On Feb. 14, an exclusive report from MSN stated that the popular TV series “Breaking Bad” was being adapted into a K-Drama. Lee Chang-Yeol will reportedly direct the show under the production company JP E&M. 

“Breaking Bad” is a critically-acclaimed crime drama that follows high school chemistry teacher Walter White as he becomes a methamphetamine cook and drug lord. Taking place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the show ran for five seasons. Despite ending in 2013, the show has remained popular through internet memes and its spinoff “Better Call Saul.” The show was also featured in a Super Bowl commercial this year, a testament to its sustained relevancy. 

“‘Breaking Bad’ is one of the all-time best series that has ever existed,” Patrick Young, a fan of the show, said. “So I can see why someone would want to do a remake of it.” 

Many fans questioned the remake’s ability to translate the original drama into a South Korean setting. South Korea lacks the United States’ extensive illicit drug trade necessary for much of the show’s plot. Additionally, South Korea’s strict laws barring the use of numerous recreational drugs legal in the United States prevent many key events in the show from being reasonably portrayed as well. 

“It will be interesting because the level of drug use [in Korea] is a fraction of what it would be in the US,” Mr. Young said. “It’s kind of hard to believe that they would have a meth lab somewhere in Korea that nobody sees. There’s no giant desert like in New Mexico.”