Is The Penthouse really ‘Sky Castle on steroids’? The K-drama might not feature Bae Suzy or Hyun Bin, but what it lacks in Hallyu star power, it makes up for with addictive plot lines

Jan 12 , 2021

Watching the twists and turns that befall the cast in The Penthouse has left us exhausted – but in a good way. Photo: SBS

The Penthouse, a ‘makjang’ murder mystery set in a luxury building in Gangnam, threw South Korean fans into a frenzy: as the first season ends and another begins this month, here’s why you should catch up

Many people haven’t yet caught on to the brilliance of K-drama The Penthouse – especially since many of its primary cast members like Uhm Ki-joon, Yoon Jong-hoon and even Eugene are relatively unknown. But while international audiences have been slow to catch onto the show due to its lack of Hallyu-famous cast members – and no doubt its seemingly old-fashioned murder mystery plot line – the weekday drama has become a huge deal in South Korea. In fact, it has been so successful that it was renewed for seasons two and three due to high viewer demand, with season two debuting on January 29.

Here’s why you should watch.

The Penthouse’s intriguing promotional poster. Photo: SBS

The drama is what many call makjang, a Korean term for dramas that have so many cliched twists and turns that you’re sometimes left baffled. But where others have failed, The Penthouse and its star writer, Kim Sunok, have managed to turn cliched birth secrets, “who-did-it” tropes, overzealous tiger mums and jealous cliquey teens into a highly watchable and gripping tale that has had the entire nation on edge.

Dubbed “Sky Castle on steroids” by netizens referring to the show about affluent and cutthroat Korean parents, The Penthouse tells the tale of four elite families living in the luxurious Hera Palace high-rise. Like many rich and powerful characters from the best K-dramas, they will do anything to keep their status. Chaos ensues when an orphan is pushed off the building to her death. The families try their best to hide the truth from the public while a mysterious newcomer is determined to find the culprit.

A collage of scenes featuring Kim So-yeon in The Penthouse. Photo: SBS

Every episode concludes on a cliffhanger, resulting in hundreds of speculative blog posts from fans every day. Eagle-eyed viewers are convinced that they correctly guessed various plot twists through examining various visual hints, but with the plot so heavily veiled, it’s impossible to know what will be revealed next.

A scene from drama The Penthouse. Photo: SBS