# W (더블유) (TV series)
**W (더블유)**, also known as *W – Two Worlds Apart*, is a 2016 South Korean television series broadcast by MBC, starring [Lee Jong-suk](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-jong-suk) and [Han Hyo-joo](https://www.edgepedia.org/han-hyo-joo), in which a heart surgeon is pulled into the fictional world of a hit webtoon (Korean digital comic, read by scrolling vertically) and crosses between that world and reality[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html). The series ran for 16 episodes of about 70 minutes each in MBC's Wednesday-Thursday prime-time slot, from July 20 to September 14, 2016[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html) • [2](https://m.imbc.com/Program/1003357100000100000). It was directed by Jung Dae-yoon and written by Song Jae-jung[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native title | 더블유 (Deobeulyu); alternative titles include W – Two Worlds and W-두 개의 세계[3](https://koreandrama.org/k-dramas/w/) |
| Broadcast | MBC, July 20 – September 14, 2016, 16 episodes, about 70 minutes each[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html) • [2](https://m.imbc.com/Program/1003357100000100000) |
| Genre | Romance, fantasy, thriller[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html) |
| Main cast | Han Hyo-joo, Lee Jong-suk, Kim Ui-seong, Jung Yoo-jin, Lee Tae-hwan[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html) |
| Peak rating | 12.9% for episode 3 (Nielsen Korea), ahead of rival Uncontrollably Fond at 8.6%[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w) |
| 2016 MBC Drama Awards | Seven awards, including Drama of the Year, Writer of the Year, Best Couple, and the Daesang for Lee Jong-suk[5](https://enews.imbc.com/News/RetrieveNewsInfo/196283) |
## Premise
The story centers on the collision of two worlds. Oh Yeon-joo (Han Hyo-joo) is a second-year resident in thoracic surgery at a general hospital, working overnight shifts with no time for romance[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html). When her father, a famous comic book artist, goes missing, she goes to his studio and is kidnapped by a blood-covered stranger; as a doctor she saves the man's life, then realizes he is not from her world[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html). The man is Kang Chul (Lee Jong-suk), the protagonist of the webtoon *W*, a young wealthy entrepreneur and Olympic gold medalist determined to solve the mystery of his family's murder[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w) • [6](https://corporate.televisaunivision.com/press/2025/08/06/hit-korean-drama-w-dos-mundos-premieres-on-unimas-august-13-at-10-p-m-et-9-p-m-ct/amp/).
Crossing between the real world and the virtual world of the webtoon produces unexpected situations, conflict, and danger[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html). In episode 4, Kang Chul realizes that his world is not real, and when the cartoonist, Oh Yeon-joo's father, tries to kill him, Kang defies his creator's intention and decides to come out into the real world[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w). The webtoon's artist Oh Sung-moo (Kim Ui-seong) is a central figure in the later plot, at one point writing a happy ending for *W* and, in the finale, vanishing along with his tablet and wedding ring as the comic is completed[7](https://the-dramas.fandom.com/wiki/W_Two_Worlds) • [2](https://m.imbc.com/Program/1003357100000100000).
## Production and creative approach
The series was written by Song Jae-jung, whose earlier work includes the 2013 science-fiction romance *Nine: Nine Time Travels*; culture critics cited her time-slip storytelling as the reason the reality-crossing plot held together at a fast pace[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w). Although many Korean dramas had been adapted from webcomics, *W* was not based on a real webcomic; the webtoon seen on screen was created as a prop for the drama, and the series engaged with the medium dynamically rather than adapting an existing title[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w). Fans nevertheless called for the fictional webcomic to be released as a real series[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w).
A first-episode review in Ten Asia described the premiere as moving quickly through Kang Chul's backstory, from youngest Olympic gold medalist, to a murder accusation and acquittal after a year in detention, to a suicide attempt interrupted by the word "comeback win" and his resolve to find the real culprit[8](https://v.daum.net/v/20160721070107762).
## Reception
**Ratings and buzz.** The premiere on July 20, 2016 drew immediate attention, and within its first week the series reached first place in weekly TV buzz rankings[9](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/187820). In its third episode, aired July 27, it recorded 12.9% viewership according to Nielsen Korea, overtaking the KBS romance drama *[Uncontrollably Fond](https://www.edgepedia.org/uncontrollably-fond)* (8.6%) in the Wednesday-Thursday slot, and held the same figure for episode 4[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w). It also led its rivals on the Content Power Index, a CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea measure combining internet news subscriptions, direct searches, and social media buzz[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w). Gooddata's July 2016 weekly buzz data put MBC first among broadcasters in the drama category with a 26.3% share, up 7.7 percentage points from the previous week, an increase the report attributed largely to *W*[9](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/187820).
