Genie, Make a Wish

Even the devil deserves good screenwriting once in a while! >ᴗ<

After finishing this drama I came to rate it and I was shocked by the reviews and ratings. I don’t write a lot of reviews, but I had to for this one.

I know exactly why this show has received so much hate and so many low scores despite its captivating plot, beautiful cinematography and excellent cast performances which I'll get into that at the end.
But first for those interested in watching this gem:

The drama starts off a bit bland, but it’s one of those shows that will get you completely hooked once you get through the technical, slightly boring introductions lol. Even if you have to watch the first episode in four sittings, do it. Push through it, and you’ll find yourself binging all 13 episodes.
Bae Suzy plays a sweet psychopath with killer style (seriously she’s an icon, major Jang Man-wol Hotel Del Luna and Ko Moon-young vibes). She’s your cold, strong, badass female lead and it’s always refreshing to see a powerful, highly intelligent, morally gray female lead.
Kim Woo-bin plays our controversial character, Iblis the charismatic, funny, “could-kill-everyone-but-gets-beaten-by-his-girl” male lead. The chemistry between these two is nothing unknown, especially for fans who remember Uncontrollably Fond. You’ll laugh your heart out, swoon over their love, and maybe even cry a little, but it won’t traumatize you, so don’t worry >-<
The supporting characters add so much warmth and color to the story, not a single one feels unnecessary. Finally, I care about the ending of a show more than anything else and I must say, they do a really good job in beautifully wrapping up the story. The ending was really out of my head. The only thing I didn't like about it was the continious Dubai advertisment glorifying Dubai, just as someone else already said, it felt like a long dubai ad in most scenes.
Now for the haters:
Dear religious people, RESPECTFULLY, please put your biased, stiff heads to rest for a moment. Loosen up and enjoy a “what if” story. You don’t need to take everything so seriously. Just because Satan is portrayed as evil in every Abrahamic religion and is shown here as a sweet, funny character doesn’t suddenly make him a “good” being. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚.
As an agnostic, I’m glad I could enjoy this drama free from the 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 that seems to stop people from appreciating even a light hearted, wholesome story. The very concept of believing in Satan and angels in the big 2025 is already funny and sad enough, but to go out of your way to angrily downrate a rom-com because of it? That’s pure comedy to me. At the same time, it’s disheartening to see how many people are still so tightly bound to dogma that they can’t even enjoy a fictional drama. Where is humanity headed...

My advice? Take your head out of all the societal norms and obligations, sit back, and enjoy a truly entertaining ride.

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Every moment it cringed

The only reason I gave 5 instead of 1 is out of respect of the actors.

I really was looking forward to this and had high expectations, I loved Goblin, Mr. Sunshine, Secret Garden, The Glory, A Gentleman's Dignity and I was expecting another masterpiece despite not liking Suzy.

Oh was I wrong. Disappointment wa great from episode 1.

While a good drama makes me eager to watch one more episode, for this one all I thought was : Please, no more.

The story was so badly written and boring, and many times the viewer is left wondering where exactly this wants to go .

I'm in shock the same writer of my favorite drama has written literally the worse drama I ever saw. And I saw many.

The comedy was utterly bad and cringe, one would think it was made to make toddler laugh. As result, the actors performance during comedy moments was extremely awkward and forced.

It would have been a lot better if the show had a dark, serious tone. I don't know what they were trying to create, maybe a Korean Odyssey style, but it clearly did not work.

The story was poor, the characters not developed, and you could hardly feel for them, let alone they way they fell in love in the past life ( did they? Not really much happened ) was completely rashed and anticlimactic .

The side stories felt superficial and not necessary, same as the side character, they had little to no relevance to the story and they were not developed as we are used to.

I loved every single character in Goblin and Mr. Sunshine for example here was not the case .

The "inclusive" best friend was totally awkward and out of contest, clearly put there just to please Netflix standards, and the interaction with the grand mother were uncomfortable and awkward. Seriously Wtf.

