Latest news with #FullHouse
Axios
6 days ago
- Axios
Golden Gate Bridge celebrates 88 years
May marks 88 years since the Golden Gate Bridge first opened to the public. Why it matters: The bridge is considered one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century and became a symbol of San Francisco that continues to attract millions of visitors each year. As an iconic landmark, it's served as a symbol of the city in TV shows like "Full House" and classic movies like Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "Vertigo." Flashback: The bridge officially opened to pedestrians on May 27, 1937 before opening to cars the following day. State of play: It was crucial in helping grow Marin County by providing a faster and more efficient transportation route across the bay. Prior to construction, ferry travel was the only option, which was often time-consuming and offered limited access. Catch up quick: James H. Wilkins, a former structural engineer turned journalist, planted the idea for the bridge in 1916. He proposed designing a massive suspension bridge with a span of about 3,000 feet — which was unprecedented at the time, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Joseph B. Strauss, who became the chief engineer of the project, created the first renderings for the bridge in 1920. Construction began more than a decade later in 1933, according to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District. Between the lines: Immigrant workers, many of Chinese descent, braved dangerous conditions and were instrumental in helping complete the bridge — though their names were initially left out of carved plaques honoring those who contributed. The intrigue: The bridge runs for 1.7 miles and spans 4,200 feet, which made it the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time construction was completed in 1937.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
The best-ever San Francisco TV show is all but forgotten. Here's how to watch today
We live in a TV nostalgia wonderland, where almost every program we grew up loving is streaming. So how is it possible that the best show ever filmed in San Francisco is nowhere to be found? No, not 'The Streets of San Francisco,' the 1970s cop show that's still fun to watch for the pulsing score and daylight San Francisco exteriors. And certainly not 'Full House,' the 1980s/1990s confection which is disqualified because — other than a few opening credits shots — it was filmed in Los Angeles. Sandwiched in between was 'Midnight Caller,' the moody NBC procedural about San Francisco cop Jack Killian (Gary Cole), who accidentally shoots his partner, finds his way to a midnight to 3 a.m. talk radio shift and engages in therapy with a struggling city — while helping solve the occasional crime. The show aired for three seasons from 1988 to 1991, survived one big controversy, then disappeared. It's no longer syndicated. It hasn't been released on physical media in the U.S. And it doesn't stream on Peacock, Netflix or nostalgia-friendly services like Pluto TV and Tubi. How did Hollywood lose an entire television show? 'Midnight Caller' caught San Francisco by surprise. After 'The Streets of San Francisco' filmed the last of its 121 episodes in 1977, television shows stopped embedding in the city. In 1988 'Hooperman,' 'My Sister Sam' and 'Sledge Hammer!' were all San Francisco shows in name only, set in the city but filming on L.A. sound stages. The producers of 'Midnight Caller' in early 1988 quietly set up in San Francisco Studios on Seventh Street, the SOMA sound stage where 'Star Trek IV' and 'A View to the Kill' interiors were filmed. The show had a serious creator in Richard DiLello, who wrote screenplays for the well-reviewed juvenile prison drama 'Bad Boys' and L.A. gang movie 'Colors.' In the lead role, Cole was a rising talent, with a deep radio voice and a brooding, imperfect-yet-likeable personality that would have fit well in the prestige TV era that arrived 20 years later. Even the jazzy theme song, 'Is it a Crime?', came from Sade, whose stock was rising too. The show's 61 episodes included a ridiculous number of serial killers, mob bosses and stalkers looking to kill the host. But there was nuance in between. Episode six in the first season featured 'Hill Street Blues' star Joe Spano as an about-to-be-executed San Quentin prisoner, trying to make a human connection in his last days. (Spano won an Emmy for the role.) DiLello's team wrote an episode about the Oct. 17, 1989, Loma Prieta earthquake that aired less than three months after the disaster. The show's worst moment, an exploitative first-season arc about a man infected with HIV who knowingly has unprotected sex with former lovers, resulted in hundreds of protesters storming the KRON studio the night it aired. But the series rebounded the next season with a more thoughtful AIDS episode, where Killian reconnects with a former lover dying of the disease. 