W

W  is a 2016 South Korean television series, starring Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo.Consisting of 16 episodes, it aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 (KST) on MBC from July 20 to September 14, 2016.W centers on the clash between "two worlds": the real world and an alternate universe inside a webtoon, from which the title of the television series was taken.

The series received praise for its unique premise and ranked first in Content Power Index in its premiere week.It achieved modest ratings of 11.63%, topping viewership ratings in its time slot for its entire run.

Plot

The series focuses on the eponymous fictional webtoon entitled W, written and illustrated by its legendary author and illustrator Oh Seong-moo (Kim Eui-sung) which begins to function on its own, like a different world existing there. W became so famous in South Korea that even its printed versions became a best-seller there.

The storyline of the webtoon W starts with the younger years of its main character Kang Chul (Lee Jong-suk), a handsome and intelligent boy who is also skilled in shooting. He becomes famous in South Korea as he won a shooting competition during the 2004 Athens Olympics. But this fame is interrupted when the unknown Murderer massacres his family, and he is erroneously accused of the crime. Another villain, Han Cheol-ho (Park Won-sang), handles the case to gain political popularity, urging the court to impose death penalty upon Kang Chul. Despite his efforts, Kang Chul is deemed innocent of the crime. Depressed over losing his family, he attempts to commit suicide over the Han River but stops himself and chooses to search for the real killer instead and devote his life to crime-fighting.

Ten years later, Kang Chul becomes a multimillionaire. He starts "Project W" in an effort to catch the real culprit behind his family's death; part of the project is his television broadcasting company dubbed "W," after the initials of the interrogatives "who" and "why" (hence, the title of the webtoon). One night, he receives a suspicious phone call and is severely injured by the same mysterious Murderer on the rooftop of his penthouse. Then even stranger things happen. The story runs about the question whether he will be able to have a happy ending.

Production

The series is helmed by director Jung Dae-yoon, who directed She Was Pretty and writer Song Jae-jung whose previous works include Nine: Nine Time Travels and Queen In-hyun's Man.

The first script reading of the drama was held in May 2016.

The drama is Han Hyo-joo's small screen comeback after six years.