The actress of the Grandmother was a waste of talent here, same Steve Noh and Woon Bin .

I'm really sorry to say, but Suzy disappointed yet again.

No, it's not her character with no emotions, she's always like that, a robot.

More than a psychopath she seemed on sedatives and taking poses for a photoshot.

It was really hard to watch, to me she did not deliver even when she was supposed to have emotions.

The Ost was practically absent.

I really don't know what they were thinking when they wrote this drama but it certainly was a big disappointment.

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OMG SPEECHLESS

THIS IS BEST DRAMA I HAVE WATCHED SOO FAR. This was soo funny and towards the end, it was emotional. Loved the chemistry between genie (Iblis) and psychopath and their interaction- how he was afraid of her, her hittingher everytime they met, their romance, their sacrifice. The side characters like grandma (I cried for that part the way she dies), sayyid (the panther) he was so funny and was full of humour, even FL grandma younger version was so pretty and acted well.

The episode 1-9 are hilarious and full of humour. The plot was amazing and not at all boring. This was my first time I didn't skip the parts of the drama. 9-12 episodes of soo emotional and full of sacrifices. The sacrifice of grandma, sayyid and all others. I felt bad for min ju (FL BFF) she had gone through a lot and lost many people in her life- her ex lover, she fell in love with FL grandma younger version without knowing her identity and MOST IMPORTANT her every wish in end were of ka young happiness- she reunited the main lead even tho she knew she will forget everything about her. TRULY BEST FRIEND OF KA YOUNG

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A Romance between Psychopath and Satan

Honestly by Watching the 1st Trailer, I was into this series as it showcase powerful Star-cast Kim Woo Bin, Bae Suzy, Kim Mi Kyung, and many more and 1st few episodes had incredible story telling and emotional depth that got me hooked me to it.

The Characters of a Psychopath is really compelling and it stand out, Ki Ga Yeong a cold, impassive young woman with psychopathic tendencies, raised under the strict watch of her grandmother, and Character of Iblis, the embodiment of evil, trying to prove that humans are corrupt by nature, and a woman incapable of emotion who might be his only salvation.

The cinematography is beautiful, the mystical atmosphere works well, and when the story focuses on the connection between the two leads, But overall, Genie, Make a Wish ends up being more of an uneven fable than an unforgettable masterpiece. All in all, the series was alright. The ending was fitting and satisfying, and the characters, costumes and CGI were impressive.

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Don’t be fooled with the low ratings!

As someone who’s been watching K-dramas since 2010, I truly feel MDL’s ratings for this series are unjustified. The story is engaging and surprisingly thoughtful, and the pacing keeps you hooked without ever feeling dragged out. The casting is absolutely perfect, and the performances were so strong that I genuinely found myself angry at the antagonists. Suzy’s acting is truly best actress worthy (IMO). Every character feels purposeful, and the chemistry between the leads is natural and believable. It’s a solid, well-made drama that deserves more appreciation, and people should definitely give it a chance instead of relying solely on the ratings. ❤️

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I don't really know how to rate this ...

Well, first of all, the reason I started this was Woo Bin and Eun Jin, also Steve Noh is a bonus but the story itself and Suzy as the FL made me a little reluctant to start it.

Be that as it may I decided to give it a go, the story is full of tangles and complications, there is a lot happening and too many characters, I don't know if I was bored and just want to end it or I was genuinely entertained and want to keep watching to the end, all I felt is "when will this end?" I wanted to reach the final closure so I kept watching.

The religious reference was the main thing that caused backlash, it's heavily influenced by the Islamic view of Shaitan but it's full of Christians hints too, so you don't even know which religion they wanted to reference which IMO is a really smart move, because it's a work of fiction not a religious adaptation of Satan's story so basically no offence done to neither religions, cause they didn't get the correct story from any of them.

