''Hit the Top'' () is a South Korean

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

starring

Yoon Shi-yoon Yoon Shi-yoon (; born Yoon Dong-gu on September 26, 1986), also known professionally as Yun Si Yun, is a South Korean actor and television personality. He is best known for his leading roles in ''King of Baking, Kim Takgu'' (2010), '' My Cute Gu ...

Lee Se-young Lee Se-young (; born December 20, 1992) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a child actress in 1997 and was best known for her roles in ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003), '' When I Turned Nine'' (2004), ''Lovely Rivals'' (2004), and ''The Wonder ...

, Kim Min-jae and

Cha Tae-hyun Cha Tae-hyun (; born March 25, 1976) is a South Korean actor, singer, television personality, radio DJ and director. He is best known for his lead roles in the box-office hit comedies ''My Sassy Girl'' (2001), '' Scandal Makers'' (2008), ''Hello ...

. The drama aired on

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

, from June 2 to July 22, 2017, on Fridays and Saturdays at 23:00 ( KST) for 32 episodes. ''Hit the Top'' is the first drama directed by Yoo Ho-jin, who directed the third season of variety show ''

2 Days & 1 Night ''2 Days & 1 Night'' (; also known as ''1 Night 2 Days''; abbreviated as ''1N2D'') is a South Korean reality-variety show that airs every Sunday at 6:25pm KST on KBS2 beginning August 5, 2007. ''1 Night 2 Days'' used to be one of the two segm ...

''; and the directorial debut of

, who also co-starred.

Synopsis

In the year 1993, pop idol Yoo Hyun-Jae accidentally travels through time to 2017. Discovering that he mysteriously disappears in 1994 and is presumed dead, he begins to investigate into the reason for his disappearance while trying to adjust to life in the future. Meanwhile, Lee Ji-Hoon is an aspiring musician and is secretly enrolled as an idol trainee at Star Punch Entertainment. Ji-hoon struggles to hide this from his parents, who believe he has been studying for his civil service exams.

Cast

Main

as Yoo Hyun-jae :A popular

Korean pop idol An idol () refers to a type of celebrity working in the field of K-pop in fandom culture in South Korea, either as a member of a group or as a solo act. K-pop idols are characterized by the highly manufactured star system that they are produced b ...

from the 1990s and the lead partner of performing duo J2. Known for his good looks, talent, and controversies, he accidentally

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

s to 2017 and helplessly tries to adjust to the modern way of living. Lee Ji Hoon's biological father. *

as Choi Woo-seung :A cheerful, perky student who is also preparing with Lee Ji-hoon for the civil exam. After finding out about her boyfriend's infidelity with her roommate, she reluctantly moves in to Ji-hoon's apartment. * Kim Min-jae as Lee Ji-hoon :He is Lee Gwang-jae's foster child. Despite preparing to take a civil service exam, he is secretly struggling to become an idol at Star Punch Entertainment. It is later revealed that he is the son of Yoo Hyun-jae and Hong Bo-hee. *

as Lee Gwang-jae :Lee Ji-hoon's adoptive father and World Planning Entertainment's CEO. Currently running a desolate management firm, he used to be Yoo Hyun-jae's hotshot manager. For years, he has harbored a one-sided love for Hong Bo-hee.

Supporting

World Entertainment

Yoon Son-ha Yoon Son-ha (; born November 17, 1975, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea) is a South Korean actress, singer and television personality (''gaijin tarento''). She is signed onto Sony Music Japan's SME Records division. Since making her debut in th ...

as Hong Bo-hee :Lee Ji-hoon's mother. Once a very famous

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, go ...

singer in the 90s, her controversial relationship with Hyun-jae has led to her career's demise and now manages a bakery adjacent to the firm. She continuously tries to make a comeback to the entertainment industry. * as MC Drill :An aspiring rapper who secretly lives with best friend Ji-hoon at the latter's loft. A fellow idol trainee at Star Punch, he also harbors a secretive past, such as his military enlistment. *

Lee Deok-hwa Lee Deok-hwa (born May 8, 1952) is a South Korean actor. Career Lee Deok-hwa studied theater and film at Dongguk University, and made his acting debut in 1972. He and his father, movie star Lee Ye-chun starred together in the 1975 horror film '' ...

as Lee Soon-tae :President of Entertainment Management Association and the chairman of World Entertainment who ceaselessly tries to fund it despite its dismal state.

