When sci-fi is mixed with and a romantic korean drama, magic happens! This series tells the story of a reality video game developer Jung Se-Joo, who creates an addictive alternate reality where gamers can put on a special high-tech lens to find weapons and fight in the real world. However, the plot twist comes your way when Jung finds a deadly glitch in the game and tries to fix it. Amid the commotion, romance crops up - unexpected and beautiful. Another romance on the list, Wish You follows a shy, music-obsessed keyboardist named Yoon Sang-yi who works at a major record label.
One day he sees a man named Kang In-soo (Kang In-soo, a singer playing a fictionalized version of himself) singing on the street, and he falls in love at first sight. Luckily for In-soo, who is on the verge of giving up on his music career, Sang-yi introduces In-soo's music to his boss, giving him a huge opportunity. In order to work on his music, In-soo moves into his new label's employee housing, with Sang-yi as a manager of sorts. As they spend more and more time together, romantic feelings start to develop, and Sang-yi discovers that his love might not be as one-sided as he thought. Written and directed by Seong Do-joon, Wish You is a straightforward movie, but the love story between Sang-yi and In-soo is very charming and cute, and it's a great film to watch if you need a quick pick-me-up.
Wish You is a part of the slow progress of Korea becoming more open to queer people and relationships. While it was almost impossible to find any LGBTQ+ stories in Korean entertainment just a few years ago, it is slowly growing more mainstream and accepted, and Wish You is evidence of that. Set in the late 80s, 'Reply 1988' tells the story of five childhood friends and their families, who all live in the same middle-class neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong in Seoul. The major focus of the show stays on the five best friends, whose bromance will give you so many feels that you'll cry and laugh at once and think it's totally normal.
PD Shin Won-ho manages to give so much depth to each and every character, regardless of how much screen time they have, that they're all real actual people and not just 2D supporting characters. The scenes are so engaging and funny and sweet and serious and sad, a myriad of different emotions that you feel while watching. I guess the best way to describe 'Reply 1988' is that it's like a warm hug. This show has my heart and I can honestly say that watching this will make you a better person.
The plot tells the story of what it takes to train 16 boys, and girls, to become national-level badminton players. This sports drama is a 16 episode series of which 15 episodes are available to stream. Praised for shedding light on issues of mental health, this moving series is sure to pull at your heart strings. Murder, love, scams—this K-drama wastes no time in dropping you into the world of con people. The story starts out with Cha Joo-eun who becomes a con woman after watching her father rise and fall in his own con profession. After a con goes wrong, Joo-eun spends some time in prison and when she reemerges in society, she meets the mysterious Lee Jeong-hwan.
The relationship seems to be going well, but then Joo-eun is left at the altar on her wedding day. Detectives tell her Jeong-hwan was killed in a car crash, but a series of events afterwards don't add up and Joo-eun sets out to uncover the truth. This 20-episode Joseon dynasty-set drama centres around a fictitious king (played by Kim Soo-hyun) who falls in love with a woman (Han Ga-in) who looks a lot like his first love. There's plenty of romance, palace-scheming, political power plays, and back-stabbing.
No wonder this series is considered one of the highest rated Korean dramas of all time. But what's great about Korean dramas beyond any other streaming service or networks' latest juicy fare like, say, Mare of Easttown or Cruel Summer? In these addictive shows with single episode runtimes that look more like movies, it's drama plus a thick side of more drama, often with a love story at the center. Because Netflix has put a decent amount of coin behind some of its newer titles, viewers are getting fantastic acting, dazzling wardrobe design, good writing, and sleek production. If you take one global pandemic that forces the majority of the world to stay at home and combine that with high-quality drama, you'll get a whole bunch of new K-drama viewers. To ease you into the waters, we've compiled a list of the best K-dramas on Netflix for genre newbies.
