Fifteen-Love: Explosive Allegations Shake the Tennis World
Tennis K Dramas
K-dramas are famous for their romance and medical dramas, but sports themed dramas have also become quite popular. They offer inspiration and adrenaline. They are also great to watch with friends.
Racket Boys follows a group of boys as they train hard to achieve their badminton dreams. The boys must juggle school and training, while inspiring their teammates.
Fifteen-Love
As Wimbledon comes to a close, this gripping new drama from Prime Video UK and Ireland takes the sport’s dark side into the spotlight. Written by The Essex Serpent writer Hania Elkington, Fifteen-Love sees former young tennis prodigy Justine Pearce make explosive allegations against her old coach Glenn Lapthorn.
After making it to the semi-finals of the French Open, 17-year-old Justine is at the peak of her career — until she suffers an injury that leaves her with a shattered wrist. Five years later, she’s working as a physiotherapist at her old tennis academy when she runs into Glenn. Things quickly turn from cosy to tense when Justine makes a shocking allegation against her coach.
Featuring a strong cast of British and American talent (including Ella Lily Hyland from Modern Family and Dave from Gavin and Stacey), Fifteen-Love has plenty of drama to offer. But it’s Aidan Turner as slick tennis coach Glenn who steals the show.
Prison Playbook
Despite its grim premise, this drama is uplifting and full of heart. Its depiction of human relationships and the hardships that life throws at us are a breath of fresh air. Especially since it tackles the delicate issue of drug addiction and recovery from it, Prison Playbook is an underrated gem worth watching.
The story begins with ace baseball player Je-jyeok (Park Hae-soo) being arrested for assault after trying to rescue his sister from being raped. He quickly learns that life in jail is not easy and makes the best of his situation by connecting with the other prisoners and prison staff.
The drama introduces new characters at a staggered pace throughout the series, keeping the stories fresh. The actors are great, and the way they portray their characters is amazing. For example, the character of Joon Ho is a very steadfast and devoted friend, even though he was a better baseball player than Je-jyeok in high school, he never lets his ego get ahead of him.
Ko Dong-Man
Ko Dong-man used to be a promising taekwondo star. But after he lost to his biggest rival in an important match, he quit competing. His old coach keeps pestering him to get back in the game but he refuses. Now he works for an extermination company and lives with his best friend, Choi Ae Ra.
Ae-Ra works as a receptionist and she and Dong-Man are roommates. Her mother is a hardworking lady who can’t live with her bitchy family. She has a crush on Joo-Man, her coworker at the home shopping network. He’s a salaryman, hoping to earn enough money to move into a larger apartment so that he can propose to Seul-Hee.
Moo-bin, Dong-man’s high school classmate, has a shady background as a sociopath who steals other people’s property and cheats on his girlfriend. He also dates Ae-ra. But she finds out that he is engaged to a rich girl and she breaks up with him.
Bok-joo
This k drama is a charming mix of romance, comedy and sports. It’s a story about athletes enrolled in a university. The main character is a weightlifter Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung of Record of Youth). She has a tomboy personality and doesn’t feel like she’s pretty. She reunites with her grade school classmate Jung Joon Hyung, who’s a swimmer and attending the same university as her. He annoyingly teases her, but eventually falls for her.
Both of them are passionate about their respective sports, but their lives aren’t easy. They have to balance training, work and family. The supporting characters are their parents, who support them despite their lack of money. Also, Coach and the assistant coach who love and care for them. Then there’s the cute rhythmic gymnast Song Shi Ho, who has a one-sided crush on Joon Hyung. It’s a sweet and silly romance story about two people who love each other.
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