From Now On, Showtime! (2022)

How this drama got me so hooked is magical!

It took me a while to finish this drama because I really didn't want it to end. "From Now On, Showtime!" is a hilariously silly comedy but there's also the perfect balance of romance, suspense, and heartwarming emotion. I genuinely laughed and ugly cried and truly felt connected to the cast at the end. Yes, the story is pretty well written but it's honestly the cast that makes this drama work so well. At the start of the first episode, I was not impressed and thought it would be too cheesy for me to get into. The arrogant magician meets the stubborn lady cop plot didn't have any appeal. It turns out that these characters would become way more interesting and endearing than they initially seemed, and Cha Cha Woong's "assistants" would soon steal the show, and keep me watching! This isn't just a romance with great chemistry, it's the bond between characters that got me! I won't say too much about the supernatural aspect, since the reveal is so well done, but that's also a major hilarious highlight!

Park Hae Jin as Cha Cha Woong is a cold and conceited loner who is the unlikely match for Jin Ki Joo as emotional and impulsive Go Seul Hae. These characters are extreme in order to play up the comedy, and at first, it felt like too much, but soon I grew to love their banter and they seemed perfect together. You can expect some standard romance tropes like denying their attraction, melodramatic destiny, and past life connections, but the ghost aspect of the story made this drama still feel very original. Go Gyu Pil, Jung Suk Yong, and Park Seo Yeon, much like the characters they play, are the glue that holds this story together. Their chemistry with each other and the leads are what makes this drama magical. Their comedic mystery-solving antics (later including Jung Joon Ho) are the plot of the majority of the episodes, and that was enough to keep me addicted.
They were all so good at conveying emotion too, as well as comedy, making the characters also feel memorable and real.

The entire supporting cast is great as well. Sure, some of the characters are cartoonishly evil (like Detective Seo) or overly sweet (like Officer Lee), but because this is mainly a comedy having over-the-top characters made sense. The guest star ghosts were also great. I'm not the biggest fan of dramas with random stories introduced each episode, but the writers did a great job of connecting most of the ghost stories seamlessly to the main plot. I should also shout out Kim Jong Hoon as Seo Hee Soo for giving big second lead energy! For those who hate love triangles, yes this drama has one as a major factor in the plot, but it is also a well-written aspect of the plot not just thrown in as a contrived conflict for the main couple to face.

Would I watch this again? Definitely. It's super fun and I never got tired of watching the main characters work together. The cast seemed like they had a lot of fun making this drama too. I could have done with fewer past life scenes, but they did feel important to telling the story. I also had no interest in the officer vs shaman side romance storyline, but it wasn't bad enough to skip. Watching this whole cast just put me in a good mood, and that's a good enough reason to watch this again.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama if you want to laugh, which I know is weird since this drama also deals with a lot of death. I think this drama being well balanced is why it works so well. I LOLed and wiped tears through so many episodes, especially near the end. I think romance fans will love the awkwardly cute leads, but it was the loner learning to depend on his "employees" & "partner" theme that got me right in the feels! If the idea of ghosts makes you nervous, just know that this isn't scary. It has more of a kid-friendly haunted house vibe than actual horror. I also thought the ending was very satisfying. I don't think this drama is perfect, but it's definitely a new favorite of mine. Even the opening theme song started to get me hyped!

If you're looking for a different kind of feel-good drama, you found it.
Grab some snacks and tissues and get ready to laugh a lot... It's show time!

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