Television series
Pinocchio
Other titles called Pinocchio: the 1940 film.
A South Korean drama about journalism, truth, and redemption. A young man hiding his identity and a woman physically unable to lie both pursue careers in news reporting, chasing stories that matter while wrestling with their pasts. Smart, emotionally generous, with romance that earns its place. For anyone who loves character-driven stories with real stakes.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy romance tangled up in a cutthroat newsroom race, where a heroine who cannot lie keeps the sentiment honest and the stakes of reporting feel real.
Skip it if the run is long at twenty 65-minute episodes, and the early stretch leans on melodrama and shouting matches that can wear thin before the tone finds its footing.
What it asks of you: It asks for roughly twenty-odd hours of patience, with a slow-building heart and plenty of melodrama you need to sit through before the newsroom sparks.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Descendants of the Sun2016
Another Lee Jong Suk vehicle that pairs gripping real-world stakes—this time war and disaster zones—with genuine romance and a team you'll grow attached to. Beautifully shot, genuinely thrilling.
But The plotting sometimes prioritizes spectacle over logic, and some character decisions will frustrate you. Also very long at 16 episodes.
Suspicious Partner2017
Park Shin Hye leads a legal thriller about wrongful conviction and corruption that has real teeth. The central mystery grips you, the romance is tender without derailing the plot, and the ensemble cast is excellent throughout.
But Darker and less whimsical than Pinocchio. If you came for warmth, you'll find more shadow here than light.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo2016
A joyful show about young people finding themselves through sport and each other. The lead chemistry is electric, the supporting characters are genuinely funny, and it has Pinocchio's gift for making you care about people's small victories.
But The sports sequences can feel repetitive if weightlifting bores you. Also very earnest about its life lessons.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Pinocchio
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Incomplete Life2014
Both are about young people finding identity and purpose through their work, but where Pinocchio says truth and love can save you, Misaeng quietly insists that survival and dignity are enough.
Released the same year as Pinocchio but from a completely different era of Korean drama. A documentary-realist office story about a young man working his way up from nothing in a corporate trading firm. No fantasy elements, no romance subplot—just the grinding, dignified work of becoming.
But Bleak and slow. The whole show is about small humiliations and incremental progress. If you came to Pinocchio for warmth and love conquering obstacles, this will feel punishingly austere.
More like this (7)
W2016
A wildly inventive thriller where a man is pulled into a webtoon world. High concept but anchored by character and emotion. Kim Young Kwang shines here in a very different role, and the romance has real chemistry.
But The premise is complicated and genuinely confusing for several episodes. If you need clarity before investment, this will test your patience.
Encounter2018
Park Shin Hye and Song Hye-kyo's ex-husband meet as equals in a mature, tender romance about second chances. Luxuriously shot, thoughtful about what people owe each other and themselves.
But Slower and more contemplative than Pinocchio. The plot is fairly thin—it's a character study masquerading as romance. If you need incident, look elsewhere.
Go Back Couple2017
A couple gets a second chance to go back in time and fix their marriage. Funny, tender, and surprisingly wise about what love actually requires. Lee Joon and Lee Min-jung are excellent.
But Time-travel comedy premises can feel thin. This one is really about regret and acceptance, which might feel slight if you're here for plot.
Because This Is My First Life2017
A pragmatic woman and a guarded man enter a fake marriage that becomes real. Smart about modern relationships, funny about loneliness, and genuinely invested in both characters' growth.
But If you need grand romance and dramatic incidents, this is deliberately small and domestic. The pacing is unhurried to the point of sometimes feeling static.
She Would Never Know2021
A low-pressure workplace romance about a woman and the younger colleague who's watched her for years. Thoughtful about age, maturity, and what you actually want from a relationship. Park Shin Hye is wonderful.
But The stakes are deliberately tiny. If you need conflict and crisis, you'll find this repetitive and dull very quickly.
A Prophet2009
Both follow someone building a new identity from nothing, but where Pinocchio's Dal Po hides his past to heal, A Prophet's character sheds innocence to survive. Same story structure, opposite moral direction.
A French prison film about a young man who arrives illiterate and leaves transformed by experience, connection, and violence. Astonishingly made, morally complex, and deeply humane about people society discards. The transformation is real and earned.
But Brutal and unglamorous. There's no redemption arc waiting, just a young man becoming harder and more capable. The violence is graphic and the world is corrupt without relief.
Runway de Waratte2020
Both use a specific professional world—news reporting, fashion—as the engine for talking about growth, identity, and what it means to make something true and beautiful. But where Pinocchio is about truth in crisis, this is about beauty as its own form of truth.
A Japanese series about a gay fashion designer mentoring a beautiful model with zero experience. Sunlit and joyful, genuinely invested in craft and ambition, with the same warmth about finding your people that makes Pinocchio glow.
But The fashion industry setting might feel shallow if you want weightier themes. Also slower than Pinocchio—more about small moments than driving plot.
