Extraordinary Attorney Woo

''Extraordinary Attorney Woo'' () is a 2022 South Korean television series starring Park Eun-bin in the title role, along with Kang Tae-oh and Kang Ki-young. It follows Woo Young-woo, an autistic female rookie attorney hired by a major law firm in Seoul. Because she is different from her neurotypical peers, her manner of communication is seen by them as odd, awkward, and blunt. With each legal case and through her intelligence and photographic memory, she becomes an increasingly competent attorney and earns recognition from other legal professionals and appreciation from her clients.

The show aired on ENA from June 29 to August 18, 2022, every Wednesday and Thursday at 21:00 Korean Standard Time ( UTC+09:00), for sixteen episodes. It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.

''Extraordinary Attorney Woo'' set the record for the highest ratings in ENA history. It received audience acclaim, with its final episode recording 17.5% nationwide ratings, making it the eighth highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history and seventh highest-rated television drama by number of viewers.

Synopsis

''Extraordinary Attorney Woo'' tells the story of Woo Young-woo, an autistic lawyer who is raised by her single father. She grows up with one friend at school, Dong Geu-ra-mi, an oddball girl who protects her from school bullies. She graduates at the top of her law school class at Seoul National University. Because she is autistic, law firms refuse to hire her. However, through a connection of her father's, she obtains her first job at Hanbada, a large Seoul law firm. Attorney Woo's intelligence and photographic memory help her to become an excellent lawyer, as she is able to recall laws and everything she reads, sees, or hears perfectly.

Being different from neurotypical peers, her manner of communication is initially seen as odd and awkward, and her strong emotional intelligence remains unrecognized. But as the series progresses, many of the people she meets, such as her supervising lawyer, Jung Myung-seok, her law school classmate and peer, Choi Su-yeon, and legal support staffer Lee Jun-ho adjust to her as she learns her craft as a rookie attorney. But she also encounters people who are prejudiced against her and others with disabilities, including her colleague Kwon Min-woo, who often tries to sabotage her.

Many of the legal cases in the series involve finely balanced legal issues and sometimes difficult ethical questions. Attorney Woo's approach is often unique and helps resolve cases in unexpected ways. One storyline about Young-woo's parents runs through the series and involves the rivalry between two major law firms, both chaired by female attorneys, Han Seon-young, CEO of Hanbada, and Tae Soo-mi, CEO of Taesan. Another storyline focuses on Attorney Woo's budding romance with Lee Jun-ho.

Another theme that runs through the series is Young-woo's special interest in whales. Her tendency to analogize situations she faces in her professional and private life with the lives and characteristics of whales and dolphins often surprises and confounds the people who surround her. Her eureka moments often coincide with fantasizing about marine animals.

Cast and characters

Main

* Park Eun-bin as Woo Young-woo; a rookie lawyer at Hanbada law firm, she is the first attorney with ASD in Korea.
** Oh Ji-yul as young Woo Young-woo
* Kang Tae-oh as Lee Jun-ho; an employee in the litigation team at Hanbada
* Kang Ki-young as Jung Myung-seok; a senior attorney at Hanbada and Woo Young-woo's mentor

Supporting

* Jeon Bae-soo as Woo Gwang-ho; Woo Young-woo's single father
** Jang Seong-beom as young Gwang-ho
* Baek Ji-won as Han Seon-young; CEO of Hanbada
* Jin Kyung as Tae Soo-mi; CEO of Taesan law firm and biological mother of Young-woo
** Jung Han-bit as young Tae Soo-mi
* Ha Yoon-kyung as Choi Soo-yeon; Woo Young-woo's law school classmate and colleague at Hanbada
* Joo Jong-hyuk as Kwon Min-woo; Woo Young-woo's colleague and rival at Hanbada
* Joo Hyun-young as Dong Geu-ra-mi; Woo Young-woo's close friend
* Im Sung-jae as Kim Min-shik; owner of the pub where Dong Geu-ra-mi works

Other characters

* Ha Young as Kim Hwa-young (ep. 2); a client of Hanbada who has a wardrobe malfunction with her wedding dress.
* Park Yu-rim as Kang Ji-hye (ep. 2); a wedding hall employee
* Yoon Joo-sang as Kim jong-gu (ep. 2); Kim Hwa-young's father
* Yoon Yoo-sun as Jeon Gyeong-hee (ep. 3); Kim Jeong-hoon's mother
* Choi Dae-hoon as Jang Seung-jun (eps. 3, 6, 15, 16); an attorney at Hanbada, and Jung Myung-seok's rival
* Lee Sung-wook as Hwang Doo-yong (ep. 5); sales manager at Ihwa ATM.
* Kim Hieora as Gye Hyang-shim (ep. 6); a client of Hanbada who is a North Korean defector
* Lee Ki-young as Ryu Myung-ha (eps. 6, 12); judge sitting on Gye Hyang-shim's and Kim Hyun-jeong's cases
* Kim Sung-bum as Jo Hyeon-woo (eps. 7–8); a resident of Sodeokdong village
* Park Kang-seop as Park Yoo-jin (eps. 7–8); a civil servant at Gyeonghae provincial office
* Park Yoon-hee as the judge in charge of Sodeok-dong hackberry case (eps. 7–8)
* Lee Doo-seok as Lee Jun-bum (eps. 8–10, 14, 16); a reporter from ''Jungui Ilbo'' who is close to Hanbada
* Koo Kyo-hwan as Bang Gu-ppong (ep. 9); commander of the Children's Liberation Army
* Oh Hye-soo as Shin Hye-yeong (ep. 10); a woman with an intellectual disability
* Lee Won-jung as Yang Jeong-il (ep. 10); Shin Hye-yeong's boyfriend
* Seo Hye-won as Choi Da-hae (ep. 11); a coffee salesperson at the casino
* Lee Bong-ryun as Ryu Jae-sook (ep. 12); an attorney specializing in gender discrimination cases
* Lee Yoon-ji as Choi Ji-soo (eps. 13–14, 16); Jung Myung-seok's ex-wife
* Yoon Na-moo as Jung-nam (ep. 13); Lee Jun-ho's brother-in-law
* Kim Joo-hun as Bae In-cheol (eps. 15–16); CEO and founder of Raon
* Ryu Kyung-hwan as Kim Chan-hong (eps. 15–16); co-CEO and co-founder of Raon
* Choi Hyun-jin as Choi Sang-hyeon (eps. 15–16); Young-woo's younger half-brother and son of Tae Soo-mi

