K-drama 'Stranger' included in Best of TV 'Shows of 2017'

The Korean drama "Stranger," aka "Secret Forest," has been included in The New York Times' "Best of TV Shows of 2017" list.

Poster for
Poster for "Stranger" tVN

The Korean drama "Stranger," aka "Secret Forest," has been included in The New York Times' "Best of TV Shows of 2017" list.

Starring Jo Seung Woo and Bae Doo Na, "Stranger" is about a prosecutor who teams up with a detective to run after corruption and solve a serial murder case. The 16-episode drama aired on tVN from June to July and also on Netflix.

"Stranger" has been hailed as one of the best international shows of the year.

"Historically, America has supplied the rest of the world with television shows. But that longstanding trade imbalance is being redressed. And how. With specialty sites like Acorn TV, BritBox, MHz Choice and Walter Presents joining the major streamers, the deluge of foreign series on our screens matches and maybe even exceeds the flood of domestic shows impossible to keep up with in the first place," according to critic Mike Hale.

He wrote that the Korean drama "has less of the usual awkwardness and obviousness of many South Korean dramas as well as another big advantage: It stars the immensely likable Bae Doo-na as a fearless cop."

In Korea, "Stranger" bagged the daesang, or grand prize, for best drama at the 1st The Seoul Awards in October.

Others on the list are "Fauda," "To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters," "Humans," "Chewing Gum," "Valkyrien," "Rosehaven," "Call My Agent," "Norsemen" and "Line of Duty."

The best TV shows are "American Vandal," "Better Things," "The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "The Deuce," "The Good Place," "Halt and Catch Fire," "Lady Dynamite," "The Leftovers," "One Day at a Time" and "Twin Peaks: The Return."

On the other hand, the "10 Best Shows That Ended in 2017" are "The Leftovers," "Please Like Me," "American Crime," "Halt and Catch Fire," "Girls," "Downward Dog," "Orphan Black," "Underground," "Playing House," "Sweet/Vicious" and "Switched at Birth."