Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha


Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a 2021 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho and Lee Sang-yi. It is a remake of 2004 South Korean film Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong. It aired on tvN from August 28 to October 17, 2021, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00. It is also available for streaming on Netflix.
The series became one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history, and ranked first place in its timeslot for its entire run with the last episode achieving a 12.665% nationwide rating. It also became one of Netflix's most-watched non-English television shows.

Premise

Yoon Hye-jin, an accomplished dentist from Seoul, goes to the idyllic seaside village of Gongjin on her late mother's birthday after her life goes awry. She spontaneously decides to open up a dental clinic, and gets to know jack-of-all-trades Hong Du-sik, also known as Chief Hong. The romantic drama depicts the growing romance between the two, as well as the lives of other Gongjin's residents.

Cast

Main

  • Shin Min-a as Yoon Hye-jin, a perfectionist and pragmatic dentist who ends up moving from Seoul to Gongjin after her life goes awry.
  • * Shim Hye-yeon as child Yoon Hye-jin
  • * Oh Ye-ju as teenage Yoon Hye-jin
  • Kim Seon-ho as Hong Du-sik, Gongjin's handyman who is known as Chief Hong around the village. He is unemployed officially, but is always busy giving a helping hand to everyone. He is good at everything and appears to assist whatever random tasks his neighbors need help with.
  • * Song Min-jae as child Hong Du-sik
  • * An Seong-won as young teenage Hong Du-sik
  • * Moon Seong-hyun as teenage Hong Du-sik
  • Lee Sang-yi as Ji Seong-hyun, a star variety show production director who is workaholic and has a bright personality.

Supporting

People around Hye-jin

People around Seong-hyun

  • Park Ye-young as Wang Ji-won, a veteran writer who has been working with Seong-hyun for seven years.
  • Lee Suk-hyeong as Kim Do-ha, an assistant director who struggles to find a work-life balance in his busy filming schedule because of his workaholic senior, Seong-hyun.
  • Seong Tae as June, main rapper of idol group DOS.
  • Baek Seung as In-woo, sub-vocalist of DOS.

People in Gongjin

  • Kim Young-ok as Kim Gam-ri, leader of the grandmothers in Gongjin.
  • Lee Yong-yi as Lee Mat-yi, the second of the three grandmothers.
  • Shin Shin-ae as Park Sook-ja, the youngest of the three grandmothers.
  • Jo Han-chul as Oh Cheon-jae, the owner of Gongjin's live café and pub. He is a former singer with stage name Oh Yoon, who disappeared after releasing a hit song in the 1990s.
  • Lee Bong-ryun as Yeo Hwa-jung, Young-guk's ex-wife who was born and raised in Gongjin. She is the building owner of Hye-jin's dental clinic and house.
  • In Gyo-jin as Jang Young-guk, Hwa-jung's ex-husband. He is the youngest district head who used to be a seventh grade civil servant.
  • Hong Ji-hee as Yoo Cho-Hui, a teacher at Cheongjin Elementary School who returns to the coastal town after fifteen years. At that time she had been a tenant in Hwa-jung's house and they had become friends until Cho-Hui needed to suddenly move away.
  • Cha Chung-hwa as Jo Nam-sook, president of Prosperous Gongjin Department Store and owner of a Chinese restaurant near Hye-jin's dental clinic.
  • Yoon Seok-hyun as Choi Geum-chul, Eun-chul's brother and Du-sik's friend who is the owner of a hardware store.
  • Kim Ju-yeon as Ham Yun-kyung, Geum-chul's wife who owns a convenience store.
  • Kang Hyung-seok as Choi Eun-chul, Geum-chul's brother and a police officer who is a sincere person and works hard on everything he does.
  • Kim Sung-bum as Ban Yong-hun, Gongjin's community center manager.
  • Kim Min-seo as Oh Ju-ri, Cheon-jae's daughter.
  • Ki Eun-yoo as Jang Yi-jun, Young-guk and Hwa-jung's son.
  • Go Do-yeon as Choi Bo-ra, Geum-chul and Yun-kyung's daughter.

