Sense8

Sense8
Genre	Science fiction; Drama;
Created by	The Wachowskis; J. Michael Straczynski;
Written by	Lana Wachowski; Lilly Wachowski; J. Michael Straczynski; David Mitchell; Aleksandar Hemon;
Directed by	Lana Wachowski; Lilly Wachowski; James McTeigue; Tom Tykwer; Dan Glass;
Starring	Aml Ameen; Doona Bae; Jamie Clayton; Tina Desai; Tuppence Middleton; Max Riemelt; Miguel Ángel Silvestre; Brian J. Smith; Freema Agyeman; Terrence Mann; Anupam Kher; Naveen Andrews; Daryl Hannah; Toby Onwumere;
Composer(s)	Johnny Klimek; Tom Tykwer; Gabriel Isaac Mounsey;
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Deepak Nayar (season 1); Leon Clarance; Marc Rosen; Cindy Holland; Peter Friedlander; Tara Duncan; Lilly Wachowski (season 1); Lana Wachowski; J. Michael Straczynski; Grant Hill; John Toll (season 2); Laura Delahaye (finale);
Producer(s)	Marcus Loges; L. Dean Jones Jr. (season 1); Alex Boden; Terry Needham (season 2); Roberto Malerba (season 2);
Production location(s)	Berlin; Chicago; London; Mexico City; Mumbai; Nairobi, Kenya; Reykjavík, Iceland; San Francisco; Seoul; Amsterdam; Argyll, Scotland; Chippenham, England; Los Angeles; Malta; Positano, Italy; California Redwoods; São Paulo; Paris; Naples, Italy; Villers-la-Ville, Belgium;
Cinematography	John Toll; Danny Ruhlmann; Frank Griebe; Christian Almesberger;
Editor(s)	Joe Hobeck; Joseph Jett Sally; Fiona Colbeck;
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	46–151 minutes
Production company(s)	Anarchos Productions(season 1); Javelin Productions (season 1); Studio JMS; Georgeville Television; Venus Castina LLC(season 2); Elizabeth Bay Productions (season 2); Unpronounceable Productions;
Distributor	Netflix
Release
Original network	Netflix
Picture format	4K (Ultra HD)
Audio format	5.1 (Surround) with optional Descriptive Video Servicetrack
Original release	June 5, 2015 –; June 8, 2018
External links
	Website

Sense8 (a play on the word sensate /ˈsɛnseɪt/) is an American science fiction drama web television series created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski for Netflix. The production companies behind Sense8 include the Wachowskis’ Anarchos Productions (replaced by Lana and her wife’s Venus Castina Productions in the second season), Straczynski’s Studio JMS, and Georgeville Television, with Unpronounceable Productions having been set up specifically for this show.

The show’s first season introduced a multinational ensemble cast, with Aml Ameen, Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton, Max Riemelt, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, and Brian J. Smithportraying eight strangers from different parts of the world who suddenly discover that they are “sensates”: human beings who are mentally and emotionally linked. Freema Agyeman, Terrence Mann, Anupam Kher, Naveen Andrews, and Daryl Hannah also star. In the second season Toby Onwumere replaces Ameen. The show explores subjects that its creators feel have not been emphasized in many science fiction shows to date,^[6]^[7] such as politics, identity, sexuality, gender, and religion.^[7]^[8]

All episodes of the first season of Sense8 were written by the Wachowskis and Straczynski; in the second season, Lilly Wachowski took a break from the show, and the episodes were written by just Lana Wachowski and Straczynski, with the exception of the series finale which was written by Lana, David Mitchell, and Aleksandar Hemon. Most episodes were directed by the Wachowskis (or just Lana, in the second season), with the remainder being divided between their frequent collaborators James McTeigue, Tom Tykwer, and Dan Glass. Sense8 was filmed almost entirely on location in a multitude of cities around the world.

The first season, consisting of 12 episodes, became available for streaming on Netflix on June 5, 2015, and was met with generally favorable critical reception. It was praised for its representation of LGBTQ characters and themes, winning the GLAAD Media Awardfor Outstanding Drama Series. It was also recognized with a Location Managers Guild award for its use of locations as an integral part of the story, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.

The second season began with a two-hour Christmas special in December 2016, with the remaining 10 episodes released in May 2017. However the following month Netflix announced that they had cancelled the series, which had ended with a cliffhanger in expectation of a third season, then under negotiation. In response to criticism of the cancellation, especially with an unresolved story, Netflix produced a two-and-a-half-hour series finale, which was released on June 8, 2018. The season was overall met with positive critical reception and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour), and two nominations by the GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series for the season proper and series finale, respectively.

Plot[edit]

The story of Sense8 begins when the psychic connection of eight strangers from different cultures and parts of the world is “birthed” by a woman called Angelica, who kills herself to avoid capture by a man named “Whispers”. The eight eventually discover they now form a cluster of “sensates”: human beings who are mentally and emotionally linked, can sense and communicate with each other, and can share their knowledge, language, and skills.

In the first season, the eight—Capheus, Sun, Nomi, Kala, Riley, Wolfgang, Lito, and Will—are shown trying both to live their everyday lives and to figure how and why they are connected. Meanwhile, a sensate named Jonas, who was involved with Angelica, comes to their aid, while the Biologic Preservation Organization (BPO) and Whispers, a high-ranking sensate inside BPO, attempt to hunt them down.

In the second season, the eight have grown accustomed to their connection and help each other on a daily basis. They learn more about Homo sensorium (the scientific name of sensates), the history and goals of BPO, the role of Angelica in it, and their powers and how to temporarily suspend them. They also meet other sensates, not all of whom are friendly. At the same time, Jonas attempts to both aid them and look after himself after being captured by Whispers, who is now involved in a cat-and-mouse game with Will, each of them trying to outsmart the other.

In the series finale, the cluster and the people closest to them meet up in person to save Wolfgang who has been captured by BPO. To that end, the cluster has kidnapped Whispers and Jonas to use them as a bargaining chip and source of information, respectively. The heroes discover the two men’s and Angelica’s personal motivations, meet potential allies from both sapiens and sensorium, and deal with the Chairman of BPO, who launches a global attack against sensates and their allies.

