Agatha Christie’s British literary detective Miss Marple. For the 2020 psychological thriller “The World of the Married,” however, the show’s creative team took inspiration from far darker and more recent source material. Indeed, the acclaimed 2015 British series “Doctor Foster,” which features a strong early performance from Jodie Comer, served as the narrative basis for the K-drama. Though both shows share an underlying conflict and escalating brutal stakes, the Korean iteration deviates from the British show quickly and noticeably.
Advertisement
Both stories focus on a successful doctor: Gemma Foster (Suranne Jones) in the original and Ji Sun-woo (Kim Hee-ae) in the Korean version. Seemingly happily married, the protagonists learn that their husbands are cheating on them with younger women, leading to an unraveling of more devastating secrets. The wronged wives pursue an elaborate vendetta against their philandering spouses, gradually taking a toll on their sanity. This feud only escalates as the protagonists become involved with other men, complicating and expanding the strife.
And while fans of revenge thrillers would do well to watch both series, each also has their own unique nuances beyond being told from a different cultural perspective. “Doctor Foster,” for those who are curious, is now available to watch on Britbox. Meanwhile, “The World of the Married” is currently available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video, having previously become the most-watched drama series on a Korean cable network upon its initial release (per Soompi).
Advertisement
