The origin of the Genie is explained in the beginning.
I watched this rom com series between 18 and 21 February 2026. All of us know the famous Arabian Nights story of Aladdin from childhood, either through books, movies, or animation. This series feels inspired by that core idea, but it creates a completely different romantic story.The origin of the Genie is explained in the beginning. You see how he came into existence, why there are only three wishes, and how he got trapped inside the lamp. It is not very similar to Aladdin, but it will remind you of it.
The first one or two episodes feel slow and slightly confusing. The plot takes some time to settle.
My personal opinion: The finale has mixed reactions. Some people call it a sweet reunion, while others think it feels messy and rushed. Even though the ending is happy, I personally felt it was a bit weak in writing. It could have been done better. I was planning to give it 6, but because the concept is creative, I give it 7 out of 10.
Content Type: Web Series, K-drama
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Fantasy, Drama
Writer/Director: Written by Kim Eun-sook. Directed by Lee Sang-yeob. Produced for Netflix.
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This review may contain spoilers
respect other religious
I started watching this drama with very high expectations. But sorry to say, after Episode 5 I was forced to drop it. This drama portrays many aspects related to our Islamic faith, but in a negative way, which I find offensive to our religion. As a Muslim, I was never taught by my faith to accept seeing my religion being degraded. After watching Episodes 4 and 5, the way Islam has been represented left me with no interest to continue, no matter how many high-profile actors or actresses appear in it. This drama is already controversial for its religious issues, and once again, I must emphasize that it contains concepts that go against our faith. Whether you watch it or not is up to you. Whether you like it or dislike it is also up to you. I simply explained my reason for not watching it further.Was this review helpful to you?
Dropped at ep9
I had been eagerly waiting for this drama, but it is not for me, AT LEAST.I expected a magical, Aladdin-style fantasy, but that’s not what it turned out to be.
I tried to separate the story from religion and treat it as pure fiction but I am not sure what the motive was behind portraying Iblis as a sympathetic victim especially in episode 9 when the script goes like "This is how far you'd go to avoid bowing to a human". The writer could have easily used a different name instead of referencing sacred figures (Izrael the angel of death and Iblis the disobedient jinn).
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Worst drama ever
“Genie: Make a Wish” is a drama that has sparked significant discomfort and criticism, especially among Muslim viewers who feel their faith has been misrepresented and trivialized. While fantasy and fiction have long drawn from mythologies and spiritual concepts, there is a line that should never be crossed — and this drama crosses it repeatedly.Religion should never be used as a tool for entertainment or fantasy. Sacred beliefs are not props for storytelling, nor are they playgrounds for romantic tropes. In Islam, jinn and Iblis are not whimsical beings to be flirted with or fantasized about. They represent serious theological realities tied to morality, temptation, and the unseen world. Romanticizing jinn and Iblis is deeply wrong — these are sacred and serious concepts in Islam. This is not “art”; it’s disrespectful to 1.5 billion Muslims 🚫.
The drama’s attempt to blend romance with supernatural elements rooted in Islamic theology feels tone-deaf and careless. It’s not just about creative freedom — it’s about cultural and religious sensitivity. When creators ignore the weight of these concepts and repackage them as love interests or misunderstood anti-heroes, they risk distorting public understanding and offending entire communities.
Respecting others’ beliefs means understanding the boundaries of representation. It means asking: “Is this portrayal accurate? Is it respectful? Is it necessary?” “Genie: Make a Wish” fails on all counts. Instead of fostering dialogue or insight, it indulges in shallow fantasy that undermines the gravity of Islamic teachings.
Art should challenge, inspire, and reflect truth — not exploit sacred symbols for ratings. This drama is a reminder that not everything is fair game for fiction. Some things are meant to be revered, not reimagined.
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Korean writers, now disappointing
Korea will soon be defeated by China very quickly. China has always focused on its own country, both in terms of history and deification. But Korea is too busy dealing with other people's religions, both in its idols and its dramas. Korea will get its downfall quickly. Siwon is the trigger, and this rotten drama is also the trigger.Was this review helpful to you?
horrendous
everything is a mess... from the pacing... cgi... and most especially the acting... zero immersion... nil chemistry... the comedy is so forced its absolute cringe... i can't decide if its overacting or underacting... but its definetely not even hitting the mediocre level...from poster to actual drama, its really a major disappointment...
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PPL lasts at least 5 episodes
I do have an old account and I have my bias profile. I come here with a new acc because I don't want to get my bias involved while giving an.opinion.Reviews up to episode 5 (Spoilers ahead)
Good things first
Visual effects - Great and totally a high budget production
Now to other things
*Storyline/Writing*
I don't know where it will be going . It is neither a heartfelt sob story, a swoony romance nor a good revenge story. It is so bland like a chicken soup without salt.
Since it is a high production drama with famous casts, famous writer, I will continue watching to know how it ends, but it is a drama with no known casts, I may have already dropped it.It is one of the dramas I want to be stubborn because I want to be clear about my opinion about the drama whether 'I Love it because it improves later ' or 'I Hate it because it is so bad' .
*Characters*
I don't feel connected neither with Genie male lead nor with psychopath female lead. Like they are strangers on the street who have nothing to do with me. Our female lead has abandonment issue ,yet I never sympathize with her. (Park Bo Gum character in 'I Remember You/Hello Monster' is a psychopath ,but I felt sorry for him.) Here,I feel nothing. Both are narcissistic individuals. I don't even understand why I should root for this couple.
