10 Greatest K Dramas you will love to BINGE

K DRAMA

Korean dramas, often lovingly called as “K-dramas”, are like a rollercoaster ride through a whirlwind of emotions. With a blend of romance, drama, comedy and supernatural elements these K dramas captivate your mind with their plot twist and mind-blowing performances.

Do you know that between 2019 and 2021 the viewership numbers for TV series produced in South Korean skyrocketed to a staggering 200% in the U.S market. Today the American viewer is widely consuming content made in Asia. Movies, music and anime has captured the attention of young Americans to a great extent.

Every year OTT platforms are coming up with hundreds of stories and personally it gets a bit confusing as to which series one should watch or SKIP. With the ongoing craze of South Korean series we bring you the greatest K Dramas for your unlimited entertainment.

My Top Ten K DRAMAS!

1. SIGNAL (2016)
2. CRASH LANDING ON YOU (2019-2020)
3. HOSPITAL PLAYLIST (2020-2021)
4. KINGDOM (2019-2022)
5. ITAEWON CLASS (2020)
6. STRANGER (2017-2020)
7. FLOWER OF EVIL
8. THE GUARDIAN: THE LONELY AND THE GREAT GOD (2016-2017)
9. VINCENZO (2021)
10. DEATH’S GAME (2023)

Why you shouldn’t miss these K Dramas.

SIGNAL (2016)

A story about a female kid who is kidnapped on her way to school. At a time, Park Hae Yeong, who is an elementary school student, witnesses a girl being abducted. A few days later he finds that the girl is dead and the detectives cannot find the perpetrators.

Cut to fifteen years later; Hae Yeong is now a police officer and a criminal profiler. One day, he finds a walkie talkie which connects him to detective Lee Jae Han who is in the past. Spooky right? This discovery leads Hae Yeong on a journey to solve cold cases.

While Signal is an intriguing mystery drama it has some very dark and sad themes. So before you binge this series keep in mind that it is a serious drama with murder, suicide, rape etc. as it’s backdrop.

The direction and cinematography is phenomenal from first to last episode and the actors do full justice to their parts. With just 1 season and 16 episodes Signal is my top recommendation for K dramas.

CRASH LANDING ON YOU (2019-2020)

After a devastating paragliding accident, a renowned company owner Yoon Se-ri finds herself trapped behind enemy lines i.e. North Korea. She meets a military captain Ri Jeong-hyeok and discovers the hardships of living in North Korea. Over the time she falls in love with Captain Ri, who gives her shelter and helps her to return back to South Korea secretly.

Hyun Bin who plays the North Korean Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok is heroic and he stands out in all scenes. Son Ye Jin as Yoon Se ri is impressive and at no point I felt like she over did her character.

Crash Landing on you isn’t a typical romance drama and this is what make it so special. I mean it’s a romance in middle of a chaos. You’ll thoroughly enjoy the comedy and the breathtaking cinematography. With 1 season and 16 episodes, this series is available on Netflix.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST (2020-2021)

A story about five doctors who are friends since they entered medical school in 1999.

What works for this series is great writing and the awesome chemistry between the five leads. It stays away from the typical hospital politics and focuses more on the human connection between patients and doctors.

If you simply want to enjoy the weekend or an evening after a hectic schedule, Hospital Playlist will definitely cheer you up as it did me. With 2 Seasons and 24 episodes you can watch this series whenever you’re feeling a bit low or you need some sunshine in your life.

KINGDOM (2019-2022)

A historical period drama set in 16th century where shortly after the King is taken ill, a mysterious plague starts to threaten the nation. Lee Chang, the King’s illegitimate son starts investigating the strange illness, only to find that deadly zombies are annihilating the Kingdom of Joseon.

The characters in this series are well written and the concept of zombies in medieval era is simply mind blowing. Seriously whoever came up with this idea deserves an award. Furthermore the political rivalry in the kingdom and the family drama makes this series a masterpiece.

If you’re a fan of period dramas and horror genre, then I strongly suggest you watch this. In terms of visual aesthetics, Kingdom is absolutely a treat to watch. Considering this was Netflix’s first original Korean series, it got great reviews from the audiences worldwide. With 2 Seasons and 13 episodes this series is a must for horror fans.

ITAEWON CLASS (2020)

After an accident which kills Park Sae- ro-yi father, he is enraged to take revenge for his father’s death. He attempts to kill Jang Geun- won, the son of Jangga group’s founder; who happens to be the killer. However, this attempt leads him to imprisonment and years of misery.

