Agency. July 18, 2016.
  5. ^ "Two worlds collide in MBC mini-series 'W'". The Korea Herald. July 19, 2016.
  6. ^ "Reality and webcomic world collide in 'W'". The Korea Times. August 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Sci-fi drama 'W' takes top spot on CPI chart". Yonhap News Agency. August 2, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c ""W" to feature Lee Tae-hwan, Lee Si-eon, Jung Yoo-jin". Hancinema. edaily. May 12, 2016.
  9. ^ "Lee Si-eon joins Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jong-suk for drama 'W'". Hancinema. Star News. May 14, 2016.
  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.
  11. ^ "Han Hyo-joo to return to TV after 6 years". The Korea Times. March 29, 2016. 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". Gaon Chart (in Korean). 2016 [September 25 – October 1]. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  14. ^ "FIVE-MUSIC Korea-Japan Album Chart". FIVE-MUSIC (in Chinese). 2016 [39th Week].
    To access, select the indicated week and year in the bottom-left corner
  15. ^ "TNmS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNmS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  16. ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  17. ^ "The MBC broadcasting schedule on August 11, 2016" (in Korean). Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  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. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "[2016 APAN] 송중기, 생애 첫 대상 해냈다…조진웅 최우수상 (종합)". My Daily (in Korean). October 2, 2016.
  20. ^ "Winner Of Grand Prize For 2016 MBC Drama Awards Determined By Viewer Votes". MBC.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b c "[MBC 연기대상] 맥락 있는 시청자 선택=이종석…안방점령 'W' 7관왕(종합)". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). December 31, 2016.
  22. ^ "2016 대한민국 콘텐츠대상에 김은희 작가·이완희 PD(종합)" (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. December 6, 2016.
  23. ^ 방통위, '2017 방송통신위원회 방송대상' 시상식 개최. ET News (in Korean). July 30, 2017. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017.
  24. ^ "'W' wins Special Jury award at WorldFest-Houston film fest". The Korea Herald. April 30, 2017.
  25. ^ "공유·박보검·남궁민·한석규…백상예술대상 男TV연기상 4파전". Star News (in Korean). April 7, 2017.
  26. ^ "'도봉순' 2개 노미네이트…박보검·박보영 참석 확정 [SDA 2017 종합]". August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  27. ^ "[SDA2017] '구르미', 한류드라마 최우수상…우수상은 'W'·'닥터스'". My Daily (in Korean). September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.

External links[]

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