With summer on the horizon, Wednesday and Thursday nights are heating up -- with three brand new dramas playing at the same time, viewers will have a hard time choosing what to watch.
Will viewers opt for the gritty news drama "Spotlight," the high-flying action-packed series "Iljimae" or for KBS` latest, "Women in the Sun"?
Set to start tonight, "Women in the Sun" promises to stir things up by catering to fans of the classic melodrama. As the title suggest, women take the lead, which differentiates itself from its competition by tackling a completely different genre: the soap opera.
Nothing like a juicy soap opera to bring a little excitement to the small screen, and with veteran film actress Kim Ji-su in the driver`s seat, viewers can expect to get the full-blown treatment.
Co-star Jung Gyu-woon, 25, summed it up at a press conference last week when he said, "This drama is about the fateful meeting of two sisters. It is about revenge and love."
Returning to the TV screen after starring in a number of films, Kim Ji-su tackles the hefty role of Shin Do-young, a high profile announcer. Shin has it all, the career, the man and the looks, but she also harbors a deep, dark secret.
An adopted child and fearful of losing the sole affections of her parents, Shin abandoned her five-year old sister -- the biological daughter of Shin`s parents -- at a train station when she was 13 years old. And now many years later, just when she thinks she has everything she wants, her past returns to haunt her in the form of her sister, played by "Le Grand Chef" actress Lee Ha-na.
"She didn`t deliberately abandon her sister," Kim, 35, defends her character at the press conference. "She went back for her ... She is a very insecure woman."
Riddled with complexities, Shin promises to be a fascinating villainess. And if anyone can pull this role off, it is Kim, who has proved her acting prowess in dramatic films like "Romance" (2006).
The same can`t be said for co-star Lee Ha-na. Actress Lee -- who starred as a slapdash reporter in the hit flick "Le Grand Chef" (2007) -- plans on showing audiences that she too can play a dark character.
"This child grew up hard, but is very optimistic," said Lee, 25, at the press conference.
But not for long, when Lee`s character, Yoon, uncovers the truth, she goes all out for revenge. And Yoon wants everything, including her sister`s man -- played by actor Han Jae-suk.
Who will win? Viewers will have to tune in tonight to watch Lee and Kim battle it out.
Actors Han Jae-suk, 34, star of SBS` "The Lobbyist" (2007), and Jung Gyu-woon, 25, who is also starring in MBC`s "Bittersweet Life" (2008) play the sisters` love interests.
"Women in the Sun" airs tonight at 9:55 p.m. on KBS 2 TV.
By Jean Oh
(oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)