Fans of the novel Little Women have been blessed with a variety of interesting adaptations. From the 1994 film starring Winona Ryder to the miniseries starring Maya Hawke to Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation, this lovely story has been reinvented over and over. But, fans may not know about the unique TV show inspired by the novel: The 2022 Netflix K-drama Little Women.
Little Women (2022) is a crime thriller where the Oh sisters find themselves caught up in corporate espionage and a political scandal. A thriller with this many exciting turns – from embezzlement to political cover-ups to murder – seems like the furthest thing from Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age novel, but both stories are about sisters with very different personalities dealing with their family’s hardships in their own way. The biggest similarities between the K-drama and the Alcott novel are in the sister’s personalities and pursuits.
The K-Drama ‘Little Women’ Is a Story About Sisters
The youngest sister in the Oh family is In-hye (Park Ji-hu), who attends a prestigious art school and dreams of being a painter. The youngest sister in Alcott’s novel, Amy March, is also a painter, and in the story, she goes to Europe. In the first episode of Little Women, In-hye’s older sisters give her money to go on a trip to Europe, but she’s unable to go after their mother steals the money and abandons them. With this plot point, the first episode brilliantly broadcasts to the audience that this story will diverge from expectations.
The eldest daughter in Alcott’s novel, Meg March, wishes to improve her social standing and enter high society. Similarly, the oldest Oh sister, In-joo (Kim Go-eun), has a job in accounting at a nice firm and works among people with more impressive backgrounds. But, the most similar characters across the book and the K-drama are the second daughters, Jo March and Oh In-kyung (Nam Ji-hyun). While Jo writes short stories, In-kyung is a reporter. Both are intelligent and headstrong. While Jo’s intelligence leads to a literary career, In-kyung’s determined journalism and smart instincts end up getting her sucked into a tense political scandal that puts her and her sisters at risk. However, unlike in the novel, there are only three sisters in this version of Little Women.
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Apparently, there’s never too much of the March sisters!
‘Little Women’ Deals With Themes of Class
In addition to the Oh sisters, another important character in Little Women (2022) mirrors one from Alcott’s novel. Oh Hye-seok (Kim Mi-sook) is the sisters’ wealthy great-aunt and parallels Aunt Josephine March from the book, who was played by Meryl Streep in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation. Oh Hye-seok raised In-kyung for part of her childhood, which is part of why she starts off the show with a deeper dislike for the wealthy than her sisters, who still aspire to associate with the upper class.
Both Little Women (2022) and the Alcott novel heavily deal with themes of poverty and social class. The K-drama is more deeply cynical. While Alcott’s novel shows that hard work and earning money can be satisfying at times, Little Women (2022) portrays a moral rot within almost every chance to make money. This takes extreme forms, including the embezzlement conspiracy that In-joo discovers while looking into the mysterious death of her best friend Jin Hwa-young. But, there are also smaller examples of money’s corrupting power, like when In-hye agrees to let a wealthy classmate pass her work off as her own or when one of In-kyung’s fellow journalists tries to keep her from investigating a wealthy family too closely.
While Little Women isn’t a one-to-one adaptation of the novel, it’s an interesting take that plays with some of the character dynamics and themes. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the novel, Little Women is a thrilling crime drama, but knowing the parallels makes it an even richer viewing experience.
Little Women is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Little Women
Little Women (2022) is a South Korean television series directed by Kim Hee-won that follows three sisters navigating life’s challenges and mysteries. As they grapple with financial hardship and unexpected threats, the siblings must pull together to uncover the truth and protect their family. The series stars Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun, and Park Ji-hu in leading roles.
- Release Date
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September 3, 2022
- Cast
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Kim Go-eun
, Nam Ji-hyun
, Park Ji-hu
, Wi Ha-jun
, Uhm Ji-won
, Uhm Ki-joon
, Kim Mi-sook
, Kang Hoon
, Jeon Chae-eun
, Gong Min-jeung
, Cho Seung-yeon
, Park Bo-kyung
, Oh Jung-se
, Kim Byung-nam
, Jeon Jin-oh
, Lee Min-woo
, Lee Do-yeop
, Kim Myung-soo
, Park Ji-young
, Nam Kee-ae
, Park So-yi
, Hong Seo-hee
, Song Joong-ki
, Adrian Pang - Seasons
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1
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