# Mr. Plankton

Mr. Plankton (Korean: Mr. 플랑크톤) is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy television series written by Jo-young, directed by Hong Jong-chan, and starring Woo Do-hwan, Lee Yoo-mi, Oh Jung-se, and Kim Hae-sook. The series tells the story of a man named Hae-jo, a man who was the product of an incorrect artificial insemination, as he forces Jae-mi to accompany him on his last journey in life after learning he is terminally ill. It was released on Netflix on November 8, 2024.

## Synopsis

Mr. Plankton is a romantic comedy about a woman, Jae-mi, as she is forced by Hae-jo, a man who was the product of an incorrect artificial insemination, to accompany him on his last journey in life after learning he is terminally ill. Jae-mi also learns she has a medical problem, which is devastating to her.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Woo Do-hwan as Hae Jo/Chae Seung-hyeok
    A terminally ill man who was birthed from a mistake.
* Lee Yoo-mi as Jo Jae-mi
    A 28 years old girl who has premature menopause.
* Oh Jung-se as Eo Heung
    The only son of the 500-year-old ancient Eo clan's main family, Jae-mi's fiance
* Kim Hae-sook as Bum Ho-ja
    Eo Heung's mother and the daughter-in-law of the Eo clan's main family for 60 years.

### Supporting

* Kim Min-seok as Yoo Ki-ho/Kkari
    Hae jo's colleague
* Lee El as Bong suk/Ju Ri
    Hae Jo's childhood friend
* Oh Dae-hwan as Wang Chil-seong
    Leader of the gangster Prince Gang
* Lee Hae Young as Chae Yeong-jo
    Hae Jo's father
* Alex Landi as John Na
* Kim Soo-jin as Park Gal-ja
* Ahn Suk-hwan as O Man-soo
    Owner of a sundae shop and the first candidate for Hae-jo's biological father.
* Jo Han-chul as Ko Jae-geun
    the second candidate for Hae-jo's biological father.
* Kim Jung-ho as Shin Myeong-su
    Pharmaceutical company boss and the third candidate for Hae-Jo's biological father.

### Others

* Nam Mi-jung as Hospital lobby mom

## Production
### Development

The series, which consists of ten episodes, was directed by Hong Jong-chan, who previously directed Juvenile Justice (2022) and written by Jo-young, who previously wrote It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020). It is produced by Base Story and HighZium Studio.

### Casting

On July 12, 2023, Netflix revealed the casting of Woo Do-hwan, Lee Yoo-mi, Oh Jung-se, and Kim Hae-sook.

## Release

Mr. Plankton was released on Netflix on November 8, 2024, with all its ten episodes.

## Reception
### Controversy

On October 16, 2023, the production company of the series told Newsen about a netizen's claim that the filming crew illegally dumped trash after filming on Jeju Island. The production company stated, "We filmed from the morning to the afternoon on October 15 at Hwasun Golden Sand Beach. Since filming ended after sunset, we had planned to clean up over two days, that day and the next morning. After checking, we found that the production team was even more careful and finished cleaning this morning. We will be even more careful during filming in the future."

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Time Magazine | 2024 | The 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024 | 10th place | |