"Hope the remake is decent": Fans divided as Park Eun-bin’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo reportedly set for American remake

The official poster for Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Image via Netflix)
The official poster for Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Image via Netflix)

ENA’s hit drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo starring Park Eun-bin and Kang Tae-oh may be getting an American remake!

On July 14, JTBC News reported that the popular K-drama has been receiving various proposals for remakes, including one from the United States.

In response to the report, ASTORY, the production company behind the drama, confirmed the news by revealing they are still reviewing the offer.

“We have received a proposal for a remake from the United States, and the production company is currently reviewing the offer.”

However, K-drama fans are not happy with the idea of an American remake of their beloved drama, wondering why would anyone want to “mess with perfection.”

The drama revolves around a young and competent lawyer, Woo Young-woo, who has Asperger’s syndrome. Park Eun-bin plays the titular character.

She doesn't let her condition become a hindrance and joins a major law firm where she uses her impressive IQ of 164, fantastic memory, and a creative thought process to solve cases.

The drama also stars Kang Tae-oh, Kang Ki-young, Ha Yun-kyung and Joo Jong-hyuk in pivotal roles.


Extraordinary Attorney Woo's fans and industry sources' opinions differ on the American remake's potential

K-dramas getting American remakes is a trend that is fast gaining traction amongst production companies and streaming channels — owing to the former’s rising popularity amongst global audiences.

However, fans aren’t exactly pleased with this development and feel that a heartfelt drama like Extraordinary Attorney Woo will lose its true essence if remade for a different market.

Some fans believe an American remake is fine and are hopeful of getting more seasons, as standard western shows do. However, majority of K-drama fans are against remaking Extraordinary Attorney Woo in English.

Some fans opine that American producers should consider casting Park Eun-bin in the American remake as well, because it wouldn’t be easy to find an actor who can match her caliber.

However, industry experts have begged to differ. They believe that the American remake of Extraordinary Attorney Woo will be successful due to the success of the 2013 K-drama Good Doctor, a medical series with the main character that is on the autism spectrum.

Back in 2017, K-drama Good Doctor was remade in the U.S.A. and received a lot of love and appreciation from fans, ranking number one on the ABC network. It was recently renewed for a sixth season, which is set to air in October 2022.


Extraordinary Attorney Woo witnessed a 10x spike in ratings

The amazing drama has seen a major jump in ratings. Episode 5 of the popular K-drama, which aired on July 13 scored an average nationwide rating of 9.138%, according to Nielsen Korea.

This is nearly a 4% jump from the previous episode’s rating of 5.2% and 10 times the rating of 0.9% achieved by the first episode.

The drama broke its own record once again for the highest ratings in ENA history. It is also the most viewed non-English show on Netflix. The production company’s stock price has nearly doubled since the show's first episode.


Extraordinary Attorney Woo and its lead cast dominate Most Buzzworthy Drama And Actor rankings for this week

For the second consecutive week, the drama continued to dominate Good Data Corporation's latest rankings of the Most Buzzworthy Dramas and Actors. The lead star cast claimed four out of the top 10 spots on this week’s list.

Park Eun-bin and Kang Tae-oh swept the top two spots at number 1 and number 2 respectively, followed by Joo Hyun-young at number 4 and finally, Kang Ki-young at number 8.

It is the most-watched mini-series in South Korea right now, and is garnering praise for its beautiful story and sensitive performances. This is an incredible achievement, and what is even more impressive is that it is a weekday drama, produced by ENA, a little-known station.


Extraordinary Attorney Woo airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 9 pm KST (5:30 pm IST) on ENA and Netflix for a worldwide audience.

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