Chief of Staff (2019) User Reviews

Power corrupts

[alaningle7 · 8/10 · 22 September 2021]

Lee Jung Jae plays a chief of staff trying to change a corrupt system with the help of the beautiful Shin Min Ah, an assemblywoman of the opposing party. In this well acted drama he is faced with the dilemma that to change the system he has to stoop as low as the people he despises. Well paced with a story that holds the attention and an excellent supporting cast.

Excellent Political Thriller

[wheatley-20230 · 9/10 · 29 December 2021]

It can be impossible to follow a complex plot in a foreign language with unrecognisable names. But persevere into episode 3 and the political shenanigans start to become clearer. If you stick with it you will be rewarded.

Many of the strengths of Korean drama are on display here: deft plotting with twists and turns galore; superb acting by all involved; and high production values.

The moral conundrum at the heart of the story serves to raise this a notch higher in my estimation. Highly recommended.

Addictive

[jayagobi · 8/10 · 11 December 2019]

A series that you can't seem to stop watching. Always have the urge to know who outwits the other.

Political series at its best!

[balletteacher · 10/10 · 8 March 2022]

I love K dramas AND political themes! CHIEF OF STAFF proved to be another excellently paced thriller starring some powerful actors and convincing co-stars. Lee Jung-Jae was truly impressive as the stoic COS Jang Tae-Jun, who worked for Assemblyman Song, played by veteran character-actor Kim Kap-su. Kap-su made me grimace at his eating habits , but I loved that he introduced so many different Korean dishes in his many scenes. Actress Shin Min-a played Tae-Jun's love interest and Assemblywoman Kang. I found their together-scenes sweet but completely devoid of affection, with the exception of a hug or holding of hands. I was hoping for a brief kiss, at least. The supporting characters around these main threesome were terrific overall. It was a bit tiring watching all of them scurrying around in the COS offices.

The plot was a bit predictable, but, kept me completely immersed, especially when reading subtitles . The scenes were full of details and worth rewinding so as not to miss anything. As always, there were tears shed during the final episodes. Season 1 was as strong as Season 2 and it was so good to see more veteran actors joining the cast. Another wonderful Korean series that's a must-watch!!

Must watch

[satishkumarece · 10/10 · 17 May 2020]

One of the best political thrillers I had watched in recent times it keeps you guessing wat happens next till very end

Hope they will return with season 3

Another perfect Korean serie

[Cylonpi · 10/10 · 29 July 2021]

Some people says that political series are bore.

This one, as Borgen, can be a perfect introduction.

Jumps right into it from the first scene!

[mzmck · 10/10 · 30 April 2024]

Right from the beginning, we're plunged into the center of political power struggles in this powerful depiction of the backroom machinations and the sleazy toadying that goes on in the quest for political power and it keeps right on moving. We see the character arc of Jang Tae Un, the chief of staff, as he tries to maintain his ideals while seeking the power to accomplish his goals. We can read his struggles in his eyes.

This tightly written script portrays the degrading humiliations, large and small, endured by some of the support staff and the dogged loyalty and dedication of others who believe in their leaders.

This excellent ensemble cast delivers in every role. Two seasons covered all the bases for a satisfying end.

Great political thriller!

[santynitz · 6/10 · 24 June 2019]

This is a must watch show on Netflix. The leads are great as politicians and the show is fast paced.

A decent but over-simplistic political drama

[galaxy210-802-160547 · 7/10 · 17 March 2022]

The first few episodes start out decently with just enough premise building, character introduction and a tad of intense battle of power. The writer seems to always pick the easy way out to every issue, though. Jang Tae Un faces an opponent, and so his witty move would be digging up dirt of that politician that somehow nobody else has found out before. Then Jang has the upper hand and wins whatever event of the episode. This same solution repeats throughout the series, and in one of the later episodes, Jang even has dirt against a dozen of them and take their support away from the Minister. Simply ridiculous.

It's good... Real good except...

[cin_janssens · 7/10 · 19 January 2022]

The show was suspenseful and dramatic just fine. I would only give it a medium rating because watching this old man playing the M. O. J eat in like every other scene was distracting and DISGUSTING. Who's idea was that and please fire them forever. Yuck. Totally took away from potentially powerful scenes. So i guess I'd just say great writing (other than that the genius main character would just leave game changing evidence in his desk drawer. Not believable even for an idiot.) Great cast. Bad directing. Ew made me sick watching him eat.

On the verge of meh-ness...

[Park_Min · 5/10 · 20 September 2023]

Although it's politically themed drama but it's a watered-down surface-level politics and the excessive overdramatization didn't fit its theme. Repeating the exact same dramatic flashbacks multiple times throughout both seasons further highlights my point. It ended up relying on these melo moments rather than having a better written political drama and a more engaging dialogues as you would expect from a good political drama to have. What also didn't fit its theme is the male lead constant overreacting and overacting for his role. The romance of the main leads and the pair up of the secondary leads were all out of place. On the other hand, the OST was nice, it reminded me of Comrades (2010). The drama is okay if it was your first political drama, can serve as an easy introduction to the genre.