The Most-Watched K-Drama On Cable Is Based On A Thrilling British Series

Korean scripted shows, or K-dramas, have looked to American and British sources of inspiration before, even providing their own spin on Agatha Christie’s British literary detective Miss Marple. For the 2020 psychological thriller “The World of the Married,” however, the show’s creative team took inspiration from far darker and more recent source material. Indeed, the acclaimed 2015 British series “Doctor Foster,” which features a strong early performance from Jodie Comer, served as the narrative basis for the K-drama. Though both shows share an underlying conflict and escalating brutal stakes, the Korean iteration deviates from the British show quickly and noticeably.

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Both stories focus on a successful doctor: Gemma Foster (Suranne Jones) in the original and Ji Sun-woo (Kim Hee-ae) in the Korean version. Seemingly happily married, the protagonists learn that their husbands are cheating on them with younger women, leading to an unraveling of more devastating secrets. The wronged wives pursue an elaborate vendetta against their philandering spouses, gradually taking a toll on their sanity. This feud only escalates as the protagonists become involved with other men, complicating and expanding the strife.

And while fans of revenge thrillers would do well to watch both series, each also has their own unique nuances beyond being told from a different cultural perspective. “Doctor Foster,” for those who are curious, is now available to watch on Britbox. Meanwhile, “The World of the Married” is currently available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video, having previously become the most-watched drama series on a Korean cable network upon its initial release (per Soompi).

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Both “The World of the Married” and “Doctor Foster” are revenge-based stories, but the K-drama version focuses more on the vengeance aspect of the premise. The elements of strained mental health are retained, but “Doctor Foster” emphasizes the toll that the central conflict takes on Gemma Foster and her family, including her young son. That heightened fury in “The World of the Married” has Sun-woo’s retribution spread to the family of her husband’s extramarital lover, Yeo Da-kyung (Han So-hee). Similarly, Sun-woo’s new love interest opens up a messier aspect of the story than “Doctor Foster” provided audiences with Gemma’s own newfound paramour.

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In an interesting change of pace, the K-drama version of the story actually runs longer than the British version, with “The World of Married” spanning 16 episodes and two specials. Comparatively, “Doctor Foster” ran for 10 episodes across two seasons, breaking the trend of K-drama remakes being much shorter than their U.S. and British source material. That increased runtime lets “The World of the Married” explore its supporting cast more, especially its added antagonist. And, in another uncommon localization twist, “The World of the Married” also gives its protagonist the relatively happy ending that “Doctor Foster” lacks.

Melodramatic in all the right ways, both “Doctor Foster” and “The World of the Married” tell marital strife-fueled psychological thriller stories. Both series also center on escalating revenge, but ultimately unfold in very different ways, which should encourage interested audiences to check them both out.

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