We're taking a break from our regular programming—celebrity dating news? Celeb controversies? Let's hit pause for all of those. Right at this moment, let's talk about one of the hottest content out there: True Heiress Vs. Fake Queen Bee, which people have shortened to The Kaplan Heiress. Yes, as in that not-so-random ad that started playing on your Facebook feed that turned out to be a mini series that got us seated.
In case you've been busy having the time of your life offline, we're not blaming you if you haven't met the Kaplan heiress just yet. But since you're here, let's get into the details of this short drama that got everyone hooked, invested, focused, and thrilled.
What is The Kaplan Heiress?
First things first, The Kaplan Heiress' official title is True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee. You'd probably get the gist of the drama because of the title, but allow us to explain it all later. The drama isn't the conventional kind that takes months to finish it and episodes running for almost an hour or so. True Heiress Vs. Fake Queen Bee's running time is approximately and hour and a half hour only. It's this new content format called vertical dramas that allows viewers to consume content in—preferably—the fastest way possible.
No offense to the traditional teleseryes, K-dramas, C-dramas, and more. We still love those and still watch them when we have the time for sure. It's just... with how fast-paced life has been, somehow we—at least I, personally—prefer something quick to watch perhaps before or after a long day at work. Thankfully, these types of content called vertical short dramas cater to that particular need.
The Plot Of The Kaplan Heiress a.k.a. True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee
It all starts with the super-rich and reputable Hailey Kaplan wanting to start a new and normal life at her new school, Western High. Who wouldn't want a normal and peaceful life, right? After all, she's the heiress of the Kaplan family. Apparently, the universe had other plans for her as some crazy chaos would follow her in school.
The crazy chaos in question: Candice Mathis. She's the daughter of Hailey's housemaid. While she should be keeping everything low-key about her life, she's out there posing as the "true Kaplan heiress." As if that's not dramatic enough, of course, Candice had to bully Hailey too. Hence, the fake queen bee in the title.
If you think that's just all into it, you'd be surprised with how intense and exciting and infuriating and also likable (!) the scenes would get. There's a love triangle too, yes, but I think we're in it for the scenes with the classic throwing a glass of water/spaghetti/ball at your nemesis scenes. (A lot of throwing, we know.) TBH, it's the cringey-cliche-drama-but-I'm-still-watching kind of thing, IYKYK. It's everyone's guilty pleasure rn.
Where can you watch The Kaplan Heiress a.k.a. True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee?
TBH, it's everywhere. *double eyes emoji* But it's officially available on the ReelShort app. You'll need to download the app and choose whether you'll watch some built-in ads before each episode or pay it. You can watch all the episodes (and series on the app) for seven days for P499.
The Cast Of The Kaplan Heiress a.k.a. The Kaplan Heiress a.k.a. True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee
We don't wanna spoil you with everything because where's the fun in that? But what we want you to know is that we found the Instagram accounts of our true heiress and fake queen bee, LOL. Don't worry because contrary to their characters in the drama, they happen to be the sweetest bunch.
We might have seen episodes of because of ads or you're now really an avid viewer of vertical dramas (I'm not saying that's me...), so it might be temporary to us. But to these actresses—they looove their jobs sm!
The actress who plays Candice is Daniela Couso. We found her on Instagram and found out how much of a fun baddie she is IRL. We love her energy already! She always posts behind-the-scenes snaps of her projects—which, by the way, are a handful this year. Of course, one of her posts was dedicated to the True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee team.
She uploaded a couple of pics with Maya Jenson, a.k.a. Hailey Kaplan. Daniela threw in a light caption saying, "In our humble opinion candice is just secretly in love with hailey. you tell us. our show is out now on @reelshortapp. filming this one was definitely a memorable time! thank you to the cast & crew as always!!"
Maya joined in on the fun and replied to Daniela with a Mean Girls quote, saying, "It's not my fault you're like in love with me or something."
6 Vertical Dramas To Watch After The Kaplan Heiress a.k.a. True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee
Based on our social media feeds—from Facebook to TikTok, to Instagram, and YouTube, hell, even X (formerly Twitter), True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee has been everywhere. And there are more dramas just like it: exciting, inviting, cliche but catchy. If you want Western or Asian vertical dramas about clique wars, contract marriages, or second-chance romances—name it, there's one already for each trope.
