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So Not Worth It review: The first Korean sitcom in a long long time

Korean-American student Jamie (Shin Hyun Seung) and resident assistant Park Se Wan share a romantic relationship in sitcom So Not Worth It
Korean-American student Jamie (Shin Hyun Seung) and resident assistant Park Se Wan share a romantic relationship in sitcom So Not Worth It

This review covers the first season of the K-sitcom So Not Worth It, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

According to director Kwon Ik Joon, it's been 15 to 16 years since the last Korean sitcom series aired and Netflix has given him the perfect opportunity to revive the genre.

So Not Worth It is not only a slapstick comedy; it's definitely unique in the sense that it features such a diverse cast from all over the world. Not only that, you'd be pleasantly surprised like I was to find that all of the foreign cast members spoke native and seamlessly fluent Korean.

The cast members not only proved that in the show, but also in an online interview which showed off how well they knew Korean – they could even banter colloquially with host Park Kyung Lim.

The sitcom is set in a foreign students' dormitory, the perfect setting to showcase such diverse personalities. Actress Park Se Wan (as herself) is the resident assistant of the dormitory who lords over all the other foreign students as the only native South Korean, and extorts money from the rest. She has a rather bleak outlook on life and works herself to the bone in multiple part-time jobs to satisfy her money-loving side.

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If So Not Worth It were an idol group, then Jamie would definitely be the good-looking member of the group. Played by the strikingly handsome Shin Hyun Seung, Jamie makes a striking entrance in every scene with his adorable puppy-dog eyes and soft features.

The 22-year-old actor first gained attention with his looks in Be My Boyfriend in April, and we can all hope to see him making waves as a lead in romantic K-dramas in the future.

Korean-Australian Sam (Choi Young Jae), Han Hyun Min and Hans (Yoa Kim) are foreign students living together in a dormitory in So Not Worth It
Sam (Choi Young Jae), Han Hyun Min and Hans (Yoa Kim) are foreign students living together in a dormitory in So Not Worth It

Propping up the cast with his expressive emotions is Han Hyun Min as himself, who is both a Korean native in the series and in real life with a Korean-Nigerian mixed parentage, thus disqualifying himself as a foreign student. He lives sneakily in the dorm with his roommate Terris Brown (also as himself), and has to bribe Park Se Wan to live there.

I was thoroughly impressed by Hyun Min's expressive acting chops and his rapidly regurgitating the many lines of script that he memorised with precision and hilarity.

Yoa Kim as the overbearing and puritanical Hans was also a force to be reckoned with. Born Joakim Bjoern Soerensen in Sweden, the 29-year-old was very convincing as a foreigner in South Korea who thought he knew more about Korean culture than most natives, but ends up falling prey to a scheme designed to entrap unwitting foreigners in South Korea.

Also adding much colour to the cast are Choi Young Jae as Korean-Australian student Sam, who is a pathologically lying rascal, K-drama savant Thai student Minnie as herself and American actress Carson Allen, who has been in big titles like The K2 (2016), Voice 3 (2019) and When The Camellia Blooms (2019).

There was definitely great chemistry between the actors, who seemed to play off the energies which they fed each other.

While the plot seemed to meander off here and there, the sitcom gives off a vibrant and comfortable feel akin to the American sitcom Friends; I can't wait for season 2!

If you're looking for good fun and easy laughs, So Not Worth It is very much worth a watch.

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