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Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television.
A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyancy).
As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene.
As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator.
Her Private Life is a quintessential K-drama, but Idol I is emerging as its perfect replacement. Originally released in 2019, Her Private Life followed Sung Deok-mi (Park Min-young), a talented art curator who secretly ran a successful fan page for Cha Si-an (Jung Jae-won), a K-pop idol from the fictional boy band White Ocean.
Aside from creating one of the most iconic K-drama couples ever between Deok-mi and male lead Ryan Gold (Kim Jae-wook), Her Private Life became wildly popular thanks to its classic K-drama tropes and unique plot. Six years after its historic debut, however, a new K-drama on Netflix is slowly proving itself to be Her Private Life’s more mature spiritual successor.
Idol I Follows A Secret K-Pop Superfan (With One Big Twist)
Just Like Her Private Life, Se-na's Fangirling Would Jeopardize Her Career
Similar to Deok-mi’s double life, Idol I centers on Maeng Se-na (Choi Soo-young), an infamous criminal defense attorney who secretly fangirls over Do Ra-ik (Kim Jae-young) of the fictional group Gold Boys. Like many superfans, Se-na dreamed of meeting her idol, but things take a turn when she’s tasked with defending him in a murder case.
Her Private Life and Idol I are both thought-provoking K-dramas about the K-pop industry, but the treatment of Do Ra-ik— and Gold Boys as a whole— broaches a much more striking conversation. Cha Si-an hinted at the price of stardom and the inappropriate parasocial relationships some fans have with celebrities, but Idol I is a brutally honest depiction of fame.
Idol I Is Much Darker Than Her Private Life
The Netflix K-Drama Centers On A Fatal Mystery
Despite touching on similar themes, Her Private Life plants itself firmly in lighthearted rom-com territory, while Idol I takes a bold swing by juxtaposing Se-na’s fangirling with an active murder investigation. As a result, Idol I is more of a mysterious K-drama whodunit, with multiple plausible suspects popping up each episode.
Aside from the gruesome killing that kickstarts the plot, Idol I also takes a critical look at fan culture— specifically how obsessive “sasaeng” fans put their supposed idols in danger via stalking, breaking and entering, and even tampering with a car. From its dramatic legal battle to its pithy social commentary, Idol I is far deeper than Her Private Life.
Could Idol I Be Better Than Her Private Life?
Both Dramas Offer Something Unique
The tonal differences don’t necessarily give one title a leg-up, of course. Her Private Life and Idol I have the same core idea as K-dramas about secret identities and fan culture, but the two series have vastly different approaches to their portrayal of fanaticism. Consequently, Her Private Life and Idol I have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Her Private Life is easily accessible, especially for viewers who may not be aware of the K-pop industry — which, in turn, means its plot is surface-level. Conversely, Idol I goes deep into the price of fame, but its serious content matter makes it more demanding to watch. Nonetheless, both dramas are fundamental for K-pop fans and critics alike.
English (US) ·