Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Love Next Door’ on Netflix, A Light, Romantic “Will They Or Won’t They” Korean Drama 

In Love Next Door, a new limited series from creators Yu Je-won and Shin Ha-eun, the last two people to figure out that they should be an item are two attractive young professionals whose mothers made them share a bathtub as kids. Jung So-min (Alchemy of Souls) and Jung Hae-in (D.P.) star as Bae Seok-ryu and Choi Seung-hyo, a top executive and award-winning architect respectively, who reconnect upon Seok-ryu’s unexpected return to her family home. Will Seung-hyo be part of the “reboot” Seok-ryu says her life so badly needs? Will he focus too much on the past to see the potential of what’s right here in the present? And will their mothers ever stop arguing about whose child is a better, more successful person? In Love Next Door, there are answers to these questions and a shameless knack for kinda cheesy music cues. 

LOVE NEXT DOOR: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? 

Opening Shot: As the Love Next Door theme plays, which is composed in a style that can only be described as “sitcom jazz,” we catch a few scenes from the show, like the neighboring family homes of the main characters and still shots of the cast.  

The Gist: Seo Hye-sook (Jang Young-nam) and Na Mi-sook (Park Ji-young) bicker about their childrens’ accomplishments so much, the other women on their neighborhood walks take regular bets about who will win. While Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in) is an in-demand architect, designing nationally-recognized buildings and becoming CEO of his own firm, Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) went to work for a major US company right out of university, and is engaged to be married. These moms and neighbors couldn’t be more proud of who their children have become. But in flashbacks, we also see how Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo spent a lot of time figuring out the world on their own, together.

“Your family doesn’t know you’re home, do they?” Mo-eum (Kim Ji-eun) also grew up with Seung-ho and Seok-ryu, and when her friend calls her from the airport, she immediately understands why. Seok-ryu’s wedding invitations have already gone out – that’s another thing her mother won’t stop talking about – but she’s suddenly back in Korea, alone, with something on her mind. Meanwhile, we also learn about Seung-hyo’s professional life, where he puts more investment in the mindfulness of buildings than he does glittery industry accolades. “My idea of perfection isn’t a person, but a well-made structure.” Hm, could this sincere, driven architect perhaps find romantic stability with his perfectly imperfect childhood friend, who has returned home after a professional burnout left her personally empty? Perhaps!

In addition to Seung-ho and Seok-ryu and their adoring, arguing mothers, Love Next Door features a little comic relief with the husbands, diner owner Bae Geun-sik (Jo Han-chul) and doctor Choi Kyung-jong (Lee Seung-joon), adventures in personal training with Seok-ryu’s well-meaning younger brother Bae Dong-jin (Lee Seung-hyub), and Mo-eum’s life at work as a paramedic, where her care for the well-being of others does not go unnoticed by nice-but nerdy local journalist Kang Dan-ho (Yoon Ji-on).

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Childhood relationships and rivalries also resurface in the charming Netflix K-drama Doctor Slump. And neither Jung So-min nor Jung Hae-in are strangers to swoonworthy, totally streamable limited series – check out Mad For Each Other, Because This Is My First Life, Tune In for Love, or One Spring Night.   

Our Take: Look, maybe the sequence goes on a bit too long, when Mi-sook flies into a comical rage at her daughter’s sudden return home – and her shocking announcement – and continually beats her with a handful of leeks. And maybe Seok-ryu, after she just so happens to run into Seung-hyo on the street, could’ve hid inside his fancy new office instead of underneath a large cardboard box, when she first saw her mother approaching. Yes, it’s true that both of these instances do play as particularly contrived in the context of a light K-drama with classic sitcom vibes. 

But hey, look how cute Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in are together, as Seok-ryu hides in that box and Seung-hyo covers for her with the families. Look how the deeper-held expectations both sets of parents have for the next generation are played a bit for laughs by Love Next Door, even as it acknowledges this universal source of family drama. In no way is this series inventing anything new. But hey, its heart is always in the right place. Just try not to catch your breath a little when Seok-ryu releases the balloons she happens to be carrying, just as she turns and encounters Seung-hyo unexpectedly. It’s moments like this a show like Love Next Door is made for, and it should be a nice bit of escapist romantic enjoyment to see these crazy kids quit their arguing, placate their moms and families, and ultimately find each other along the way.

Sex and Skin: Nothing here, just butterflies. 

Parting Shot: Seung-hyo smiles as he remembers all the scrapes he and Seok-ryu got into as kids – “Now that she’s back, it’s going to get chaotic again” – and we also see a few scenes from upcoming episodes of Love Next Door.

Sleeper Star: As Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo reconnect, Kim Ji-eun is having fun playing Jeong Mo-eum, who grew up with both of them, knows how each of her friends are wired, and is pragmatic enough to offer her support while letting their dramas play out. Essentially, that’s a y’all problem, and Mo-eum’s gonna keep being a brave paramedic while they sort the whole thing out.     

Most Pilot-y Line: Seok-Ryu: “You were cuter when you were little.” Seung-hyo: “You’re closer to a beast than a human being.” In actuality: Both of these people are very cute, neither are more beast than human, and each of them are ignoring their obvious chemistry and attraction. 

Our Call: STREAM IT. Stick with a lighthearted Korean drama like Love Next Door for its on-the-sleeve sentimentality, sitcom-style mishaps that lead to moments of emotion, and to follow the track two attractive people take to finally finding each other. It’s not like you don’t know it’ll happen. But maybe a little predictability is perfect for an unpredictable world.  

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.

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