# Wonderful World (South Korean TV series)

Wonderful World (Korean: 원더풀 월드) is a 2024 South Korean television series starring Kim Nam-joo, Cha Eun-woo, Kim Kang-woo, and Im Se-mi. It aired on MBC TV from March 1, to April 13, 2024, every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Disney+ in selected regions.

## Synopsis

Wonderful World tells a story about an author and professor whose life falls apart after her son is killed in a hit-and-run accident. She seeks justice but ends up committing a crime herself and is sentenced to prison. The show explores themes of grief, guilt, and redemption.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Kim Nam-joo as Eun Soo-hyun
    A successful and famous psychology professor and writer who loses her young son after he is hit by a car.
* Cha Eun-woo as Kwon Seon-yul
    A mysterious person who grew up in a wealthy family, but lives a rough life after losing his parents due to a series of incidents.
* Kim Kang-woo as Kang Su-ho
    Soo-hyun's husband who is a successful anchor.
* Im Se-mi as Han Yoo-ri
    The representative of Cheongdam Select Shop, and Soo-hyun's former manager who is like a real sister to her.

### Supporting
#### People around Soo-hyun

* Won Mi-kyung as Oh Go-eun
    Soo-hyun's mother who is a restaurant owner.
* Kang Ae-sim as Jang Hyung-ja
    Soo-hyun's fellow inmate who is a long-term prisoner serving a twenty-year sentence.
* Lee Jun as Kang Gun-woo
    Soo-hyun and Su-ho's son.

#### People around Seon-yul

* Yang Hye-ji as Hong Su-jin
    Seon-yul's best friend who has an easy-going and honest personality.
* Kim Woo-hyun as Park Yong-gu
    Seon-yul's best friend and colleague.

#### People around Su-ho

* Jin Geon-woo as Kang Tae-ho
    Su-ho's younger brother who is a neurosurgery resident.
* Gil Hae-yeon as Jung Myung-hee
    Su-ho's mother.
* Sung Ji-ru as Han Sang
    A former detective and owner of a jewelry store.

#### People around Yoo-ri

* Jo Yeon-hee as Mok Ryeon
    She works at a bar and has a pretty cold attitude towards her daughter Han Yu-ri.

#### Others

* Park Hyuk-kwon as Kim Joon
    Former mayor of Seoul and the current representative of Korean Union Party.
* Cha Soo-yeon as Yoon Hye-geum
    Soo-hyun's neighbor and the director of Gold Gallery who lives with her son who suffers from epilepsy.
* Jin Jae-hee as Yoon Hee-jae
    Hye-geum's son.
* Oh Man-seok as Gwon Ji-woong
    CEO of a construction company.
* Lim Ji-sub as Gwon Min-hyuk
    A person who lives a rough life and does anything for money.
* Lee Seon-hee as Jeong Jin-hee
    A reporter.
* Jeon Hyun-ah as Kim Si-ra
    A professor of psychology department.

### Extended

* Kang Myung-joo as Kim Eun-min
* Kim Cheol-gi as Choi Joo-seok
    A member of the National Assembly.

## Release

In November 2023, production company Samhwa Networks announced that it had signed a license contract with Walt Disney Korea for the broadcasting rights of the series.

## Reception
### Critical response

NME's Hidzir Junaini praised Kim Nam-joo performance as Soo-hyun, calling it "powerful". Film critic Jeong Deok-hyeon, one of the prominent judges at the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards, praised Cha Eun-woo for his range of expression, from the perspective of a victim to that of a perpetrator, but he also maintains empathy as a fellow victim, a complex emotion to portray, but one that he manages to convey effectively in his role as Kwon Seon-yul.

### Viewership

| Season | Season | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Average |
| Season | Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Average |
| | 1 | 0.934 | 1.116 | 1.448 | 1.225 | 1.619 | 1.310 | 1.446 | 1.070 | 1.811 | 1.456 | 1.919 | 1.176 | 1.904 | 1.585 | 1.430 |
Average TV viewership ratings :
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | Average audience share |
| Nielsen Korea ||
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul |
| 1 | March 1, 2024 | 5.3% (11th) | 5.4% (9th) |
| 2 | March 2, 2024 | 6.1% (5th) | 6.1% (4th) |
| 3 | March 8, 2024 | 8.0% (3rd) | 8.0% (4th) |
| 4 | March 9, 2024 | 6.4% (5th) | 6.2% (4th) |
| 5 | March 15, 2024 | 9.9% (2nd) | 10.2% (1st) |
| 6 | March 16, 2024 | 7.3% (3rd) | 7.0% (3rd) |
| 7 | March 22, 2024 | 8.5% (3rd) | 8.3% (3rd) |
| 8 | March 23, 2024 | 6.3% (4th) | 6.1% (3rd) |
| 9 | March 29, 2024 | 11.4% (1st) | 11.7% (1st) |
| 10 | March 30, 2024 | 9.2% (2nd) | 9.7% (2nd) |
| 11 | April 5, 2024 | 11.4% (1st) | 11.2% (1st) |
| 12 | April 6, 2024 | 6.8% (2nd) | 6.3% (2nd) |
| 13 | April 12, 2024 | 11.4% (1st) | 11.6% (1st) |
| 14 | April 13, 2024 | 9.2% (2nd) | 8.7% (2nd) |
| Average | Average | 8.4% | 8.3% |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. ||||

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| Blue Dragon Awards | 2024 | Best Actor (Half Year) | Cha Eun-woo | Won |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Awards | 2024 | Hot Trend Male Actor | Cha Eun-woo | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2024 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Kim Nam-joo | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2024 | Drama of the Year | Wonderful World | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2024 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Cha Eun-woo | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2024 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Nam-joo | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2024 | Best Acting Award, Actress | Kim Nam-joo | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2024 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Kim Kang-woo | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2024 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Im Se-mi | Nominated |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Asian Star - Korean Actor | Cha Eun-woo | Nominated |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Elle Japan | 2024 | 5 Best Korean Suspense Dramas of 2024 | 4th |
| GQ India | 2024 | 7 Best Thriller K-dramas of 2024 | 5th |
| MovieWeb | 2024 | 20 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | 1st |
| Rolling Stone India | 2024 | 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | 5th |
| Screen Rant | 2024 | 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | 5th |
| Time | 2024 | 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | Honorable mention |