Chaebeol X Detective

Based on a format created by Sreda production company and a remake of the Russian television-series, 'Silver Spoon.' Flex x Cop is a South Korean adaption which follows an immature third-generation chaebol named Jin Isoo (Ahn Bo-hyun) who spends his evenings having fun and living without a cause. When he is falsely convicted for a felony that he did not commit by the team leader of the violent crime division, Lee Gang-hyun (Park Ji-hyun). The police department works to make amends by stationing him as a police detective. Jin Isoo is berated by his colleagues for having a privileged background yet he ultimately proves his competency once he utilizes his intellect and his resources towards solving investigations.

Ahn Bo-hyun was the perfect choice to anchor this series as the leading man. His portrayal as Jin Isoo carries this season with much needed charisma since the narrative structure is quite clichéd and predictable in certain areas. Although, the comedic delivery is well executed as there are numerous laugh-out-loud moments that keep the viewer entertained and the minimal action sequences are sharply choreographed infused with sleek editing. The character-development is lacking which is why I didn't feel as attached to the characters as I should have in the beginning. But all of the performances from the supporting cast members manage to uplift the roles that they are given and make them their own. Particularly Kwak Siyang as Jin Seung-ju, who is a shoulder to lean on as the older sibling of the family. Sharing solid on-screen chemistry with Ahn Bo-hyun.

The "whodunit" cases keep the viewer engaged on who the culprit may be throughout the entirety of the season and this provides the audience with much to look forward to in the second season since director Kim Jae-hong and writer Kim Ba-da will be returning.

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Four episodes in and am hooked by this lighter detective series with excellent comic tones. Part of the appeal is that this doesn't take the darker sides of the genre too seriously. Even so, as of episode four clearly there's some unpleasant family history for the "not real silver spoon" who fears small rodents despite his considerable size. Don't let the opening mall raid put you off. Quickly becomes obvious what that's all about. The lead's face is wonderfully expressive for comedy. Such a handsome "ham" is he. Very nice cinematography. Interesting collection of supporting and side characters. Social class issues definitely in play. If the DARK side is what you're after, this doesn't appear to be it. But if a mix of fun, some thrills, nice visuals and solid acting for entertainment without smacking the grey matter hard is what you're after then this might be the ticket.

Flex X Cop is that rare breed of k-drama that strikes the right balance between action hero drama, intelligent plotting and the feelgood payoff of the positive relationships depicted in the police team. Our rich, shallow playboy transforms into an effective lawman with only a few hiccups along the way in convincing fashion.

The cast is inspired - Ahn Bo Hyun's star is clearly on the rise and deservedly so, his ability to convey drama, hilarity and moving emotion is impressive. He's clearly having a ball playing Jin Isoo and a second season has been confirmed.

Park Ji Hyun is as reliable as ever as the calm, dedicated detective and the adorable maknae + secondary romance works ok.

All round restraint for the mad stepmother storyline and the brother's arc is compelling viewing.

Re-watch value/10.

I was delaying watching this series because of it's rating and I thought it would be boring or has a dump ending or something but surprisingly it was so exciting and it's end was a bit dramatic but so well written I loved everything about the series the cases were pretty interesting good acting , good directing and very good script I had so much fun watching this . The first two cases were a bit less interesting but later it got better and better with a little bit of comedy that made the drama really fun to watch seriously one of the best series to watch in 2024 highly recommended for someone that doesn't want to watch a typical kdrama can't wait for season two hope they still have good ideas for the cases.

This detective drama does a lot of what I've not seen much of - it blends the working class with the chaebol world convincingly and with heart.

It gets you going from the start with action, and the sense that you're dealing with your typical spoiled chaebol, but wait...that's actually not the case. At all. A series of events leads this rich young man to a rare opportunity as a working detective.

A police badge opens many doors. Money opens even more. I'm sure you can imagine that the combination is both blessing and at times a curse (lack of respect from colleagues).

Each episode has a case to be solved, but there is a thread of background story that also eventually is also resolved. So now we have lots of emotional yet satisfying resolution, but we also have beloved characters and their methods of working together as a foundation for season 2 - which is already confirmed, and which I'm absolutely looking forward to.