Lead cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Ahn Jae-hong, Kim Yoo-jung
Netflix Korea has made great efforts to deliver shows that differentiate themselves from traditional Korean series, but even among its growing catalogue of dystopian dramas, twisty thrillers and sci-fi tentpoles, Chicken Nugget stands out, thanks to its saturated colours, heightened tone and absurd sense of humour.
Suffice it to say that you have never seen a K-drama quite like this.
Through 10 refreshingly bite-sized half-hour episodes (three of which were previewed for the press), we are witnesses to the fantastical – and fantastically odd – plight of small-business owner Choi Sung-man (Ryu) and his intern Go Baek-joong (Ahn).
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A mysterious contraption is delivered to their small machine-manufacturing shop one day, and when Sung-man’s beguiling daughter Choi Min-ah (Kim) pops by with some fried chicken to share, she steps inside, mistakenly thinking it is a sleeping aide – Min-ah is very tired, as she “only” slept 14 hours the previous night.
Unfortunately for her, that is not the function of this particular machine; as its flashing lights and bobbles come on and a piece of fried sweet-and-sour chicken catches her eye beyond the visor, she suddenly disappears.
Baek-joong, who is madly in love with Min-ah, dashes over to open the door, revealing a lone chicken nugget inside.
After coming to terms with the fact that his daughter is now a morsel of fried food, Sung-man, with the help of Baek-joong, must track down the origins of the machine and find a way to transform her back to her human form.
Yet the pair’s first challenge is identifying Min-ah, after a clueless colleague dumps her back into the takeaway box along with 19 other pieces of chicken.
Director Lee is known for a heightened and stylised brand of comedy, and while the dry humour of Chicken Nugget is to some extent similar to that seen in his previous hits, such as Extreme Job and the drama Be Melodramatic, this series is a whole different kettle of fish.
It is perhaps no surprise that the projects share some DNA, as the directors are close in real life. Lee Byeong-heon even had a cameo in Lee Won-suk’s similarly absurd short film Lala Land.
In an extended cameo, she plays Baek-joong’s ex-girlfriend, and the quick scenes that chronicle the relationship between their foodie characters, all centred around their meals together, are one of the highlights of what we have seen so far.
While Chicken Nugget gets points for its unique style, it commits so strongly to it that some viewers who do not connect with the show’s unusual brand of humour may find themselves feeling left out.
This commitment to the material also poses problems when the show doubles down on elements that do not quite work.
In episode three there is a parody of Interstellar – one of the most popular films of all time in Korea – that is impressive in the way it mimics the style of the Christopher Nolan film but goes on for far too long, especially as it does not deliver many laughs.
Ryu, who has done a lot of broad comedy, is quite comfortable here but the stand-out in the cast is Ahn, who delivers another excellent turn hot on the heels of LTNS. His comic timing is pitch-perfect and he tempers the over-the-top elements of his character with an endearing dose of pathos.
What remains to be seen is whether Chicken Nugget can maintain its curious rhythm over its full 10 episodes.
Chicken Nugget is streaming on Netflix.