So Not Worth It

So Not Worth It (Korean: 내일 지구가 망해버렸으면 좋겠어) is a South Korean streaming television series starring Park Se-wan, Shin Hyeon-seung, Choi Young-jae, Minnie and Han Hyun-min.[1][2] It is Netflix's first Korean sitcom,[3] which premiered on June 18, 2021.[4][5][6]

So Not Worth It
Official poster
Hangul
내일 지구가 망해버렸으면 좋겠어
Literal meaningI Hope the Earth Collapses Tomorrow
Revised RomanizationNaeil Jiguga Manghaebeoryeoss-eumyeon Jokess-eo
McCune–ReischauerNaeil Chiguga Manghaebŏryŏssŭmyŏn Chok'essŏ
GenreSitcom
Created byNetflix
Written by
  • Seo Eun-jung
  • Baek Ji-hyun
Directed by
  • Kwon Ik-joon
  • Kim Jung-sik
Starring
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time30–34 minutes
Production companyMystic Story
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original releaseJune 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)

Synopsis

The series revolves around a group of students with different multicultural backgrounds residing at a college dormitory in Seoul.

Cast

Main
  • Park Se-wan as Se-wan, Korean advisor in charge of the dormitory management.
  • Shin Hyeon-seung as Jamie, a newcomer from the US.
  • Choi Young-jae as Sam, the son of the president of an Australian tteokbokki global food chain.
  • Minnie as Minnie, a Thai student who loves Korean dramas and good-looking guys.
  • Han Hyun-min as Hyun-min, a Korean student who couldn't enter the dormitory and has to travel five hours to go to university.
  • Carson Allen as Carson, an American student who loves Korean food and is Se-wan's roommate.
  • Joakim Sorensen as Hans, a Swedish graduate student that always sticks with his principles no matter what.
  • Terris Brown as Terris, a Trinbagonian graduate student, tagged as a casanova.

Recurring
  • Jung Yi-rang[7] as dorm cleaning lady / North Korean announcer / Icheon grandma.
  • Kim Ji-in as Joo-ri, Terris's girlfriend and housemate.
  • Kim Kang-min as Kang Joon-young, a high school student.
  • Lee Jae-joon as Il-seop, Carson's blind date and Terris's friend.
  • Kim Jae-hwa as Aunt Mae, Se-wan's mother's debtor.
  • Prae as Prae, a Thai student who was Minnie's classmate in high school.
  • Miki as Miki, a student from Spain.

Guest

Production

The series is directed by Kim Jung-sik, who previously worked on several hit Korean sitcoms like High Kick! (2006–07), High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged (2011-12) and Potato Star 2013QR3 (2013), and Kwon Ik-joon of Three Men, Three Girls and Nonstop (2000–06), which teamed up for the birth of a global K-sitcom.[8] Screenwriters Seo Eun-jung and Baek Ji-hyun previously worked on the first three seasons of hit sitcom Nonstop (2000–06).[9][8]

An online live press conference for the series was held on June 16, 2021. Park Se-wan, Shin Hyun-seung, Choi Young-jae, Han Hyun-min, Joakim Sorensen, Carson Allen, Terris Brown, director Kwon Ik-joon, and director Kim Jung-sik attended the event.[3] Minnie, who was unable to join the interview, talked about her character through a recorded video.[10]

Original soundtrack
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtist(s)Length
1."So Not Worth It" (내일 지구가 망해버렸으면 좋겠어)
  • Woo Ji-woon
  • Park Se-joon
  • Woo Ji-woon
  • Park Se-joon
Youngjae2:58
2."Human Being"Yoon Jong-shinYoon Jong-shinYoon Jong-shin3:07
3."Starry Night" (별빛 내리는 밤)
  • Kim Young-sung
  • Han-joon
  • Park Se-joon
  • Kim Young-sung
  • Seo Jae-ha
  • Park Se-joon
Yoo-hee3:12
4."Don't Worry, You'll Be Fine" (서툴러도 괜찮아)
  • Han-joon
  • Park Se-joon
  • Seo Jae-ha
  • Kim Young-sung
  • Park Se-joon
Lim Dan-woo3:12
5."So Not Worth It (Inst.)" (내일 지구가 망해버렸으면 좋겠어 (Inst.)) 
  • Woo Ji-woon
  • Park Se-joon
 2:58
6."Human Being (Inst.)" Yoon Jong-shin 3:07

Reception

Audience viewership

So Not Worth It took second place in Thailand and top 10 in Saudi Arabia. The series lead the revival of the Korean sitcom that has almost disappeared from Korea after 10 years through OTT service.[11]

Critical response

Decider's Joel Keller compared the series to the NBC sequel Saved by the Bell: The College Years, stating that "It reminds us of Saved By The Bell: The College Years, except with everyone speaking Korean." Keller described the series "that could fit among Netflix's American multi-cams" as not suitable as a "family sitcom, due to language and themes," but "it's brightly-lit, the jokes go at a sitcom's pace, and there's even a laugh-track." After watching the series, and praising the Korean skills of all the non-Korean actors, the crew at Decider recommended viewers to stream the show.[12]