'Midnight Caller' received strong reviews, including from San Francisco Chronicle TV critic John Carman, who credited its authenticity, writing: 'The city and the predawn hours give 'Midnight Caller' its visual flourish. This is the San Francisco in which mysteries creep in behind the twilight.' Today, the show feels like time travel to an era when KGO talk radio dominated the conversation, and we watched and listened to the same things. When Herb Caen or Ronn Owens or Dennis Richmond could carry a focused conversation with the city. A time before digital paywalls and Substacks and deep legacy media cutbacks. And it ages extremely well, capturing San Francisco in that golden hour moment when it was a hub of finance titans, strong unions and old money — before tech leaders took over the top of the food chain. Killian spends a lot of time at night in Chinatown and North Beach, with the neon of Li Po Cocktail Lounge and the striped awnings of the Washington Square Bar & Grill (RIP) making cameos. The late '80s were also a melancholy time in San Francisco, still with recent memories of Jonestown, the Milk/Moscone murders and the Zodiac killings. We were tired. And Cole as Killian channels the mood perfectly. I'd watch an entire hour of him just clicking the buttons that put callers on the air. ('And our next call comes from across the Bay in San Leandro. Tell me a story Rachel …') The episodes themselves are hit and miss, like so many mainstream dramas in the 1990s. But Cole would finish each episode with an absorbing radio monologue, ending with his still-gives-me-chills signoff, 'Goodnight America … wherever you are.' NBC and production company Lorimar announced 'Midnight Caller's' cancellation in 1991. But unlike almost every other filmed-in-San Francisco series, it didn't come back. The 1996-2001 S.F. cop show 'Nash Bridges' has DVD box sets, and every episode streams on Peacock and Amazon Prime. 'The Streets of San Francisco' recently released the complete series on DVD. 'Midnight Caller's' absence likely comes down to copyright issues; along with Sade's theme and the moody jazz score, Killian spins songs, including Wilson Pickett's 'In the Midnight Hour' in the pilot episode. There's also a lack of legacy star power. While 'The Streets of San Francisco' cop Michael Douglas became an A-lister, Cole settled into a career defined by beloved cult film performances ('Office Space') and smaller roles on great television shows ('The West Wing,' 'Veep'). The only way to watch 'Midnight Caller' today is on YouTube, where it quietly appears from time to time — digitized from old VHS copies with the commercials clumsily excised out — then disappears. But a new user uploaded the entire show last fall. I've been watching whenever I can, knowing the rights holders (Lorimar sold to Warner Bros.) could take it down any day. In the meantime I plan to binge like there's no tomorrow. 'Midnight Caller' is aging well. And I'm far from ready to say goodnight.
New York Post
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Candace Cameron Bure reveals how she plans to get into the ‘best shape of my life' at 50
Candace Cameron Bure, who recently turned 49, plans to be in the 'best shape of my life' when she enters her 50s next year. 'That's what I'm working towards,' the Great American Family star told Fox News Digital. 'I've been filming a lot of movies, so I don't feel like I'm at my top right now because my fitness has to take a back seat while I'm filming movies, but I turned 49 this year and I have really big goals for myself just keeping active and healthy, but going into 50, I wanna be in best shape that I can possibly be in.' Advertisement Bure said she's been busy filming her Christmas movies for the network. She just wrapped a time-travel Christmas movie called 'Timeless Tidings of Joy,' and is heading into production for another one next week. She also stars in the new 'Ainsley McGregor Mysteries' series. 'So, my fitness game, once I finish this movie, at least in the gym, is gonna kick it up a notch,' she explained. 'But honestly, I feel really great.' Bure said she's been working on her fitness since she was in her early 30s, 'and I'm in a groove, and I just want to approach life and aging as someone with grace, but also enthusiasm.' 'And leaning into all the things that I can do as I get older and preparing my body so that I can continue to do those things as I older,' the actress told Fox News Digital. 'Not so much from a vanity point of view, but like, you know, I wanna be able to open the peanut butter jar when I'm 80, and I need grip strength for that. But all that comes from using your muscles and lifting weights and just basic skills.' Advertisement She joked that she's not trying to age fast, 'but it's the preparation of just being in the best shape that I can be as I get older.' 