Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cursing, smoking, violence in manga-based heist series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Low Life
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Based on the manga series The Hooligans by Yoon Tae-Ho, the Korean series LOW LIFE features a group of greedy folks looking for a long-lost treasure found off the Korean coast. Rumor has it that in 1323, a ship traveling from China to Japan filled with coins and fine pottery from the Song and Yuan dynasties sank in the Yellow Sea near the coast of what is now South Korea. Six centuries later, in the year of 1977, small-time crooks Oh Gwan-seok (Ryu Seung-ryong) and his nephew, Oh Hee-dong (Yang Se-jong), just happen to be serving time in prison when they meet antique dealer Mr. Song (Kim Jong-soo), who's anxious to get his hands on the ancient pottery presumed to be at the bottom of the sea. Despite Oh Gwan-seok's misgivings, the two hustlers accept the promise of a 400K-won payment upon delivery. To help out, Song sends amateur boxer Dae-sik (Lee San-jun) to join them. But soon they learn that local gangster Beol-gu (Jung Yun-ho) has also heard about the sunken treasure and wants to claim it. Making it more complicated is Mr. Song's business associates—a wealthy mogul known as Chairman Cheon (Jang Gwang) and his wife, Yang Jung-sook (Im Soo-young)—each have an interest in the treasure, but for very different reasons. To protect their interests, they decide to send Im Jeon-chul (Kim Sung-oh) to keep an eye on the expedition. Everyone seems to have an ulterior motive for participating in the treasure hunt, and no one thinks twice about double-crossing each other. Despite the bad blood between them, they have no choice but to work together to get the job done if they want to profit from the venture. But Oh Gwan-seok and his nephew know that they'll have to outwit everyone in order to come out on top.
Is It Any Good?
The entertainingly unpredictable crime caper offers a combination of drama and dark comedy that is contextualized in 1970s South Korean nostalgia. Oh Gwan-seok and Oh Hee-dong are strong and characters who offer no apologies for what they do in Low Life, which makes them more interesting. Also entertaining is how the narratives unfold for each of the participants in the heist, and how they negotiate their distrust (and sometimes contempt) for one another. All the plot twists and turns require viewers to pay attention, but Low Life delivers a good, bingeable story that's worth investing in.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how international TV series can appeal to viewers in the United States. Are shows from other countries purposely produced to appeal to U.S. audiences, or is it a matter of chance?
After watching Low Life, how are we supposed to feel about the characters? Does anyone have any redeeming qualities?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 16, 2025
- Cast : Ryu Seung-ryong , Yang Se-Jong , Kim Jong-soo
- Network : Hulu
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters , Competition
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 22, 2025
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