K-dramashave become an international pop culture phenomenon in recent years, and for good reason. With compelling character arcs and dynamics, intriguing plots, and impeccable acting, K-dramas have a reputation for being well-crafted and well-executed shows. There is no shortage of incredible K-drama shows that are essentially perfect and are a must-watch. K-drama shows are also known to be a blend of various genres, with dark and serious K-dramas still having comedic moments and lighthearted romance shows having their lead characters stuck in high-stakes and dangerous situations.
K-dramas that are considered masterpiecesleave an impression on their audiences with their complex characterizations along with thrilling plot twists and developments. Ranging from heartwarming and lighthearted romantic comedies to violent and dramatic thrillers,thebest K-dramasmake an impact on their audiences and stand out from other shows.
10Guardian: The Lonely And Great God (2016)
Released In 2016
Guardian: The Lonely and Great Godis a tragic supernatural romantic comedy that revolves around a cursed immortal Dokkaebi, also known as Goblin, as he waits for his bride to remove the sword from his chest and finally end his immortality.While the growing relationship between the immortal Goblin, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), and his bride Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun) is the focal point of the K-drama,Guardian: The Lonely and Great Godboasts several incredible character dynamics and relationships that are well-developed and weaved together throughout the show.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great Godperfectly blends the tragic romance between Shin and Eun-tak, the supernatural elements of Shin’s past and Eun-tak’s ability to see ghosts, the touching and entertaining friendship between the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook) and Shin, along with lighthearted comedic moments.The K-drama’s strong characterizations and intriguing premise and plot cement it as one of thebest K-dramas of the 2010s.
9Reply 1988
Released In 2015
Reply 1988is the third and final installment of theReplyanthology series,which generally follows a group of friends between two timelines, their past and their present.All of theReplyK-dramas revolve around a group of friends, butReply 1988examines the lives of five friends and their families. The nostalgicfriendship-focused K-dramais set in Ssangmundong in 1988 and follows the close-knit bond between the five leads and the amusing and heartwarming friendship between their parents.
The main characters inReply 1988and their parents aren’t just friends and neighbors, they form a community that helps and supports each other through thick and thin.The glimpses of the present-day timeline add a degree of intrigue and mystery regarding who Sung Deok-sun (Lee Hye-ri) gets married to while giving plenty of screentime to the friendships that are the heart of the show.
8Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Released In 2021
Hometown Cha-Cha-Chais a charming K-drama set in a gorgeous and idyllic seaside village. The romantic slice of life K-drama follows Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a), a skilled and accomplished dentist from Seoul who visits the seaside village of Gongjin and impulsively decides to open a dental clinic. While Hye-jin initially struggles to fit in at the small town as an outsider, it is a delight to witness her blossoming friendship turned romance with Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), affectionately known as Chief Hong by the residents of the village.
Hye-jin’s sweet friendship with the grandmothers of Gongin is the highlight of the show, as the endearing and familial dynamics between them is a perfect representation of the supportive and king community in Gongin.Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’sensemble castof lovable characters makes it aK-drama guaranteed to put audiences in a good mood.
7Hospital Playlist
Released In 2020
Hospital Playlistfollows a group of five doctors working together at Yulje Medical Centre.The five doctors first became friends while studying at medical school and maintained their friendship through the years as they went from med students to doctors. TheNetflix K-dramais a heartfelt friendship-centric show that effortlessly blends medical and professional drama with the doctors' personal and romantic drama.
The chemistry between the friends Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk), Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Dae-myung), Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho), and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do), is the driving force of the show, as their incredible acting makes their friendship feel realistic and compelling.Their band’s musical jam sessions as the five doctors decompressed from the stress of their profession in the medical field and their personal hardships in a heartwarming and surprising delight.
6Beyond Evil
Beyond Evilis an intricatelyand cleverly writtencrime thriller K-drama seriesthat follows two policemen on a mission to hunt down a serial killer.Yeo Jin-goo plays the role of Han Joo-won, a high-ranking detective who is transferred to Manyang Police Substation and is suspicious of fellow law enforcement officer Lee Dong-sik (Shin Ha-kyun), a former detective who was demoted from his job. Joo-won is certain that Dong-sik was behind the murder of his sister and works toward proving his guilt.