4 Candace Cameron Bure said her goal is to be in the 'best shape' of her life by the time she turns 50 next year. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images As she's gotten older, Bure said her reasons for staying in shape have become less about 'vanity,' and more about wanting to be healthy for her family. She asks herself: 'Why is fitness so important to me? Is it because I'm trying to fit into a certain size or look a certain way? Or is it because I wanna be able to go on walks with my husband or my kids or my grandchildren and take hikes and be healthy and not have trouble getting out of a seat as I get older? And so that's what I've learned about it, that I'm so appreciative that my body can move, and I can do all the things that I can.' Advertisement She continued, 'I have so much more of a gratitude mindset for my body instead of nitpicking it like I have for many, many years.' 4 Bure said her fitness has had to take a back seat recently because she has been busy shooting movies. candacecbure/Instagram The 'Full House' alum noted that fitness doesn't always have to be in the gym. 'I do enjoy weightlifting, but it's like, 'Go out and do the things that are fun that get your body moving.' That's what fitness should be about: is body movement. So, go ride a bicycle, do handstands, do cartwheels, go skateboarding, go roller skating.' Advertisement She advised doing what you loved 'when you were young, as a kid, and what made you happy. Did you love riding your bike? Then go ride a bike. Like, you don't have to get on the stationary one. Go actually ride a bike.' Her family loves a 'good game of pickleball. It's real competitive in the Bure house.' 4 Bure said her fitness trick is to do fun activities that get herself moving. candacecbure/Instagram Aside from her many Christmas movies, Bure is also excited about her new mystery series on Great American Pure Flix. 'I love the genre so much. The cozy mysteries are so much fun,' Bure said. 'So, of course, I had a very successful franchise, the 'Aurora Teagarden Mysteries,' and I wanted to create another franchise of movies and one that felt fresh and new and new characters, new relationships,' she said of her new 'Ainsley McGregor Mysteries,' which are about a criminologist-turned-crafter. The first, 'Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker,' came out last year. Advertisement 'I'm so happy that the first one was really well-received, and we've got the newest Ainsley McGregor case, 'A Case for the Yarn Maker,' which is, you know, it's just another mystery,' she said. The mysteries are 'fun' and 'safe' to watch with the family, Bure added. 'Nothing gory, nothing bloody, but it's like this great whodunit. And the 'Ainsley McGregors,' as we continue to make these movies, they're just getting elevated more and more with each one, and the dialogue is sharper, the dialogue is, you know, quick-witted, they're funny, but they're smart.' 'A Case for the Winemaker' brings back the main characters from the first film, which centers on McGregor's craft shop Bless Your Arts, where she interacts with other artists and customers in the town. 'You'll be familiar with them now, but you're going to learn a little more about each of them in each installment, each movie,' she explained. 'And in this one, you're going to learn a little bit more about Mrs. Whedon. And we kind of focus the story on her and her granddaughter because this mystery has a lot of ties to who she is.' Advertisement She said the writer, Robin Dunne, also plays her brother, Sheriff Ryan McGregor, in the series. 4 Bure said she enjoy weightlifting to stay in shape. candacecbure/Instagram The series is directed by Martin Wood, 'who I've worked with for ages and directed many of the 'Aurora Teagardens' back in the day,' said Bure. 'And so we're excited. This is kind of a little dream team with the three of us producing these movies, writing them and working on them.' 'Stay glued,' she added when asked what viewers should expect from the second installment. Advertisement 'Listen to the clues, listen to the dialogue because every little word, it's a little hint as to who could have done it. But my hope is that you don't figure it out in the first 10 minutes of the movie because you've got 90 more to go, and I hope you don't figure it until the very end,' she said, adding that there are always a few red herrings. Bure also co-stars with her daughter, Natasha Bure, in the holiday film 'Timeless Tidings of Joy,' and shared some industry advice. 'What's most important for me as her mom and also someone that's been in this entertainment industry for 40 years is that, you know, I have wisdom that I'm happy and want to share with from all aspects of it,' she said. 'So, I do that often, and she's 26 years old. So she's at a place in her life where she very much respects it and asks me those questions. It's not like having a teenager when your kids think, like, you're dumb and you don't know anything. Like, we're past all of that. And so I have such a great relationship with all of my kids and I feel really blessed and honored that she comes to me and asks questions and wants advice, but she's so talented and doing such a great job, but as long as she knows I'm here, and her dad, we're here and we're for her, that's the most important thing for me.' The second installment of 'Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker' is now streaming on Great American Pure Flix.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
