12 Binge-Worthy K-dramas That You Feel Compelled to Complete in One Go
Have you fallen down the rabbit hole of Korean Dramas or rather, binge-worthy Kdramas that keep you up all night, and you are so hooked that you can no longer find your way out? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, for K-dramas are seriously addictive. Let’s transition you into a seasoned K-drama viewer (if you are still new) by presenting you with these 12 binge-worthy K-dramas to add to your ‘watch next’ list!
The Korean drama recommendations covered in this blog are spread across all the genres you crave, from fell-the-flutters rom-coms to feel-the-thrill mysteries, intriguing historical dramas to laugh-till0you-drop comedies. So here are our picks, in no particular order, kind you.
- Crash Landing On You
In CLOY, as it is fondly known in the Kdrama-watching community, a rich South Korean businesswoman accidentally crash-lands in North Korea while she is paragliding. There she meets a North Korean army captain who hides and protects her while they look for ways to send her back to South Korea some how. The series offers some laughs, some tears, but lots of heart-fluttering moments and tons of emotional drama and plot intrigue. It is not just a great binge-worthy Korean show, but it is also one that can be called a great Kdrama for beginners (it does get you hooked for life).
2. Mr Queen
Mr. Queen is an insanely funny body-swap rom-com Kdrama set in the Joseon era, and as with all Joseon dramas, it also has its fair share of palace intrigue. A hot-shot modern-day male chef, Jang Bong-hwan, finds himself trapped in the body of Queen Cheorin! Chaos ensues as Bong-hwan, with his brash, manly personality and modern knowledge, tries to navigate ancient palace life and rules while keeping his true soul-identity a secret. Meanwhile, King Cheoljong, Queen Cheorin’s husband, who seems like a pushover, has a lot of secrets. Together, and unwillingly so, at least at the start, they navigate court intrigue, uncover hidden truths, and also find true love.
3. Queen of Tears
If you haven’t heard of Queen of Tears yet, let me begin by asking – which rock have you been living under. No. Seriously. Where have you been? Social media has been flooded with QOT discussion since its very first episode aired and the craze never died down till its last one.
Queen of Tears explores the cracks in a seemingly perfect marriage. Hong Hae-in, a powerful chaebol heiress, and Baek Hyun-woo, a man from humble beginnings, who were once in love enough to get married, now have different stories to tell, of their time together. Three years into their marriage, their love is strained due to circumstances but also due to personality differences. Hae-in, focused on her career at the family conglomerate, clashes with Hyun-woo, who feels overshadowed and trapped in the gilded cage where he is looked down on by everyone, even within the family, that lives together. The drama, as the name suggests, is a rollercoaster of emotions, as it explores themes of love, ambition, and navigating societal pressures.
A special mention for the drama’s main villain, who truly outdid himself. Here’s what I had to say about him and the show when I finally finished watching it.
4. The King’s Affection
Kdramas have been using the ‘woman dressed as man’ plot since the start of time and quite frankly it’s been done till death. I mean, everyone and their mother’s can see that that’s a girl, other than the male leads and the other surrounding them! Eye rolls.
But that said, The King’s Affections is a true blue emotional drama set in a time when having twins was considered unlucky, so much so that one of the two was often killed off. But thanks to the kindness of people who wished to save her, the twin girl child that was born with the crown prince is smuggled out of the palace to escape death. Years later, when the prince dies, the princess if brought back into the palace to maintain stability and to hide the crown prince’s death. Now the heir to the throne, she navigates court politics as the male she impersonates, while trying to suppress a blossoming romance with her childhood friend to maintain her current identity. She lives in constant fear of her true identity being exposed. A drama worth watching thanks to excellent casting and excellent acting performances from all the main characters.
5. Alchemy of Souls I & II
Quite frankly, I enjoyed 1 more. It was fast, it was edgy and it has spunk. 2 was more of a peachy romance with heart flutters. That said though, the story of BOTH and the casting of BOTH and the level of interest each next episode retains, is all brilliant through and through these two fantasy Kdramas based on the theme of ‘soul shifting’..
