Let’s talk ‘Nollywood and K-dramas again. And before you judge me by my title and start sharpening pitchforks, I am not here to bash Nollywood.

Nollywood was and is home for most of us before we started riding the hallyu wave, so no disrespect to our childhood sweetheart.

But you know what? I recently realized something while bingeing K-dramas all day (yes, my sleep schedule is between me and God). The Koreans have mastered certain storytelling tricks that Nollywood could borrow, not steal o, just borrow small, so our movies can have that extra spice without losing their Naija flavor.

Here are five lessons K-dramas could teach Nollywood.

The Art of ‘Don’t Waste My Time,’ Pacing

K-dramas do not play with time, especially Sageuks. First episode, 10 minutes in, we already know why we are here, in most cases. Either somebody is in trouble, there’s a coup in the palace, someone just kidnapped the prince, etc and you’re hooked before you can even grab popcorn.

In Nollywood, sometimes, we will spend 30 minutes establishing that Mama Nkechi sells tomatoes. Yes, we know she sells tomatoes. You showed us twice already. Can we go to the main point, sir?  

If Nollywood brought in that K-Drama speed but still kept our local flavor, by the 10-minute mark, we should already be asking, “Ah-ah, what’s going to happen next?” instead of “Wait, how many more parts is this film?”

Plot Twists that actually twist

K-dramas will serve you plot twists like breakfast, and it will be piping hot. The side character we ignored will be the real villain, the cute romance we are rooting for, they will tell us they are long-lost siblings, and almost all the time, we never saw it coming, but it makes perfect sense.

Nollywood can do this too, but sometimes our twist feels like the director just remembered to add drama at the last minute, or sometimes the twist will be so predictable that it loses its gasp-worthiness.

Let’s give viewers twists that make people WhatsApp their friends immediately with Did you see that coming? vibes. Not random confusion, but the kind of twist that makes you go back and rewatch like, “Ehn? So that’s why he said that in episode two!”

Comedy That Slaps, Even in Serious Moments

K-dramas sure know how to balance heavy scenes with perfectly timed humor. I mean, someone might be crying in the hospital, but then the best friend comes in with slippers on the wrong foot, and that right there is an emotional relief.

Although Nollywood has always been funny, sometimes they dump all the comedy in one “comedic relief” character, and it becomes too much and uninteresting.

What if, instead, we sprinkle subtle, smart humor throughout?

Side Characters Who Actually Have Sense

In K-dramas, everybody has a backstory. You’ll find yourself rooting for the taxi driver more than the lead, and this makes the story richer because every scene feels alive.

Nollywood, on the other hand, sometimes treats side characters like moving furniture. They just put them there to fill space until the main actors come back on screen.

If we give our side characters more personality, we get more memorable moments and less dead air.

Endings That Don’t Feel Like ‘Abeg, Let’s Just Finish’

K-Drama finales are an event, and when the final credits roll, you’re satisfied, even if you cried.

Nollywood sometimes wraps things up like the cast and crew just got a call that their Uber is outside (forgive me). Abrupt endings make us feel cheated after investing hours. So let’s borrow that K-Drama patience for wrapping up stories neatly.

At the end of the day, Nollywood doesn’t need to become Korea 2.0. We have our own magic, energy, slang, and chaotic aunties that K-dramas definitely can’t stand against. But if we take these K-Drama tricks and remix them Naija-style, we’ll be unstoppable.

After all, if there’s one thing Nigerians know how to do, it’s upgrade something and make it ours.