He was a prodigy who fell into addiction. Now KC musician lives for redemption
When you're born, born to be bad, the drugs come quick and the money comes real slow Only took me 40 years, I finally learned how to just say no. 'Born to be Bad,' Brody Buster Brody Buster played the blues — in front of millions of people — long before he lived them. On Aug. 4, 1995, he performed on the 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.' He was 10 at the time. After wailing away on his harmonica, he sat next to 18-year-old Alicia Silverstone, whose hit movie 'Clueless' had been released two weeks earlier, and cracked wise with Leno. Leno: 'That was great. Now, you're 10 years old, right?' Brody: 'Yeah.' Leno: 'Do you ever get the blues? How is that working here?' Brody: 'No, not me.' Leno: 'Never been to prison?' Brody: 'Nope.' Leno: 'Never served any hard time?' Brody: 'Nah, but some of my band members have.' Jail and the blues would come in time, but in 1995 the kid from Paola, Kansas, was riding high in Los Angeles. He was represented by a big-time management company and making the rounds of TV shows: 'Full House,' 'Baywatch Nights,' 'Maury' with Maury Povich and 'Crook & Chase' in addition to the 'Tonight Show.' He opened three nights for Jerry Seinfeld at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and recorded with the Four Tops. 'Dateline NBC' even did a story on him. The kid had amazing talent on the harmonica. So amazing that blues legend B.B. King had called the then-9-year-old onto stage during a concert at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and declared, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you one of the greatest harmonica players of our time, despite his age, believe it or not.' He was a certifiable child prodigy. Of course, his name didn't hurt. Brody Buster was the perfect moniker for a cute, blond 10-year-old harmonica phenom. It may not be such a good fit for a 40-year-old with a meth addiction. It's safe to say that Buster long ago lost the sheen of innocence that brought him fame as a child. But as of Easter, he had found redemption. That's when he celebrated the release of his new blues-infused album, 'Redemption,' at BB's Lawnside Blues & BBQ. With about 250 people crammed into the Kansas City landmark on 85th Street, most sitting at tables littered with remnants of their Easter barbecue dinners, Buster and his band played all nine tracks from the album. He wrote seven of the songs, sang on them all, occasionally played guitar and inserted plenty of harmonica licks. The album and the redemption were more than 30 years in the making. 'In looking back at it now, I guess I really didn't appreciate what I had going as a blues musician,' he said. 'And I think in order to find that passion again, I had to leave.' Buster's journey took him into some very dark places, but it started innocently enough. His mother, a musician who played with Kansas City blues artist Cotton Candy among others, gave him a harmonica when he was 7. He blew on it constantly and quickly got so good he joined his mother's groups on stage. 'I was so young, man, they just threw me up there,' Buster said. 'I can play, and they threw me up there. I didn't know anything else. ... My parents asked if I enjoyed doing it, and I said yeah.' Things got serious when his parents, Janet and Curtis Brooks, took their prodigy to Memphis for an extended vacation. He showed off his talent among the many performers seeking fame and a bit of cash on Beale Street sidewalks, and he was one of the lucky few to be discovered. The emcee at B.B. King's Blues Club was impressed enough that young Brody earned an invite to play at the club. The connection to King led the family to Los Angeles, where he made his many TV appearances and performed with the house band at King's club there, earning the 'one of the greatest harmonica players of our time' praise from legend himself. After about a year on the West Coast, the family returned to Paola, and Brody took his show on the road. He performed in clubs around the nation and beyond. Perhaps the highlight was the 1996 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where Brody joined Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan on stage and was included on the album 'Quincy Jones: 50 years in music — Live at Montreux 1996.' All this was heady stuff for a Kansas elementary school kid. But his parents restricted Brody to gigs at reputable venues, made sure Brody got good grades and tried to keep him away from the kind of trouble that is almost a cliché among child performers. 