Beyond Evilexpertly follows a slow-burn pace as the truth is slowly revealed. The K-drama’s immaculately written plot slowly unveils and reveals how several plot threads are interconnected. Witnessing the detectives break the law and go against their morals to catch the serial killer is a thrilling study of evil and how far the detectives will go to catch a killer.
5Signal
Signalis a crime thriller K-drama inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders that took place between 1986 and 1994. The K-drama is set in 2015 and follows the criminal profiler Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) after he finds a mysterious walkie-talkie that allows him to speak with Detective Lee Jae-han (Cho Jin-woong) in the past. With Detective Lee’s help, Park is able to solve cases, leading to the formation of a cold case team. The cold case team is led by Detective Cha Soo-hyun (Kim Hye-soo), who is searching for Detective Lee, who has been missing for the past 15 years.
Signalis a thrilling crime drama revolving around interconnected unsolved cases in the present day and in the past.Signalis a refreshing crime K-drama that elevates a simple concept with the addition of a walkie-talkie that can communicate with a detective in the past. The show’s incredible premise and well-planned plot makeSignaltheperfect crime K-dramafilled with thrills and mystery.
4Crash Landing On You
Released In 2019
The highly rated and beloved romantic K-dramaCrash Landing on Yourevolves around the unlikely romance between a South Korean chaebol heiress and a North Korean captain.Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) crash lands in the North Korean area of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) after a tornado knocks her paraglide off course and is found by Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) who is stationed in the DMZ.
Jeong-hyeok puts his life on the line to help Se-ri return to her home in South Korea. Despite the historical tension and divide between North Korea and South Korea, the couple rises past their differences and falls for each other, despite the high-stakes and dangerous setting. Thefeel-good K-dramais a perfect blend of the tension caused by family drama and political drama and the sweet romance that instills hope in the hearts of audiences.
3It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
It’s Okay to Not Be Okayis a romantic comedy and psychological drama series that explores the themes of family, love, healing, and mental health.The K-drama revolves around two brothers and an antisocial children’s book author. The three lead characters learn to heal and grow together after bonding over their traumatic childhoods. Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) is a caregiver with a close bond with his autistic older brother Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) and the brothers meet the famous author Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji) and uncover secrets of their pasts and heal.
The hopeful and lighthearted K-drama is a powerful exploration of trauma, mental health, and healing that doesn’t get too dark and heavy. Each member of the trio gets their time to shine and their friendships are central to the show.The characterization and well-written plot makesIt’s Okay to Not Be Okaya perfectK-drama with an incredible opening scene.
2The Light In Your Eyes
The Light in Your Eyesis a critically acclaimed K-drama that follows Kim Hye-ja (Han Ji-min), a young woman who discovered a watch that gave her the ability to manipulate time as a child. In order to prevent her father’s death in a tragic car accident Hye-ja uses her watch despite the heavy cost of manipulating time.Each time Hye-ja manipulates time, she ages drastically. After Hye-ja finds that she has aged and become old, Hye-ja struggles to cope with her new life.The older version of Hye-ja is played by an actor who is also named Kim Hye-ja.
The beautiful and tragic tale is an emotional rollercoaster that forces audiences to confront the fact that life is fleeting and can change at any time.WhileThe Light in Your Eyeshas a slow pace, it is perfectly suited to the complex andthought-provoking K-dramawith hidden depths and an incredible plot twist.
1Descendants Of The Sun
Descendants of the Sunis an actionromantic comedy K-drama seriesfollowing the love story between a surgeon and a Special Forces officer against the backdrop of war. Captain Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki) and Doctor Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) are diametrically opposed in their philosophies, as Si-jin takes lives as a soldier while Mo-yeon’s mission is to save lives and do no harm. After Si-jin and Mo-yeon are sent to the fictional war-torn country of Uruk, they gain a deeper understanding of each other and their jobs.
Descendants of the Sunis a heartwarming love story that depicts that relationships are easy and require both parties to understand each other and grow together. The unique rom-com K-drama won the Baeksang Arts Award for the Grand Prize in Television in 2016.Descendants of the Sunis the perfect K-drama, filled with a mix of action, romance, and comedy.
