TV
REVIEW: Oh My Venus: Shin Min-a and So Ji-sub Bring the Sparks to This Charming Romcom
Something about the premise of Oh My Venus grabbed me right away. It’s a rom-com about a woman carrying a few extra pounds who decides to shed some after the love of her life resurfaces. To pull it off, she recruits the help of one of the most rigid men in K-drama history; seriously, the guy barely cracks a smile. As you’d expect, these two end up falling for each other. There’s also an intriguing subplot involving his family business, though unlike other shows that might pile on the drama, this one was just fine. I did like how it all gets resolved in the end, though.
Like any great rom-com, Oh My Venus lives and dies on the shoulders of its leads, and thankfully Shin Min-a and So Ji-sub are genuinely great, both separately and together. Shin brings a quirky charm as this upbeat woman with a playful side that contrasts really well with So’s deadpan, comically serious persona. She’s all laughs; he’s all furrowed brow. And yet, thanks to really good direction and writing, not to mention his performance, you end up drawn to him and invested, and he makes for a great romantic lead. The chemistry between them is very much the heart as every scene where they butt heads, tease each other, or awkwardly inch closer has that blend of sweetness and comedy that makes you want to see them together.
The supporting cast is pretty solid too. It took me a while to get used to Henry’s almost childlike energy, but he turned out to be a great source of comic relief. Yoo In-young’s subplot was decent, though it got a bit repetitive. The characters orbiting the couple add color and variety, and help make the world of the show feel populated by people with personalities of their own.
The humor overall worked really well and got a few genuine big laughs out of me. I’m curious what a certain group of viewers will make of Young-ho constantly talking and acting like he owns Joo-eun’s body. It’s played for laughs, and somehow the show manages to keep him charming enough, but I can see how some people would find it cringey, if not outright problematic. It’s the kind of element that ages unevenly and deserves a critical eye, even if within the show’s lighthearted tone it’s treated as comedic exaggeration.
Thematically,the show touches lightly on societal pressure around appearance and self-esteem, and it does so with a gentler approach than a preachy one. The protagonist’s transformation isn’t framed as just a physical change, but as a journey toward self-confidence, and that perspective, simple as it is, gives the series a warmer heart than you might expect.
The pacing starts off a little slow and, at a certain point, risks losing steam. There are stretches where the family business plot and the side conflicts drag on without adding much, and with tighter editing the series would have hit harder. Still, it manages to recover and find its footing on the way to a strong final stretch.
On the technical side, Oh My Venus delivers with confidence, with bright cinematography, polished sets, and a soundtrack that supports the romantic and comedic beats without overpowering them.
All in all, Oh My Venus is a pretty entertaining rom-com, held up by two great lead performances. It starts off slow and at times is in danger of running out of gas, but it finds a way to stick the landing.
News
Breckin Meyer Returns for ‘Clueless’ Reboot, Joining the Writing Team Alongside Alicia Silverstone
The Clueless reunion is getting another familiar face as Breckin Meyer is set to reprise his role as Travis Birkenstock in Paramount+’s upcoming limited series reboot, and he’s also stepping behind the scenes as part of the show’s writing team.
The actor recently revealed the news during an appearance on the One Question podcast, where he discussed returning to the character he first played in Amy Heckerling’s beloved 1995 comedy. Meyer shared that he has already been involved in the writers’ room, describing the opportunity to both act and write as the ultimate combination of his creative interests. Revisiting a character he portrayed three decades ago has also given him the chance to imagine what Travis might be like today.
Meyer said he became curious about the direction of the new series when the project first came together. After reading the material, however, he found the concept interesting enough to want to get involved.
The six-episode Paramount+ series will also bring back Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz. Set 30 years after the original film, the story finds Cher successful in business and seemingly having mastered motherhood. That changes when her daughter reaches high school, forcing Cher to navigate the challenges of raising a teenager and leaving her feeling clueless all over again.
The original Clueless also inspired an ABC television adaptation, although neither Silverstone nor Meyer reprised their film roles. Stacey Dash, Donald Faison, Elisa Donovan and Wallace Shawn did return for the series, while Meyer later made a guest appearance as a different character named Harrison.
The new series is expected to begin filming in 2027. Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Jordan Weiss are writing, with Schwartz and Savage executive producing through their Fake Empire banner. Weiss, Silverstone, Heckerling and original film producer Robert Lawrence are also executive producers.
With Silverstone and Meyer returning to the world of Clueless, the revival is bringing back another piece of the original film’s charm while introducing a new generation of Beverly Hills teenagers.
News
HBO Max and Paramount+ Bundle Set to Launch in Early 2027, Skydance CEO Confirms
The streaming landscape is about to get another major shake-up. Skydance CEO David Ellison has confirmed that a bundle combining HBO Max and Paramount+ is expected to launch in early 2027, marking the first major step toward bringing the two streaming platforms together following the company’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
The bundle has been discussed previously, but its expected launch window was revealed Monday in Ellison’s letter to shareholders, alongside the company’s third-quarter financial results. Pricing details have yet to be announced, although consumers can likely expect a financial incentive to subscribe to both services together rather than pay for them separately, following a model already adopted by other major entertainment companies.
During a conference call with Wall Street analysts, Ellison described the bundle as the first step toward unifying the two platforms. He expects the combined offering to appeal to a broad audience, bringing together entertainment, news and sports programming, including major titles such as Harry Potter, The Pitt, Mayor of Kingstown and Landman.
Ellison also emphasized that HBO Max and Paramount+ complement each other, reaching different consumer demographics and regions. By combining their offerings, the company hopes to increase engagement, improve subscriber retention and boost revenue and profitability, while remaining competitive with the industry’s leading streaming services.
Together, the platforms currently reach approximately 203 million subscribers. While that figure still trails Netflix, it puts the combined business in a more competitive position alongside Disney and Amazon Prime Video.
As the company moves toward deeper integration, Skydance plans to introduce new pricing options gradually, taking consumer feedback into account while continuing to grow both services.
The $110 billion merger involving Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which brought the companies together under Skydance, closed in early October. As a result, the third-quarter earnings report, covering July through September, offers only a partial picture of the newly combined business. Still, one pro forma metric showed that the direct-to-consumer division’s revenue increased 15% year over year in the third quarter, based on a hypothetical scenario in which the merger had been completed on January 1, 2025.
Looking ahead, Skydance expects continued strong direct-to-consumer revenue growth in the fourth quarter. The company also anticipates that, by 2030, a meaningful majority of its revenue and profits will come from streaming and studio operations rather than traditional television, as linear viewing and advertising continue to decline.
Although the immediate plan is to keep HBO Max and Paramount+ operating separately, Ellison has repeatedly made clear that the long-term goal is to combine them into a single streaming service. That transition, however, will take time, given the technological and strategic challenges involved.
The upcoming bundle is therefore an important first move toward that larger ambition. Warner Bros. Discovery had already explored several partnerships to expand HBO Max’s reach, including a package combining the service with Disney+ and Hulu. The new Paramount+ partnership takes that strategy a significant step further, bringing two major streaming libraries under the same subscription offering.
News
Netflix Lands Romantic Dramedy From ‘Hart of Dixie’ Creator Leila Gerstein
Netflix is heading to a small New England town for a romantic dramedy with a larger-than-life wedding at its center. The streamer has acquired the pitch for a new series from Hart of Dixie creator Leila Gerstein, who will write and executive produce the project.
The story follows the residents of a quiet New England community whose lives are thrown into chaos when their town unexpectedly becomes the setting for the wedding of the world’s biggest pop star and the world’s biggest athlete. The celebrity couple will be fictional, but the disruption they bring to this small-town community promises plenty of potential for comedy, romance and drama.
Bradley Gardner will also executive produce through his Busy B Entertainment banner. Netflix representatives declined to comment on the project.
Gerstein has an extensive television résumé, having created and developed several series over the years. She created Hart of Dixie, which ran for four seasons on The CW and has recently experienced a significant surge in viewership on Pluto TV. She also created and served as showrunner on Hulu’s Saint X, based on the novel of the same name.
Her television career began with writing work on The O.C. and Gossip Girl. Since then, she has contributed to acclaimed series including The Handmaid’s Tale—for which she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe—as well as Mrs. America and Looking for Alaska.
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