Special appearances

  • Lee Jung-eun as Hye-jin's patient
  • Bae Hae-sun as the head doctor at Hye-jin's former dental clinic
  • Lee Jin-hee as Hye-jin's mother
  • Lee Ho-jae as Du-sik's grandfather
  • as Myung-hak, a patient at Hye-jin's dental clinic.
  • as Lee Kang-wook, Hye-jin's ex-boyfriend and Seong-hyeon's high school classmate.
  • Kim Dae-gon as rottiserie chicken seller.
  • Kim Ji-hyun as Seon-ah, Seong-hyun's cousin and Jung-woo's wife.
  • Oh Eui-shik as Park Jung-woo, Du-sik's friend whom he met during college days.
  • Lee Do-yeop as Gam-ri's son
  • as a customer at Nam-sook's restaurant.
  • Jo Young-seo as main dancer of DOS.
  • Kim Do-kyun as lead dancer of DOS.

Episodes

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha's episode titles were written in official wallpaper of each episode in the drama official website.

Production

Development

The series, written by Shin Ha-eun, was her comeback after co-writing the 2019 drama The Crowned Clown. It was first announced on December 21, 2020, under the working title of Hong Ban-jang. The series is a drama remake of the 2004 movie.

Casting

Casting was first announced on December 21, 2020, with Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a being offered the lead roles. On April 2, 2021, it was officially announced that Yoo Je-won will be directing the drama literally translated as Seaside Village Cha-Cha-Cha. In the same time, Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a were confirmed as main leads, also Lee Sang-yi was being offered the role. The drama marked Director Yoo Je-won second collaboration with Shin Min-a after both worked on Tomorrow with You.

Filming

The first script reading for the cast members took place on April 21, 2021. Filming was initially scheduled to commence on May 8 and primarily took place in Pohang. According to the production team, at the "Lighthouse Song Festival" scene in the sixth episode was the most significant and challenging to film. It required a substantial amount of time due to the large number of participants, unpredictable weather during the rainy season, and the need to follow strict COVID-19 quarantine guidelines. The drama was planned to wrapped up filming on October 6, 2021.

Music

The series features several on-screen song covers performed by the characters. Music director Lim Ha-young selected all the songs, with additional input from writer Shin Ha-eun, director Yoo Je-won, and the cast and crew. Similar to the character Hong Du-sik in the original film, Kim Seon-ho sang and played guitar in the drama. In the series, Du-sik covered "Old Love" from Lee Moon-sae, different song from the original film. Other characters also performed at the "Lighthouse Song Festival" in Gongjin Village. The festival's opening stage featured Gongjin's resident celebrity, Oh Yeon, performing his only hit song, "Exercising in the Moonlight." To create a realistic atmosphere, Jo Han-chul performed the song live while playing the guitar. Composed by Lim in the 1990s, the song was specifically chosen to achieve an authentic nineties sound and was a fitting choice for Oh Yeon's character, as it was ranked second in the 1993 K-pop Top 10 Gayo.

Choreography

The drama features a fictional idol group named DOS, known for their hit song "Just a Feeling." The song's choreography was created by Jo Young-seo and Kim Do-gyun, choreographers from the group Dance of Soul. Jo and Kim were already known for their choreography on the television show Mr. Trot. According to Jo, the idol group was originally named "Choice," but writer Shin Ha-eun changed it to DOS. Jo and Kim's on-screen appearance as members of the group was a spontaneous decision that came about after they created the choreography. To perfectly portray the group, Seong Tae, Baek Seung, Jo Young-seo, Kim Do-gyun, and another member of their dance team practiced for a month. The dance was performed at the "Lighthouse Song Festival." In the scene, Hye-jin and Du-sik are initially seen as backup dancers for Oh Ju-ri before the idol group DOS makes a surprise appearance.

Media

Original soundtrack

The Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha soundtrack album, written by music director Lim Ha-young, comprises 11 songs and 32 score pieces from the series. The album features vocal performances from artists such as Car, the Garden, Kassy, Cheeze, Choi Yu-ree, Kim Jae-hwan, Sandeul, Seungmin, and Lee Sang-yi. In total, the compilation includes 43 tracks. In addition to the 8 previously released OST songs, the album includes "Just a Feeling" by the fictional idol group 'DOS' in the drama, which was highly requested by viewers. It also features two songs by "Oh Yoon," performed by actor Jo Han-chul as the superstar of 'Gongjin' in the drama, titled "Exercise at the Moonlit Night" and "End and Beginning." The album aims to fully capture the emotions of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and evoke the lingering feelings from the drama.
On July 18, 2022, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha soundtrack album also released in LP version. It was ranked 9 in the Circle Chart Retail Album Chart on July 19, 2022, with 891 copies sold.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Chart performance


Tie-in publishing

The original script of the series was published in two books, with each book covering eight episodes. The official release date was initially scheduled for early November 2021.
On November 30, 2021, the scheduled publication of the Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha Photo Essay was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. However, on October 17, 2022, it was finally confirmed that the photo essay would be published. The photo essay was released as a package of two books, with each book covering eight episodes. The publication of the photo essay took place in February 2023.