The end of the story was too sugar coated, but it's a Fantasy drama after all, they wanted the illogic happy ending so be it ~~

Acting was fine, Woo Bin was fantastic and I was really happy to see him because i haven't seen him in a drama since forever, my beautiful Eun Jin was great, I think her role was smaller than I expected, I wanted to see more of her and I wish her role was bigger, it was a very insignificant till maybe the last few episodes only, I also wanted to see more interaction with Steve Noh, they literally had 2 scenes together and I loved them more than the leads. I wish to see them in another drama together again.
Suzy was ok-ish... She got better I can notice her improvement in acting but I couldn't help but compare her psychopathic character to Seo Yea-ji in It's ok to not be ok, I mean her acting and chemistry with Woo bin were ok, but I couldn't see her as a psychopath at all, she didn't convince me as a psycho, she doesn't have the look of crazy in her eyes, she just act tough and it doesn't suit her at all, I expected that tbh, and that's why I kept my expectations for her character very low, so I can't say I'm that disappointed.

I would not rewatch it again, not even for Woo Bin or Eun Jin, once was enough, and I won't recommend it because I understand the religious reference may be uncomfortable to some people, and you won't miss much it you skip it tbh ~~

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Such a disappointing show - can not recommend little enough

I am surprised by the love of this Show. Yes, the writer has some great hits behind her, but if you didn't know who wrote the show would you love it as much? No.

The leads have great visuals and charisma, but did they have chemistry? No.

Was it funny at times? Yes, absolutely, but only in parts. This was not a comedy only comedic moments.

Was the acting good? Suzy is gorgeous, but in no world can you claim that this is an artistic tour de force from her. Her expressions tend to be on the colder side (see Start Up) and with limited range. She has star quality, but doesn't get under the skin.

The best acting came from the side characters, Ahn Eun-Jin and Lee Joo-Young and their pseudo lesbian relationship.

A big part of the problem is that fantastical storylines kill the real magic of the show. They exchange true feelings for flash and imagery. You can watch fireworks and ooh and aah, but it doesn't stay with you. GMaW is exactly that.

The division of opinions on this show might have to do with age (let me wander into stereotype territory...) where spectacle trumps over feeling.

Ultimately I was bored by the overly stretched out drama (can anyone defend the 13 episode length?) Can you imagine the impact if this was 8 episodes?

This show will not age well. What a mess overall.

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A completely Devilish and evil Genie falls for a lump of clay he thought he hated!

Well, I must say I absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed watching ep 11 which is the best episode out of all episodes if this drama!
I especially was very mych carried away and moved by the way the Genie , Iblis cries bloods of river while holding the dead heroine in his arms, and taking out the entire city at the same time! I always rewatch that scene! That moment is so intense! I never thought such devastating despair and sadness could mesmerize me like this!
Overall, it's just ok, but watch out for episode 11. It's the best! The setting and wra is exotically ancient too! And I live genie Iblis' entire look and hairstyle in that episode too!
It's their second meeting which feels like their first and the best if all their interactions and encounters so far! 😍The entire episode is like an epic poem!
Everyone must watch episode 11! Don't miss it for anything!

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A very mediorce Korean Drama.

I unfortunately finished this drama, and I am pretty upset of whoever wrote this story. Is this the best story you can come up?

Psychopath character can make a very compelling character for drama. The writers has so many references by watching performance from some of famous cinema psychopaths like Hannibal Lector, Joker, Villanella ( Killing Eves TV series), etc... But they chose to based Anton Chigurh blueprint (No Country for Old Man): cold, calculating, incapable of emotions ruthless killers. And it is probably their biggest fumble because Anton Chigurh blueprint does not work based on the kind of story they try to deliver. Ka-young (Female Lead) would not care if the genie tried to wipe out the human. She would not care if she needs to save the bleach blonde girl. Do they even have a proofreaders the scripts and no one yelled out this is dumb?

