This K-Drama Is Based On One Of Zac Efron’s Best Movies

Given the wide breadth of genres and subject matter in K-dramas, or live-action South Korean scripted television, shows often find inspiration from surprising sources. Among the most memorable K-drama influences is one of the best movies starring Zac Efron, 2009’s fantasy comedy “17 Again.” The reverse coming-of-age film had a disillusioned man, played by Matthew Perry, restored to his teenage self, played by Efron, using the opportunity to revisit his high school glory days. This premise serves as the basis for the aptly titled “18 Again,” a K-drama remake of the Efron film, albeit within the context of a South Korean high school.

While off by a year, “18 Again” replicates the setup of “17 Again,” as 37-year-old Hong Dae-young (Yoon Sang-hyun) finds his career stagnating and a far cry from his teenage heyday. As Dae-young’s marriage to his high school sweetheart, Jung Da-jung (Kim Ha-neul), falls apart, he magically transforms into his 18-year-old self while retaining his older consciousness. Dae-young returns to his old school, now attended by his teenage children, where he plays alongside his son on the basketball team. With this rare opportunity, Dae-young gets to understand his kids while realizing how he let his personal life fall into shambles.

Whereas “17 Again” told its cinematic story in less than two hours, “18 Again” unfolds across 16 episodes, each running over an hour. While the narrative broad strokes are similar, “18 Again” does deviate from the source material to tell its own distinct version of the story.

Some of the bigger changes in “18 Again” involve the wider family, both with their children and the central couple’s own parents. Dae-young and Da-jung’s daughter Hong Shi-ah (Roh Jong-eui) secretly works the night shift at a convenience store and doesn’t have the sexually aggressive boyfriend that her “17 Again” counterpart does. Their son, Hong Shi-woo (Ryeon), is more closely aligned with his American counterpart, but moodier and more sullen in “18 Again.” Most notably, Dae-young’s father and mother-in-law appear throughout the series, with Dae-young reconciling with them each in his younger form.

“18 Again” isn’t afraid to get more serious and heartfelt than “17 Again,” taking advantage of that longer cumulative runtime. That said, “18 Again” also constantly keeps sight of the inherent comedy to its core premise, knowing to get wacky with its age-regressed protagonist. A lot of this falls on Lee Do-hyun, who plays the 18-year-old version of Dae-young, alternating between playing a 30-something father and assumed teenager on a dime. 

Korean television aficionados will recognize Lee from some of the best K-dramas around, including the horror series “Sweet Home” and the psychological thriller “The Glory.” Lee continues to do strong work here, evoking “17 Again” while taking his performance in his own direction. Fans of K-dramas and/or “17 Again” should definitely check this show out.

At the time of this writing, there is still no word on when we’ll get a K-drama remake to Efron’s “We Are Your Friends,” but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.