Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo

A competitive swimmer crosses paths with his childhood friend, a rising weight lifting star, and realizes that she has a secret crush on his cousin.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016-2017) is a South Korean romantic comedy series created by Yang Hui-seung, Oh Hyun-jong, and Kim Soo-jin for MBC, a single-season run of sixteen episodes. Lee Sung-kyung plays Kim Bok-joo, a rising weightlifting star whose ambitions on the lifting platform collide with her long-standing friendship with Jung Joon-hyung, played by Nam Joo-hyuk, a competitive swimmer. Jung Jae-yi, played by Lee Jae-yoon, complicates the picture as Joon-hyung's cousin, and the heroine's feelings grow tangled around the two cousins. Each episode mixes gym-floor training, college campus antics, and friendship squabbles with the awkward push and pull of a romance that refuses to move in a straight line. The show leans on the bright, warm energy of a Korean college comedy while letting real sporting effort and self-doubt give its laughs some grounding. Its tone is breezy and sincere, with a hopeful, feel-good glow. Fans of Crash Landing on You, Racket Boys, and Hwarang will find resonance in its mix of romance, athletic striving, and youthful camaraderie.

Audiences broadly acclaim the series as a warm, funny and inspiring romantic comedy with strong lead chemistry and sports-drama energy.

• Crash Landing on Youshared light romantic comedy tone, underdog sports arc, and youthful friendship-to-romance triangle
• Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youthshared Korean romcom structure with a spirited heroine, sports setting, and warm ensemble of friends
• Pride and Prejudiceshared underdog sports drama with a determined heroine pursuing athletic excellence alongside romance
• Racket Boysshared lighthearted college-age romance and sports-adjacent competitive energy

Created by

Yang Hui-seung, Oh Hyun-jong, Kim Soo-jin

Release Date

2016-11-16

Episode runtime

65 min

Rating

8.3 / 10 (966)

What is Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo about?

A determined weightlifter and her childhood friend, a competitive swimmer, navigate sport, pride, and a tangled romance.

What is Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo.

What did critics think of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo?

Audiences broadly acclaim the series as a warm, funny and inspiring romantic comedy with strong lead chemistry and sports-drama energy.

Which shows are like Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo?

Shows with a similar feel include Crash Landing on You, Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, Pride and Prejudice, and Racket Boys.

How long is Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo?

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo: 1 season, 16 episodes.

Is Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo still running?

No, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo has ended.

Where can I watch Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo?

In United States, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo streams on Rakuten Viki, OnDemandKorea, Kocowa Amazon Channel, Kocowa, WeTV.