My Name Is Kim Sam Soon

Remember Bridget Jones's Diary?  Remember thinking it could have had better character development, more boy fights, and less Hugh Grant?  Well, Korea agrees with you!
My Name Is Kim Sam Soon is an incredibly well-done drama with a heroine (Kim Sam Soon) pretty similar to Bridget Jones.  She's TV-fat, has less-than-perfect self-esteem, and is looking to get hitched.  She's got a hunky, initially jerky, younger boss and a family worth their own sitcom.  There's also the skeezbag second male lead.

Kim Sam Soon is less likely to screw something up than Bridget, however, which makes her much more likable in my book.  I know women are supposed to be able to strongly identify with Bridget, but she's so emotionally dumb!  Kim Sam Soon has a whole TV series to grow and mature--and she does.

In fact, one of the more impressive things about Kim Sam Soon the series is that the characters are allowed to develop naturally without the writer/director shoving it in the audience's face every time.  Instead, they use visuals and other subtler cues that harken back to previous scenarios where the characters acted differently.  

The best thing about Kim Sam Soon, though, is that this is a show that delivers.  Drama cliches are dealt with in a realistic way.  (Without getting too spoilery, one character quits their job and stays quit.  None of this bullcrap "run away every episode" stuff.)  Taking out all those fakey plot twists allows for some premium gags and squeal-worthy moments.  We're talking two boy fights in one series. (You'll want the last couple minutes of those linked videos.)

The leads (Kim Sun Ah and Hyun Bin) have a great chemistry as well.  They're incredibly fun to watch and, as far as my non-Korean-speaking self can tell, do a great job in their roles.

My biggest complaint?  This series is difficult to find online.  You can check it out here, though.