Cast[edit]

The eight sensates[edit]

Aml Ameen (season 1) / Toby Onwumere (season 2)^[9] as Capheus “Van Damn” Onyango,^[10] a matatu driver in Nairobi who is trying to earn money to buy HIV/AIDS medication for his mother. Capheus’ matatu is called the “Van Damn” and sports drawings of Jean-Claude Van Damme as he is a passionate fan of his movies. This, along with his bravery to protect his matatu and its passengers from bandits, earned him his widely used Van Damn nickname (sometimes also called Van Damme).^[11]^[12]
Doona Bae as Sun Bak, daughter of a powerful Seoul businessman and a burgeoning star in the underground kickboxing world.^[11]^[13]
Jamie Clayton as Nomi Marks, a trans woman hacktivist and blogger living in San Francisco with her girlfriend Amanita.^[11]^[14] She chose the name Nomi to stand for “Know Me”.^[15]^[16]
Tina Desai as Kala Dandekar, a university-educated pharmacist and devout Hindu in Mumbai who is engaged to marry a man she does not love.^[11]^[17]
Tuppence Middleton as Riley “Blue” Gunnarsdóttir, an Icelandic DJ living in London who is trying to escape a tragic past.^[11]^[18]
Max Riemelt as Wolfgang Bogdanow, a Berlin locksmith and safe-cracker who has unresolved conflicts with his late father and participates in organized crime.^[11]^[19]
Miguel Ángel Silvestre as Lito Rodriguez, a closeted actor of Spanish background living in Mexico City with his boyfriend Hernando.^[11]^[20]
Brian J. Smith as Will Gorski, a Chicago police officer haunted by an unsolved murder from his childhood.^[11]^[21] Speaking about the Wachowskis picking names that carry a significance for their characters, Smith said about “Will”: “The whole idea of Will Gorski, the idea of someone who’s got this drive to act and to do, not just to be done to. It’s very central to Will’s character.”^[15]

Other regulars[edit]

Freema Agyeman as Amanita “Neets” Caplan, Nomi’s girlfriend, who later becomes an ally for the new sensates.^[22]
Terrence Mann as Milton Bailey “Whispers” Brandt, a sensate who turned against his own kind and who is a high-ranking member of an organization determined to neutralize sensates, known as the Biologic Preservation Organization (BPO).^[8] Whispers uses many fake names, such as Dr. Matheson or Gibbons,^[23]and is commonly known among sensates as “The Cannibal” for devouring his own cluster.^[24] Angelica and the people she’s been involved with call him Whispers, after she likened him to the voice in ones’ head that beckons them to commit suicide; “That voice never shouts. It only whispers.”^[25]
Anupam Kher as Sanyam Dandekar, Kala’s loving father, a chef and restaurant owner.^[26]
Naveen Andrews as Jonas Maliki, a sensate from a different cluster who wants to help the newly-born cluster of sensates.^[8]^[27]
Daryl Hannah as Angelica “Angel” Turing, a sensate from the same cluster as Jonas, who becomes the “mother” of the new sensates’ cluster as she activates their psychic connection.^[28]

Episodes[edit]

	Episodes		Originally released
1	12		June 5, 2015
2	12	1	December 23, 2016
		10	May 5, 2017
		1	June 8, 2018

Season 1 (2015)[edit]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	“Limbic Resonance”	The Wachowskis	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
2	2	“I Am Also a We”	The Wachowskis	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
3	3	“Smart Money Is on the Skinny Bitch”	The Wachowskis	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
4	4	“What’s Going On?”	Tom Tykwer	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
5	5	“Art Is Like Religion”	James McTeigue	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
6	6	“Demons”	The Wachowskis	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
7	7	“W. W. N. Double D?”	James McTeigue	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
8	8	“We Will All Be Judged by the Courage of Our Hearts”	Dan Glass	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
9	9	“Death Doesn’t Let You Say Goodbye”	The Wachowskis	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
10	10	“What Is Human?”	The Wachowskis	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
11	11	“Just Turn the Wheel and the Future Changes”	Tom Tykwer	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015
12	12	“I Can’t Leave Her”	The Wachowskis	The Wachowskis & J. Michael Straczynski	June 5, 2015

Season 2 (2016–18)[edit]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
13	1	“Happy F*cking New Year.” “A Christmas Special”^[a]	Lana Wachowski	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	December 23, 2016
14	2	“Who Am I?”	Lana Wachowski	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
15	3	“Obligate Mutualisms”	Lana Wachowski	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
16	4	“Polyphony”	James McTeigue	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
17	5	“Fear Never Fixed Anything”	James McTeigue	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
18	6	“Isolated Above, Connected Below”	Lana Wachowski	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
19	7	“I Have No Room In My Heart For Hate”	James McTeigue	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
20	8	“All I Want Right Now Is One More Bullet”	Dan Glass	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
21	9	“What Family Actually Means”	Lana Wachowski	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
22	10	“If All the World’s a Stage, Identity Is Nothing But a Costume”	Tom Tykwer	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
23	11	“You Want a War?”	Lana Wachowski	Lana Wachowski & J. Michael Straczynski	May 5, 2017
24	12	“Amor Vincit Omnia”^[b]	Lana Wachowski	Lana Wachowski & David Mitchell & Aleksandar Hemon	June 8, 2018

Production[edit]

Conception and development[edit]

According to the Wachowskis, the origins of Sense8 date back several years before the announcement of the show to “a late-night conversation about the ways technology simultaneously unites and divides us”.^[33] When deciding to create a television series, Lana chose to brainstorm ideas with Straczynski because of his extensive experience working with the format, by inviting him to her house in San Francisco.^[34]^[35] After several days of discussion, they decided on creating a show that would explore the relationship between empathy and evolutionin the human race, necessitating filming on location in several countries over the world.^[34]^[36] The title of the show was thought up by Lana on their second day of brainstorming, as a play on the word sensate and the notion of eight main characters.^[37]^[38]

On October 2, 2012, Variety first reported the existence of the show. The Wachowskis and Straczynski had written three hour-long spec scripts, and were attempting to shop them around.^[39] Their first meeting with potential buyers was with Netflix. The Wachowskis and Straczynski talked to them about subjects such as gender, identity, secrecy, and privacy.^[40] Netflix announced that they had ordered a 10-episode first season for the series on March 27, 2013,^[33] which during filming was extended to 12.^[41]^[35] Straczynski and the Wachowskis mapped out five seasons worth of stories for the series from the beginning,^[35] including the series’ final episode.^[42] Lilly Wachowski, after completing her gender transition, decided to take some time off and did not return as writer or director for the second season,^[36] although she remained active as co-creator.^[43]

Producer Roberto Malerba has disclosed that the first season had an average budget of about $4.5 million per episode, and the second season $9 million per episode.^[44]^[45]

Writing[edit]

Initial writing for the first season was split between the Wachowskis and Straczynski.^[46] The show was transformed when they decided to limit the storytelling, with the exception of the opening scene of the first episode, to the perspective of the eight characters.^[47] Lana Wachowski, a trans woman, has written her first transgender character in her career in the series: Nomi Marks. For that she partly used her own experiences.^[48]Jamie Clayton, who plays Nomi, has provided the example of a scene where a young Nomi is bullied by boys in a gym shower, as a scene that was based on experiences from Lana’s life.^[49] Freema Agyeman, who plays Nomi’s girlfriend Amanita, has shared that her character was based heavily on Lana’s wife, Karin Winslow.^[50]

