Secret Garden

A wealthy young man and a poor stunt woman fall for each other, but when their souls swap they soon learn how different their two worlds are.

Secret Garden (2010-2011) is a South Korean television romantic comedy created by Kim Eun-sook for SBS, a one-season k-drama of twenty episodes. Hyun Bin plays wealthy young man Kim Joo-won and Ha Ji-won plays poor stunt woman Gil Ra-im, whose souls swap after a supernatural accident and leave each of them living inside the other's life. Principal supporting roles go to Yoon Sang-hyun as Choi Woo-young, Kim Sa-rang as Yoon Seul, and Lee Jong-suk as Han Tae-sun, whose entanglements complicate the romance. The engine of the show is the gulf between two worlds: a privileged heir who has never had to fend for himself and a working woman who must survive inside a household she never expected to inhabit. Each episode mixes everyday comic mishaps with the gradual pull of attraction, and the story keeps returning to family pressure, class snobbery, and the question of who each character truly is. Set in contemporary Seoul among chaebol families and their staff, the series plays with fantasy in a grounded, warm register. Its tone is gentle, playful and sincere, closer to a heartwarming romance than a melodrama. Fans of Boys Over Flowers, Coffee Prince and Goblin will find resonance in its blend of class-divide romance, supernatural whimsy and light comedy.

Viewers broadly praise the performances, chemistry and heartwarming story, while finding the premise familiar; audience reception is positive.

• Coffee Princeshared romantic comedy tone, class-divide romance, and fantasy premise driven by a supernatural twist
• Boys Over Flowersshared Korean romantic drama tradition, class gap love story, and gentle comedic tone
• Freaky Fridayshared body swap premise and romantic comedy warmth between a rich and a working-class lead
• Goblinshared fantasy romance with a magical device separating and bonding two lovers across worlds

Created by

Kim Eun-sook

Release Date

2010-11-13

Episode runtime

62 min

Rating

8.0 / 10 (143)

What is Secret Garden about?

A wealthy young man and a poor stunt woman discover their souls have swapped bodies and must navigate the gulf between their worlds.

What is Secret Garden like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Secret Garden as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Secret Garden violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Secret Garden.

What did critics think of Secret Garden?

Viewers broadly praise the performances, chemistry and heartwarming story, while finding the premise familiar; audience reception is positive.

Which shows are like Secret Garden?

Shows with a similar feel include Coffee Prince, Boys Over Flowers, Freaky Friday, and Goblin.

How long is Secret Garden?

Secret Garden: 1 season, 20 episodes.

Is Secret Garden still running?

No, Secret Garden has ended.

Where can I watch Secret Garden?

In United States, Secret Garden streams on Netflix, Rakuten Viki, OnDemandKorea, Netflix Standard with Ads, Kocowa Amazon Channel, WeTV.