We Are All Trying Here

We Are All Trying Here
Promotional poster
Hangul
모두가 자신의 무가치함과 싸우고 있다
Lit.Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness
RRModuga jasinui mugachihamgwa ssaugo itda
MRModuga chasinŭi mugach'ihamgwa ssaugo itta
Genre
Written byPark Hae-young
Directed byCha Young-hoon
Starring
Music byGaemi
Opening themeUntitled_08 by Damons Year
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time70 minutes
Production companies
  • Studio Phoenix
  • SLL
  • Studio Flow
Original release
NetworkJTBC
ReleaseApril 18 (2026-04-18) –
May 24, 2026 (2026-05-24)

We Are All Trying Here (Korean: 모두가 자신의 무가치함과 싸우고 있다) is a 2026 South Korean black comedy slice of life melodrama television series written by Park Hae-young, directed by Cha Young-hoon, and starring Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Oh Jung-se, Kang Mal-geum, Park Hae-joon, Bae Jong-ok, Han Sun-hwa, and Choi Won-young. The series tells the story of people who are struggling with envy and jealousy as they search for their own peace. It aired on JTBC from April 18, to May 24, 2026, every Saturday at 22:40 (KST) and Sunday at 22:30 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.

Synopsis

The "Group of Eight" is a gang of filmmaker friends who met as juniors and seniors in their university film club. They've since built successful careers in the industry—all except Hwang Dong-man. An aspiring director who hasn't debuted in twenty years. To mask it, he overcompensates by dominating conversations and lobbing harsh critiques at everyone. He tries to pass as a mentor, but his constant chatter wears people down. This behavior causes his friends to become frustrated with him. Despite Hwang's struggles with his perceived failure, his friends continue to support him.

Cast and characters

Main

Among the eight members of the film club, he alone has not debuted and has been preparing for his directorial debut for 20 years. The other members he started with are later successful film directors and producers. But Dong-man is still in the same place. Then, he meets an overwhelmed producer, Byeon Eun-ah, who helps him rediscover his self-worth.
The production director of Choi Film. Nicknamed "Dokki (Axe)" for her brutal script critiques, Eun-ah seems unshakably composed in every situation. Underneath, she battles her own trauma and often suffers from emotional overload.
A successful director of Kopark Film with at least five films released worldwide, he is also a member of the "Group of Eight", a well-known film industry gathering. Though technically an adult, he remains unfinished, still growing into himself. His success looks complete, yet he strives relentlessly to validate his worth, pushing upward or bracing against a fall. He maintains a childlike antagonism toward Dong-man while harboring a deep inferiority complex toward him.
Gyeong-se's wife, who is the CEO of Kopark Film. She began her career as a journalist but quit the film industry after growing to hate digging into other people's tragedies. The "Group of Eight" drains her—not just Dong-man, whose reputation for trouble precedes him—but her own husband, too, a man ruled by his inferiority complex.
Dong-man's older brother, who is a talented writer. He won a literary contest with a poem out of nowhere. After an unexpected win in a poetry contest, he quit his job. Unsure if he could live as a writer, he entered graduate school to become a professor and write poetry for the rest of his life—but nothing went as planned. Now he just tries to manage his unstable life, getting through each day with the help of alcohol.
A top actress. When acting, she forgets everything, enters another world, becomes someone else, and escapes her dark past.
A top movie star, she is Jeong-hee's stepdaughter after her remarriage and the female lead in Gyeong-se's fifth film. Her status ranks just below Jeong-hee's, and she has trouble keeping the right social distance. On camera, she and Jeong-hee play the most devoted mother and daughter. Off camera, they turn icy toward each other.
CEO of the film production company Choi Film. He believes people exist in a hierarchy and wants to cut out anyone he sees as incompetent.