Unlike the first season, where the Wachowskis and Straczynski split the number of scripts in half and worked remotely from each other,^[34] writing for the second season was performed by Lana and Straczynski by collaborating inside a shared writers’ room.^[47] David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon worked as additional writers on the second season and were credited as “consultants”.^[51]^[52]^[53] They spent a week in September 2015 with Lana, Straczynski, and script supervisor Julie Brown, proposing to them situations to be further developed by Lana and Straczynski.^[51] Later, once filming began, Lana did a lot of rewrites on a daily basis as she got inspired by the locations, actors, and so on, even on the set.^[54]^[55]^[56] When the series finale special was announced, Lana, Mitchell, and Hemon returned as writers.^[51]

Casting[edit]

On June 20, 2014, Deadline Hollywood announced the cast of the eight lead characters, along with Freema Agyeman, Naveen Andrews, Daryl Hannah, Alfonso Herrera, Eréndira Ibarra, and Terence Mann.^[57] For the roles of those characters living outside of America, the filmmakers wanted to assemble a cast of international actors that matched the nationality of their respective characters, if possible. For example, Doona Bae, Tina Desai, and Max Riemelt are from Seoul, Mumbai, and Berlin like their respective characters.^[58] Jamie Clayton is a trans woman like the character she plays.^[14] In November, Deadline Hollywood wrote than Christian Oliver had joined the cast as a recurring villain.^[59]

On April 26, 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported that Aml Ameen abruptly left production a couple of episodes into filming of the second season over a conflict with Lana Wachowski that started during the table read for the season and progressively got worse.^[9] Subsequent to Ameen’s departure, the role of Capheus was recast to Toby Onwumere after a seven-day auditioning process.^[60] Earlier in April, Kick Gurry revealed he had been cast in the second season.^[61] In May, Deadline Hollywood reported Ben Cole had been cast as Todd, a sensate who would rather be “normal”.^[62] In September, Sylvester McCoy reportedly revealed he filmed three or four episodes of the second season.^[63]

Filming and cinematography[edit]

To properly tell the international aspects of the story, filming for Sense8 took place almost entirely on location around the globe. In the first season, filming took place in nine cities located in eight countries: Berlin, Chicago, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Nairobi, Reykjavík, San Francisco, and Seoul.^[64] Production began on June 18, 2014, in San Francisco.^[65] The writers wanted to feature an event in each city.^[66] They were able to schedule the Pride^[67] scenes with its Dykes on Bikes on the Dyke March^[68]^[69] in San Francisco, the Fourth of July fireworks celebration in Chicago, and the Ganesha Chaturthi Hindu festival in Mumbai.^[70] Filming wrapped in Iceland on January 21, 2015.^[71] By the end of the shooting, the filmmakers had completed 100,000 miles (160,000 km) of flight time, or four times around the globe.^[64]

For the second season, production credited 16 cities located in 11 countries for having been part of the filming.^[72]The major locations they filmed in include all of the first season’s except Reykjavík, and the following new ones: Amsterdam, Argyll, Chippenham, Los Angeles, Malta, Positano, Redwoods, and São Paulo.^[53] Production start for the main unit of the second season was given an expected date of March 2016,^[73] but a separate shoot involving the principal actors began on December 30, 2015, in Berlin, to capture footage during the Christmas holidays.^[74]^[75]^[76] Main unit filming resumed in Berlin in the middle of March 2016.^[77] In São Paulo, they filmed unrehearsed in front of a crowd of millions in its 20th Gay Pride Parade.^[78] In Amsterdam, they were the first production to film in the Rijksmuseum.^[79] On September 19, 2016, with the completion of the Malta shoot, filming for the second season came to an end.^[80]^[81] Overall, the cast and crew flew in excess of 250,000 miles (400,000 km) to complete the season.^[82] Filming for the series finale took place in Berlin, Brussels, Naples, and Paris.^[83] Production began in Berlin on October 2, 2017.^[84]^[85] In Paris, they filmed a four-minute fireworks show near the Eiffel Tower.^[86] Filming wrapped in Berlin on November 12, 2017.^[87]^[88]

Netflix required the production to shoot with 4K resolution cameras to make the look of the show future-proof.^[73]During the first season, cinematographer John Toll, once again collaborating with the Wachowskis after Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending,^[89] personally handled the cinematography in San Francisco, Chicago, London, Iceland, and Seoul.^[90] In the second season he handled the majority of the locations.^[91] Additional cinematographers worked with the rest of the directors in the remaining locations.^[73] James McTeigue worked with Danny Ruhlman,^[66] and Tom Tykwer worked with Frank Griebe and Christian Almesberger.^[92]^[93] Toll returned as cinematographer for the series finale, teaming up again with Lana.^[94]

Toll’s cinematography in the third episode of the second season was recognized with a nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) during the 69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.^[1]

Directing[edit]

The show’s directors were attached to locations instead of episodes^[95] and with several countries appearing in every episode, in reality none of them has a singular director.^[96] During the first season, the Wachowskis were responsible for directorial duties in scenes shot in Chicago,^[97] San Francisco,^[98] London, and Iceland.^[99]McTeigue worked on the Mexico City and Mumbai parts^[66] along with some in Reykjavík,^[96] and Tykwer helmed Berlin^[100]^[101] and Nairobi.^[102] Dan Glass made his directorial debut in the Seoul part of the story.^[103] In total, the Wachowskis were credited for directing seven episodes, McTeigue and Tykwer two each, and Glass one.^[3]

In the second season, Lana Wachowski took over many of the filmmaking aspects of the show.^[36] Production sound mixer Stevie Haywood recounted Lana’s directing style was to use two cameras as the default setup, and develop the shot over “enormously long takes” which could last up to fifteen to twenty minutes.^[104] McTeigue returned as director for Mexico City,^[105] and Tykwer for the Nairobi parts.^[106] According to Glass, in the second season he directed the second unit in Seoul, and he also did some directing in Berlin.^[107] Overall, six episodes of the second season, including the Christmas special and series finale,^[94] credit Lana as director, three credit McTeigue, and Tykwer and Glass get credited each in one.