Not only the leads ,also supporting characters are uninteresting -except they are plot device . There is not a particular one we should root for.
At first, I thought her grandma story would be the one that changed our female's story. But she was turned into a childish character.
*OST/Music*
There is not any memorable one up to episode 5 .
*Acting*
Nothing remarkable. Both Suzy and Kim Woo Bin can do better than that . But here they do nothing extraordinary except being models for beers and luxury brands .
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Disappointing — great cast, weak story, and disrespectful use of religion
plot was confusing and inconsistent, which made it hard to stay emotionally invested. I honestly expected a lot more from Kim Eun-sook, given her previous work. What really disappointed me, though, was the careless use of religious themes. You shouldn’t romanticize or distort someone’s faith for entertainment. Respect and cultural sensitivity are essential.Was this review helpful to you?
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La idea es original, pero la ejecución es un desastre
Yo intenté terminarla, pero hay poco tiempo disponible y demasiados otros dramas que sí son buenos. La idea era original, pero se desmorona rápidamente. Las actuaciones están bien, pero la trama es un desastre, y cada vez se pone peor, las cosas adquieren menos sentido mientras avanzan los capítulos.La historia entre un genio que estuvo encerrado en su lámpara por mucho tiempo y quiere venganza, y una chica que nunca ha encajado del todo por su personalidad (y que, además resulta ser la nueva reencarnación del objetivo de venganza del genio) podría haber sido interesante o divertida.
El problema fueron todos los personajes secundarios, la forma en la que intentan explicar o justificar la historia de los ángeles caídos y los antagonistas es bastante absurda, no suma y cansa. Además, toda la historia lateral de la abuela que se vuelve joven por un deseo, pero igual va a morir en su hora fue aburrida y podría no haber existido en absoluto.
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it's Temu Goblin.
This is by far writer Kim Eun Sook's sloppiest work until now & yet the drama is still enjoyable. To elaborate a bit more on the script, I think they wanted to make a Goblin-like fantasy show & so the writer made a similar framework for a drama that is different enough. Personally I find nothing much wrong with this. A 1000 year romance with some flashbacks & an endless opportunity for corrupting wish stories -instead of ghost stories- could've easily lead to the drama of the year, or the second best at least. The problem is that the show is really not written consistently at all, the writer's self established rules are not respected, often not even within the same episode & the finish is very variety show like in the sense that there were a great many fun skits, but none of the plot makes sense, like at all.Also the Arabic theme is really poorly researched & feels super forced. I don't give a flying monkfish about the religious connotations, but the whole Goryeo Koreans in Arabia felt incredible weird to me, what is even more forced? Korean actors speaking Arabian & doing that a lot. I really don't know why the writer couldn't just come up with a Korean version of the genie myth, or just call genies genies, but don't explain AT ALL what they are in Korea, that would've worked too. Correction, I do know why this happened, probably there may have been a sponsorship deal with the Emirates or something similar..
The most nonsensical part of the show is FL's condition, psychopath or sociopath? or whatever else, the basic concept that she does not have emotions at all is super silly & quickly full of contradiction.
Self-censorship always bothered me in Korean dramas, there are certain themes that cannot be shown on Korean TV & this often leads to really annoying & stupid subplots. In Genie, Make a Wish this manifests in how it's possible for a foreigner to wish for endless riches, but a Korean person cannot do the same & even if they kind of do, they still have to obsessively return the money. In this drama money is returned at least 3 times, though "only" twice voluntarily.
Anyway despite all of the above why is this still a 7?
Well, basically the casting is brilliant, the visuals and the photography are also amazing & the drama is just very funny in general. So if someone is capable of shutting off their brain a A LOT, then I can totally see them loving this. Suzy is not only incredibly gorgeous in this one, but also had great chemistry with Woo Bin & their constant bickering is endless fun. I would watch a 200 episode long sitcom where these actors play an old married couple..
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Schizophrenic
I watched this drama to the end. Many viewers will probably like it, but for me it was too contrived – with a unpalatable mixture of silly hijinks, gratuitous violence, sadism, ridiculous wishes, and bogus profundity. It had a convoluted plot with too many secondary characters, and a lot of elements that just didn’t come together in a cohesive whole.In the beginning, the ML is a a big goof ball of a genie who can do anything with a snap of his fingers. Somehow he’s also Satan. He can put out a raging fire or catch someone who’s fallen off a tall building, He can appear and disappear and travel through time. He can fly, burst through the walls of buildings, and deflect bullets. No problemo.
As for the FL, she just doesn’t give two figs about anything because she’s a psychopath (or maybe not). She’s trying to be decent, but she has the soul of a killer. Why should the viewers care about either of these absurd characters? There’s nothing at stake. Neither of them want anything–-or anything substantive–-either from the world or from each other.
As the story progresses, wishes are granted, wishes are postponed, unforeseen circumstances arise. When a romance develops, it seems completely unmotivated.
When are the good people at Netflix going to hire writers who can actually construct a story with heart and nuance–one that doesn’t rely on gimmicks?
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So much potential wasted
The story can be soo interesting and nice but honestly take this with a pinch of salt but the romance the story had no spark whatsoever it felt so dull the drama had immense potential but it all went down the drain 😞watch it if u want and see if u like it but personally it was not very enjoyable at allWas this review helpful to you?
