Taereung National Village (Korean MBC Drama)

MBC’s Best Theater [MBC 베스트극장 - 태릉선수촌] programming is a sort of long-running anthology series where each episode (or, as in the case of Taereung National Village, a short series of episodes) is self-contained and produced by a different set of people. For this reason, it’s a great way for lesser-known or -experienced PDs and writers to get a handle on production before being given an entire drama series to manage. You’ll notice almost every current working PD and many writers have some sort of Best Theater or Drama City (KBS’s equivalent anthology series) credit to their names.

Despite the winningness of Coffee Prince, I’m starting to veer from cheery immersion into overload territory, and before that flares into full-on burnout, I thought I’d turn my attentions elsewhere to balance things out a bit. I’ve started watching some other series, dabbling in a sea of first episodes, trying to see which ones are worth sticking with.

The first to stand out as noteworthy is the short Best Theater miniseries Taereung National Village (태릉선수촌), which is a series of which I’ve heard many good things (this one’s for you, thundie!) and had been meaning to try even before realizing that its director is the same Lee Yoon Jung who is currently at the helm of Coffee Prince.

Set in the exhilarating and competitive world of Olympic sports.

Min Ki, a judo martial artist, never seems to have luck on his side. Bang Su Ah, an expert archer, on the other hand, can claim to hold two gold medals already, but is still thirsty for further success.

They are joined in the National Village by a young swimmer who lacks the confidence to reach the top of his game, and Jang Ma Roo, an arrogant young gymnast who believes nobody can stop her from taking the gold medal.

Intertwining their sporting achievements and failures with the struggles in their personal lives, Tae-Rung National Village will keep you hooked from the starting gun right through to the nail-biting photo finish.