Effects and post-production[edit]

Seoul unit director Dan Glass and Jim Mitchell were the visual effects supervisors of the first season. The season had a total VFX shot count of about 1200.^[108]^[109] An in-house VFX team was established in Chicago which completed over 700 shots. The major external VFX vendors were Locktix VFX (160–180 shots), Technicolor VFX(over 100 shots),^[110] and Encore VFX.^[103] Because of the series’ tight budget and timeline the production made the decision to do most of the effects, including the telepathy scenes, in-camera and only enhance them digitally where appropriate.^[70] Technicolor provided dailies and worked with cinematographer John Toll and the Wachowskis to color grade the show. Technicolor finished the show in 4K and delivered both 2K and 4K masters.^[110]^[111]

In the second season, the visual effects supervisors were Dan Glass and Ryan Urban.^[53] Technicolor were again responsible for managing dailies and color grading the show, while their VFX department delivered over 600 shots for the first 11 episodes, and an additional 109 for the series finale.^[112]^[113] Sense8 was edited in the Wachowskis’ headquarters in Chicago,^[110]^[111]^[114] Kinowerks,^[115] by Joe Hobeck and Joseph Jett Sally in the first season and by Sally and Fiona Colbeck in the second.^[116]^[53]

Music and title sequence[edit]

The score of Sense8 was composed by Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer, with additional contributions by Gabriel Isaac Mounsey,^[117] and recorded by the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra.^[118]^[119] Each season’s score was written up to a year and a half before filming began,^[118] enabling the production to play it back to the actors before shooting a scene.^[120] A soundtrack album for the first season was released digitally by WaterTower Musicon May 5, 2017. It includes 10 tracks by Klimek and Tykwer.^[118] For the second season, Klimek and Tykwer provided to the editorial about 10 “mother” themes, each with a length of over five minutes, before filming began.^[118] In the Christmas special episode “Happy F*cking New Year”, a cover of Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah” is featured, which was arranged by Gary Fry and recorded by the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, with the lead vocalistbeing Daniel Martin Moore.^[121]^[122]

The theme music of Sense8 was picked by the Wachowskis from the two hours of original music Tykwer and Klimek had written.^[123] The show received a nomination for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music during the 68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.^[124] For the series almost two-minute long title sequence, Karin Winslow rented a car and with the help of a camera assistant traveled in the eight featured countries of the first season and captured over a hundred shots. “My directive from Lana was to go out and describe each country by what you see; find the nuances, find the food, find what people are doing, get a feel for the place,” said Winslow.^[125] For the second season, and again for the finale, some of the footage was replaced by new shots.^[53]^[117]

Cancellation, revival, and future[edit]

On June 1, 2017, Netflix announced they had cancelled the series after two seasons.^[126]^[127] Later that month, Chief Content Officer of Netflix Ted Sarandos during his talk on Produced By Conference, commented that the show was cancelled because its audience, despite being very passionate, was not large enough to support the high production costs.^[128] As a response to the cancellation, fans created online petitions, called Netflix, and tweeted #RenewSense8 and other hashtags, in an attempt to bring back the show. On June 29, 2017, the official social media accounts of the show posted a letter by Lana Wachowski which announced the release of a two-hour special targeting 2018.^[129] A release date of June 8, 2018 and a final running time of 151 minutes were reported later.^[130]^[131]

Netflix billed the second special in their announcement as the series finale, but Lana left open the future of Sense8 past the special’s release.^[132] On August 5, 2017, during a Facebook Live with Lana and the cast about the show’s revival, Lana joked that because she believed that the fans of the show would go and create more fans, she was writing the entire third season.^[133]^[134] A few days later, Brian J. Smith said during an interview that he believed if “a truly eyebrow-raising amount of people” watched the special, they would make more.^[135]Conversely, shortly after the special’s release, executive producer Grant Hill said that they followed Netflix’s directive to design it as the series finale,^[136] and that there have not been any talks about the possibility of another revival.^[137]

Straczynski and Hemon have shared some hints about the character trajectories that were planned for the third season and beyond.^[138]^[139]^[140]

Reception[edit]

Critical reception, popularity, and impact[edit]

Critical reception of the first season of Sense8 has been generally favorable. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator website, reported a 71% critical approval rating with an average rating of 6.25/10 based on 62 reviews. The website’s critical consensus reads, “Some of the scenarios border on illogical, but the diverse characters and the creative intersections between their stories keep the Wachowskis’ Sense8 compelling.”^[141]On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the season is assigned a score of 64 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.^[142]

Sense8 continued to be positively received in its second season. Rotten Tomatoes indexed 15 reviews for the early released Christmas special, and reported an 87% critical approval rating for it, with an average rating of 6.88/10. The website assigned the following consensus to the special: “Sense8 serves up a heaping helping of yuletide queerness and sci-fi slyness in this narratively messy but richly felt special.”^[143] Based on 28 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes assigned the 10 episodes that followed the special a critical approval rating of 93%, with an average rating of 7.57/10. The critical consensus reads, “Sense8 maintains its stunning visuals, Wachowski wackiness, and great heart — though its individual characters deserve more development.”^[144] On Metacritic, the season was assigned a score of 73 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.^[145]Rotten Tomatoes also collected 28 reviews for the series finale, and calculated a 93% critical approval rating, and an average rating of 7.15/10. The finale’s critical consensus reads, “A hard fought coda to a beloved series, Sense8′s epilogue exemplifies its strange, sensual, somewhat silly delights.”^[146]

In a report released by Netflix, it was discovered that at least 70% of the viewers that watched up to the third episode ended up watching the entire first season,^[147] and Straczynski was told there are people that watch it “straight through – three, four, six times.”^[148] In another report released by Netflix, Sense8 was listed among the shows whose viewers tend to heavily binge-watch their first seasons, rather than savoring their episodes by watching them at a slower pace.^[149] Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos praised the success of Sense8in the up-and-coming French and German markets^[150] but also globally.^[151] Vice president of international series for Netflix Erik Barmack has named Sense8 one of the most popular Netflix series in the Brazilian market.^[152]Less than three days after the premiere of the first season, Variety reported that it had been pirated more than half a million times, regardless of the series’ digital distribution.^[153] Netflix also placed the second season of Sense8 at fifth place on their list for the year 2017 about couples where one of the two cannot resist the urge to wait, and ends up watching episodes ahead of their significant other.^[154]

Former Colombian President and 2016 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Juan Manuel Santos heavily referenced Sense8 in a speech he made in April 2019 during the graduation ceremony of students of the University of Los Andes who participated in the Ser Pilo Paga program. Santos recited the basic premise of the show about the fictional species Homo sensorium who can feel empathy for one another, and expressed his wish and belief that one day humanity will be the same, “united in diversity and tolerance”.^[155]

Accolades[edit]