Supporting

  • Jeon Bae-soo as Park Young-soo[1]
  • Shim Hee-seop as Lee Jun-hwan[1]
  • Park Ye-ni as Choi Hyo-jin[5]
  • Bae Myung-jin as Lee Gi-ri[1]
  • Jo Min-kook as Woo Seung-tae[1]
  • Yeon Woon-kyung as Ga Su-ja[1]
Eun-ah's grandmother

Special appearances

Top actor
Gang-sik's junior

Production

Development

Cha Young-hoon, who helmed When the Camellia Blooms (2019), and Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023–2024), was attached to direct. The script is written by Park Hae-young, who previously wrote My Mister (2018), and the production is handled by Studio Phoenix, SLL, and Studio Flow.[12]

Casting

In April 2025, Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Kang Mal-geum, Oh Jung-se were reportedly cast to lead the series.[13][14] Han Sun-hwa was cast in September 2025, and Park Hae-joon was reportedly considering it.[15][16]

JTBC confirmed Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Oh Jung-se, Kang Mal-geum, Park Hae-joon, Bae Jong-ok, Han Sun-hwa, and Choi Won-young as the principal cast of the series through its official website.[1]

Filming

Principal photography began in October 2025.[15]

Release

We Are All Trying Here premiered on JTBC on April 18, 2026, and aired every Saturday and Sunday.[17] It is also available for streaming on Netflix.[18]

Viewership

We Are All Trying Here : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
SeasonEpisode numberAverage
123456789101112
153952855361563673560789287098710011316773
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[19]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[19]
Nationwide Seoul
1 April 18, 2026 2.173% (2nd) 2.481% (1st)
2 April 19, 2026 2.239% (2nd) 2.834% (1st)
3 April 25, 2026 2.147% (1st) 2.540% (1st)
4 April 26, 2026 2.441% (1st) 3.014% (1st)
5 May 2, 2026 2.467% (1st) 2.708% (1st)
6 May 3, 2026 2.901% (1st) 3.396% (1st)
7 May 9, 2026 2.565% (1st) 3.079% (1st)
8 May 10, 2026 3.869% (1st) 4.535% (1st)
9 May 16, 2026 3.279% (1st) 3.421% (1st)
10 May 17, 2026 4.270% (1st) 5.093% (1st)
11 May 23, 2026 4.067% (1st) 4.476% (1st)
12 May 24, 2026 5.292% (1st) 5.957% (1st)
Average 3.143% 3.628%
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
  • This drama aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).