Star Punch Entertainment

Hong Kyung-min Hong Kyung-min (; born February 9, 1976) is a South Korean singer and actor. As a singer, Hong has released 10 albums and is best known for his 2000 hit song "Shaky Friendship" (). Music career 1997–2000 He made his debut as a rock-ball ...

as Park Young-jae :The other half of J2 who was constantly overshadowed by his duo partner Hyun-jae. He currently manages Star Punch Entertainment using the latter's lost musical works that he secretly keeps in his office. *

Im Ye-jin Im Ye-jin (born Im Ki-hee on January 24, 1960) is a South Korean actress. As a teenage actress, she reached the peak of her popularity in the 1970s with the "Really Really" film trilogy, which include '' Never Forget Me'', '' I Am Really Sorry' ...

as Cathy :Chairwoman of Star Punch who is constantly critical of Young-jae. *

Cha Eun-woo Lee Dong-min (; born March 30, 1997), known professionally as Cha Eun-woo (), is a South Korean singer, actor, and model under the label Fantagio. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Astro. Early life Cha Eun-woo was born on March 30, ...

as MJ :One of Star Punch's popular idols, and a frequent recipient of works from Hyun-jae's lost musical material, which he is forced to claim as his own. * Bona as Do Hye-ri :An idol trainee who is on the brink of debuting. However, she is always pressured by her weight and appearance which keeps her from being presented to the music scene.

Others

* as Mal-sook *Lee Jung-min as Heol-re *Son Soo-min as Beol-ddeok *Kim Seung-hyun *Lim Sung-min *Kim Ji-hyun *Choi Ri-yoon *Ha Nam-woo *Lim Ji-seob *Kim Tae-bin *Hong Seok-yoon *Lee Ha-na *Yoon Sun-ah *Choi Jung-eun *Lim Yoo-mi *Yoon Kab-soo *Kim Young-hee *Lee Sung-hoon *Gong Min-gyu *Kim Yong-jae *Kim Ji-eun *Han Hyong-gyu *Lee Young-rae *Choi Nam-uk *Kim Do-yoon *Nam Seung-woo *Lee Ri-na *Ryu Ba *Uk Sa-na *Park Mi-hyo *Choi Seul-gi *Ko Jin-myung *Seo Hee *Kim Ji-yeon *Jo Moon-young *Kim Hyong-gyu *Kwon Hyuk *Seo Hye-jin *Choi Jung-eun *Ahn Nyu-mi *Lee Soo-min *Choi Yoo-sol *

Min Do-hee Min Do-hee (born September 25, 1994), professionally known as Dohee, is a South Korean actress and singer. She debuted in 2012 as a lead vocal of South Korean girl group Tiny-G. She made her acting debut in 2013 with tvN drama ''Reply 1994 ...

Special appearances

*Kim Byung-chan * as Gayo Top 10 MC (Ep. 1) *

Ko Chang-seok Ko Chang-seok (born October 13, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Ko began his career on stage, performing in plays and musicals for many years before moving on to bit parts in films. He once earned his living by working on farms and in iron foundri ...

as Photographer (Ep. 1) *

Shin Seung-hwan Shin Seung-hwan is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series Television show Web shows References External links * * * Shin Seung-hwanat Daum Shin Seung-hwanat Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is ...

as Noryangjin Academy Instructor (Ep. 1) * Kim Sook as Kim Sook, a student and one of MJ's fans (Ep. 1–3, 8, 17–18) * Shorry J as Soo-jin, an ex-Star Punch Entertainment trainee (Ep. 1) *

Park Hyuk-kwon Park Hyuk-kwon (born July 11, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Park began his acting career in 1993 as a member of the theater troupe Sanulrim. He later became a well-regarded supporting actor in films such as '' Chaw'' (2009) and ''Secret Reunion ...

as Director Park (Ep. 1, 7) *

Choi Hwa-jung Choi Hwa-jeong (born February 10, 1961) is a South Korean actress, radio presenter and television presenter. Her syndicated talk radio show ''Power Time'', airs via SBS Power FM and its provincial affiliates since 1996. Filmography Film ...

as herself, radio DJ (Ep. 1–2) * Kim Jun-ho as a karaoke customer (Ep. 1) / doctor (Ep. 3) * as a karaoke customer (Ep. 1) / car crash victim (Ep. 2) * as reporter *

Lee Kwang-soo Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom ''Here He Comes'' (2008) and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama ''It's Okay, That's Love'' ...

as Yoon-gi, Choi Woo-seung's ex-boyfriend (Ep. 1–2) * as Choi Woo-seung's roommate (Ep. 1–2, 25) *

Ahn Gil-kang Ahn Gil-kang (born August 24, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He frequently appears as a supporting actor in director Ryoo Seung-wan's films, such as '' Die Bad'' (2000), '' Crying Fist'' (2005), ''The City of Violence'' (2006), and '' Dachimawa L ...