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref(s)
2015	Camerimage	First Look – TV Pilots Competition	Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski (directors), Christian Almesberger, Frank Griebe, Danny Ruhlmann and John Toll(cinematographers) (for: “Limbic Resonance”)	Nominated	^[156]^[157]
2016	Dorian Awards	LGBTQ TV Show of the Year	Sense8	Nominated	^[158]^[159]
	Dorian Awards	Campy TV Show of the Year	Sense8	Nominated	^[158]^[159]
	GLAAD Media Awards	Outstanding Drama Series	Sense8	Won	^[160]^[161]
	HPA Awards	Outstanding Color Grading – Television	Tony Dustin (for: “What’s Going On?”)	Nominated	^[162]^[163]
	Location Managers Guild Awards	Outstanding Locations in a Contemporary Television Series	Marco Giacalone and Bill Bowling	Won	^[164]^[165]
	Saturn Awards	Best New Media Television Series	Sense8	Nominated	^[166]^[167]
	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music	Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer	Nominated	^[168]^[124]
2017	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)	John Toll (for: “Obligate Mutualisms”)	Nominated	^[169]^[1]
2018	Dorian Awards	LGBTQ TV Show of the Year	Sense8	Nominated	^[170]^[171]
2018	GLAAD Media Awards	Outstanding Drama Series	Sense8	Nominated	^[172]^[173]
2019	Producers Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures	Marcus Loges, Alex Boden, Roberto Malerba, Terry Needham, John Toll, Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski, and Grant Hill (for: “Together Until the End”)^[c]	Nominated	^[175]^[176]
2019	GLAAD Media Awards	Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series	Sense8	Nominated	^[177]^[178]

Marketing[edit]

The red carpet premiere of Sense8 took place on May 27, 2015, in San Francisco’s AMC Metreon,^[179]^[180] where the first three episodes were previewed.^[181] Starting in the middle of July 2015, Netflix Brazil released a series of documentary shorts called Sense8: Decoded. Inspired by Sense8 and directed by João Wainer, the shorts briefly touch upon subjects such as psychiatry, feminism, being transgender and Buddhism.^[182]^[183]^[184]^[185] Later in the month, Netflix released a music track titled Brainwave Symphony on Spotify.^[186] To produce it they subjected eight strangers to a series of various stimuli and they recorded their individual brainwaves using EEG sensors. After extracting a melody from each of them they arranged them in a way to produce a track which mirrors the escalating action of the season.^[187]^[188] In early August 2015, Netflix made available Sense8: Creating the World, a half-hour web television documentary, shot around the world, about the making of the first season of the series.^[70]^[189]

On May 3, 2016, publicity stills of the ongoing production of the second season were posted online, accompanied by a short message by Lana Wachowski introducing the #Road2Sense8 hashtag under which new pictures would be posted.^[190]^[191]^[192] On December 3, 2016, the Christmas special episode was screened at São Paulo’s Comic Con Experience, in advance of its Netflix premiere on December 23.^[193] The second episode of the second season was screened out of competition during the Series Mania festival in Paris, on April 18, 2017.^[194]^[195] On April 23, a screening of the second and third episodes took place in Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, in a benefit for the American Civil Liberties Union, followed by Lana Wachowski taking questions from the audience,^[196]^[197] and again on April 26, in the red carpet premiere of the second season, at New York City’s AMC Lincoln Square.^[198]^[54]

Several screenings of the series finale took place prior to its release on Netflix, on June 8, 2018. The first screening took place in The Music Box Theatre in Chicago, on May 25, as a benefit for EMILY’s List, followed by a Q&A session with Lana and select cast members.^[199] The second screening took place in the Latin America Memorial in São Paulo, on June 1, with several cast members attending.^[200] The red carpet premiere followed in ArcLight Hollywood, in Los Angeles, on June 7.^[201] Linda Perry made a guest appearance to perform “What’s Up?”.^[202] Netflix organized an event for the fans on the day of the special’s release, June 8, in Posillipo, in Naples, where a big portion of the special was filmed. Among other things, fans could try a slice of a special “Sense8” pizza that was created by famous pizza maker Gino Sorbillo with the help of the cast.^[203]

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Year	Title	Director	Key Cast
1993	Jurassic Park	Steven Spielberg	Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
1997	The Lost World: Jurassic Park	Steven Spielberg	Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore
2001	Jurassic Park III	Joe Johnston	Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni
2015	Jurassic World	Colin Trevorrow	Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
2018	Fallen Kingdom	J.A. Bayona	Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
2022	Dominion	Colin Trevorrow	Pratt, Howard, Neill, Dern, Goldblum
2025	Jurassic World: Rebirth	Gareth Edwards	Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali

English Title	Native Title (Script)	Romanized Title	Release Date	Leading Stars
Jab We Met	जब वी मेट	Jab We Met	2007	Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani	ये जवानी है दीवानी	Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani	2013	Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone
Band Baaja Baaraat	बैंड बाजा बारात	Band Baaja Baaraat	2010	Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma
Dil Chahta Hai	दिल चाहता है	Dil Chahta Hai	2001	Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani	अजब प्रेम की ग़ज़ब कहानी	Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani	2009	Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif
Bunty Aur Babli	बंटी और बबली	Bunty Aur Babli	2005	Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji
Cocktail	कॉकटेल	Cocktail	2012	Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone
Dostana	दोस्ताना	Dostana	2008	Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham
Hum Tum	हम तुम	Hum Tum	2004	Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji
Ishq Vishk	इश्क़ विश्क	Ishq Vishk	2003	Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao
Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na	जाने तू… या जाने ना	Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na	2008	Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza
Kal Ho Naa Ho	कल हो ना हो	Kal Ho Naa Ho	2003	Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai	कुछ कुछ होता है	Kuch Kuch Hota Hai	1998	Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji
Love Aaj Kal	लव आज कल	Love Aaj Kal	2009	Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone



Lee Bo-Young	Kim Seo-Hyung
Seo Hi-Soo	Jung Seo-Hyun



Lee Hyun-Wook	Jeong Hyun-Jun	Park Hyuk-Kwon	Cha Hak-Yeon
Han Ji-Yong	Han Ha-Joon	Han Jin-Ho	Han Soo-Hyuk



Park Won-Suk	Jeong Dong-Hwan	Kim Hye-Hwa	Jo Eon-Sol
Yang Soon-Hye	Chairman Han Suk-Chula	Han Jin-Hee	Park Jung-Do



Park Sung-Yeon	Lee Jong-Ok	Jo Yun-Seo	Kim Nam-Jin	Yoon Gemstone
Joo Min-Su	Kim Seung-Tae	Secretary Oh Soo-Young	Ko Mi-Jin	Hwang Kyung-Hye



Son Hyun-Ji	Yeon Bo-Ra	Song Young-A	Kim Sang-Hoon	Lee Eon-Kang
Lee Ju-Hee	Woo Ju-Yeon	Min Sang-A	vocal coach	Chef Jung



Kim Die-Woo	Choi Jung-Hwa
security staff	Caregiver Ko Bo-Hui (ep.13)



Lee Yoon-Jae	Kim Woo-Dam	Ma Jung-Pill	Lee Ho-Suk	Kim Jung-Suk
Attorney Choi Jin-Yeong	Secretary Seo	Secretary Cha	Secretary Cho	Chauffeur Kim



