"Sh**ting Stars" Writer Production Meeting

Producer: "So our primary storyline is a rom-com with Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Dae. Seems like a winner. What else are we gonna do?"

Writer: "How about a hint of a love triangle?"

P: "Sure."

W: "And a secondary romance."

P: "Love it."

W: "I'm thinking about a third romance too."

P: "Super."

W: "In fact, I've got ideas for another romance, maybe even two."

P: "We'd only be able to give the one about thirty seconds of screentime per episode, but so what? Let's do it. The other one gets no screentime but gets mentioned occasionally. That's no problem."

W: "And an anti-fan subplot."

P: "Awesome"

W: "We could also do a parent abandonment deal."

P: "Hell yes, let's do that too."

W: "Oooh, what do you think about a suicide by a childhood best friend?"

P: "Winner."

W: "A stalker?"

P: "Sold."

W: "Seriously? All this?"

P: "Yes. Absolutely and if you come with anything else, we'll do that too."

W: "How do we transition back and forth between all this?"

P: "There's gonna be a lot of hugging."

W: "Does that make any sense?"

P: "This is K Drama baby. We don't need to always make sense."

Does this sound exhausting and chaotic? Yes and that's "Sh**ting Stars". All of these things. Five relationships. Multiple dramatic subplots. Constant tone changes. Crises. Resolutions. Confessions. Binge drinking. And on and on and on.

Despite the kitchen sink and everything else in sight being thrown in, the more frenetic and messy things get, the better. The cast does a remarkable job at entertaining with a lot of these different elements. Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Dae are both terrific comedians and while they may not be entirely convincing as a romantic couple, they both consistently generate genuinely funny material. Lee Sung Kyung may not have the most varied range, but when she has a character in her element that matches her strengths - extreme extroversion and borderline emotionally manic - she's a joy. Kim Young Dae is slightly more subtle, relying on a slew of facial expressions and sly dialogue delivery. When the narrative around them is merely just average, these two are good enough with basic material to elevate the show to genuinely entertaining.

Park So Jin and Lee Jung Shin might not match the two leads in acting talent, but they do generate traction as a supporting couple. And Lee Si Woo is a gem as a pampered young actress that unexpectedly falls for her acting partner.

Unfortunately, the dramatic interludes come and go so quickly that they don't pack any punch. And with all of them centering around Kim Young Dae's Tae Sung, every time one of these subplots takes over, Lee Sung Kyung's Han Byul gets pushed in to a corner with far too little to do.

Worse, the most prominent character after the two leads is Yoon Jong Hoon's Yoo Sung. It's a bland character with a flat and one-dimensional portrayal. And when a relationship develops between Yoo Sung and Kim Yoon Hye's Ho Yeong, it's all awkward and uncomfortable.

Overall, "Sh**ting Stars" has some really entertaining stretches but mixed with some dreadful sections. But the two leads and the laughs they manufacture push this over the line in to recommended territory.