Reception

Viewership

Television broadcast


Streaming television

Following its release on Netflix, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha became one of the platform's most-watched non-English television shows. According to FlixPatrol, a website providing global rankings for shows on Netflix, the series placed number 8 on its global chart. It remained on Netflix's most-watched non-English popular television show list for 16 weeks in global top ten rankings, and reached the top 10 charts in more than 20 countries. It also remained on Netflix's Top 10 Chart for television shows for more than two months from its last episode.

Data Analysis and Survey

During its run, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha achieved notable rankings and generated significant buzz. In the Content Power Index, powered by RACOI, the drama entered the Top 10, ranking 6th in the 4th week of August. It continued to perform strongly, reaching 3rd place in the drama category and 4th overall in the first and second weeks of September. By the third week of September, it climbed to 2nd in drama and 3rd overall. For four consecutive weeks, from the 4th week of September to the 2nd week of October 2021, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha secured the 1st rankin the drama category. In the overall category, it placed 2nd in the 4th and 5th weeks of September, dipped slightly to 4thin the 1st week of October, and then returned to 2nd in the 2nd week of October.
According to the Good Data Corporation, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha consistently charted in the Top 10 of the TV Topicality Ranking in the drama division from the 3rd week of August to the 2nd week of October 2021. It ranked 8th in the 3rd week of August, 3rd in the 4th week of August, and the 1st and 2nd weeks of September, then climbed to 2nd place in the 3rd week of September. The drama eventually secured the top spot in drama popularity in the 4th week of September and 1st week of October. The main leads, Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a, consistently ranked high during this period; Kim Seon-ho took 1st place and Shin Min-a ranked 2nd for consecutive weeks from the 3rd week of August to the 4th week of September. In the 5th week of September, Kim Seon-ho ranked 2nd and Shin Min-a 3rd. In the 1st and 2nd weeks of October 2021, Kim Seon-ho regained the top spot, while Shin Min-a ranked 5th in the 1st week and returned to 3rd place in the 2nd week.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha also made its mark by entering the Top 20 "FUNdex," ranking 17th with a score of 83.13 out of 355 Korean dramas aired from 2018 to 2021. "FUNdex" predicts content's fun factor and box office potential by integrating six data points: household viewers, 20-49 age group viewers, topicality, performer topicality, clip views, and media attention. This ranking utilized data from Good Data Corporation and public data from RACOI.
On April 18, 2022, the results of The 2021 Big Data Utilization Hallyu Market Research were announced. This report, published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and , focused on public interest in the Korean Wave. It analyzed the current status of the Korean Wave by collecting and analyzing real-time global online reactions. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, along with its leads, Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a, were among the most searched and prominent keywords related to K-drama in the report.
The drama's popularity directly impacted the brand reputation of its main leads. According to big data analysis by The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, in September 2021, Kim Seon-ho topped the drama actor brand reputation ranking, while Shin Min-a secured the third position. The analysis considered factors such as brand participation, media volume, traffic volume, and communication volume, measuring and indexing them with a brand reputation algorithm. Compared to the drama actor brand data in August 2021, their brand reputation collectively increased by 21.00%.
In a year-end poll conducted by Gallup in South Korea, Kim Seon-ho was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year, and Shin Min-a ranked second, further affirming their widespread recognition.

