# Sisyphus (2021)

> A genius engineer is drawn into dangerous secrets after a mysterious incident and a woman from the future arrives searching for him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/94680

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 72 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, thriller, mystery
- Network: JTBC
- Cast: Cho Seung-woo, Park Shin-hye, Chae Jong-hyeop, Sung Dong-il, Tae In-ho, Tae Won-seok, Jeon Kuk-hwan, Heo Joon-seok
- TMDB rating: 7.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13715448/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, brooding, suspenseful, paranoid

## What critics say

Audiences find the ambitious time-travel conspiracy story bold in concept but overstretched in execution, with a mixed verdict on its sprawling plotting.

## Synopsis

Sisyphus (2021) is a South Korean science fiction thriller series created for JTBC, a single-season run of sixteen episodes. Cho Seung-woo plays Han Tae-sul, a brilliant engineer whose life is upended after an unfathomable incident exposes him to dangerous secrets about the world. Park Shin-hye stars as Gang Seo-hae, a woman who has arrived from the future looking for him. Chae Jong-hyeop, Sung Dong-il and Tae In-ho round out the principal cast as figures drawn into the investigation. Each episode weaves a layered mystery across time, with the present-day investigation and the future dystopia slowly converging. The engine of the show is a race to understand what the incident means and who controls the knowledge behind it, with characters trading information, following leads and confronting hidden powers. The story unfolds in a tense, brooding register, with suspense and a dread about the future shaping every scene. Fans of Dark, Travelers and Kingdom will find resonance in its blend of time travel, conspiracy and high-concept science fiction. Its mixed reception reflects a series that aims high and occasionally stretches its ambitions across its complex, densely plotted run.

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