NBC Is Developing the Korean American Drama of Our Dreams

In what I am interpreting as an attempt to redeem themselves after rebooting Will & Grace (which itself put a damper on the high that is This Is Us), NBC is reportedly working with Sleepy Hollow show-runner Albert Kim on a drama about a powerful Korean business family’s dealings in America. Hi hello, I am ready.

The show follows a young Asian American woman who has no clue she’s actually an heiress to an electronics chaebol (which refers to huge, family-run business conglomerates in South Korea), until the CEO dies right before the company launches an American arm. As the Hollywood Reporter describes, “Poised to inherit fame, wealth and influence beyond her dreams, her emergence ignites a Shakespearean battle for power amongst her newfound siblings in the L.A.-based drama.”

This sounds juicy as all hell, especially because heirs fighting over the inheritance of chaebols is a scandalous but familiar phenomenon, and extremely rich powerful chaebols (like all corporations, thanks) are known to be rife with corruption and collusion with the government. Earlier this year, the heir to Samsung (who became the de facto leader of Samsung after his CEO father fell into a coma after a heart attack in 2014) was sentenced to five years in jail in a corruption scandal that also led to South Korea’s president being impeached. This has the potential to be K-drama The Heirs meets Dynasty (but thriller-er), and I’m into it.

If this show makes it to air, it could become the second (!) television show on primetime (and the third in history), after ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, to focus on an Asian family and have a predominantly Asian cast. Here’s hoping NBC has the sense to green light this.