Life Is Beautiful (2010 TV series)
Life Is Beautiful (Korean: 인생은 아름다워; Hanja: 人生은 아름다워; RR: Insaengeun Areumdawo) is a 2010 South Korean television series starring Song Chang-eui, Lee Sang-woo, Lee Sang-yoon and Nam Sang-mi. It aired on SBS from September 11 to November 7, 2010 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:45 for 63 episodes.
| Life Is Beautiful | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Also known as | Beautiful Life |
| Genre | Romance Drama Family |
| Written by | Kim Soo-hyun |
| Directed by | Jung Eul-young |
| Starring | Song Chang-eui Lee Sang-woo Lee Sang-yoon Nam Sang-mi |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 63 |
| Production | |
| Production company | Samhwa Networks |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seoul Broadcasting System |
| Original release | 20 March – 7 November 2010 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Aside from scoring high ratings that were in the mid-twenty range during its run, the series is notable for its sensitive portrayal of a loving, openly gay couple in a Korean drama on primetime network television.[1][2][3][4][5] Although the approach to homosexual themes is quite sympathetic, it has been argued that "major changes in the last episodes of 'Life is Beautiful' were made due to the strong opposition towards the issue," and that there are "no kissing scenes between the main actors in 'Life is Beautiful' in the midst of endless kissing scenes in other K-dramas that depict heterosexual couples."[6]
Plot
Set in Jeju, the drama revolves around a loving, multi-generation family led by the parents Yang Byung-tae (Kim Yeong-cheol) and Kim Min-jae (Kim Hae-sook), and their four children Tae-sub (Song Chang-eui), Ji-hye (Woo Hee-jin), Ho-sub (Lee Sang-yoon) and Cho-rong (Nam Gyu-ri), as well as assorted grandparents and uncles. The story follows the family's everyday lives and conflicts, including oldest daughter Ji-hye's marital problems with her husband Soo-il (Lee Min-woo); younger son Ho-sub's pursuit of his mother's assistant, Yeon-joo (Nam Sang-mi); and oldest son Tae-sub's romantic pairing with divorced professor Kyung-soo (Lee Sang-woo), whose homosexual relationship their families react to while addressing issues of personal, social, and familial acceptance, leading to, finally, love and understanding.[7][8]
Cast
- Yang family
- Kim Yong-rim as Byung-tae's mother
- Choi Jung-hoon as Byung-tae's father
- Kim Yeong-cheol as Yang Byung-tae
- Kim Hae-sook as Kim Min-jae
- Kim Sang-joong as Yang Byung-joon
- Yoon Da-hoon as Yang Byung-kil
- Song Chang-eui as Yang Tae-sub[9][10][11]
- Lee Sang-yoon as Yang Ho-sub
- Nam Gyu-ri as Yang Cho-rong
- Lee family
- Lee Min-woo as Lee Soo-il
- Woo Hee-jin as Yang Ji-hye
- Jung Da-bin as Lee Ji-na
- Park family
- Lee Sang-hoon as Mr. Park
- Jo Mi-ryung as Yang Soo-ja
- Kang Yi-seok as son
- Extended cast
- Jang Mi-hee as Jo Ah-ra
- Nam Sang-mi as Boo Yeon-joo
- Lee Sang-woo as Kim Kyung-soo
- Yoo Min as Chae-young
- Kim Woo-hyun as Hyun-jin
- Lee Kyun as Dong-geun
- Bang Eun-hee as Jo Nam-shik
- Im Ye-jin as Ji-hye's aunt (cameo)
- Han Jin-hee as Min-jae's ex-husband (cameo)