Ka young can be a very good character if they based it on Alice Morgan ( Luther TV series), an absolute psychopath with no moral compass but have an obsession disorder. Or perhaps, Villanelle (Killing Eve Series) is a psychopath just doing stuff so life is a bit less boring. Both of these characters allowed Bea Suzy to act instead stone face acting through the whole series. And by the way, Bea Suzy did not nail Anton Chigurh character.

And I am not done. I still have to talk about the characterization of the Male Lead, Genie. The character is very inconsistent. At one point, he is so serious and then next thing you know, he is goofy. The one thing that bugged me the most is his motivation. In the beginning of the series, the series repeatedly repeatedly reminding you that the genie is arrogantly despised the weaker creation, human, and absolutely enjoyed their downfall. Then a few episode later, he saved the kids from abusing father, and the girl that got killed by a serial killer. While it made a few good moments, but it made no god damn sense for the character.

The whole series is a mess. The writing is so bad. The acting is a mess. The music is forgettable. I would only recommend this to my worst enemy so they won't be able to get back 16 hours of their time.

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No idea why these two actors choose this unless it was purely for money

No idea why these two actors chose this unless it was purely for money.
Sorry, very poor.
Acting was above average but no more than expected for the actors' experience. Kim Woo Bin is probably 6.5/10 in this, and that's generous. Bae Suzy is better (8/10), but not at her best, though. The rest of the cast are on autopilot.
The screenplay is between awful and passable, depending on the episode, though overall bad.
Rewatch seriously; it took a lot to force myself to finish the 13 episodes – no chance it's forgettable, hopefully.
Compare this to Uncontrollably Fond, with the same two actors, which is very good in all departments, a 9-10/10. This, oh my, my wish would be to save yourself and give it a miss unless you are a complete fanboy/girl of either or both of the actors.
Its my opinion watched over 900 dramas in my time

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Overstuffed and Underwhelming

I binge-watched the entire series in one go, from yesterday evening until now. Chuseok is here, I have to wake up early, and my sleep schedule is completely destroyed. I kept watching anyway, not because it was consistently good, but because it was easy to consume and irritatingly watchable.

When it ended, I did not come away thinking it was a success. What I felt instead was frustration, because the writer is clearly still talented and full of ideas, yet this project feels rushed, sloppy, and poorly controlled. At multiple points I genuinely wondered whether the writing was done under pressure, because the lack of refinement is impossible to ignore. The direction does it no favors, and knowing that the director dropped out midway explains the uneven pacing, abrupt tonal shifts, and scenes that feel stitched together without care.

Structurally, the story is almost shamelessly derivative of Goblin. Strip away the Arabian Nights skin and replace the genie with a goblin, and the narrative skeleton barely changes. Immortal being, cursed existence, emotionally damaged woman, fate-bound romance, inevitable separation and reunion. It is not homage and it is not reinterpretation. It is recycling. If the writer insists on returning to fantasy romance, this template needs to be abandoned completely, because it has nothing left to offer.

The show’s most damaging flaw is its obsession with excess. It crams angels, demons, genies, shapeshifters, gods, immortals, and half-explained cosmologies into a single narrative without committing to any of them. Instead of feeling expansive, the world feels incoherent. Interesting concepts are introduced and then immediately neglected. Sade and Irem, for example, could have sustained an entire subplot through their shapeshifting alone, but they are reduced to background noise in a story that refuses to prioritize.

The internal logic of wishes is a disaster. Sometimes a wish rewrites reality so completely that entire lives disappear, yet other characters conveniently retain memories when the plot needs emotional leverage. There is no consistency, no clear rule set, and no attempt to hide the arbitrariness. The lamp, which should function as a sacred or dangerous space, is treated like a public lounge. Any supernatural being, or anyone adjacent to one, can enter without resistance. This obliterates tension and makes the mythology feel cheap.

