# Come Back Alive (2016)

> A man worked to death returns to life by possessing a handsome stranger for a limited time.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/57789

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama, fantasy
- Network: SBS
- Cast: Rain, Oh Yeon-seo, Kim In-kwon, Kim Soo-ro, Lee Min-jung, Lee Hanee, Choi Won-young, Yoon Park
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5497708/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: wistful, witty, tender, breezy

## What critics say

Critics broadly found Come Back Alive a charming, well-acted supernatural romantic comedy whose lead performance carries a sometimes uneven story.

## Synopsis

Come Back Alive is a South Korean fantasy comedy-drama series that aired on SBS in 2016 as a single-season limited run of sixteen hour-long episodes. After being literally worked to death, a hard-driving man named Lee Hae Joon, played by Rain, returns to life by possessing the body of a handsome stranger, Kim Young Soo, for a limited time. The engine of the show is a race against a ticking clock: the wronged spirit must settle unfinished business and clear his name before the borrowed body slips away, while navigating the messy lives of the people around him. Each episode blends slapstick and sharp workplace friction with romance and quiet sorrow over a life spent chasing success. Set in contemporary Seoul, it leans on the emotional register of a Korean television romance, funny and wistful by turns. Its supernatural premise is played with warmth, and its tender undertone gives the comedy a melancholy edge that lingers after each episode ends.

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