# Circle (2017)

> After aliens arrive, two time streams in 2017 and 2037 follow a utopian AI society and a plague-ridden ordinary Earth as their stories begin to connect.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/61717

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, mystery
- Created by: Min Jin-ki, Sang-yeon Park
- Network: tvN
- Cast: Yeo Jin-goo, Kim Kang-woo, Gong Seung-yeon, Lee Gi-kwang, Kwon Hyuk-soo, Ahn Woo-yeon, Kim Jung-ki, Min Sung-wook
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6666218/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: cerebral, eerie, tense, melancholic, intriguing

## Synopsis

Circle (2017) is a South Korean science fiction mystery series created by Min Jin-ki and Sang-yeon Park for tvN, produced by Studio Dragon. Across a single twelve-episode season, the story moves between two timelines, 2017 and 2037, following characters such as Kim Woo-Jin (Yeo Jin-goo) and Kim Joon-Hyuk (Kim Kang-woo) as their lives tangle across the divide. Han Jung-Yeon (Gong Seung-yeon) and Detective Oh (Kwon Hyuk-soo) are among the principal figures drawn into the mystery. The engine of the series is the slow pull between two worlds: a near-future Smart Earth where artificial intelligence has eliminated disease and crime, and an Ordinary Earth still scarred by plague and lawlessness. Each episode peels back another layer of the connection, with the premise of alien arrival hanging over the proceedings. The tone is intriguing and atmospheric, mixing unease with a sense of conspiratorial discovery. Fans of Dark and Signal will find resonance in its layered time-split puzzle and its questions about technology, control, and what a society gives up for safety. The result is a cerebral, compact Korean thriller that rewards close attention and a single binge-worthy season.

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