Brilliant Legacy

A series of misunderstandings and unfortunate events conspire to shatter the once-promising life of girl from an affluent family.

Brilliant Legacy (2009) is a South Korean melodrama series created by So Hyun Kyung for SBS. Han Hyo-joo plays Go Eun Sung, a young woman from an affluent family whose promising life is shattered by a run of misunderstandings and unfortunate events, and Lee Seung-gi plays Sunwoo Hwan, a figure bound up in the tangled fallout. Moon Chae-won, Bae Soo-bin and Ban Hyo-jung round out the principal cast as rivals, relatives and family members whose loyalties and grudges keep pulling the story sideways. The engine of the show is a fall from privilege: a family dispute strips away status and security, and each episode turns on a new misstep, betrayal or secret that deepens the hardship. Told across a single season of twenty-eight episodes, the series moves through the familiar rhythms of Korean television romance and family drama, with heavy emotional swings, sudden reversals and a steady stream of tearful confrontations. Its tone is earnest and melodramatic, with moments of comedy threaded through the romance. Fans of Boys Over Flowers, Hotel King and Ma Boss will find resonance in its mix of class division, romantic entanglement and family conflict.

• Boys Over Flowersshared melodrama tones, riches to rags family reversal, romance driven korean drama
• Hotel Kingshared korean melodrama form, class divide romance, family dispute plotting
• Ma Bossshared melodramatic tone, family betrayal and reversal of fortune in a korean drama

Created by

So Hyun Kyung

Release Date

2009-04-25

Episode runtime

65 min

Rating

7.5 / 10 (18)

What is Brilliant Legacy about?

A girl from a wealthy family sees her once-promising life collapse through a chain of misunderstandings and family disputes.

What is Brilliant Legacy like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Brilliant Legacy as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Brilliant Legacy violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Brilliant Legacy.

Which shows are like Brilliant Legacy?

Shows with a similar feel include Boys Over Flowers, Hotel King, and Ma Boss.

How long is Brilliant Legacy?

Brilliant Legacy: 1 season, 28 episodes.

Is Brilliant Legacy still running?

No, Brilliant Legacy has ended.

Where can I watch Brilliant Legacy?

In United States, Brilliant Legacy streams on Rakuten Viki, OnDemandKorea, Kocowa Amazon Channel, Kocowa.