'I'm sure they saw what had happened to other child entertainers and performers,' he said. 'But just like anybody else, 'That's not going to happen to me.' I'm sure that's what was in their heads. 'That's not going to happen to Brody.'' His mother, in fact, said almost exactly that during an interview with the Los Angeles Times. 'When he's 16 and his peers are cruising and out drinking, I don't think that will hold any attraction for him because he's seen what it really does,' Janet Brody said. 'We always point out the artists who ended their careers sadly and too soon by overdosing or drinking too much.' Danielle Nicole, an internationally recognized blues performer from Kansas City, provided backup vocals on a couple of songs on 'Redemption' and joined Buster onstage at BB's Barbecue on Easter. 'In my musical opinion, he's one of the best harmonica players alive. Period,' she said. 'Not just for blues, not just for American, not just for regionally, just in general.' Nicole has known Buster almost since the beginning of his career, when both were what she called 'blues kids' plying their trade at the Grand Emporium on Main Street. 'We always knew he was just insanely talented,' she said. By the time Brody was 16, however, the national and international offers were drying up. The novelty of being a child phenom had worn off, and now he had the modifier 'former' attached to it. Growing expectations replaced the fun, stress-free times of prepubescence. 'Coming out after being a child performer or a phenom or whatever you want to call it, even in your later years, people are looking at you to be top-notch,' he said. 'Anything short of that is reason for someone to say something negative. So there's definitely pressure there later on in life because you've got to meet the standard that everybody expects you to be at.' His home situation didn't help. Brody's parents had broken up, with his mother moving to Ireland and his father remarrying. Meanwhile, John Tvedten, a battalion chief with the Kansas City Fire Department who was Brody's uncle and one of his biggest supporters, died fighting a warehouse fire in 1999. (Brody's grandfather and Tvedten's father, John Sr., also a department battalion chief, had been killed in the 1981 skywalk collapse at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.) After living briefly with little adult supervision at his stepmother's house, Buster returned to California with a friend when he was 17, finding gigs where he could. Within about a year, he was back in Kansas and graduated from high school, then attended Johnson County Community College. That's when the lure of rock 'n' roll took over. 'I was just done with the blues personally at that point,' he said. 'I wanted to try other things. 'As any 18-year-old kid does, experiment with different things, I was experimenting with new music. Understandably, a blues festival wasn't going to hire a rock 'n' roll band. And I was OK with that. Unfortunately, during the time off, I got involved with bad people and drugs.' For most of the next two decades, Buster lived in Lawrence, worked at Papa Keno's Pizzeria and played in a variety of bands that performed at bars around the region. He also fathered two children and twice spent a few days in jail. In 2010, a bandmate made a documentary called 'How Did This Happen,' an account of what was then called The Brody Buster Band. Buster's first words in the film: 'I was cursed. Look at this life I'm leading.' Later: 'I was on 'Full House' and look where it got me.' And, 'I must have murdered someone in my last life to deserve this ****.' It was an honest, if not flattering, portrayal of a band of 20-something guys surviving at the very bottom of the music world. Among other things, Buster is shown doing cocaine and ranting about a barkeeper who refused to waive his beer tab. But don't get the idea the documentary showed him at his lowest point. 'That wasn't even the worst of it,' Buster says now. 'The dark stuff happened after that.' Before the worst of it came a brief resurrection. In 2017, Buster developed a one-man-band act and qualified for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where he took first place in the harmonica category and second in the solo/duo category. That led to gigs on the West Coast and throughout the South, plus a date at the prestigious Montreal Jazz Festival. 'That got me going a little bit for a while,' he said. He did drugs regularly at the time, but not when he was on tour. 