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Pierce Conran

Lead cast: Jo Byeong-gyu, Yu Jun-sang, Kim Se-jeong, Yum Hye-ran
Latest Nielsen rating: 5.45 per cent
Hugely popular superhero action K-drama The Uncanny Counter returns for its much anticipated second season this summer, with its original quartet of “counters” back on the beat and several major TV drama stars joining in the fun.
The new series aims to recapture the frothy and colourful cocktail of action, fantasy and drama that delighted viewers almost three years ago, but in transitioning to a larger canvas something appears to have been lost.


The counters are ordinary people who were given a choice after life-threatening accidents: stay on Earth and battle demons using special powers, or move on to the afterlife.
Korea’s counters are So Mun (Jo Byeong-gyu), Ga Mo-tak (Yu Jun-sang), Do Ha-na (Kim Se-jeong) and Chu Mae-ok (Yum Hye-ran), the curly-haired workers of neighbourhood eatery Eonni’s Noodles who don red tracksuits whenever they tackle demons that enter their territory.
Netflix’s The Uncanny Counter reaches a satisfying conclusion
After defeating an especially fierce demon at the end of season one, things are more or less back to normal as this year’s episodes kick off, but not for long.
The season begins with a reminder of what made us fall in love with the show in the first place, as the counters take on a demon who possesses the driver of a yellow school bus.
Played by Heo Dong-won with a manic glint in his eye, the demon careens through the street of Jungjin, the show’s fictional setting, with screaming kindergarteners in tow.
One by one, the counters appear and take him on, reminding us of their special powers and their lively camaraderie.
Though they succeed in quickly dispatching this malevolent spirit, their lives are about to get a lot more difficult.

A trio of vicious demons, comprising leader Hwang Pil-kwang (Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s Kang Ki-young), Gelly (The Glory’s Kim Hieora) and Wong (Kim Hyun-wook of Kill Heel), wipe out the counters’ counterparts in China. Worst of all, before making their way to Korea, they absorb all the Chinese counters’ powers.
The counters are all paired with spirits at the Spirits Immigration Office, and since a new spirit has joined this office, they have been on the lookout for a new counter on Earth. Given the imminent arrival of Pil-kwang’s vicious crew, that search accelerates.
Enter the curly-haired and happy-go-lucky farmhand Na Jeok-bong (Yoo In-soo of All of Us Are Dead), who is as simple-minded as he is kind-hearted and has a lot to learn before he can help them dispatch powerful demons.

Rounding out the new faces is the brave fireman Ma Joo-seok (Extreme Job’s Jin Seon-kyu), a close friend of the counters, whose life is turned upside down when his pregnant wife dies at the hands of Pil-kwang’s crew.
With its huge cast and what appears to be a larger budget, this new season strives to be bigger than its predecessor but it’s also quite a bit broader. The comedy leans into silliness and toilet humour, while the drama aims for loftier emotional highs.
What is largely lacking is the charm that seduced us the first time around. Some of it remains, mainly thanks to the chemistry between the main cast members, but it feels forced this time around.
9 of the best new Korean drama series to look out for in August 2023
The Uncanny Counter burst onto the scene in late 2020 and captivated audiences with its colourful world and extremely attractive characters. Part of its success was down to its tight and energetic scripting.
However, after a much publicised creative rift, original writer Yeo Ji-na stepped off the project and the first season’s latter episodes were poorly received by viewers.
Yeo hasn’t returned and Kim Sae-bom, the Bad and Crazy writer who stepped in to pen the first season’s final three episodes, has stepped up to be this season’s main writer.

Beyond the new villains, the show cycles through a series of K-drama clichés at a furious clip, with real estate scams, organ dealers and more all superficially touched upon in the early episodes.
By ticking as many boxes as they do, the show’s writers must feel they are ensuring it has something for everyone, but with so little cohesion between its moving parts the story suffers as a result.
During Jeok-bong’s counter training, Mun exclaims “this is making me nostalgic”, reminding us of his great training sequences with Ha-na.
The Uncanny Counter 2 gives us the same feeling, but what we really want to experience is the same high, rather than an echo of what excited us when the counters first burst onto the scene.

Hopefully the coming weeks will see things turn around.
The Uncanny Counter season 2 is streaming on Netflix.


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Korean drama reviews

Netflix K-drama The Uncanny Counter season 2: hit fantasy action series goes bigger on its return but loses some of its charm

Jo Byeong-gyu in a still from “The Uncanny Counter” season 2. The Korean drama series is back after a near-three-year absence, but has lost some of its charm.

Kang Ki-young as Hwang Pil-kwang in a still from “The Uncanny Counter” season 2.

Jin Seon-kyu as fireman Ma Joo-seok in a still from “The Uncanny Counter” season 2.