as a criminal suspect (Ep. 2) *

Choi Kwon Choi Kwon is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles as an aspiring dancer in '' Over the Rainbow'' (2006), and a North Korean soldier in ''The King 2 Hearts ''The King 2 Hearts'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series, sta ...

as policeman interrogating Choi Woo-seung (Ep. 2) *

Defconn Yoo Dae-joon (; January 6, 1977), known by his stage name Defconn, is a South Korean rapper and television personality. Biography 2004 In 2004, Defconn received the Korean Music Award for "Best Hip-Hop Album". His songs are mostly comical, som ...

as himself (Ep. 3) *

Jang Hyuk Jeong Yong-jun (born December 20, 1976), better known as Jang Hyuk, is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' Volcano High'' (2001) and '' Windstruck'' (2004), and the television dramas '' Successful Story o ...

(Ep. 3) *

WJSN WJSN (; ), also known as Cosmic Girls, is a South Korean girl group formed by Starship Entertainment. The group debuted on February 25, 2016, with the extended play '' Would You Like?'' and with twelve members: Seola, Xuanyi, Bona, Exy, Soo ...

as Star Punch trainees (Ep. 4) *

Monsta X Monsta X (; stylized as MONSTA X) is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program ''No.Mercy'' under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney ...

as themselves (Ep. 4) * Kwon Ki-jong as a food delivery man/referee (Ep. 5) * Lee Yoo-jong * Kim Dong-hyeon as music producer at Star Punch Entertainment (Ep. 7) * as Challenge Music Star (TV show) host (Ep. 7–8) *

Kim Jong-min Kim Jong-min (; born September 24, 1979) is a South Korean singer, dancer and television personality. He has been a member of the K-pop group Koyote since 2000 and a cast member of the variety show ''2 Days & 1 Night'' since 2007. Kim has won ...

(Ep. 8) * as MC at talent show (Ep. 10) *

Lee Soon-jae Lee Soon-jae (; born November 16, 1934) is a South Korean actor. He has had a prolific career on the small and big screen spanning over six decades, and was given a second-class Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his work as an actor. Early an ...

as man at the convenience store *

Yoon Ji-on Yoon Ji-on is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in television series such as ''Be Melodramatic'' (2019), ''Memorist'' (2020), ''You Are My Spring'' (2021) and '' Tomorrow'' (2022). Biography and career In 2016 he made his de ...

as Detective *

Kan Mi-youn Kan Mi-youn (born February 2, 1982) is a South Korean singer, actress, radio host, model, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Kan joined the South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. in October 1997, which went on to become one of the most popular ...

as Ha Soo-young (Ep. 16) * as a phishing scammer (Ep. 21) * as Chairwoman Oh of Jongno Entertainment (Ep. 25, 28)

Episodes

Production

''Hit the Top'' is the second "variety-drama" produced by KBS after '' The Producers'' in 2015. It is produced by director Seo Soo-min, who is currently the chief producer for KBS's Happy Sunday programming block and the former PD of the now-defunct program

Gag Concert ''Gag Concert'' ( ko, 개그콘서트) was a South Korean sketch-comedy television show more commonly known as ''Gag Con'' ( ko, 개콘). It began airing on September 4, 1999 and aired its last episode on June 26, 2020, making it South Korea's ...

. Seo also worked on a few episodes of ''The Producers''. Chorokbaem Media, the company behind ''The Producers'', was tapped to produce ''Hit the Top'' for KBS. Sitcom writer Lee Young-chul (''

Potato Star 2013QR3 ''Potato Star 2013QR3'' () is a South Korean television sitcom. It aired on tvN from September 23, 2013 to May 15, 2014 on Mondays to Thursdays at 20:50 for 120 episodes. Plot A mysterious asteroid nearly crash-lands on Earth in 2013 and causes st ...

'', ''

High Kick! ''High Kick!'' (; lit. "High Kick without Hesitation" or "Unstoppable High Kick") was a South Korean situation comedy revolving around the life of the Lee family. It aired in South Korea from Monday through Friday, in sitcom format. The show led ...

'' and ''Once Upon a Time in Saengchori'') is penning the script. The first script reading took place on April 3, 2017, in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Ratings

*In the table below, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings. *NR denotes that the drama did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date.

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * *
Website

{{Monster Union 2017 South Korean television series debuts Korean Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows South Korean comedy-drama television series South Korean time travel television series Television series set in 1993 Television series set in 2017 Television series by Chorokbaem Media 2017 South Korean television series endings South Korean musical television series Television series by Monster Union