Netflix Viewers Claim They’ve Found the ‘Perfect Alternative’ to Virgin River And It’s Not American

Another small-town romance could be the perfect filler during breaks between Virgin River seasons.

Virgin River enthusiasts have spotted another romantic drama with a very similar premise you can stream right now on Netflix.

The main difference? This series hails from a country thousands of miles away from the United States.

Despite the stark contrast, this international series follows a similar conceit of a young woman (who happens to be a medical professional) finding love in a small village.

In Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, young dentist Yoon Hye-jin (played by Shin Min-a) moves from Seoul, South Korea to Gongjin, a picturesque seaside village when her life is thrown into turmoil.

She soon gets to know Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho) the town’s local handyman who is beloved by the residents as he’s always around to fix their problems.

While this narrative will definitely sound familiar to Netflix subscribers who have watched all six seasons of Virgin River so far, many fans insist the K-drama is far superior.

“I think I have discovered the K-drama version of Virgin River,” one user announced on the show’s subreddit.

“It’s called Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. It’s very cheesy and very similar.”

Several viewers who have already streamed the 16-episode series agreed, with one user replying: “My opinion is Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is infinitely better than Virgin River. How far have you gotten?

“The early episodes definitely have a cheese factor, but the later episodes made me ugly cry in a way Virgin River has never come close to. Great acting, great emotional payoff.”

“K Dramas are so well done!” someone else agreed and gave some more examples. “It’s Ok Not To Be OK, Crash Landing On You, Extraordinary Attorney Woo – they don’t rely on cheesy boring sex scenes and really get into character development.

“Sure sometimes they’re over the top but the stories are better and less predictable than VR or any of the other weird Hallmarky shows we do.”

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is available to stream on Netflix

“Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is sooo much better,” another comment said. “Nonetheless, I enjoy Virgin River for what it is.”

Someone else responded: “Awwww I loved Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, but it’s way more superior to V.R lol. That show made me laugh so much and cry like a baby. The acting also way better!”

“Not the same hahaha. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is much much better,” another fan said.

And a final viewer replied: “There’s no way you compared a masterpiece like Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha to VR… lol take that back right now.”

If you’ve learned to love Virgin River despite its cheesy romance and forced drama, this irresistibly charming K-drama could be perfect to fill the gap between season seven.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and Virgin River are available to stream on Netflix.