Hong Seol catches on to the fact that her deceptively kind and nice senior is not kind or nice at all, but a sociopath with a tendency to manipulate people around him and destroy the ones that annoy him. He is not a bad person though, because he only targets low-lives who totally deserve their comeuppance. Things take a weird turn when he takes a liking to Hong Seol and asks her out. Still undecided on whether he is a good man or not, she accepts and starts an initially uneasy relationship with him that eventually grows deeper and blossoms into true love.
Just watch it for the hero/ anti-hero character – he is absolutely captivating and an enigma that you will want to figure out. If you just watched the dramatic opening of Vincenzo, set in Italy days after the death of a mafia boss, you might think you're in for a self-serious organized crime drama. But the Netflix K-drama quickly shifts into a story much more tonally complex. Part romance, part drama, part action thriller, Vincenzo has something for everyone.
It follows Vincenzo (Space Sweepers' Song Joong-ki), a Korean lawyer raised by an Italian mafia family who must flee the country following his father's death. As part of his plan of escape, Vincenzo travels to Korea to recover a stash of hidden gold under an old apartment building set for demolition by a corrupt corporation called the Babel Group. Because of this dilemma, Vincenzo becomes unlikely allies with the group of eccentric citizens who live in the building, as well as with a passionate and moral lawyer who has a vendetta against the Babel Group for his own reasons. Another Netflix Original, Time to Hunt is a thriller set in a dystopian near-future in which poverty is even more widespread and destructive. A group of friends, desperate to get out of the city and start a better life, decide to commit one last heist together to get the cash they need, with a popular gambling house their target.
Directed by Yoon Sung-hyun, the movie stars Choi Woo-shik, who you might recognize as the son from Parasite, Lee Je-hoon, Ahn Jae-hong, Park Jung-min, and Park Hae-soo. The thriller Time to Hunt is perfect for people who like heist films or action-filled dramas, and the movie is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat as the four friends fight for their lives. This drama tells the story of a group of rich, privileged high school students who will one day take over their families businesses. The coming-of-age themes explored in the drama include identity, wealth, and relationships.
One of the main characters is Kim Tan, a chaebol heir to Jeguk Group, who hasn't had the easiest relationship with his older half-brother Kim Won because he thinks Tan is trying to steal their father's company from him. Tan seeks to overcome all the obstacles to be with Eun-sang no matter what his family or friends at school say. Can't get enough of crime and detective shows like Law & Order or CSI? Based in part on a real-life serial killer in Korea, the series revolves around a mysterious walkie talkie that allows a detective from 1986 to communicate with a modern day criminal profiler to solve cold cases.
As you would expect, things go south, and the detectives fight to solve these cases while playing a dangerous game with fate and time. Signal swept Korea's 2016 Baeksang Arts Awards, walking away with Best Drama, Screenplay and Actress awards. This romantic Korean drama focuses on the usually uncovered, healing aspect of love. A kind health care work stumbles upon a children's book author, who happens to have a personality disorder. Gradually the pair grow closer and their slow-burning romance helps them both heal from their own demons and move towards a brighter future.
The New York Times pronounced this series as one of the "The Best International Shows of 2020." The style is defined by colorful and soft images, questionable screenplay, corny comedy and a way of acting that resembles Western soap operas. The dramas are usually produced with one director and one writer, and are broadcasted on two consecutive nights three times a week. Needless to say, K-Drama differs from the American and European ways of making television. The genre is popular worldwide though and the amount to choose from is huge. In North-America, Netflix included some K-Drama shows in its selection and online streaming sites like Hulu and DramaFever attract a vast audience.
In terms of quality drama however, a decent K-Drama show is hard to find. As mentioned before, K-Drama has it's own standard and obviously does not try to rival with channels like HBO and AMC. They may not be as interesting as South-Korean cinema is, but it might a refreshing experience for those who are in search for something completely different. The story circulates around a mafia leader Vincenzo who travel back to Korea to get his gold. He fights against the biggest corrupt company in Korea and helps people.
The drama has every element including comedy, action, crime and thriller. The cast of Vincenzo includes Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taecyeon and Kwak Don-yeon. Cue the long anticipated resolution to a number of long cold cases… and a thoroughly dangerous attempt to overcome the rules of fate and time, too.
Hospital Playlist/tvNOriginally produced for cable channel tvN, Hospital Playlist follows five doctors and nurses at a medical center, who have been friends since they entered medical school in 1999. The first season premiered on March 12, 2020, and the second season has been scheduled to start airing in June, 2021. Alongside its popularity on Netflix the series became the tenth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history. The series follows Moon Gang-tae, who is a caregiver in both his personal and professional life—first, for his autistic brother Sang-tae and, second, as a nurse at a psychiatric ward.
Gang-tae has spent most of his life jumping from city to city with his brother trying to avoid the haunting and mysterious memories surrounding his mothers' death. His life is flipped upside down when he reconnects with Ko Moon-young, a famous children's book writer with an antisocial personality disorder. Gang-tae ends up back in his hometown, where Moon-young follows him in order to pursue a relationship and satiate her romantic obsession with the caregiver. While trying to get her mans, Moon-young struggles with being haunted by the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother's disappearance. Once you start watching, you'll be drawn to Moon-young's killer and over-the-top wardrobe, but stay for the lovable Sang-tae. The show's mysterious plot is a little bit of a slow burn, but it still keeps you invested.
Se-ri is found by Captain Ri , and after a few directionally challenged mishaps in her escape attempt, winds up living in Ri and his underlings' small village nearby. The culture exchange between Se-ri and everyone else is absolutely fascinating to watch as she struggles to adjust to life without easy access to Nice Things and act comradely to her fellow villagers. For that reason alone, this rom-com is worth the plunge, but the flirtatious chemistry between Se-ri and Captain Ri will suck you in for good. This is a romantic-comedy-thriller that will keep you engaged from start to finish. It's a murder mystery that has some nice whodunit twists up its sleeves and you will not be able to guess who the killer is until the big reveal. But Dong Baek, who seems timid at first, is a strong, honest, and resilient woman, who perseveres until she has everyone in the neighborhood on her side.
She also falls in love with Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul), a do-gooder police officer with an unbending sense of justice and a smile to melt women's hearts everywhere. The show does not pull punches when it comes to showing some dark themes like serial murders and slut-shaming. The serial killer, while a menacing malicious presence throughout, does not take focus away from the lead pair, who are so cute together. It is gratifying to see Dong Baek's transformation from a timid rabbit to a fierce dragon.
Netflix's first original Korean series, 'Kingdom' is one of the very few K-dramas to continue a longer storyline stretched over multiple seasons. But even though 'Kingdom' has had 2 seasons so far , it does not feel "draggy" because they have that much story to tell. Set in the Joseon era, the show's plot centers around Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), who is barred from seeing his father the King of Joseon, by the Queen's orders.
His stepmother just tells him that the King is ill and cannot see anyone. The Prince takes it upon himself to investigate the King's illness and the cause for it. Turns out that there is a plague that brings the dead back to life as forever-hungry cannibalistic monsters . Aside from defending his rightful claim to the throne, the Prince now also has to fight and kill zombies. And we all know (from movies like 'Train To Busan') that Korean zombies are fast and scary.
This one makes it so high on our list purely on account of the sheer thrills it provides. PD Shin Won-ho (of 'Reply' fame) casts his unique magic again with dark comedy 'Prison Playbook'. The story is of Kim Je-hyuk, a famous baseball player about to make his pro debut in the American major leagues. Before he can sign on with the Boston Red Sox, his life takes a dramatic turn and he lands himself in prison for beating up a man who was attempting to sexually assault his sister. During his one-year prison sentence, the simple-minded Je-hyuk meets and befriends several inmates serving time for a variety of crimes but there's more to the convicts than just being criminals. The drama takes a deeper look at the lives of the prison inmates and the guards working there and the strange friendships they form.
