# The Penthouse (2020)

> Three women in Seoul's most luxurious penthouse will stop at nothing to protect their status and children after a murder shakes their elite world.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/83618

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 48
- Episode runtime: 70 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, mystery
- Created by: Kim Soon-ok
- Network: SBS
- Cast: Lee Ji-ah, Kim So-yeon, Eugene, Park Ho-san, Uhm Ki-joon, Shin Eun-kyung, On Ju-wan, Bong Tae-gyu
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13067118/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melodramatic, lurid, intense, bitter, soapy

## What critics say

Audiences rated the series positively, with its soap-style melodrama and revenge plotting drawing strong engagement across its seasons.

## Synopsis

Penthouse (2020-2021) is a South Korean television drama series created by Kim Soon-ok for SBS, a three-season serialized melodrama with a mystery engine. Set among the wealthy residents of Seoul's most luxurious penthouse apartment at the Hera tower, the story follows Shim Soo-ryun (Lee Ji-ah) and Cheon Seo-jin (Kim So-yeon), two mothers who will stop at nothing to protect their social standing and their children's futures. Their rivalry with Oh Yoon-hee (Eugene) and the building's wider circle of neighbors, including Joo Dan-tae (Uhm Ki-joon) and Kang Ma-ri (Shin Eun-kyung), turns every episode into a contest of schemes, secrets and reversals. A murder at Hera forces one mother to question her place in this elite society and sends her on a path of revenge, pulling the cast through escalating betrayals and family crises. Each episode ends on a hook, and the drama moves at a feverish clip through luxury interiors, boardroom threats and private humiliations. Its tone is lurid, intense and soapy, with a bitter undercurrent about class and motherhood. Fans of The Glory, Revenge and Gossip Girl will find resonance in its appetite for vengeful rich women and social warfare.

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