I. Introduction
Sweet Home is a South Korean apocalyptic horror streaming television series starring Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young and Lee Do-hyun. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, which recorded over 2.1 billion net views, on November 18, 2020, Netflix released a trailer for the series announcing that Sweet Home would premiere on December 18.
II. Synopsis
Based on webcomic Sweet Home by Kim Kan-Bi & Hwang Young-Chan. After an unexpected family tragedy, Cha Hyun-soo decided to leave his home and move into an apartment where monsters are trying to wipe out humanity. People inside the apartment are trapped inside the building, realizing that monsters are lurking everywhere outside. Hyun-soo and other residents shield themselves inside the building in hopes of surviving as long as they could.
III. Developments & Productions
The series spent most of its budget, with each episode costing $2.7 million. Principal photography began in September 2019 and filming was completed in February 2020. The set spread over 11,500 square meters where more than 90% of the series was filmed. Although filming had already started, Netflix officially announced the series' lineup on December 18, 2019, with Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook and Lee Si-young in lead roles, and Lee Do-hyun, Kim Nam-hee, Go Min-si, Park Gyu-young, Go Yoon-jung, Kim Kap-soo and Kim Sang-ho as part of the ensemble cast.
IV. Teaser & Trailer
V. Episodes
VI. OSTs
VII. Reception
Sweet Home is the first South Korean series to enter Netflix Top 10 in the United States, reaching the top 3 with critical responses. Three days after its release, the series ranked #1 in 8 regions and was within the Top 10 in 42 regions. The show was viewed by 22 million paid subscribers worldwide in the first 4 weeks of its release and appeared in the Netflix top 10 in more than 70 countries. It currently holds the scores of 8.8 on Mydramalist, & 7.4 on IMDB.
VIII. The Times of India
Kavya Christopher of The Times of India gave a rating of 4/5 and said - One does not need to be a lover of the horror genre to enjoy this series, thanks to the many underlying plots of the various characters – both big and small. The action is superb, to say the least, and the drama is endearing at various levels.
VIIII. Decider
Joel Keller of Decider said that - Despite its flaws and a premise we’ve seen before, Sweet Home distinguishes itself by its setting and its monsters. We will see if the drama between the survivors will keep us watching.
VIIIII. South China Morning Post
Pierce Conran of South China Morning Post gave a rating of 3/5, saying that - Despite a breathless opening episode and some grisly fun throughout, Sweet Home does not provide much of a story for viewers to get hooked on.
VIIIV. Bloody Disgusting
In another mixed review, Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting said that - What sprints out of the gate and sets up an exciting creature-filled horror series quickly comes to a slow crawl zombie apocalypse that we’ve seen many times before. It just swaps out the zombies for monsters.
VIIV. ReadySteadyCut
Similarly, Jonathan Wilson from Ready Steady Cut said that - Sweet Home gets off to a racing start and never really lets up, leading to a frantic, messy, but ultimately enjoyable binge-watch.
VIII. Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor (TV) | Song Kang | Nominated |
2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress (TV) | Park Gyu-young | Nominated |
2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Technical Award (Visual effects) | Lee Byung-joo | Nominated |
2021 | Asia Contents Awards | ACA Excellence Award | Song Kang | Won |
2021 | Asia Contents Awards | Best OTT Original | Sweet Home | Nominated |
2021 | Asia Contents Awards | Technical Achievement Award | Sweet Home | Nominated |
2021 | Asia Contents Awards | Creative Beyond Border | Sweet Home | Nominated |
2021 | Asia Contents Awards | Best Actress | Lee Si-young | Nominated |
2021 | Asia Contents Awards | Best Newcomer Actress | Go Min-si | Won |
2021 | Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Actress | Lee Si-young | Pending |
2021 | Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Lee Do-hyun | Pending |
2021 | Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Supporing Actress | Go Min-si | Pending |
2021 | Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Direction | Lee Eung-bok | Pending |
2021 | Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Visual OR Special in TV Series OR Feature Film | Sweet Home | Pending |
2021 | Seoul International Drama Awards | Outstanding Korean Actor | Song Kang | Pending |
2021 | Seoul International Drama Awards | Outstanding Korean Actor | Lee Do-hyun | Pending |
2021 | Seoul International Drama Awards | Outstanding Korean Drama | Sweet Home | Pending |