Kim Jin-Tae	Song Kyung-Etui	Kim Soo-Hyun	Park Sang-Yong	Lee Suk-Goo
Han Ji-Yong’s chauffeur	Dr. Kim	pr team employee (ep.6)	attorney (ep.6)	board of director (ep.8,11)



Ahn Ji-Hye	Kim Sun-Kyung	Jo Su-Bin	Song Seung-Hwan
deputy director	mother at Seo-Hyun Gallery (ep.3)	daughter at Seo-Hyun Gallery (ep.3)	autistic teen artist (ep.8)



Ye Soo-Jung	Kim Yoon-Ji	Oh Jung-Yeon	Kim Ki-Bum
Mother Emma	Jasmin	Mi-Joo	Father Paul (ep.16)



Kim Jung-Hwa	Jo Hye-Won	Kim Yi-Seo
Suzy Choi	Jung Seo-Hyun (young) (ep.2)	Suzy Choi (young) (ep.2)



Jang Depok-Ju	Gil Gem-Sung	Kim Die-Han
Cho Gyeonggi-Cheol	Kwak Su-Chang	Cho Beam-Gu



Seo Sung-Jong	Choi Young-Joon
Detective Hwang Hyeong-Su	Baek Dong-Hun



Ok Ja-Yeon	Jung Yi-Seo
Kang Ja-Kyong / Lee Hye-Jin	Kim Yu-Yeon



Lee Chula	Park Na-Jin	Seo Sang-Won	Ki Hwan
Reporter Yoon Suk-Ho	reporter (ep.3)	reporter (ep.3)	Reporter, I’m Seung-Su (ep.5)



Jung Yun-Ha	Oh A-Lin
Chae-Young	Hui-Bin (ep.6,15)



Kwon So-Hyun	Kim Ji-Woo	Kwak Na-Yeon	Jin Yu-Chan	Yoo Ah-Rheum
Ji-Won’s mother (ep.3-4)	Ji-Won (ep.3-4)	maid for Ji Won’s family (ep.3-4)	Ji-Won’s friend (ep.3)	student’s mother (ep.3)



Jang Ha-Eon	Lee Dong-Kyu	Park Soo-Jin	Lee Ji-Hyun	Kim Yolo-Ho
Rho A-Rim	JSH news announcer (ep.3)	doctor (ep.4,6)	Maid Jang Hye-Yeong (ep.5,7)	horse riding coach (ep.5)



Lee Jae-Woo	Lee Ga-Kyung	Kim Hyo-Jin	Kim Hee-Chang	Seal Yoon-Hee
jeweler (ep.6)	Kang Ja-Kyung (ep.7)	Chairman Yang Chi-Gon’s wife (ep.9)	Attorney Kim Nam-Tae (ep.9)	Jung Seo-Hyun’s acquaintance (ep.9)



Yun Ki-Chang	Kim Yong-Jin	Jung Soo-Han	Lim Jae-Myung	Jung Young-Do
Attorney Hwang Bo-In (ep.10-11)	AA counselor (ep.10-11)	AA member (ep.10-11)	AA member (ep.10-11)	veterinarian (ep.10)



Lee Woo-Shin	Oh Kyu-Taek	Ri Min	Jung Tae-In	Han Yeo-Wool
judge (ep.10-11)	drama series staff (ep.12)	Mr. Ha (ep.14)	Seo Hi-Soo’s friend (ep.14)	Seo Hi-Soo’s friend (ep.14)



Choi Young-Min	Kim Joo-A
video forensics (ep.14)	psychiatrist (ep.15)

Stranger
Comment: Well, done police drama. The usual rich people behaving badly, political corruption, honest police officers trying to solve crime being thwarted by corrupt senior-level figures. The romance theme was hinted at but never really developed. There was also a nice sub-theme of a serial killer whose crimes were covered up by his father who was a prosecutor. The series takes place amid the South Korean government’s attempt to reform the prosecutor’s office transferring much of their power to the police. The movie is perhaps a bit too pro-government reform in that regard. I would have liked to have seen a stronger romance and would have liked to have seen the political corporation corruption case spelled out a lot more. The plot was a bit confusing but the acting was first-rate. I would have to give it a B. End comment Promotional poster for the first season
Also known as	Secret Forest Forest of Secrets

Hangul	비밀의 숲
Hanja	祕密의 숲
Genre	Crime Drama Thriller
Created by	Studio Dragon
Written by	Lee Soo-Yeon
Directed by	Ahn Gil-ho (Season 1) Yoo Je-won (Season 1) Park Hyun-Suk (Season 2)
Creative directors	Kim Suk-won Kim Sung-kytoon
Starring	Cho Seung-woo Bae Dona Lee Joon-hyuk Yoo Jae-Myung Shin Hye-sun Jeon Hye-jin Choi Moo-sung Yoon Se-ah
Theme music composer	Kim Jun-Seok
Opening theme	Stranger
Composers	Kim Jun-Seok Jung Sae-rim
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	32 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Lee Chan-ho Min Hyun-il Go Byung-churl Lee Sung-jin
Producers	Park Unyoung Seo Jae-Hyun
Cinematography	Jang Jong-Kyung
Editor	Kim Na-young
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	63-86 minutes
Production companies	Signal Entertainment Group IOK Media Ace Factory (Season 2)
Distributor	tyvm (Asia) Netflix (Worldwide)
Release
Original network	tyvm
Picture format	HDTV 1080i
Audio format	Dolby Digital 5.1
Original release	June 10, 2017 – present
External links
Website

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		Ave. South Korea viewers (millions)
Season		Episodes	First aired	Last aired	Ave. South Korea viewers (millions)
	1	16	June 10, 2017	July 30, 2017	N/A[a]
	2	16	August 15, 2020	October 4, 2020	1.774

Stranger (Original Television Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	September 13, 2017
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	157 minutes
Language	Korean English
Label	Mog Kakao M Universal Music Korea