'So I would use drugs when I was at home, and then I'd get on the road and I'd get clean. And then I'd get back home.' When COVID hit, there was no more touring — and no more getting clean. Living in a trailer in Lawrence, he did drugs — mostly intravenous meth — and not much else. Buster's life was further battered by a bad relationship and the death of his brother Tom by suicide. By the time the pandemic eased and gigs returned, he was in no shape to go onstage, showing up late or not at all. 'I never really gave up playing music,' he said. 'But I got to a point where no one would hire me because I was such a mess. 'At that point, you wonder about the decisions you made and choices you made. At that time in my life, too — and I think it's partially because my mom went to Ireland at such a young age — I was really looking to be loved by someone, and I wasn't finding it anywhere. I guess ultimately you've just got to learn to love yourself.' On July 16, 2023, his girlfriend, Tania (pronounced ta-nee-a) Zagalik, issued an ultimatum: Give up drugs or say goodbye to her and his two kids. 'I told him I was willing to move overseas to get away from him,' she said. Instead, Zagalik and her two daughters got a recovering addict for a roommate at their home in Lee's Summit. Buster went to Lawrence to retrieve his belongings and returned to Lee's Summit the next day. 'All he had was some old clothes, a beat-up guitar and his harmonica, and a cat named Huggie Bear,' she said. He's been clean since living with Zagalik, her daughters and two cats, including a much heavier Huggie Bear. 'I didn't go to any programs or anything, I just moved away from Lawrence, Kansas,' he said. 'It's a great town. I can go there, and I play shows, no problem. I still have friends there. For me, I had to get away from people that were doing drugs. That was my way to do it, just leave that environment.' He now regularly sees his own children, a 13-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter, and has resumed a relationship with his mother, whom he had cut off for years. He and Zagalik flew to Ireland to visit her last year, and he's saving up to return with his kids. Meanwhile, Buster is focused on staying clean — he's closing in on 700 days. Keeping busy helps, he says, so he's doing just that, playing almost nightly around the region with his band or as a one-man band. He also recently performed in Deadwood, South Dakota, and Oklahoma and has upcoming dates in Colorado and St. Louis. 'I'm on a push to do what I've always done, which is play music and play music for a living,' he said. 'I don't necessarily care if I ever get famous, but I want to be a working musician the rest of my life. And I'd like to be a touring musician.' Buster has a lot of people pulling for him, including childhood buddy Danielle Nicole. 'When you hear him play harmonica, you know that he's meant to be a musician,' she said. 'So to be able to see him releasing music and feeling good about being sober and be in a good place, it just warms my heart.' There's also the unwavering support of Zagalik, who continues to help him stay on track. 'His past is his past. I don't hold it against him,' she said. 'I have zero reason to think he'd go back. He also knows he'll always be an addict.' I finally crawled out of the dark and back on stage I feel the struggle but I done turnt the page. 'Can You Hear Me,' Brody Buster Note: If you need help fighting addiction, call the free and confidential treatment referral hotline (1-800-662-HELP), or visit
Tatler Asia
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
9 iconic K-dramas that deserve a reboot (and who should star in them)
2. 'Winter Sonata' (2002) Photo 1 of 3 'Winter Sonata' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Han So-hee (Photo: JTBC) Photo 3 of 3 Cha Eun-woo (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Bae Yong-joon, Choi Ji-woo Dream 2025 reboot: Cha Eun-woo, Han So-hee This groundbreaking show is one of the most iconic K-dramas of all time. The snow, the bicycle, the aching piano score—it's the drama that launched a thousand scarves. For a modern twist, this classic could be rebooted as a quiet, visually poetic slow-burn set between Seoul and a sleepy Nordic-style town. Cha Eun-woo brings the serene beauty, Han So-hee brings the aching vulnerability, and together they'll make you believe in memory loss and destiny all over again. 3. 'Full House' (2004) Photo 1 of 3 'Full House' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Rowoon (Photo: JTBC) Photo 3 of 3 Kim Se-jeong (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Rain, Song Hye-kyo Dream 2025 reboot: Rowoon, Kim Se-jeong Back in the day, contract marriages were the ultimate rom-com trope. But today, we'd expect better real estate, better outfits and some actual emotional maturity. Enter Rowoon as the grumpy megastar and Kim Se-jeong as the chaotic screenwriter who moves into his architectural dream home. Add a strong B-side of found family and social media chaos and Full House 2.0 is ready to trend. See more: Love contracts: 8 fake relationships in K-dramas that had us invested 4. 