Bryan Tan writing for Yahoo! News praised the chemistry between the actors, and the performance of all of the foreign cast members "speaking native and seamlessly fluent Korean." He wrote, "It's definitely unique in the sense that it features such a diverse cast from all over the world". Tan concluded the review, "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" and recommended, if viewers are "looking for good fun and easy laughs, So Not Worth It is very much worth a watch".[13]

In his review for ReadySteadyCut, Daniel Hart found the laugh track unnecessary — "So Not Worth It is not a laugh-out-loud experience, but it does tickle the soul. There's so much chaos and ridiculousness between these young characters that the only option is to enjoy the ride." Hart called the series, "incredibly engaging and flavorsome", labelled the cast as "brilliant; you can tell they had a wonderful time presenting a vibrant yet sometimes dysfunctional community," and applaud the writers who "completely nailed the importance of a vibrant community". He pointed that the series "signifies the growing wealth of K-drama and its impact on the original slate for streaming services. There's such a loyal community, and with these one-day hitters on Netflix, I hope that it brings in more audiences. Nostalgically, older audiences will feel armored by a series like this, while the young will find it oddly relatable."[14]

Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek, rating the series 5.5 out of 10, opined that So Not Worth It is a "real mixed bag of quality" throughout 12 episodes and called it "Disney Channel silliness with a couple of well-timed comedic quips". Wheeler wrote, "With heavy exposition, an episodic format and one annoying laugh track throughout, So Not Worth It is going to be divisive." He concluded by saying that "So Not Worth It doesn't quite ring true to its name but perhaps should have been called "it's not quite worth it"."[15]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2022 Blue Dragon Series Awards Best Picture Award (Drama) So Not Worth It Nominated [16]
Best New Actor Award Shin Hyun-seung Nominated
Choi Young-jae Nominated
Han Hyun-min Nominated
Best New Actress Award Park Se-wan Nominated
Minnie Nominated

Future

In an interview, director Kwon Ik-joon mentioned that the production of a second season was dependent on the first season's popularity. He commented, "While chatting with Minnie in Thailand, I thought, 'I think it would be fun to go to a foreigner's house'. It would be fun to draw a story about going on a vacation to a country where a foreign friend lives."[8]

References
  1. Kang, Min-ji (September 24, 2020). "Netflix confirms production of So Not Worth It, joining hands with Korea's top sitcom creators". About Netflix. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  2. Jung, Hee-yeon (September 25, 2020). "넷플릭스 오리지널 '지구망' 제작 돌입…최영재-민니 등 출연 [공식]". Sports Donga. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  3. Moon, Ji-yeon (June 16, 2021). [종합] "좌절한 韓청춘 응원"..'지구망', '논스톱' 잇는 시트콤 될까 [[Comprehensive] "Frustrated Korean youth cheering".. Will it be a sitcom that connects 'Earth Network' and 'Non-Stop'?]. Sports CHosun. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  4. "K-Dramas Coming to Netflix in 2021". What's on Netflix. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  5. "넷플릭스 첫 시트콤, 6월 '내일 지구가 망해버렸으면 좋겠어'". newsis (in Korean). May 20, 2021. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  6. "'지구망' 박세완→갓세븐 영재, 글로벌 청춘의 大환장 일상". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2021-06-12. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  7. Park, Kyung-hee (June 23, 2021). '지구망' 강호동·이수근→정진운·윤종신·광희, 웃음 폭발 초호화 카메오 군단 ['Earth Network' Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun → Jung Jin-woon, Yoon Jong-shin, and Kwang-hee, burst of laughter, a stupendous cameo corps]. Single List. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  8. Ahn, Tae-hyun (June 21, 2021). [N인터뷰]③ '지구망' PD "K드라마 발전 속 스낵처럼 즐길 시트콤도 필요 [[N Interview] ③ 'Earth Collapse Tomorrow' PD "We need a sitcom to enjoy like a snack in the development of K-drama"]. News1. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  9. Kim, Boram (June 24, 2020). "Sitcoms return to small screen as streaming giants set out on new projects". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  10. Tan, Bryan (June 24, 2021). "The stars of Korean sitcom So Not Worth It come from all over the world". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  11. Hwang, Gyu-jun (June 25, 2021). 시트콤이 온다… 시트콤의 역습 [A sitcom is coming... The sitcom strikes back]. Star Daily. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  12. Keller, Joel (June 24, 2021). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'So Not Worth It' On Netflix, A Korean Sitcom About College Students In An International Dorm". Decider. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  13. Tan, Bryan (June 24, 2021). "So Not Worth It review: The first Korean sitcom in a long long time". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  14. Hart, Daniel (June 18, 2021). "So Not Worth It season 1 review – a vibrant, funny and diverse comedy k-drama". ReadySteadyCut. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  15. Wheeler, Greg (June 18, 2021). "So Not Worth It – Netflix Season 1 Review". thereviewgeek. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  16. "제1회 청룡시리즈어워즈" (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
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