Episodes

Production

Filming of the series wrapped up on July 14, 2022.

On August 17, 2022, president Lee Sang-baek of AStory, the production company for ''Extraordinary Attorney Woo'', confirmed that the drama would be renewed for a second season, which was expected to premiere in 2024.

Original soundtrack

The show's soundtrack album peaked at number twelve on the weekly Circle Album Chart, and as of September 2022, 12,198 copies had been sold.

Reception

Viewership

The first episode of ''Extraordinary Attorney Woo'' recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 0.9%. By the third episode, which reached 4.0%, it set the record for the highest rating in ENA's history.

The series was the most viewed non-English show globally on Netflix for the weeks of July 4–10 and July 11–17, 2022, logging 23.9 million and 45.5 million hours viewed and ranking in the top ten in 12 and 22 countries, respectively. For the week of July 18–24, it was the second most-watched non-English show, gathering 55 million of viewing hours. It was also the most-watched series in eight countries and appeared in the top ten in 27 others. The series returned to the top of the chart for the week of July 25–31, with 65.5 million viewing hours, and was the most-watched show in nineteen countries, while ranking among the top ten in 25 more. ''Extraordinary Attorney Woo'' continued to top the charts for another six consecutive weeks after its finale, garnering 348.15 million viewing hours.Netflix Global Top 10-TV (Non-English) Charts:
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The series became the "sixth most popular non-English show of all time" on Netflix, spent "20 weeks on the Global Non-English Top 10 list", and marked 21 weeks in the list for November 28 – December 4, 2022.

Critical reception

On Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 100%, based on 11 reviews. The drama and Park Eun-bin's performance garnered acclaim from critics for creating awareness about an array of contemporary socio-legal issues affecting Korean society and many other countries. The Korean-American therapist Jeanie Chang praised the series for its representation of mental health and how autism is portrayed. Haley Moss, a neurodiversity expert, found Eun-bin's character to be endearing and relatable while also lauding the show as groundbreaking in Korea, where the perception of autism and available services are very different than in the United States. Saloni Gajjar, of ''The A.V. Club'', praised the show for humanely portraying the range of people on the autism spectrum and challenging the subtle types of discrimination against them. In his review for ''NME'', Carmen Chin wrote, "the show spurs an overarching storyline to allow for the characterisation of Young-woo's adaptability to each episodic case and client of various circumstances to take centre stage. Writing for ''The Korea Times'', David A. Tizzard praised the show for raising awareness about issues affecting Korean society and mental health. ''Teen Vogue'' named it one of the best K-dramas of all time.

Themes and analysis

The representation of the titular character in popular culture sparked a debate around autism in South Korea and internationally, with some applauding it and others deeming it unrealistic. Karla Miller, writing for ''The Washington Post'', said the show does many things right to bring the audience into Young-woo's corner: "Woo is sweet, likable and ultimately relatable. Because she can't really mask her autistic tendencies, we see her struggle when she tries to follow neurotypical rules for fitting in". In contrast, Lee Dong Ju, the mother of an autistic child, told a local broadcaster that the show is a pure fantasy, as for many on the spectrum, Young-woo's success would be equivalent to a kid winning an Olympic medal for cycling without being able to walk yet. Writer Tammy Kim made a dig at the drama's portrayal of feminism, saying it set unrealistic expectations in a professional sphere replete with gender inequalities.

Impact

The show became a cultural phenomenon in South Korea and sparked a number of trends. Due to its global success, including becoming the sixth most-viewed non-English drama of all time on Netflix, the series is considered one of the K-dramas spreading the so-called Korean wave internationally. Gimbap sales saw a drastic surge globally, which has been attributed to it being Young-woo's favorite food. The 500-year-old hackberry tree featured in the drama was designated a natural monument by the Cultural Heritage Administration after reportedly receiving a surge in daily visitors. The show has also contributed to an increase in the number of female protagonists in Korean dramas. Bloomberg reported that boosted by the instant success of the drama, its production company AStory's stock increased by 82%.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Adaptation

On July 6, 2022, AStory announced that the series would be adapted into a webtoon of the same name. Serialized into sixty episodes, drawn by illustrator HwaUmJo, and written by Yuil, it was planned to be available in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.

On July 14, 2022, it was reported that the possibility of a US remake was being discussed.

On August 17, 2022, it was confirmed that a musical remake was planned in 2024.

On September 6, 2022, it was confirmed that a remake was being proposed in approximately ten countries.

Notes

References

External links

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{{Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize – Television

2022 South Korean television series debuts
2022 South Korean television series endings
Autism in television
ENA television dramas
Television series by KT Studio Genie
South Korean legal television series
South Korean television series about lawyers
Korean-language Netflix exclusive international distribution programming
Television series by AStory