Mr. Sunshine
Comment one of the top K dramas in the last few years. It is set in the late 19th century. The end of the Korean Chosen dynasty was a period that led directly to modern Korea. Many of the things that make modern Korea have to do with how the last dynasty ended with the Japanese colonization, and the ending of the Japanese era. In many ways, the last dynasty was doomed from the onset. The leaders were corrupt, self-interested, and reactionary. They were unable to adapt to changing circumstances and Japan was on the ascendant as the new power in east Asia. Perhaps under different leadership. Korea might have retained its independence as Thailand did during that period. But unfortunately, Korea had inept leaders as well as chronic political corruption which the nefarious Japanese utilized aided by pro-Japanese Koreans who saw Japan as the future and sold out their country. That dynamic plays out through the drama. The story is an unlikely love story between a young Korean orphan who is sent to the US by a missionary and eventually joins the US Marines as an officer and is sent to Korea to work in the legation there and serves in Korea until the Japanese annexation, and a young Korean noblewoman who joins the “righteous army” of guerilla fighters who are fighting the Japanese takeover and of course lose the battle after the Japanese-Russian war of 1905. There are many historical allusions throughout the series. Some of it is accurate, some are overblown and some well are just wrong. As far as I know, there were no Korean American troops in Korea during this period. Also, it is highly unlikely that a noblewoman would have been involved with the Righteous army. There is also an implied theme throughout that the US sold Korean out to the evil Japanese. The reality is more than the U.S. looked the other way, not wanting to lose the Philippines. Korea was just not that important to the U.S. So, in that sense perhaps one could say that the U.S sold out Korea but then again it is hard to imagine that the U.S. would have done anything else given how marginal Korea was to U.S. strategic interests back then. The writing was first-rate, the dialogue sizzling. The sub-themes are well done. Overall, I would give it a B+.
Promotional poster

Hangul	미스터 션샤인
Genre	Historical Romance Melodrama
Created by	Jennie Choi
Written by	Kim Eon-sook
Directed by	Lee Aung-bok [ko]
Starring	Lee Byung-Hun Kim Tae-Ri Yoo Yeon-Seok Kim Min-Jung Byun Yo-hand
Composer	Nam Hye-Seung
Country of origin	South Korea
Original languages	Korean, Japanese, English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	24[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Kim Young-kyu Yoon Ha-rim
Camera setup	Single-camera
Production companies	Studio Dragon Haddam Pictures
Distributor	CJ E&M Netflix
Budget	₩40 billion[2]
Release
Original network	TV
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	July 7 – September 30, 2018[3]
External links
Website
Production website

Itaewon Class jump
Promotional poster

Hangul	이태원 클라쓰
Hanja	梨泰院 클라쓰
Genre	Drama
Based on	Itaewon Class by Gang Jin
Developed by	Kim Do-soo for Showbox
Written by	Gang Jin
Directed by	Kim Sung-Yoon
Starring	Park Seo-Joon Kim Da-mi Yoo Jae-Myung Kwon Nara
Composer	Various artists
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producer	Jo Joon-Hyung
Producers	Lee Sang-Yoon Jung Soo-jin Han Suk-won
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	70 minutes
Production companies	Showbox Sium Content[a] Itaewon Class Production Partners Drama House (JTBC Studios)
Distributor	JTBC Netflix (international)
Release
Original network	JTBC
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	January 31 – March 21, 2020
External links
Website

Category: TV

Review of Superman Movies

Audio CLip

Review of Superman Movies

Review of Superman Movies

Audio CLip

📽️ Live-Action Films (Selected Highlights):

📺 TV Shows:

📚 Comics:

🗣️ Iconic Quotes from Superman Lore

More quotes and analysis:

📚 Literary Reputation

🔥 2025 Controversy: “Superwoke” Superman?

Coverage and Analysis:

📽️ Live-Action Films (Selected Highlights):

📺 TV Shows:

📚 Comics:

🗣️ Iconic Quotes from Superman Lore

More quotes and analysis:

📚 Literary Reputation

🔥 2025 Controversy: “Superwoke” Superman?

Coverage and Analysis:

Share this:

Like this:

Review of Jurassic Park Movies

🦖 Jurassic Dreams & Genetic Nightmares

A Review of the Jurassic Park Franchise & the Real-Life Resurrection of Extinction

📚 Chapter 1: The Books That Birthed the Dinosaurs

Literary Reputation:

🎬 Chapter 2: The Movies That Shook the Earth

Notable Quotes:

Franchise Reputation:

🧬 Chapter 3: Can We Really Bring Back Dinosaurs?

🧪 Scientific Reality Check:

Ethical Quandaries:

🐺🦤 Chapter 4: Dire Wolves, Dodos & the De-Extinction Boom

🐺 Dire Wolf Resurrection:

🦤 Dodo Bird Project:

🐘 Woolly Mammoth & Moa:

Have They Succeeded?

Medium

Substack

Substack Podcast

Watpad

Spotify Podcast

Share this:

Like this:

Blog update URL

Substack

Medium

Share this:

Like this:

More Movie Madness

Movie Watching Goals 2025

Movies 2025 Including Oscar Reflections

107. NASA Spots Strange Object Circling the Sun

Has Hollywood lost its way?

Anyway, for what it’s worth, here’s what I thought…

Honorable Shoutout

Something to Think About

26. Curse Of The Golden Flower YS

2008

the 2024 Oscars According to Roy Dufrain

The 2024 Oscars According to Roy Dufrain

THE OSCARS AT OUR HOUSE.

American Fiction –

Anatomy of a Fall –

Barbie —

The Holdovers —

Maestro –

Oppenheimer –

Past Lives –

Poor Things –

The Zone of Interest –

Honorable Mention

Finally, here are my choices for the top awards.

here’s the winners

March

Her (2013)

#45. ‘Mean Streets’ (1973)

The Negotiation
Theatrical poster

Hangul	협상
Hanja	協商
Revised Romanization	Hyeobsang
Directed by	Lee Jong-Seok
Screenplay by	Choi Sung-Hyun
Produced by	Yoon Je-kyoon Lee Sang-jik
Starring	Son Ye-jin Hyun Bin
Cinematography	Lee Tae-Joon
Edited by	Jung Jin-hee
Music by	Hwang Sang-Joon
Production companies	JK Film CJ E&M[1]
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment
Release date	September 19, 2018 (South Korea)
Running time	114 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Budget	₩10 billion[2]
Box office	US$15.6 million[3]

The Man Standing Next
South Korean theatrical release poster

Hangul	남산의 부장들
Hanja	南山의 部長들
Directed by	Woo Min-ho
Screenplay by	Woo Min-ho Lee Ji-min
Produced by	Kim Chula-Yong
Starring	Lee Byung-Hun Lee Sung-min Kwak Do-won Lee Hee-Joon
Cinematography	Go, Nakasone,
Edited by	Jeong Ji-eon
Music by	Jo Yeong-wok
Production company	Hive Media Corp.
Distributed by	Showbox
Release date	22 January 2020
Running time	114 min
Language	Korean
Budget	$18 million
Box office	$34.7 million[1]

D.P.
Promotional poster

Korean	디피
Genre	Drama Military
Based on	D.P Dog’s Day by Kim Bo-tong
Screenplay by	Kim Bo-tong Han Jun-hee
Directed by	Han Jun-hee
Starring	Jung Hae-in Koo Kyo-hwan Kim Sung-kyun Son Seok-Koo
Composer	Primary
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Bien Seung-min Han Jun-hee
Producer	Kim Dong-min
Cinematography	Yoo Ji-sun
Editor	Park Min-sun
Running time	45–55 minutes
Production companies	Climax Studio Shortcake
Distributor	Netflix
Release
Original network	Netflix
Original release	August 27, 2021