Critical reception

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was met with largely positive reviews. Jan Lee of The Straits Times gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, praising its "idyllic setting, charming leads, and colorful supporting characters." Pierce Conran in the South China Morning Post gave it 3 out of 5 stars, noting that the show "kept things simple." He added that while it occasionally indulged in "hokey dramatics," it never risked alienating its dedicated audience. S. Poorvaja of The Hindu noted it as a worthy representation of "slice-of-life goodness and wholesome romance of the best kind."
Some critics offered mixed assessments. Joel Keller of Decider highlighted the "seashore scenery and the chemistry between the show's leads" but criticized the slow pacing. Similarly, Bang Yeon-joo of PD Journal critiqued the reliance on traditional gender stereotypes, specifically citing the recurring "damsel in distress" trope where Du-sik would repeatedly rescue Hye-jin. However, she also acknowledged the show's commercial success, which she attributed to its ability to create a calming and enjoyable atmosphere by developing not just the central romance, but also the heartfelt stories of the town's charming residents.
Pop culture critic Jung Deok-hyeon described the show's reliance on clichés as a weakness, identifying a scene with a house trespasser as contrived and an outdated plot device to bring the leads closer. Despite these criticisms, Jung Deok-hyeon described the series as a "Soft Healing Drama," attributing its positive reception to the compelling fantasy of Gongjin Village, which provided a stark contrast to intense dramas like Squid Game. This sentiment was echoed by Professor Mo Jong-rin of Yonsei University, who called the series "refreshing." Mo suggested that the community in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha serves as a positive alternative to the harsh realities depicted in Squid Game, he added, "I apologize to fans of Squid Game, but I honestly hope that foreigners remember Korea not as a sharp-edged country that criticizes reality in a provocative manner, but as a warm country that presents a community-based alternative to societal issues."
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was included in various critics' top-drama lists. Variety ranked the series sixth on its list of "The Best International TV Shows of 2021," noting its lighthearted nature and simplicity offered a "refreshing escape amidst the pandemic's gloom." NME placed the series eighth on its list of "The Best Kdrama of 2021," praising its straightforward approach to dilemmas and its comforting, "warm embrace" feel. The series was also included in a list of "Best K-drama TV shows on Netflix" by The Scotsman. Chad de Guzman from Time included the drama in his list of "The 8 best Korean dramas on Netflix," remarking, "'Best' doesn't always have to mean 'intense and thought-provoking'. Sometimes it can simply mean easy, enjoyable viewing."

Impact

Commercial

Hometown Cha-Cha-Chas success contributed to strong financial results for its production companies. Studio Dragon reported a 27.7% increase in sales to ₩64.9 billion in Q3 2021. Sales proportion also rose to 55.9%, up 8.1% from the previous year. GTist achieved a full profit in 2021 with a net profit of ₩2.1 billion. CJ ENM, the parent company of GTist, Studio Dragon, and tvN, recorded consolidated sales of ₩857.5 billion and an operating profit of ₩87.8 billion in Q3 2021. It also saw a 7.4% rise in sales and a 23.6% increase in operating profit in Q3 2021, with the growth attributed to successful dramas including Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.
The drama also sparked a "Gaetcha Craze," where products featured in the drama having a surge in demand. The wine Yoon Hye-jin gifted Hong Du-sik in episode 5, as well as Hye-jin's bag, both temporarily sold out. Interest in Hye-jin's fashion, including her clothing, jewelry, and shoes, experienced a notable rise. Her style was praised for its charming combination of sophistication and unique charm. Two books featured in the show experienced a rise in popularity. After Chief Hong recite Kim Haeng-sook's poem, "The Gate Keeper," her poetry book, "Portrait of Echo," garnered renewed attention and enter best seller list seven years after its release. The book peaked at second place on Kyobo Bookstore's poetry bestseller list for the by the second week of October and entered third place on Yes24's Korean poetry bestseller list. The Korean translation of Henry David Thoreau's Walden, read by Chief Hong in episode 2, also climbed to 11th on Yes24's essay bestseller list by the second week of October. Yes24 reported a sales growth of 3,257% for "Portrait of Echo" and 369% for Walden the weeks following their exposure in the drama.
The limited first editions of the unedited scriptbooks for Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha 1 and 2, which included autographs and messages from writer Shin Ha-eun and actors Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho, quickly topped bestseller lists. According to Yes24, over 9,000 copies were pre-ordered on the publication day alone, with buyers primarily being women in their 20s and 30s. The scriptbooks also reached number one on Aladin's bestseller list on October 16, 2021, with an official from the company noting that it is rare for a drama script to achieve such a high ranking.

Tourism

Hometown Cha-Cha-Chas significantly boosted tourism in its filming locations. The drama's setting in Pohang became a popular part of tourism itineraries, reportedly revitalizing the local commercial district and economy. The series also contributed to tourism in Yangju, where the Chang Ucchin Museum of Art, was featured in episode 12. Following the episode, officials noted a rise in inquiries about the museum, with viewers drawn to its unique white architecture and natural surroundings.
On November 24, 2021, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha content became available via the LG U+ XR platform . Studio Dragon partnered with the Korea Tourism Organization and LG U+ to present virtual reality content using the drama's intellectual property. This project aimed to promote Korea's beautiful tourist destinations through drama content. All content was filmed in VR, capturing the unique emotions of various spots in 3D 180-degree high-definition video for an enhanced immersive experience. Lee Sang-yi reprised his role as Ji PD, becoming a .

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Listicles