'Stairway to Heaven' (2003) Photo 1 of 3 'Stairway to Heaven' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Park Bo-gum (Photo: IMDB) Photo 3 of 3 Kim Yoo-jung (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Kwon Sang-woo, Choi Ji-woo Dream 2025 reboot: Park Bo-gum, Kim Yoo-jung Ready to cry for 16 straight episodes? This ultra-melodrama had it all: childhood trauma, terminal illness, evil step-relatives and a theme song that haunts you to this day. Rebooted, it could take a more sensitive, art-house approach, with Park Bo-gum's quiet intensity and Kim Yoo-jung's emotional range rebalancing the pathos without tipping into parody. And yes, the piano stays. It's as emblematic as these iconic K-dramas. 5. 'Princess Hours' (2006) Photo 1 of 3 'Princess Hours' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Roh Yoon-seo (Photo: tvN) Photo 3 of 3 Lee Do-hyun (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon Dream 2025 reboot: Lee Do-hyun, Roh Yoon-seo In a reimagined monarchy, an ordinary high school girl gets forced into a royal marriage with a reluctant crown prince. We'd modernise it with sharper political satire ( The Crown but make it K-pop) and streaming-worthy costume budgets. Lee Do-hyun has the emotional range for the tsundere prince, while Roh Yoon-seo is the bubbly everygirl we'd root for in a tiara. Don't miss: 5 historical (saeguk) K-drama classics to watch: Hwarang, Mr Queen 6. 'Coffee Prince' (2007) Photo 1 of 3 'Coffee Prince' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Jeon Jong-seo (Photo: IMDB) Photo 3 of 3 Yoo Ah-in (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo Dream 2025 reboot: Jeon Jong-seo, Yoo Ah-in Gender-bending identity crises? Yes, please. Coffee Prince was ahead of its time, which is no doubt why it's one of the most iconic K-dramas ever. A 2025 reboot would lean into the queer-coded storyline with more nuance. Jeon Jong-seo ( The Call ) brings the edgy ambiguity and fierce presence, while Yoo Ah-in delivers a hot-and-cold emotional ride that's impossible to look away from. Expect latte art, gender politics and existential vibes. If this reboot does happen, we expect a Gong Yoo cameo. See more: 9 crossover cameos that prove the K-drama multiverse 7. 'Boys Over Flowers' (2009) Photo 1 of 3 'Boys Over Flowers' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Minji (Photo: Instagram / @newjeans_official) Photo 3 of 3 Hwang In-youp (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Gu Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho Dream 2025 reboot: NewJeans' Minji, Hwang In-youp The mother of all school dramas, Boys Over Flowers , needs a soft reboot more than any other. This time, we swap the campy bullying and over-the-top privilege for something more Euphoria meets Sky Castle . Minji plays the headstrong outsider who disrupts the elite boys' club, while Hwang In-youp channels that old-school chaebol charm—with less hair gel and more therapy. Still iconic. Just less problematic. 8. 'My Lovely Sam Soon' (2005) Photo 1 of 3 'My Lovely Sam Soon' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Lee Sung-kyung (Photo: IMDB) Photo 3 of 3 Kim Young-dae (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Kim Sun-a, Hyun Bin Dream 2025 reboot: Lee Sung-kyung, Kim Young-dae She bakes, she swears, she doesn't have a flat stomach—and she was that girl before 'relatable' became an Instagram buzzword. Sam Soon was a revolutionary character for her time, and in a 2020s reboot, she could return as a pastry chef running her own viral dessert café in Seongsu. Lee Sung-kyung ( Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo ) has the comedic timing and chaotic charm to nail the role, while Kim Young-dae ( The Penthouse ) makes for a deliciously uptight CEO love interest. Bonus: the new version could lean even more into body image, dating apps and burnout in the kitchen. And just like Coffee Prince , we demand a Hyun Bin drop-by. 9. 'You're Beautiful' (2009) Photo 1 of 3 'You're Beautiful' (Photo: IMDB) Photo 2 of 3 Wonyoung (Photo: IMDB) Photo 3 of 3 Choi Hyun-wook (Photo: IMDB) Original stars: Park Shin-hye, Jang Keun-suk Dream 2025 reboot: IVE's Wonyoung and Choi Hyun-wook Before K-Pop: The Ultimate Audition and Dream High , there was this fever dream of a show: a nun-in-training pretending to be her twin brother in a boy band. Who knew that premise would make one of the most iconic K-dramas of the decade? In 2025, that setup still holds up. Wonyoung (IVE), with her dual charm and stage presence, could pull off the gender disguise with campy flair, while Choi Hyun-wook ( Twinkling Watermelon ) brings just enough angsty idol energy. Add cameos from actual idols and a darker take on the cost of fame, and it's ready to trend.
