It's not unheard of to see Hollywood take movies from other countries and remake them for an American audience. The same goes for television shows. Movie fans might be surprised that some cult classic movies and even television shows were originally South Korean. Specifically, one movie starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
But just as Hollywood remade Korean classics, South Korea also took inspiration from American movies and shows. One involving a rising actor in Hollywood and his adventures with his close friends. Or even an American crime drama, Life on Mars, that was originally adapted from its British original. Certain shows and movies first hit big in their original countries before getting remade for different regions.
Originally America: Designated Survivor
Designated Survivor is a political thriller drama that lasted three seasons from 2016 until 2019. It focused on Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Thomas Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) who is the only survivor after an attack at the Capitol. Thus, making him the only one to lead the country as President. The same show concept was recreated for a Korean audience in 2019 titled, Designated Survivor: 60 Days.
Because Korean dramas have a short run, they had to include the "60 Days" seeing as the show only had 16 episodes total. The main character has only 60 days to uncover the truth as to why he was the only survivor and the reason behind the bombing.
Originally Korean: The Masked Singer
The King of Mask Singer was the inspiration behind The Masked Singer. America wasn't the only country to develop its own versions, either; the show has been redone in Algeria, Australia, Colombia, and many more.
The Korean version had singers cover their faces with elaborate masks to conceal their identity. Judges had to figure out who the celebrity really was by voice alone. Contestants ranged from famous idols to actors. The American version followed a similar format but upped the dramatics and glam with elaborate costumes and stage set-ups. They also included a wider range of celebrities like Youtubers or athletes.
Originally America: The Good Wife
The Good Wife was a hit with American audiences when it debuted in 2009 and made it up to seven seasons before its end. The show even birthed a spinoff with one of the main characters. The legal drama soon got its own Korean version in 2016, but unlike the American show, it only ran for 16 episodes. A common trait in Korean dramas.
The remake of the same name follows a successful prosecutor who had a good future ahead of him, but it all crumbles when he's arrested for corruption. Just like Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), she's left to pick up the pieces of her husband's shame. She reenters the workforce as a lawyer, having been on hiatus for 15 years.
Originally Korean: The Uninvited
A South Korean horror movie has regained media attention. The 2003 A Tale of Two Sisters became a famous movie amongst fans of the genre. Based on Korean folklore, it followed a patient released from a mental institution and her sister who go through bizarre occurrences in their home and with their stepmother.
Hollywood remade the movie in 2009 with Arielle Kebbel and Emily Browning in the lead roles. The movie received mixed reactions as it had predictable plot twists and felt average for a horror genre, but fans thought otherwise as they found it to be thrilling and worth a watch.
Originally America: Entourage
Entourage became a show that fans truly enjoyed for its dramatics, R-rated content, and comical outlook on Hollywood. The 2004 sitcom was actually based on Mark Wahlberg's real life, his friends, and his journey in Hollywood. A 16-episode Korean version later aired in 2016.
While the Korean version also followed a movie star and his entourage of buddies, it had a different feel than the original. It was more heartfelt in storyline but still tried to used humor often seen in American media. There's even a romantic story between the main character and another actress that led to a passionate relationship and kiss.
Originally Korean: The Good Doctor
The hit ABC medical drama The Good Doctor premiered in 2017 and has since roused up an incredible fanbase dedicated to its storyline. A young, autistic surgeon navigates his new life at the prestigious San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.
Before it was Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), it was first Park Shi-on (Joo Won) as the lead character. Good Doctor aired in 2013 for a total of 20 episodes that followed Si-on, who is gifted with incredible memory and spatial skills. He must prove himself as a surgeon while his peers deem him unfit for the role. He's labeled as a soulless robot unable to empathize with his patients.
Originally America: Suits
The very popular legal drama show, Suits got a remake in South Korea; it was that popular. Many remember the show for its riveting drama, relationships, and legal action. In 2018, KBS2 premiered the Korean remake which follows a similar story.
The original series has Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) taking others' LSATs for cash. While trying to avoid arrest, he then stumbles into a job interview. Believing Mike is qualified and has a degree, they hire him. The Korean version Yeon-woo (Park Hyung-sik) is the equivalent to Mike with a retentive memory but no law degree.
Originally Korean: The Lake House
The famous romance movie starring Reeves and Bullock, The Lake House, was originally Korean. The 2006 romance/fantasy movie became a cult classic for its display of emotion, love, and time jumping as an architect in 2004 correspond via letters to a doctor living in 2006.
Six years before the premiere of the movie, South Korea debuted its movie titled Il Mare in 2000. A woman moves out of a house called "Il Mare" and leaves alter asking the next resident to forward her mail. The new resident is perplexed as the letter is dated two years in the future. The name of the restaurant where the main characters in the American movie are supposed to meet is called "Il Mare."
Originally America: Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds fans might peak with curiosity to know that South Korea remade one of America's most renowned crime shows. While fans enjoyed season after season of the Behavioral Analysis Unit solving heinous crimes and getting into the minds of perpetrators, the Korean version ended at 20 episodes.
The shows start out differently; the Korean one takes place a year after an error results in several fatalities of SWAT officers after a bomb detonates at a hospital. The characters differ as well as the team isn't as big or extensive. Instead, it mostly focuses on the main characters like Morgan, Hotchner, Prentiss, Penelope, JJ, and Reed.
Originally Korean: Oldboy
Oldboy is arguably one of the most famous American remakes of an original Korean movie. The Korean version became a cult classic thriller that premiered in 2003, and the movie received high praises from international audiences as well as Quentin Tarantino.
The movie is highly regarded for its adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name and its single-shot fight sequence. Hollywood decided to remake the movie in 2013 with Josh Brolin in the lead role. The movie received mixed reviews as it didn't have its own style and was often criticized against the original version. The movie was a box office bomb seeing as it only made $5.2 million.