Korean entertainment company CJ ENM has earned two nominations at the Asian Television Awards 2023 for its drama Little Women, starring Kim Go-eun, Wi Ha-jun, Nam Ji-hyun and Park Ji-hu, and the drama Island, starring Kim Nam Gil, Lee Da-hee and Cha Eun-woo.

Little Women, which aired on Netflix
NFLX
, is nominated for the Best Drama Series and Island, which aired on Prime Video globally and CJ ENM-owned streaming platform TVING in South Korea, is nominated for the Best Original Digital Drama Series. In 2021, the CJENM series Vincenzo, starring Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-been, won the Best Drama Series in the same award ceremony.

Produced by CJ ENM’s Studio Dragon, Little Women is the story of three sisters who were raised in crippling poverty and must take on the richest and most influential family in South Korea. Oh In-joo, played by Kim Go-eun, is the oldest sister. Her priority is living an ordinary life and she’s focused on making money. Oh In-kyung, played by Nam Ji-hyun, is the middle sister. She is an enthusiastic reporter at a news station, who values doing the right thing over making money. Oh In-hye, played by Park Ji-Hu, is the youngest of the three sisters and an art student. She longs to distance herself from her overly solicitous sisters, but in doing so gets involved with the wrong family. The story was directed by the art director Ryu Sung-hee known for her work in the films The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave. The drama was nominated for four awards at the 2023 Baeksang Arts Awards, winning a technical award for Ryu.

Island, which previously received a formal invitation to the 2023 Cannes International Series Festival in the Rendezvous screening session, has been nominated in the Best Original Digital Drama Series category. Also produced by Studio Dragon, the drama is based on a graphic novel and webtoon series set on Korea’s Jeju Island. The story taps into local legends and folklore and the characters must battle supernatural forces that would try to destroy the world. Kim Nam-gil plays Ban, who was raised to protect the world from supernatural threats. Lee plays Won Mi-ho, a teacher, while Cha plays John, a Catholic priest who performs exorcisms. The title was constantly ranked in the Top 10 on both TVING and Prime Video, highlighting its global appeal. The drama won Best Original Productions By A Streamer/OTT award at the 2023 Asian Academy Awards.

“We are sincerely grateful for all the recognition that these two well-made titles, Little Women and Island, have received through the 28th Asian Television Awards nominations,” said Sehee Jang, the head of global marketing at CJ ENM.

The Asian Television Awards were launched in 1996 to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. The 28th award show will take place on Jan 12 and 13, 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam