Written by Sahana Rukmangathan
Whether you’re a K-drama addict or a newbie, these are eleven dramas that everybody needs to watch! You can use this as a checklist to see how many of these popular K-dramas you’ve already watched or you can use this list as a start-up guide to the best modern classics out there. Despite why you’re here, I think you’ll want to stick around!
11. One More Time
Fantasy, Romance
A Netflix Original with short episodes, One More Time deserves a spot up here. By the end of this eight episode series, you’ll want to say “one more time.” Yoo Tan is the leader of an underground indie band group consisting of his best friends and his girlfriend. When money gets tight and his career with the band starts going downhill, Yoo Tan signs a contract with a music label, abandoning his bandmates and breaking up with his girlfriend. But everything gets thrown out the window when a mysterious event plunges him back in time to repeat the same day over and over again. Will time help him realize his mistakes?
One More Time is a heart-wrenching romance with a fantasy and mystery element. The acting is fabulous and the chemistry between the characters blows up in your face. This drama teaches valuable lessons on cherishing the ones you love and appreciating them because who’s to say time won’t take them away?
10. The Heirs
Drama, Romance
The Heirs (AKA The Inheritors) is a modern classic that gained immediate popularity in Korea, making it a super hit all across Asia. Once you start the first episode, you will not be able to stop yourself until the credits start rolling.
Kim Tan is an affluent heir to the multi-national corporation, Jeguk Group. Banished to the United States by his power-hungry brother, Kim Tan has a chance encounter with Cha Eun Sang who visits the country in search of her sister. The two gradually fall in love unaware of what’s in store for them when they return to Korea. Problem after problem arises for the couple as drama brews like a witch’s potion in Kim Tan’s uber-rich household. Watch their story as they struggle between responsibility and love.
The Heirs is a complicated drama that immerses you into the characters lives and the story itself. With some of Korea’s top actors, The Heirs is a TV phenomenon that shouldn’t be missed.
9. Man to Man
Action, Thriller, Comedy
Man to Man is a fast-paced action drama with a cute romance and an even better bromance. From Park Hae Jin’s acting to the top-secret missions, this drama will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Under life-threatening circumstances, celebrity actor Yeo Woon Gwang hires a bodyguard, Kim Seol Woo, a man of mystery with numerous talents. But he seems almost… too good for the job. Seol Woo, in reality, is an undercover National Intelligence Service (NIS) black ops agent with his own priorities, using his role as a bodyguard as only a cover. The characters bond through a series of spiraling events taking place in this drama which will put its audience under a spell.
8. Legend of the Blue Sea
Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Who doesn’t like a good retelling? Legend of the Blue Sea is inspired by a classic Joseon legend from Korea’s first collection of unofficial historical tales. Filmed across continents and under the sea, Legend of the Blue Sea will surprise you in more than one way.
This drama follows the story of Heo Joon Jae, a clever con artist of great talent and a mermaid named Shim Cheong who has washed ashore to an oceanside resort where the two meet. Joon Jae discovers the odd “woman” in his suite without any knowledge of human mannerisms, but he takes an interest in her when he lays eyes on her expensive jadeite bracelet. And their adventure begins.
The historical aspect of this story and its connection to the present day happenings in the plot will blow you away. Shim Cheong’s adventures as she navigates the human world is hilarious, to say the least. The con artist life of Heo Joon Jae is explored well and his theatrics are very entertaining to watch. Legend of the Blue Sea is an award-winning drama that is sure to win your heart.
7. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Romantic Comedy
Especially appealing to young viewers, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is a funny coming-of-age drama, inspired by the life of Olympic gold-medal weightlifter Jang Mi Ran.
Kim Bok Joo is a talented collegiate female weightlifter with a strong sense of justice and a loud voice. Jung Joon Hyung is a free-spirited swimmer from the same college with many disqualifications. A chance encounter and a lost handkerchief start their relationship as they realize they have a connection to the past.
The comedy and the cuteness between the couple are precious. The acting and chemistry between Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk are phenomenal. The characters are all beautifully developed cinnamon rolls who need to be protected at all costs. If you’re ever in the mood for a light-hearted story, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is what you’re looking for.
6. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Mystery, Thriller, Romance
With a beautiful soundtrack and a suspenseful trope, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is truly a rollercoaster.
Kim Moo Young is a mysterious man with an even stranger past. Yoo Jin Kang is the sister of Yoo Jin Gook, a homicide detective with a dying passion for his job. When a female student’s murder is disguised as a suicide, Jin Gook takes a special interest in the case and connects it to Kim Moo Young. He becomes afraid for his sister when she gets involved with Moo Young. The situation gets more complicated when the two fall in love.