- Kim Jung-hwa as Woo Geum-ji (cameo)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3rd Korea Drama Awards | Best Drama | Life Is Beautiful | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Hae-sook | Won | |||
| SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Weekend/Daily Drama | Kim Yeong-cheol | Nominated | [12] | |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Weekend/Daily Drama | Kim Yong-rim | Nominated | |||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Weekend/Daily Drama | Song Chang-eui | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Weekend/Daily Drama | Yoon Da-hoon | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Weekend/Daily Drama | Nam Sang-mi | Nominated | |||
| New Star Award | Nam Gyu-ri | Won | |||
| 2011 | 47th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director (TV) | Jung Eul-yong | Nominated | |
| Best New Actress (TV) | Nam Gyu-ri | Nominated | |||
Episode ratings
| Date | Episode | Seoul Area | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-03-20 | 1 | 12.3% (10th) | 12.5% (9th) |
| 2010-03-21 | 2 | 12.6% (10th) | 12.2% (10th) |
| 2010-03-27 | 3 | 14.3% (7th) | 15.1% (7th) |
| 2010-03-28 | 4 | 14.8% (7th) | 15.2% (7th) |
| 2010-04-03 | 5 | 15.2% (5th) | 15.6% (3rd) |
| 2010-04-04 | 6 | 16.0% (4th) | 17.2% (3rd) |
| 2010-04-10 | 7 | 17.9% (4th) | 19.0% (4th) |
| 2010-04-11 | 8 | 16.9% (4th) | 17.6% (4th) |
| 2010-04-17 | 9 | 15.7% (3rd) | 16.8% (3rd) |
| 2010-04-18 | 10 | 16.4% (3rd) | 17.6% (3rd) |
| 2010-04-24 | 11 | 17.3% (4th) | 18.1% (4th) |
| 2010-04-25 | 12 | 17.9% (3rd) | 18.9% (3rd) |
| 2010-05-01 | 13 | 17.5% (3rd) | 19.2% (3rd) |
| 2010-05-02 | 14 | 17.9% (4th) | 18.6% (4th) |
| 2010-05-08 | 15 | 17.2% (3rd) | 17.9% (3rd) |
| 2010-05-09 | 16 | 18.5% (4th) | 19.3% (4th) |
| 2010-05-15 | 17 | 14.4% (2nd) | 14.9% (2nd) |
| 2010-05-16 | 18 | 17.6% (4th) | 18.3% (4th) |
| 2010-05-22 | 19 | 18.0% (4th) | 18.9% (4th) |
| 2010-05-23 | 20 | 18.6% (4th) | 19.3% (4th) |
| 2010-05-29 | 21 | 21.8% (3rd) | 22.1% (3rd) |
| 2010-05-30 | 22 | 17.9% (6th) | 18.5% (6th) |
| 2010-06-05 | 23 | 19.7% (4th) | 20.1% (4th) |
| 2010-06-06 | 24 | 20.3% (4th) | 21.2% (4th) |
| 2010-06-27 | 25 | 17.6% (3rd) | 18.0% (3rd) |
| 2010-07-03 | 26 | 17.5% (2nd) | 18.1% (2nd) |
| 2010-07-04 | 27 | 20.3% (2nd) | 21.0% (2nd) |
| 2010-07-10 | 28 | 19.6% (3rd) | 20.6% (3rd) |
| 2010-07-11 | 29 | 20.9% (4th) | 21.4% (2nd) |
| 2010-07-17 | 30 | 21.7% (3rd) | 22.5% (3rd) |
| 2010-07-18 | 31 | 21.5% (3rd) | 21.6% (3rd) |
| 2010-07-24 | 32 | 20.0% (3rd) | 20.5% (2nd) |
| 2010-07-25 | 33 | 21.2% (3rd) | 21.7% (3rd) |
| 2010-07-31 | 34 | 20.1% (1st) | 20.4% (2nd) |
| 2010-08-01 | 35 | 19.7% (4th) | 20.0% (4th) |
| 2010-08-07 | 36 | 20.1% (4th) | 20.6% (3rd) |
| 2010-08-08 | 37 | 20.2% (4th) | 20.7% (4th) |
| 2010-08-14 | 38 | 21.8% (3rd) | 22.2% (3rd) |
| 2010-08-15 | 39 | 21.9% (4th) | 21.6% (4th) |
| 2010-08-21 | 40 | 22.3% (2nd) | 22.6% (3rd) |
| 2010-08-22 | 41 | 22.1% (4th) | 23.0% (4th) |
| 2010-08-28 | 42 | 22.5% (2nd) | 23.1% (2nd) |
| 2010-08-29 | 43 | 22.7% (4th) | 23.5% (4th) |
| 2010-09-04 | 44 | 22.8% (2nd) | 23.9% (1st) |
| 2010-09-05 | 45 | 23.3% (4th) | 23.9% (3rd) |