There are such beautifully written characters that you would simply want to burst out cheering for them and look at them like they're actual humans who matter and not just society's bad apples to be thrown away. I personally got super invested in the stories of each and every character – the menacing long-timer, the drug addict, the brash prison officer, the low-life goon who almost killed Je-hyuk his first week in. But that's what PD Shin is known for, to make you care so much for the characters that you don't want the drama to end. This K-Drama classic follow Geum Jan-di, a regular teen girl who's offered a scholarship to an elite high school.
Deterred by her rich classmates, she falls prey to the most popular boys in school, known as the F4, but stands up to their leader Gu Jun-pyo. Struck by her fighting spirit, Jun-pyo falls in love with Jan-di, and a love triangle, scandalous high school parties, and plenty of family drama ensues. If you are looking for a classic crime thriller, the likes of which South Korean filmmakers are known for, then the Netflix Original movie Night in Paradise is a great choice. Directed by Park Hoon-jung, the dark drama stars Uhm Tae-goo as Park Tae-goo, a mobster who denies an offer to join the rival Bukseong gang, resulting in the murder of his entire family. Tae-goo then retaliates by killing the men responsible before fleeing to the picturesque Jeju Island. There he meets a woman named Kim Jae-yeon, played by Jeon Yeo-been, who suffers from a terminal illness and has little time left to live, and the two form a connection.
Unfortunately, Tae-goo's troubles follow him to the island as the Bukseong gang hunts him down. South Korea has a talent for creating complex and exciting revenge stories with fascinating antiheroes. Tae-goo is a skilled assassin whose life gets turned upside down by his loyalty, and the one thing he cares about — his family — is taken away from him. In Jae-yeon, Tae-goo finds someone who has gone through a similar situation and ends up alone, but doesn't want to be, and so they begin to form a life together. Their relationship becomes the emotional centerpiece of an action-packed, violent story of vengeance. This series, written by Kim Eun-sook, is the fourth highest-rated Korean drama of all time.
The fantasy romance is about a modern day goblin, Gong Yoo, who needs a human bride to end his cursed immortal life. His life then becomes intertwined with a grim reaper, Lee Dong-wook, who is unable to remember his past. In this fairy tale, an empathetic health care worker with a tragic past meets a children's book author with a personality disorder. As the two get to know each other, they form a slow-burning romance that helps them both emotionally heal and move forward.
The New York Times named this romantic drama series one of "The Best International Shows of 2020." Yes, this is that romantic Korean drama that you've probably been recommended numerous times or the one you have already watched on loop. This series upholds the value of love over political barriers as it tells the tale of a South Korean heiress who, while paragliding, accidentally crash-lands in North Korea. But away from viewer expectations, she meets a North Korean army officer who protects her and they begin a love story despite communal strife.
It's Okay to Not Be Okay is a touching romance focusing on children's book author Ko Moon-young, psychiatric hospital worker Moon Gang-tae, and Gang-tae's brother Moon Sang-tae. Sang-tae has autism, and the brothers frequently move due to his trauma surrounding their mother's death. Eventually they cross paths with Moon-young, who has antisocial personality disorder and develops a romantic fixation on Gang-tae. Mr. Queen korean drama is a 2020 South Korean television series which aired on tvN. Directed by Yoon Sung-sik, it stars Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun as the 25th queen and king of the Joseon Dynasty. What can two people who are in tight financial situations do to get by?
Definitely a romance drama, Because This Is My First Life will leave you giddy and rooting for the two stars to fall in love. The first Netflix Original K-drama that propelled the streaming platform to create more Korean content, Kingdom is a period horror thriller set during Korea's Joseon dynasty . After the king dies of a plague, the queen devises a plot to steal the throne from the king's son Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon). To keep the king alive until she gives birth to a new heir, she gives him a plant that turns him into a zombie.
