Thirty-Nine
서른, 아홉Checked and re-read
Three best friends turning forty, one of whom is dying, and the show never pretends that the friendship can fix what is coming. Son Ye Jin leads an ensemble that plays adult grief without melodrama, and the male leads are genuinely supportive rather than decorative. It is a grief drama with Son Ye Jin's story at the centre, the friendship carrying more of it than either romance does, and the pacing is slow because the subject demands it. The ending goes where the diagnosis promised it would go, and the only consolation on offer is that the three of them had each other.
Leaning on each other through thick and thin, a trio of best friends stand together as they experience life, love and loss on the brink of turning 40.
Slow start Episode 3, once the diagnosis is out in the open. It stops being a hangout show.
Where we recommend it
On 5 lists- Dramas like Mr. PlanktonStrong thread
- Dramas like Uncontrollably FondStrong thread
- Dramas like Something in the RainSame feeling
- Dramas like Doom at Your ServiceSame feeling
- Dramas like Queen of TearsSame feeling
Recommended alongside
All dramas →Taken from our own list for Thirty-Nine, in the order we ranked it.