This unique story of a brother, sister, and a potential sociopath takes your mind to a hundred destinations, but the direction of this drama will be none of the hundred. The actors and actresses are perfectly chosen for their roles, the individuals transform into their characters on screen. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes has a beautifully constructed plot that takes advantage of every scene put before the viewer.
5. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Fantasy, Thriller, Romance
A romantic comedy thriller. What more do you need?
Do Bong Soon was born with superhuman strength. Her dream is to design a game based on herself. Ahn Min Hyuk is the rich young CEO of a gaming company, Ainsoft. The spoiled Min Hyuk likes to break rules and does as he wishes. Due to recent threats, he hires Bong Soon as his bodyguard after witnessing a certain hysterical incident. When a series of kidnappings of young women in the city involves Bong Soon’s best friend, Min Hyuk and Bong Soon work together to catch the culprit and save the victims.
This drama will make you feel everything. Every punch and every kiss.
4. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
Fantasy, Romance, Drama
Guardian (aka Goblin) is the third highest rated drama in Korean cable television history. It was widely acclaimed and became a cultural phenomenon in Korea.
Kim Shin is a goblin with a tragic past. He leads an immortal life as the protector of souls. The all-knowing powerful goblin searches for his human bride whose destiny is to pull out the sword in his chest and release him from his lonely immortal life. Meanwhile, Ji Eun Tak is a high school student who has been through many difficulties in life. Harassed by her aunt and cousins after her mother’s death, Eun Tak has always been able to see ghosts. The two meet when she accidentally summons Kim Shin. Throw in a grim reaper who doesn’t remember his mortal life and a beautiful chicken restaurant owner to all of this chaos for the supernatural and mortal world to entwine and create this masterpiece.
The award-winning tv sensation, Goblin includes a complex plot, phenomenal acting, and a beautiful soundtrack. The relationships in this drama, both romantic and platonic, are humorous and adorable despite the intensity of the story. Guardian is a modern classic loved dearly by drama watchers worldwide.
3. Descendants of the Sun
Romance, Melodrama, Action
The winner of several important awards, Descendants of the Sun was a major hit in South Korea. It was broadcast all across Asia, making it internationally popular and created a tourism spike in Korea.
Yoo Shi Jin is the captain of the South Korean Special Forces unit. Kang Mo Yeon is a doctor in the emergency room. When Yoo Shi Jin meets Dr. Kang Mo Yeon, he is immediately attracted to her. They go on dates, but due to their differences in careers and morals, Mo Yeon being a doctor who saves lives and Shi Jin being a soldier who kills to protect lives, they split. But fate has different plans for them. They both meet in the country of Urk, Shi Jin on a peacekeeping mission and Mo Yeon as part of a voluntary medical team. Their love for each other forces them to find a way to come to terms on their differences.
The popularity of the Descendants of the Sun both locally and internationally has left an economic and cultural imprint on South Korea. A beautiful modern Korean classic, this drama will steal your heart and way too many tears.
2. W – Two Worlds
Fantasy, Romance, Thriller
W is a fast-paced exciting drama that will suck you into its own dimension while topping viewership ratings everywhere.
Oh Yeon Joo is a resident doctor and the daughter of the famous webtoon artist Oh Sung Moo. Sung Moo’s webtoon, W, is an action story about the life of Olympic shooter Kang Chul. Near the end of the series, the webtoon comes to life and starts writing itself. While investigating the disappearance of her father, Yeon Joo is sucked into the webtoon world of W where she encounters the main character Kang Chul. It’s up to the odd couple to solve the mystery of Oh Sung Moo’s disappearance and take control of the situation before it gets out of hand.
W – Two Worlds will keep you on the edge of your seat as you travel through worlds and slowly put the plot together as the pieces are handed to you one by one.
1. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Historical Romance, Fantasy
With a production budget of $13 million US dollars, Scarlet Heart Ryeo is a Korean historical fiction television series based on the Chinese novel, Bu Bu Jing Shin. The drama has been sold for over $400,000 per episode to a Chinese broadcasting station, becoming over $8 million in total and making it the second most expensive K-drama ever sold.
During a total solar eclipse, Go Ha Jin’s life is in shambles. Drunk and blabbering to a homeless man on a lake dock, Ha Jin jumps into the water in an attempt to rescue a drowning young boy. Incidentally, she is transported back in time to the year 941 in the body of Hae Soo, a relative to one of the royal princes during the Goryeo dynasty. By trying to make sense of the situation and navigate life in a different time, she finds herself tangled up in the rivalry and politics of the princes as they fight for the throne.
Creating an exhilarating rush like no other, Scarlet Heart Ryeo teaches a mean history lesson while simultaneously breaking hearts worldwide.
So what are you waiting for? Let the K-drama binge begin!
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