I honestly don’t want to give ANY plot spoilers for this one, so not even a squeak from me, other than two things: 1. You are sure to fall in love with Jang Uk, and 2. No matter which body the soul of Naksu resides in, the character does a damn good job of portraying it.
6. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Extraordinary Attorney Woo follows the inspiring journey of Woo Young-woo, a brilliant lawyer on the autism spectrum. Despite prejudices against her and her own social awkwardness, she uses her exceptional memory and unique perspective on the law to find innovative solutions. The drama is brilliantly written and brilliantly cast. That said, it also helps to change societal perceptions about autism and what it entails.
7. The Glory Part I & II
Revenge is a dish best served cold. And boy is it served iced in this one. It is the come-back drama of Song Hye-Kyo after her much publicized divorce, and she has done an excellent job with it, as always. This is a revenge Kdrama that has two parts to make the story complete. The drama revolves around bullying but takes it to another level very quickly as layers keep getting peeled aside and truths keep tumbling out.
8. Business Proposal
Business Proposal is the quintessential romcom Kdrama, the kind that Kdramas are known for. What starts out as a fake, contract relationship between the two leads, develops into something more real, as one would expect. Commendable performances are also given by both second leads, who, if I may dare to say so, steal the spotlight in many of the scenes.
9. The Impossible Heir and/or Wedding Impossible
If you prefer Kdramas with substance, go for the former since it is a Kdrama with a plot involving a delinquent’s daughter, an illegitimate son of a chaebol, and the son of a murderer. Now that should be enough to have to intrigued right. Unfortunately though, though it is still a great Kdrama, it is lax in certain places especially with the tightness of the storyline, lapses in the plot and the character graph of the leads, especially the girl.
If that’s not your kind of Kdrama, choose a rom-com with a twist by watching the latter, wedding Impossible. It is a delight to see Tokyo (from Money Heist Korea) back with a drama after her movie Ballerina. I personally love her, and she delivers great stuff here as well.
10. My Demon
In “My Demon,” a powerful and icy heiress gets tangled up with a charming yet arrogant demon who thrives on tempting humans with soul-binding contracts> when they cross paths, the demon suddenly finds his powers mysteriously weakened aand to regain his strength and avoid perishing, he proposes a shocking solution: a contract marriage! And that my dears, is the start of any great Kdrama, isn’t it! 😛
11. Little Women
Let’s talk about money, and temptation. Similar to the classic Little Women story, this is a story of 3 impoverished sisters who years for money, independence and love. Their lives take a dramatic and unexpected turn when one of the three sisters becomes entangled with a mysterious 70 billion won inheritance left by a seemingly deceased friend. However, this newfound wealth attracts dangerous attention from Korea’s richest family, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the missing money. As the sisters get pulled deeper into a web of secrets and corruption, they fight for survival and expose the truth, all while clinging to the unbreakable bond they share.
12. Celebrity
One of my favorite Kdramas too, Celebrity is all about great story and hardly any skinship. If you don’t mind such as drama, this one’s a must-watch. With a tagline that reads ‘ a world to die for’, Celebrity aptly delves into the glamorous and dark world of social media influencers. Seo Ah-ri, a down-on-her-luck woman, stumbles into a chance encounter that catapults her to influencer stardom. As she navigates the fast-paced world of fame, likes, and sponsorships, Ah-ri uncovers the dark underbelly hidden behind perfectly curated Instagram feeds. The series explores themes of ambition, jealousy, and the manipulation within the influencer world. Add to it all, a shocking murder and you know you’ve got a great Kdrama with a sinister plot to unravel.
This list contains the more recent binge-worthy Kdramas. Some older ones are of course the usual (on all my lists :P), namely The Heirs, Vagabond, Goblin, Memories of Alhambra, My Mister and more, depending on your preferred Kdrama genre.
Others that narrow missed this list were Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Vinzenzo and Marry My Husband.
And a special mention for Happiness Kdrama. I absolutely love it. But there are many that don’t. But those that do, like me, love it immensely and list it as bingeworthy Korean drama for all to watch. It is a love story unlike other love stories, set in a fantastical world where a strange Zombie illness has taken over the world they know.
