What if everything that your small town had to offer you was lavished on your upbringing and education? What if from humble beginnings you were accepted into one of the best universities in the country? What if after graduation you kind of disappeared for a while, only to reappear in your hometown without any semblance of a career? How would everybody back home react to the return of the prodigal? You might think that I am referring to Rory Gilmore on her return to Stars Hollow in A Year in the Life. But no, I am reviewing the South Korean series Hometown Cha Cha Cha (갯마을 차차차).
Hometown Cha Cha Cha is directed by Yoo Je-won (유제원) and written by Sin Ha-eun (신하은). The show stars Kim Seon-ho as Hong Du-sik, and Shin Min-ah as Yoon Hye-Jin. Kim Seon-ho is the same actor who played Mr. Han in Start-up. He plays a very similar role in this series, except that this time he does get the girl.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha is a very successful romantic comedy. It first aired from August 28 to October 17, 2021 on tvN. It was the highest rated series on cable in television history — so far.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha reminds me of a lot of other shows. It’s a little bit like Northern Exposure, except with a female dentist instead of a male doctor and a male jack-of-all-trades, instead of a female pilot. Its storyline is a lot like Start-Up, except that instead of just one cute grandmother for our hero to dote over, there are actually three grandmothers!
Hometown Cha Cha Cha has a multigenerational cast, including elderly people, small children, young adults and older adults in their thirties, forties and fifties.
Ju-Ri is the k-pop idol loving daughter of the musically inclined cafe owner.
Bo-Ra is the spunky daughter of the owners of the local supermarket, named after her. Yi-Jun is the math genius son of the divorced couple, whose reason for divorcing is a big mystery. There are actually three mysteries to solve in this series: 3. Why the divorce? 2. Who won the lottery? and 1. Why did Hong Du-sik return home to live on minimum wage as a jack of all trades, when he went to the best university and graduated with honors as an engineer?
But an even greater mystery is this: what does cha cha cha mean? If you are really curious, follow this link: Cha Cha Cha explained! And translated…
The small town supporting cast reminds me of Gilmore Girls‘ denizens of Stars Hollow. The fictional seaside town of Gongjin is actually based on Pohang, South Korea.
Despite featuring a multigenerational cast, Hometown Cha Cha Cha shows us no intact three generation families living together in idyllic Gongjin. The grandmothers all have children and grandchildren who have moved away to the big city or to live abroad. The young couples with school age children do not appear to have any parents living in Gongjin. Our hero, Chief Hong, is an orphan who lost his parents and his grandparents, and who was raised by the village at large. Small town life in this series is almost a fractured fairy tale.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha has a lot of borrowings from many different shows, but it is not an exact copy of any of them. It is a pleasant romantic comedy with something for everyone. There is nothing in any part of the story that would offend anyone. It is fun to watch but not very deep.
Watch my discussion with Julia Hanna for a more detailed analysis.
