Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Atypical Family’ on Netflix, a South Korean drama about a family trying to regain their superpowers (2024)

Releasing weekly on Netflix, The Atypical Family is a South Korean drama about a modern family with superpowers stars Jang Ki-yong, Chun Woo-hee, Go Doo-shim, and Claudia Kim.

THE ATYPICAL FAMILY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Standing on a cliff, an elderly woman directs a younger one to “fly,” but the girl is unable to jump. The matriarch, who can see into the future, proclaims that their family is doomed and they must all jump into the sea to regain their powers — but as she approaches the edge, she herself is also unable to jump. As the family argues, the son takes the plunge and is then saved by a mysterious woman.

The Gist: The Bok family once had superpowers, but modern life has interfered. Obesity, insomnia, and depression have hindered their abilities, and their matriarch is hellbent on finding a solution for not just their powers, but also her children’s happiness. After her son’s suicide attempt is thwarted by a mysterious woman, Ms. Bok tries to set them up romantically — only she doesn’t know that the woman has secrets of her own.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? It would be easy to equate superpowers with superheroes, but the characters in The Atypical Family aren’t tasked with saving the world. Instead, they are learning to cope in everyday life similar to Misfits or Jessica Jones.

Our Take: In the first episode of The Atypical Family, we don’t learn how or why the Bok’s had or lost their powers, but simply that they were lost due to “modern lifestyle diseases.” The grandmother can see the future in her dreams, but can’t anymore due to her insomnia; the daughter has become too heavy to fly; and the son’s depression no longer allows him to travel to the past to relive his happiest moments. The family’s fate may change when they come in contact with Do Da-hae, a masseuse who has mysterious powers of her own — and whose family is secretly infiltrating the Boks, just like they have to a few other powerful families.

Immediately, the premise is interesting due to its lack of interest in the actual superpowers themselves — the powers that three members of the Bok family have aren’t even revealed until the third act, and we only see glimpses of how those abilities have helped or hindered their everyday lives (Ms. Bok had a vision about her son’s marriage not lasting; his ability to time travel ended in the death of his wife). Instead of banding together to save the world, the Boks are just trying to get through each day, and that is an inherently more interesting way to utilize the idea of superpowers.

Still, despite a promising central premise, the series has a serious character development problem. Gwi-ju, poised to be the central love interest for Da-hae, is a lovelorn widow and drunkard. His mother tries to set him up with Do Da-hae simply because of his commitment and dedication to the idea of love instead of showing any actual personality quirks or chemistry with the masseuse who keeps entering the Bok’s lives.

But more offensive is the portrayal of Gwi-ju’s sister as an overweight wet blanket with no ambition, and never far from a bag of chips. In a scene at the family-owned gym, a personal trainer interviewing for a job takes a stab at her eating habits, suggesting that she makes mukbang videos (popular South Korean eating videos). The scene is our first introduction to the personal trainer character and while Dong-hee isn’t exactly kind to the trainer, the joke reaches for low-hanging fruit in its comeback. Ultimately, it’s an out-of-touch depiction of fat people (including the very obvious fat suit and fake plump of her entire face), weaponizing her weight as an indication of her low worth to the family instead of treating her as a regular person and building out real personality flaws.

There is a lot of runway for an interesting series, but its handling of obesity leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Still, I think the twist about Da-hae’s true intentions and her family’s far-reaching tentacles is enough to make me want to tune in for the second episode.

Sex and Skin: Outside of some mouth-to-mouth CPR, there isn’t anything remotely sexual in the first episode.

Parting Shot: In a flashback to Gwi-ju’s wife’s car accident, we understand how he left the scene unscathed: using his powers, he briefly traveled back to a happier moment, returning to the car only after the fatal crash occurred.

Sleeper Star: Chun Woo-hee as Da-hae perfectly plays the two-time widower whose secret intentions are far darker. When her good-girl act is revealed to be just that — an act — it is an actual surprise.

Most Pilot-y Line:: “I can sense a special energy in your hands that my family doesn’t have: good health,” Ms. Bok says to Da-hae during their first meeting, essentially outlining the show’s thesis: the family is on a mission to reignite their powers, lost to ongoing health issues.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Despite some bad politics and character development flaws, the series has a compelling enough premise to warrant pressing play.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, ELLE.com, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.