After his release from prison, Park Sae-ro-yi opens a street bar in Itaewon, while seeking a revenge on the family who was responsible for his father’s death.

Iatewon class is more than your usual revenge drama. It is a melting pot of culture and religion. Vibrant nightlife, discos, gay bars, pubs, restaurants and amazing international cuisine is just a regular day in this series. The writers have done a fab job of blending issues like manslaughter, a capitalistic conglomerate, racism and transphobia into the storyline.

With 1 Season and 16 episodes this Korean series is one of the highest viewed and best K-drama of 2020.

STRANGER (2017-2020)

Hwang Shi Mok is a prosecutor, who has no sense of empathy due to a brain surgery he had in childhood. Now he is investigating a strange murder case with a brave female cop Han Yeon Jin. As they begin to unravel the mystery they are faced with corrupt government officials, and people who don’t want the truth to come out in open.

Cho Seung- woo does a fabulous job of portraying a characters with a disability and Bae Doona who I’d say is the soul of this series, makes this high intense crime drama entertaining. Special mention to the writer Lee Soo- Yeon for focusing on the story and the social dynamics of the surroundings.

Cinematography, Direction and music in this show is fabulous and anyone who loves a thriller, I highly recommend this series. If you haven’t watched it yet you’re surely missing a great show.

FLOWER OF EVIL

Baek Hee- Sung has hidden his past and identity from his wife Cha Ji-won. They are a loving couple with a beautiful six year old daughter. The happy family starts to crumble when Cha JI-won who is a homicide detective, begins investigating unsolved murders.

The storyline in this crime drama is gripping and the twist and turns are jaw dropping. There were times when I thought that I’ve guessed the perpetrator but then I was blind sided on occasions.

Flower of evil is an entertaining crime drama where every episode is full of revelations and still there is much more to it. It is a roller-coaster ride that you may not want to miss.

THE GUARDIAN: THE LONELY AND THE GREAT GOD (2016-2017)

Kim Shin, a decorated military general from the Goryeo dynasty is framed as a traitor and killed by his master, the young King. Years after his death he is cursed by God to stay immortal for the sins he committed as a soldier. Kim shin is now a 939 years old immortal goblin who comes across Ji Eun Tak, a cheerful high school student who can see ghost.

This K Drama does a great job of blending fantasy and realism in the story. It is filled with elements like pathos, romance, themes of retribution, forgiveness, and true love.

The lead actors Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun look great together on screen and their chemistry shines throughout the show. The scenes are beautifully shot and the locations of South Korea and Quebec add depth to this fantasy K-drama.

If you’re looking for some well constructed fantasy drama filled with laughter then you should definitely watch this series. With 1 Season and 18 episodes this K drama will warm your heart.

VINCENZO (2021)

Vincenzo Cassano is a Korean-Italian mob lawyer who has returned to this homeland, Seoul in search of business opportunity and the gold he secretly stashed long back. However, the corrupt Babel Corporate Group and its cronies are dead-set to stop him.

Vincenzo unites with the locals of a small town in order to take the fight against the tyranny of Babel and secure the Cassano family’s foothold.

Where most of the crime drama tend to be serious and intense, Vincenzo stands out with it’s dark comedy. If you want to watch a revenge drama filled with action, drama, dark comedy and good music then this show must be on your list.

DEATH’S GAME (2023)

Choi Yee-jae who isn’t doing well in life decides to kill himself to end his misery. But that’s not it yet, as he attempts a suicide he is confronted by DEATH, played by Park So-dam, who punishes him for his decision. The punishment is that he’ll have to live 12 times in different bodies and experience the pain of dying. Isn’t that intriguing ?

With a powerful cast like Choi Si-won, Sung hoon, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Do-hyun, Kim Jae-wook and many more this K drama will keep you hooked in every episode. The action scenes in this series are grand and much like watching an epic movie. No wonder the VFX budget for this series was a whopping 3.5 billion South Korean Won!

With 2 parts and 8 episodes this action packed K drama is exhilarating and it’ll keep you captivated till the end.

CONCLUSION

Over the years the fan following of K Dramas has gained popularity and this is one the reason why platforms like Netflix is investing heavily in these foreign series. In fact Netflix has started producing K Dramas like Kingdom, Vagabond, Mr. Sunshine etc. The demand for K Dramas is rising over the years and it’s about time Hollywood studios up their game.

If you’re looking for some exciting content and want to explore a distinct style of storytelling then these K Dramas will surely keep you entertained.

Let us know in the comments which K Dramas entertained you the most and why?