Perhaps the world of married couples, when seen up close, is too complicated and sensitive, and even raw at times, making it difficult to share with everyone.

The first six episodes of JTBC’s upcoming drama “The World of the Married” have been rated R, not because they include sexual or violent scenes but because they were too real, the new series’ producer Mo Wan-il said during the press conference held on Thursday.

“It’s a story about a married couple and the overall setting of the drama couldn’t be dealt with lightly. The ratings weren’t given based on the violence or the sexual elements, but because the actors’ portrayal (of married life) were too realistic that the scenes seemed more tense, grave and sensational,” Mo said.

“We decided to not limit ourselves until episode six and really go head-on with portraying the real emotions.”

Adapted from the smash-hit BBC series “Doctor Foster,” the upcoming show tells the story of how the relationship of a married couple turns into a whirlwind of revenge following the betrayal of one another.

Veteran actress Kim Hee-ae is returning to the small screen in four years as Ji Sun-woo, a doctor who is married to a film director and businessman Lee Tae-oh. Sun-woo finds out that Tae-oh, played by actor Park Hae-joon, has betrayed her and fallen into a dangerous affair.

Kim has previously taken up another lead role in JTBC’s 2010 drama “Secret Affair,” another melodrama featuring Yoo Ah-in as Kim’s much younger lover.

Producer Mo, who also directed JTBC’s hit romance-thriller “Misty” two years ago, said the Korean remake is different from the British original in some aspects.

“While the original is focused more on the main character, in adapting the story for the Korean drama, we wanted to portray a whirlwind of emotions to rage around the main character and the people around her,” Mo said.

This adjustment also led to the different title.

“The focus is not just on the person, but the relationships in which she is involved. Marriage and the married -- that’s how the title became ‘The World of the Married,’” he said.

The 16-episode series will also feature actors Park Sun-young, Kim Yeong-min, Lee Gyeung-young and Kim Seon-kyeong as two other married couples who have their own secrets.

“The World of the Married” will air Fridays and Saturdays at 10:50 p.m. starting this week.



By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)