| 2010-09-11 | 46 | 22.7% (2nd) | 23.3% (2nd) |
| 2010-09-12 | 47 | 23.9% (4th) | 24.5% (3rd) |
| 2010-09-18 | 48 | 23.6% (2nd) | 24.6% (2nd) |
| 2010-09-19 | 49 | 23.4% (3rd) | 24.2% (3rd) |
| 2010-09-25 | 50 | 21.3% (3rd) | 22.2% (3rd) |
| 2010-09-26 | 51 | 25.7% (3rd) | 26.5% (3rd) |
| 2010-10-02 | 52 | 20.7% (2nd) | 20.9% (2nd) |
| 2010-10-03 | 53 | 20.5% (4th) | 20.7% (4th) |
| 2010-10-09 | 54 | 18.9% (3rd) | 19.5% (4th) |
| 2010-10-10 | 55 | 19.4% (4th) | 19.6% (5th) |
| 2010-10-16 | 56 | 19.7% (2nd) | 19.8% (2nd) |
| 2010-10-17 | 57 | 20.3% (4th) | 21.0% (4th) |
| 2010-10-23 | 58 | 18.6% (3rd) | 19.2% (3rd) |
| 2010-10-24 | 59 | 20.1% (3rd) | 20.1% (2nd) |
| 2010-10-30 | 60 | 20.0% (3rd) | 20.8% (3rd) |
| 2010-10-31 | 61 | 20.0% (4th) | 20.3% (4th) |
| 2010-11-06 | 62 | 17.0% (2nd) | 17.5% (2nd) |
| 2010-11-07 | 63 | 20.6% (3rd) | 21.3% (3rd) |
| Average | 19.4% | - | |
Source: TNS Media Korea
International broadcast
It aired on Japan's cable channel KNTV under the title Beautiful Life, beginning February 24, 2011.[13]
It aired in Thailand on True4U beginning November 18, 2015.[14]
See also
References
- Yang, Sung-hee (20 May 2010). "Writer pushing buttons on TV, again". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Lee, Sooin; Nahm, Sooyeon (13 September 2010). "Drama reveals changing attitudes about homosexuality". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Bae, Ji-sook (7 October 2010). "Ban on gay drama in prison creates stir". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Choi, Ji-eun (3 January 2011). "2010 10Asia's Awards: Writer & Actor of the Year". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Lee, Ga-on (3 January 2011). "2010 10Asia's Awards" "Thank You" List". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Surat Agung Nugroho, “ The Ending Scenes of Korean Gay-Themed Movies and TV Dramas: A Perpetual View of Korean Society Towards Homosexuality?”, research paper, Yogyakarta: Universitas Gadjah Mada, n.d.
- Choi, Ji-eun (5 April 2010). "REVIEW: TV series Beautiful Life - Premiere episode". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Wee, Geun-woo (8 November 2010). "REVIEW: SBS TV series Beautiful Life - Finale Episodes". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Choi, Ji-eun (22 April 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Song Chang-eui - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Choi, Ji-eun (22 April 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Song Chang-eui - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Min, Ines (12 August 2010). "Actor Song Chang-ui finds empathy in homosexual role". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Ko, Kyoung-seok (3 January 2011). "Ko Hyun-jung wins grand prize at SBS Drama Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- Kim, Heidi (28 December 2010). "SBS' TV series Life Is Beautiful to air next year in Japan". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- "เรื่องย่อละคร Life is Beautiful ชุลมุนครอบครัวยุ่งเหยิง". truelife (in Thai). 6 December 2015. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)
- Life Is Beautiful at HanCinema
- Life Is Beautiful at IMDb