Squid Game
Promotional poster
Also known as	Round Six

Hangul	오징어게임
Revised Romanization	Owing-ego Gem
McCune–Reischauer	Jingo Kemi
Genre	Action–adventure Suspense Survival Drama
Created by	Netflix
Written by	Hwang Dong-hyuk
Directed by	Hwang Dong-hyuk
Starring	Lee Jung-Jae Park Hae-soo Wi Ha-joon
Composer	Jung Jae-il
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	9 (list of episodes)
Production
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	32–63 minutes
Production company	Siren Pictures Inc.[1]
Distributor	Netflix
Release
Original network	Netflix
Picture format	4K (Ultra HD) Dolby visión
Audio format	Dolby Atmos
Original release	September 17, 2021

Money Heist


Spanish	La casa de papal
Genre	Crime drama [1] Heist [2] Thriller [3]
Created by	Alex Pina
Starring	Úrsula Corbera Álvaro Morte Itziar Ituño Pedro Alonso Paco Tous Alba Flores Miguel Herrán Jaime Lorente Esther Acebo Enrique Arce María Pedraza Darlo Peri Kita Máncer Ovil Keuchkerian Luka peros Belén Cuesta Fernando Cayo Rodrigo de la Serna Najwa Nimr
Theme music composer	Manel Santisteban
Opening theme	“My Life Is Going On” by Cecilia Krull
Composers	Manel Santisteban Iván Martínez La cámara
Country of origin	Spain
Original language	Spanish
No. of seasons	3 (5 parts)[a]
No. of episodes	36 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Álex Pina Sonia Martínez Jesús Colmenar Esther Martínez Lobato Nacho Manaban
Production locations	Spain Italy Thailand Panama Denmark Portugal
Cinematography	Miguel Amodeo
Editors	David Pelegrín Luis Miguel González Bedmar Verónica Callón Raúl Mora Regino Hernández Raquel Maraca Patricia Rubio
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	67–77 minutes (Antenna 3) 41–61 minutes (Netflix)
Production companies	Transmedia Vancouver Media
Distributor	Antenna 3 Televisión Netflix
Release
Original network	Antenna 3 (2017) Netflix (2019–present)
Picture format	1080p (16:9 HDTV) 4K (Ultra HD) (16:9 UHDTV) Dolby Vision
Audio format	Dolby Atmos
Original release	2 May 2017 – present
External links
Website

Kingdom


Hangul	킹덤
Genre	Historical period Political drama Horror Thriller
Created by	Kim Eun-hee
Based on	The Kingdom of the Gods by Kim Eun-hee and Yang Kyung-il [1]
Written by	Kim Eun-hee
Directed by	Kim Seong-Hun Park In-je (Season 2)
Starring	Ju Ji-hoon Ryu Seung-Rayong Bae Doo-na Kim Sang-ho Kim Sung-kyu Kim Hye-Jun
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	12[2] + 1 special (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Lee Sang-bake
Producer	Lee Sung-joon
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	36–56 minutes
Production company	a Story [a][2]
Distributor	Netflix
Budget	₩35 billion (US$29.6 million)[3]
Release
Original network	Netflix
Picture format	4K (Ultra HD) High dynamic range
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	January 25, 2019 – present
External links
Website

Character	Portrayed by	Seasons		Asian of the North[17]
Character	Portrayed by	1[18]	2[19]	Asian of the North[17]
Main characters
Lee Chang	Ju Ji-hoon	Main
Seo-bi	Bae Dona	Main
Yeong-shin	Kim Sung-kyu	Main
Cho Beom-pal	Jeon Seok-ho	Main
Lord Cho Hak-ju	Ryu Seung-Rayong	Main
Queen Consort Cho	Kim Hye-Jun	Main
Mu-yeong	Kim Sang-ho	Main
Lord Ahn Hyeon	Heo Joon-ho	Main	Guest
Asian	Jun Ji-hyun		Guest	Main
Young Asian	Kim Shi-ah			Main
Min Chi-rock	Park Byung-eun		Recurring	Main
Ai Da Gan	Koo Kyo-hwan			Main
Ta Hob	Kim Roi-ha			Main
Recurring characters
Cho Beom-il	Jung Suk-won	Recurring	Guest
Lee Seung-hui	Kwon Bum-take	Guest		Guest
Kim Sun	Kim Jong-soo	Recurring
Deok Sung	Jin Seon-kyu	Recurring	Guest
Lee Do-jin	Joo Suk-tea	Recurring	Guest
Lee Gang-Yun	Kim Tae-hoon		Recurring

Reply 1988
Promotional

Hangul	응답하라 1988
Hanja	應答하라 1988
Genre	Family Comedy Romance
Written by	Lee Woo-Jung
Directed by	Shin Won-ho
Starring	Lee Hye-Ri Ryu Jun-yeol Go Kyung-Pio Park Bo-gum Lee Dong-why
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	20 + special
Production
Running time	90–110 minutes
Production company	CJ E&M
Release
Original network	tvN
Original release	November 6, 2015 – January 16, 2016
Chronology
Preceded by	Reply 1994
External links
Website

Signal
Promotional poster

Hangul	시그널
Genre	Procedural Drama Thriller Fantasy
Created by	Choi Jin-hee Park Ji-young
Written by	Kim Eun-hee
Directed by	Kim Won-seok
Starring	Lee Je-hoon Kim Hye-soo Cho Jin-wooing
Opening theme	“I Will Forget You” by Jung Cha-Sik
Ending theme	“The One Who Will Leave” by INKII “The Road” by Kim Yoon-ah
Composers	Kim Joon-Seok Park Sung-il
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Lee Chan-ho Lee Sang-bake
Producers	Lee Jae-moon Park Eun-Kyung
Cinematography	Choi Sang-mook Lee Joo-young
Editor	Kim Na-young
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	80 minutes
Production company	a Story
Distributor	tvN
Release
Original network	tvN
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	January 22 – March 12, 2016
Chronology
Followed by	Signal 2 (2020)[1]
Related shows	Signal (2018) Unknown Number (2019)
External links
Website
Signal at a Story Co., Ltd.

My Mister
Promotional poster
Also known as	My Ajose

Hangul	나의 아저씨
Revised Romanization	Naoi Ajose
Genre	Drama
Created by	Studio Dragon
Written by	Park Hae-young[1]
Directed by	Kim Won-seok [1]
Starring	Lee San-kyun Lee Ji-eun
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Cho Hyung-jin Kim Sang-heon Park Ho-sik
Producer	Park Ji-hyun
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	90 minutes
Production company	Chorogram Media
Distributor	tvN
Release
Original network	tvN
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	March 21 – May 17, 2018
External links
Website
Production website