Accolades

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee Result Ref.
Bechdel Day 2026 Bechdel Choice 10 — Series We Are All Trying Here Won [20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "We Are All Trying Here Cast Introduction". JTBC. April 9, 2026. Archived from the original on April 9, 2026. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  2. ↑ Jang, Da-hee (March 9, 2026). 배종옥, '모자무싸' 캐스팅...대체불가 연기력 입증 [공식] [Bae Jong-ok cast in We Are All Trying Here...proving her irreplaceable acting skills [Official]] (in Korean). Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ Choi, Yi-jeong (March 18, 2026). 구교환-고윤정-오정세-한선화, 어떻게 기대를 안해? '모자무싸' 대본연습 현장 포착 [Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Oh Jung-se, and Han Sun-hwa—how can you not look forward to this? 'We Are All Trying Here' script reading scene captured.]. OSEN (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  4. ↑ Choi, Yi-jeong (January 22, 2026). [단독] 최원영, 고윤정 상사된다..박해영 신작 '모자무싸' 캐스팅 [Exclusive] Choi Won-young and Go Yoon-jung become superiors... Cast in Park Hae-young's new drama We Are All Trying Here]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  5. ↑ Hwang, Yeon-do (March 13, 2026). 박예니, ‘모자무싸’ 합류…구교환·고윤정과 호흡 [Park Ye-ni joins ‘We Are All Trying Here’ working with Koo Kyo-hwan and Ko Yoon-jung.]. Style news. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ Jo, Myeong-hyeon (May 3, 2026). 구교환, 고윤정 짝사랑 고백…전남친에게 "보석같은 인갈 걸 훔쳤다" 분노 [Koo Kyo-hwan confesses unrequited love for Go Youn-jung… Expresses anger to ex-boyfriend, saying, "You stole a precious human being."]. Pickcon (in Korean). Retrieved May 3, 2026 – via The Chosun Ilbo.
  7. ↑ Park, Ju-won (April 23, 2026). 이쯤되면 박해영 뮤즈…'모자무싸' 박수영, 배종옥·한선화 소속사 대표 된다 [At this point, Park Hae-young is the muse… 'We Are All Trying Here' Park Soo-young becomes the CEO of Bae Jong-ok and Han Sun-hwa's agency]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Retrieved April 23, 2026 – via Daum.
  8. ↑ Son, Bong-seok (March 29, 2026). 신예 김소율, ‘모두가 자신의 무가치함과 싸우고 있다’ 새봄 役 낙점 [Rookie Kim So-yul Cast as Sae-bom, 'We Are All Trying Here']. Sports Kyunghang (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  9. ↑ Son, Bong-seok (April 17, 2026). 조수연, ‘모두가 자신의 무가치함과 싸우고 있다’ 고윤정 직장 동료 나영 역 낙점 [Jo Soo-yeon cast as Na-young, Go Youn-jung's colleague, in 'We Are All Trying Here']. Sports Kyunghang (in Korean). Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Daum.
  10. ↑ Cha, E. (2026-05-10). "Sung Dong Il To Make Special Appearance In "We Are All Trying Here"". Soompi. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  11. ↑ May 23, 2026. '모자무싸' 김동욱, 똥군기 잡는 성동일과 대립했다…구교환 감독 데뷔 '위기' ['We Are All Trying Here' Kim Dong-wook clashes with Sung Dong-il over enforcing toxic military-style hierarchy... Director Koo Kyo-hwan's debut faces 'crisis']. Ten Asia (in Korean). Retrieved May 23, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Park, Su-in (January 20, 2026). 구교환 고윤정, 박해영 작가 신작 출연‥이토록 가치 있는 캐스팅(모자무사) [Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, and Park Hae-young star in a new work by the writer Park Hae-young. Such a valuable casting ('We Are All Trying Here')]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ Lee, Ye-jin (April 21, 2025). [단독] 고윤정♥구교환, '나의 해방일지' 박해영 작가 신작 출연...제2의 추앙 신드롬 기대 [Exclusive: Go Yoon-jung and Koo Kyo-hwan to Star in New Drama by Park Hae-young, Writer of My Liberation Diary; Expectations for a Second Admiration Syndrome]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  14. ↑ Choi, Yi-jeong (April 29, 2025). [단독] 강말금X오정세 부부된다..'나의 해방일지' 박해영 작가 차기작 [Exclusive: Kang Mal-geum and Oh Jung-se become a couple... My Liberation Diary writer Park Hae-young's next project]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Kim, Jin-seok (September 20, 2025). [단독]한선화, 박해영 작가 새 드라마 주연 [Exclusive: Han Sun-hwa to star in writer Park Hae-young's new drama]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ Kim, Jong-eun (September 24, 2025). [단독] 박해준, 박해영 작가 신작 합류...'나의 아저씨' 이후 7년만 재회 [Exclusive: Park Hae-joon and Park Hae-young join writer Park Hae-young's new project, reuniting after seven years since My Mister]. iMBC (in Korean). Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ Choi, Moon-seon (March 10, 2026). '모자무싸' 4월 18일 첫 방송... 구교환의 처절한 질주 시작된다 [We Are All Trying Here to Premiere April 18th... Koo Kyo-hwan's Desperate Sprint Begins]. NewsPim (in Korean). Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  18. ↑ Brzeski, Patrick (January 20, 2026). "Netflix Unveils Stacked Korean Content Slate of 33 Series and Films for 2026 (Full List)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Nielsen Korea ratings:
    • "Ep. 1". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 18, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
    • "Ep. 2". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 19, 2026. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
    • "Ep. 3". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 25, 2026. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
    • "Ep. 4". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 26, 2026. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
    • "Ep. 5". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 2, 2026. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
    • "Ep. 6". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 3, 2026. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
    • "Ep. 7". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 9, 2026. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
    • "Ep. 8". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 10, 2026. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
    • "Ep. 9". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 16, 2026. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
    • "Ep. 10". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 17, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
    • "Ep. 11". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 23, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
    • "Ep. 12". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 24, 2026. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ Park, Ji-yeon (2026-08-12). '벡델데이 2026', 세대·장르·시대 넘나드는 벡델초이스 10 공개 ['Bechdel Day 2026' Unveils Bechdel Choice 10, Crossing Generations, Genres, and Eras]. The Fact (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-08-12.
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