OK, disclaimer: there are hundreds of vertical dramas already. It was only this year that we've seen a surge of them—but believe us when we say that some production companies have been producing these kinds of dramas since 2018. If you're familiar with the media company, Tencent Video, they were among the first ones—if not the first—to produce it. Now, there are several apps already making vertical dramas.
ALSO READ: Best Rom-Com K-Dramas That Will Make Your Heart Flutter
Since there are a lot already, we're just gonna share with you six of the most recent vertical dramas we've watched that might be of your liking too IF you liked The Kaplan Heiress!
The Virgin's Bucket List
Admittedly, this is our most recent watch. The Virgin's Bucket List tells the story of Lindsay who was being bullied in school by Alyssa for being a virgin.
One day, she mistakenly thought that the star football player, Wayne, was a sex robot sleeping in her bedroom. It turns out that Wayne was staying at their house for a semester—and yes, he had a secret crush on Lindsay since they were kids. The thing is, Alyssa is so into Wayne that she would do just about everything to ruin Lindsay.
Maid For My Nemesis
Here's another high school vertical drama that got us giddy about the main couple and the antagonist's scenes too, LOL. Maid For My Nemesis was just uploaded a couple of days ago. It's about the love story of the class president and overachiever Emma Johnson and high school playboy, Lucas Bennett.
Because of their opposite personalities, Emma despises Lucas—who became her vice president, by the way. The two eventually became closer as Lucas hired Emma as his personal maid: a secret they had to hide from the whole school. FYI, no one knows that Emma isn't rich like everybody thinks. Plus, she also had to provide for her hospitalized father.
Will love prevail despite 1) their opposite personalities, and 2) a Lucas-obsessed antagonist named Brielle, who's continuously targeting Emma?
It's Meant To Be
It's Meant To Be, in the simplest sense, is about a ballet student, April, who's short of money and runs into a CEO named, Jason. This CEO apparently needs someone to sleep with and so, April enters the scene. A supposed one-night stand happened to change April's life forever as she gets pregnant with the CEO's twins.
Beatrice and her clique have locked their attention on April, making it their life's goal to give April a difficult time every single time. When they discovered that April somehow became connected to a rich guy, they blackmailed April. Now, April and Jason navigate their relationship as soon-to-be parents all while resolving every problem April has to face.
Secret Love At 30,000 Feet
If you're looking for an Asian vertical drama, we also have a reco for that. Make sure to check out Secret Love At 30,000 Feet. It's about Meng Li Yue and Li Fu Zheng who first met in high school.
What's a vertical drama without a clique bullying the heroine? Li Fu Zheng happens to be Meng Li Yue's hero back in high school. That is, until she meets him again at work where they now work as an air traffic controller and a pilot, respectively. Pressured by his family, Li Fu Zheng asks Meng Li Yu to marry him through a contract marriage—and later on, finds out just how much they love each other.
My Sugar Baby Turns Out To Be NYC's Richest Man
Imagine spotting a handsome guy in college and offering him to be your sugar baby...that's how Isabella and Andrew's love story began in My Sugar Baby Turns Out to be NYC's Richest Man.
At the time, Isabella was rich rich, and so she had the resources to start a relationship with Andrew with the use of her money. Years later, after their mysterious breakup, Isabella became dirt poor and Andrew became the richest guy in New York City. The two navigate through their love again amid an Andrew-obsessed girl who wants to harm Isabella in all ways possible.
Mr. Pei Loves Her So Much
We're including this one because we've heard some good reviews abour it. (Srsly!) Mr. Pei Loves Her So Much's story revolves around Pei Yi and Lin Jia Jia, who had twins who unfortunately died.
Five years later, she meets Pei Yi who is a single dad of twins. The young twins tried their best to push Lin Jia Jia and Pei Yi closer to each other, making them a family of four. So if you're interested in a meet-cute story like this, give it a try too!
Better late than never but, welcome to the world of vertical dramas! ;)
