Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Busted’ on Netflix, the Korean Murder-Mystery That’s Like Watching an Escape Room

Netflix’s latest international series puts a twist on the whodunit genre. Starring a panel of Korean stars, Busted! I Know Who You Are is a crazy variety show that follows a team of detectives as they try to figure out a series of crimes. Each crime is presented by different famous Korean actors and comedians. However, as the show progresses, there’s an overarching plot that’s darker than any one episode’s central mystery.  

BUSTED: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Yoo Jae-suk dressed as a detective stands in the middle of a locked room, struggling to disarm a bomb. As he sorts through the wires, a clock ominously ticks down to zero, and we see flashes of what’s to come. There’s a man who talks about something called a “Murder Game” and Project D”, a tarot card, blood, a woman screaming, letters of the English alphabet, someone being strangled, and other unpleasant things. The clock finally hits zero, and the series really begins.

Our first real shot of the series is of Yoo Jae-suk again. This time he’s alone in a peaceful park still in Sherlock Holmes-inspired garb.

The Gist: It’s a classic whodunit with some less-than-classic characters. Busted opens with a mysterious invitation. Seven “detectives” who are really just people interested in crime are invited to a fancy dinner. Once they all arrive, their host, M, gives a speech and explains the game they will be playing.

One member of their group will be “murdered” and one will be the “culprit.” It’s up to the group to figure out who the culprit is and why they’re responsible for the crime. M assures the group that no one will really die, but to the surprise of no one familiar with this genre, as soon as the lights go out, M is fatally shot. The rest of the hour and a half episode is devoted to finding M’s killer through detailed note-taking, trial and error, and good old investigative work.

Our Take: Before I really dive into Busted, it’s important to note that I am not this show’s ideal audience. I know very little about famous South Korean stars, and I have seen very few K-dramas. I walked into Busted as an average American viewer who doesn’t know who these people are or the beats of this specific genre. But after watching an hour and a half of this series, it’s unlikely I’m going to tune in again.

Frankly, I don’t understand Busted. The pacing, camerawork, and unguided energy of the series feels very much like a reality show. No one seems to really know what they’re supposed to be doing from minute to minute. Busted often feels like watching a bunch of friends try to figure out an Escape Room in real time. When it leans into those beats, it can be kind of amusing.

But then there’s the other half of this series, the “scripted” part. Each of the series’ detectives are supposed to be characters in this drama, yet we’re given next to no context about each of their backstories and even less emotion. Every character can be summed up either by their quirky costume or a throwaway sentence. One is supposedly the best detective in the universe, though he’s actually pretty terrible at his job. One may be a time traveler, but he’s not. One just really loves mysteries. That’s all we really get about our heroes.

If these people are supposed to be characters responding to a crime in real time, then they’re all so apathetic, they’re practically sociopaths. When something genuinely shocking happens, like when M is murdered, no one reacts with more than a shrug. All the detectives are even quick to make jokes about it. Are we supposed to treat these people as celebrities in the middle of an elaborate game or people in the middle of a shocking mystery? Who knows? Certainly not Busted.

During all of these scenes, the screen is flooded with scrawled notes about the central mystery. It’s a frustrating addition, a feature that seemingly tries to make the audience care about a mystery its own characters don’t even seem to take seriously. That would get old in a five-minute YouTube video, but with each episode running for about an hour and a half, it feel exhausting.

As Netflix has proven, there are international shows filled with huge stars that can make the mystery genre work. Re: Mind, a Japanese thriller starring the music group Keyakizaka 46, is a genuinely compelling  mystery even when you ignore the show’s pop-star credentials. By comparison, Busted is all over the place.

Sex and Skin: One of the suspects, Rena, is a pole dancer, so there’s a whole pole dancing segment. That’s about it.

Parting Shot: After a second mysterious murder and a major group betrayal, the detectives get a phone call from the mysterious K, the man who was the murdered M’s boss. If you’re invested in the series, this is a pretty good cliffhanger.

Sleeper Star: That honor goes to Park Min-young. Whereas the rest of the cast doesn’t seem to know if they’re supposed to act or be themselves, this South Korean actress decides takes on the role of the sassy and highly-competent voice of reason and sticks with it.

Most Pilot-y Line: This one may be more of a translation error than anything else, but Yoo Jae-suk saying “He said that this was just a game, but a real murder has occurred” is pretty bad. Yes, Mister Yoo. That’s the premise of the mystery.

Our Call: Unless you really love the world of Korean entertainment, skip it. It’s a bit too inside baseball for the average American viewer.

Stream Busted on Netflix