Genre in Transnational Television: A Case of Netflix Originals Korean Dramas

Abstract

Recently, South Korea has become one of the largest content providers for Netflix. We analyze the textual characteristics of five Netflix Originals K-dramas – Sweet Home (2020), My Name (2021), Squid Game (2021), Hellbound (2021), and All of Us Are Dead (2022) – to unfold the existing genre conventions and uniquely local factors in the context of transnational television. In the process of transnationalization, genres are continuously and simultaneously evolving in the directions of homogenization and heterogenization. Universal values such as humanism, altruism, and family-oriented solidarity, as expected in the existing genre conventions, were homogenizing factors. However, these homogenizing factors were accompanied by uniquely local, heterogenizing factors arising from traumatic collective memories, political, and economic situations in South Korea. We also found that webtoons played a significant role in the transnationalization of the K-dramas genre. This study contributes to genre studies and transnational television research.