Yu Jun-sang as counter Ga Mo-sak in a still from “The Uncanny Counter” season 2.

Kim Se-jeong as Do Ha-na in a still from “The Uncanny Counter” season 2.

K-drama Longing for You: Na In-woo, Kim Ji-eun lead thriller overstuffed with family and love triangle elements

Na In-woo as rural detective Oh Jin-sang in a still from “Longing for You”. The K-drama sees three people in law enforcement attempt to track down a serial killer.

Ren as Oh Jin-woo in a still from “Longing for You”.

Kim Ji-eun (left) as Go Young-joo and Kwon Yool as Cha Young-woon in a still from “Longing for You”.

Kim Ji-eun as Go Young-joo in a still from “Longing for You”.

Kwon Yool as Cha Young-woon in a still from “Longing for You”.

Disney+ K-drama review: Revenant – Kim Eun-hee’s occult drama starring Kim Tae-ri builds to chilling and cathartic climax

Kim Tae-ri in a still from “Revenant”.

Kim Tae-ri as occult sleuth Gu San-yeong in a still from “Revenant”, a chilling Korean drama now streaming on Disney+.

Kim Tae-ri (left) and Oh Jung-se as occult sleuths Gu San-yeong and Yeom Hae-sang, respectively, in a still from “Revenant”.

Hong Kyung as detective Lee Hong-se in a still from “Revenant”.

Oh Jung-se in a still from “Revenant”.

Netflix K-drama review: D.P. season 2 – military abuse drama starring Jung Hae-in and Koo Kyo-hwan makes a disappointing return

Jung Hae-in in a still from “D.P.” season 2. Photo: Netflix.

Jung Hae-in (left), as Deserter Pursuit recruit An Jun-ho, and Koo Kyo-hwan, as Deserter Pursuit recruit Han Ho-yeol, in a still from the Korean drama “D.P.” season 2. Photo: Netflix

Ji Jin-hee (left), as churchgoing villain General Gu Ja-woon, and Jung Suk-yong as his right-hand muscle Oh Min-u, in a still from “D.P.” season 2. Photo: Netflix

Son Suk-ku (left), as Captain Lim Ji-seob, and Kim Ji-hyun, as human rights lawyer Seo and Lim’s ex-wife, in a still from “D.P.” season 2. Photo: Netflix

Jung Hae-in as Deserter Pursuit recruit An Jun-ho in a still from “D.P.” season 2. Photo: Netflix

Son Suk-ku (left), as Captain Lim Ji-seob, and Kim Sung-kyun, as Deserter Pursuit superior Park Bum-gu, in a still from “D.P.” season 2. Photo: Netflix

Disney+ K-drama review: Shadow Detective season 2 – Lee Sung-min crime thriller series reaches a gripping conclusion

Lee Sung-min as Taek-rok in a still from “Shadow Detective” season 2. Photo: Disney+

Lee Sung-min as Taek-rok in a still from “Shadow Detective” season 2 on Disney+. After a bright opening and midsection that gets bogged down, it works up to a riveting conclusion. Photo: Disney+

Kyung Soo-jin as Lee Seong-a in a still from “Shadow Detective” season 2. Photo: Disney+

Kim Shin-rok as Yeon Ju-hyun in a still from “Shadow Detective” season 2. Photo: Disney+

Jeong Jin-yeong as Choi Do-hyung in a still from “Shadow Detective” season 2. Photo: Disney+

Bloodhounds’ Woo Do-hwan set for Netflix K-drama Mr. Plankton; King the Land’s Lee Jun-ho eyed for Cashero – Korean drama casting latest

Woo Do-hwan (above, in a still from “Bloodhounds”) is set to star in Netflix K-drama “Mr. Plankton”. Photo: Netflix

Woo Do-hwan (above, in a still from “Bloodhounds”) is set to star in Netflix K-drama series “Mr. Plankton” as a drifter who sets off in search of his biological father. In other K-drama casting news, Lee Jun-ho has been offered the lead role in superhero series Cashero. Photo: Netflix

Lee Yoo-mi in a still from “Mental Coach Jegal”. Photo: tvN

Chun Woo-hee in a still from “Delightfully Deceitful”. Photo: tvN

Park Bo-gum in a still from “Seobok”. Photo: CJ Entertainment

Lee Joon-ho in a still from “King the Land”. Photo: JTBC

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The 2020 show about ‘counters’ offered the chance to avoid death after accidents by staying on Earth to fight demons had a frothy mix of action and drama
Season 2 looks to follow the same formula, but with a much expanded cast it lacks some of season 1’s charm and resorts to silly humour and K-drama clichés


Superhero fantasy series The Uncanny Counter was a huge success when it aired in 2020, but season 2 is nowhere near as charming. Perhaps it’s the bigger cast and budget, or the way it resorts to K-drama tropes.