Khalid’s storyline is a particularly egregious misfire. His arc with Shadi feels like it was imported from an entirely different drama and stapled on. Every scene involving him drains momentum and contributes nothing of value. When he finally exits the story, it is a relief.

Visually, the drama is polished to the point of excess. The cinematography is undeniably beautiful, but it often feels like the show is hiding behind aesthetics to compensate for weak storytelling. Dubai glows, villages shimmer, cherry blossoms are framed like visual poetry, and yet none of it adds substance. The early flying scenes are especially bad, with aggressive cross-cutting, ridiculous zooms into space and back, and an OST that refuses to calm down for even a second. The music direction in general is intrusive and tone-deaf, constantly telling how to feel instead of letting scenes earn it.

Ironically, the much-mocked Kim Eun-sook-style banter works better than the spectacle. The problem is not her dialogue, but the desperate attempt to modernize it with Marvel and Disney energy. The writing functions best when it is allowed to flow naturally. Every attempt to look trendy only exposes how dated the sensibility actually is.

That datedness is most obvious in the Min Ji and grandmother bait. The female-female coding is not integrated into the story in any meaningful way. It exists purely to signal relevance, and because the intention is so transparent, it ends up feeling hollow and manipulative rather than progressive.

The structure is bloated beyond reason. Kayoung’s first wish alone, framed as five rounds with a best-of-three setup, is already excessive. On top of that, the story insists on juggling multiple wish-makers, past lives, angelic conflict, immortal politics, family trauma, neighborhood drama, and philosophical commentary on human desire. Nothing is given room to breathe. Cutting half of the side wish-makers and focusing on a single central conflict would have dramatically improved the series.

Episode three is the point where the show finally locks into something watchable. The “If I do it, it’s different” line lands hard, not because it is subtle or profound, but because it is a blunt collision of Kim Eun-sook’s writing habits and Kim Woo-bin’s screen presence. From that moment on, the series becomes tolerable, occasionally even engaging.

The chemistry between Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy works better than expected, especially in their past-life versions, but the romance itself remains underdeveloped. Ka-young’s emotional detachment consistently undercuts intimacy, and the humor built around her flat affect feels forced more often than not. There is less romance than the premise promises, not because it is absent, but because the show keeps prioritizing abstract themes about wishes over emotional progression.

The kiss scene is well executed and does some damage control, but it cannot compensate for the broader lack of romantic build-up. The compatibility is there, the writing just refuses to commit to it.

Ki Kayoung as a character is one of the few ideas that actually lands. Watching a character labeled a psychopath who nonetheless follows rules through learned behavior makes her more coherent and, frankly, more moral than most of the humans around her. In a world where no one even bothers with hypocrisy anymore, that contrast is effective, whether intentional or not.

The latter half of the series is noticeably stronger when it narrows its focus. Episodes centered on Genie and Ka-young, particularly those dealing with their past lives, are cleaner and more emotionally grounded. Whenever the narrative shifts back to immortal politics and angelic disputes, the momentum collapses. The resolution of these threads in the finale is weak and unsatisfying. The constant jumping between timelines is confusing rather than clever, and the Arabic narrative elements beyond Genie himself feel excessive and poorly integrated. Many capable supporting actors are simply wasted.

Kim Mi-kyung delivers exactly what she always does, which is solid, reliable emotional grounding. Ahn Eun-jin as young Pan Geum is excellent and arguably more compelling than the main character at times. Her warmth carries the role, even though the prolonged deception subplot overstays its welcome.

The finale delivers a happy ending for Ka-young and Genie, but it feels rushed and unearned. The series needed to clearly show how Ka-young died, how she became Genie, and why Iblis returned to her due to his misjudgment. Instead, everything is compressed into a final stretch that feels messy rather than emotional.

In the end, this is not a good drama. It is overambitious, derivative, poorly structured, and frequently incoherent. I will probably rewatch it, if only because after the ending, I found myself wanting to go back and see where it all started, flaws and all.

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