**Quality survey.** In MBC's 2016 program quality evaluation (QI), conducted with 3,015 viewers aged 13 to 69, *W* ranked second among MBC dramas[10](https://with.mbc.co.kr/public/report/qi/2016.html).
**Awards.** At the 2016 MBC Drama Awards on December 30, 2016, *W* took seven awards: Drama of the Year, Writer of the Year for Song Jae-jung, the Golden Acting Award (miniseries) for Kim Ui-seong, Best Couple and Top Excellence in Acting (miniseries) for Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo, and the Daesang (Grand Prize) for Lee Jong-suk[5](https://enews.imbc.com/News/RetrieveNewsInfo/196283).
## International distribution
The series has circulated internationally under several titles. MBC's global catalog lists it in Japanese as *W – 二つの世界* and in Chinese as *W–两个世界*, with the same 16-episode, 70-minute format[11](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64287.html) • [12](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64286.html). It streams with English subtitles on platforms including Viki and WeTV[13](https://wetv.vip/en/play/jxysdqa2d5u973d/s0034uueaaj-EP4%3A_W_-_Dois_Mundos) • [14](https://www.viki.com/collections/112598l-w-two-worlds). In August 2025 the drama premiered on the Spanish-language US network UNIMÁS as *W Dos Mundos*, airing August 13 at 10 p.m. ET[6](https://corporate.televisaunivision.com/press/2025/08/06/hit-korean-drama-w-dos-mundos-premieres-on-unimas-august-13-at-10-p-m-et-9-p-m-ct/amp/). A Japanese festival feature on the series, *W -二つの世界-*, has also been presented by MYJCOM[15](https://www2.myjcom.jp/special/tv/hanryu/feature/w/).
## Legacy
The series is frequently cited as an early example of a [Korean drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-drama) built around a webtoon's fictional world rather than an adaptation of one, and its premise of a character defying his creator's plot has been noted in later discussions of metafictional K-drama storytelling[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w). MBC's own retrospective programming included a special broadcast, *W 끝나지 않은 이야기* ("W: An Unfinished Story"), on September 17, 2016, and a 2017 rewatch special[2](https://m.imbc.com/Program/1003357100000100000).
## References
1. [W – Two Worlds Apart, MBC Global Media](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64285.html)
2. [W(더블유) program page, MBC](https://m.imbc.com/Program/1003357100000100000)
3. [W – KoreanDrama.org](https://koreandrama.org/k-dramas/w/)
4. [Reality and webcomic world collide in 'W', The Korea Times (August 3, 2016)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20160803/reality-and-webcomic-world-collide-in-w)
5. [2016 MBC 연기대상 종합, iMBC News (December 31, 2016)](https://enews.imbc.com/News/RetrieveNewsInfo/196283)
6. [Hit Korean Drama "W Dos Mundos" Premieres on UNIMÁS, TelevisaUnivision press release](https://corporate.televisaunivision.com/press/2025/08/06/hit-korean-drama-w-dos-mundos-premieres-on-unimas-august-13-at-10-p-m-et-9-p-m-ct/amp/)
7. [W Two Worlds, Dramas Wiki (Fandom)](https://the-dramas.fandom.com/wiki/W_Two_Worlds)
8. [첫방 W① 폭발한 상상력, Ten Asia via Daum (July 21, 2016)](https://v.daum.net/v/20160721070107762)
9. [MBC 킬러 콘텐츠들, iMBC News (July 26, 2016)](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/187820)
10. [2016년 프로그램 품질평가(QI)조사, MBC](https://with.mbc.co.kr/public/report/qi/2016.html)
11. [W – 二つの世界, MBC Global Media](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64287.html)
12. [W–两个世界, MBC Global Media](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/2860433_64286.html)
13. [W – Two Worlds EP4, WeTV](https://wetv.vip/en/play/jxysdqa2d5u973d/s0034uueaaj-EP4%3A_W_-_Dois_Mundos)
14. [W Two Worlds collection, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/collections/112598l-w-two-worlds)
15. [「W -二つの世界-」特集, MYJCOM 韓流まつり](https://www2.myjcom.jp/special/tv/hanryu/feature/w/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction series › Premiered 2010 to 2022*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license