[HanCinema's Drama Preview] "My Little Baby"

Babies could easily be characterized as the most wonderful and terrifying stage of a person. Little tiny humans with barely any control of their little tiny humanity and in need of close care and protection. Now imagine how scary they must be to someone whose concept of care and protection involves weapons and armlocks. Welcome to MBC's "My Little Baby".

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Premise

Cha Jeong-han (Oh Ji-ho) is a detective working in a special unit dealing with violent crimes. One day he finds himself as the guardian of his little niece, Eun-ae and re-unites with his first love, Han  Ye-Seul (Lee Soo-kyung), who is now a single mom.

The Worrying

Finding an Audience

Korean dramas audiences usually love their larger-than-life concepts. Even simple things like dating or being in a family are given an overly dramatic treatment, rather than a meaty, but realistic one. A drama about the daily woes of raising a child, airing after midnight on Saturdays will not get a huge following. However, it might just get the right one, in the form sleepless parents.

Focus

Because the reality of raising a baby is not as rich in melodramatic potential as birth secrets, grand romances and the like, the creators could be tempted to shift the focus to the budding romance with Jeong-han's first love. This can actually be a great thing, as it can portray the formation of loving families not tied by blood, but the temptation to sell romantic cliches over romantic love and family will be there.

The Reassuring

Timeslot

As unlikely as it will be to have a large following as a late night show, this can also have its advantages. Korean audiences are very controlling of their entertainment and Korean drama creators more than eager to please, often at the expense of their work's artistic integrity. Low viewer count and lower expectations means more creative freedom and that in turn can mean a much better series, if the creators have their heart in the right place.

Easily Entertaining

When all is said and done, this is still a show about an attractive man fumbling about the field of parenthood as he attempts to raise an adorable baby. There is a lot of comedic potential in the operative word of "attempts" and aside from the superficial appeal of cute men and even cuter babies, the premise is perfect for creating a moving and endearing tale of bonding.

Final Thoughts

As 2015 SBS drama "Midnight Diner" has shown, less greed-fueled programming can be very liberating for drama creators. Without the pressure of ratings and wide acceptance, they have more room to tell their stories the way they want to. Even so, series like "Imaginary Cat" show that even when not expecting a major payoff, bad creative decisions can be made. "My Little Baby" will hopefully be more like the former.

"My Little Baby" begins its run on March 5th and will air every Saturday at 24:30, on MBC. It is directed by Han Cheol-soo and Lee Soon-ok, written by Kim Yoon-heui and Lee Eun-yeong and features Oh Ji-ho, Lee Soo-kyung, Kim Min-jae-I and Nam Jihyun.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'