Must Watch K-drama Part 3
The more important reason to watch Korean dramas: They are
addictive and amazing, and you'll thank yourself and me for adding them to your
watch list.
Known for their interesting
storylines and intense plot twists, Korean dramas can go from super sappy to
incredibly heartbreaking. That variety is exactly what keeps viewers coming
back for more.
Here, we've listed the best-ever
K-dramas to watch, grouped by the most popular genres—and if you're well versed
in the more established K-dramas, consult our list of the best new Korean shows on Netflix and other OTT platforms in 2022.
Squid Game
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O
Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, Kim Joo-ryoung
Storyline: The
series revolves around a contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep
financial hardship, risk their lives to play a series of deadly children's games for
the chance to win a ₩45.6
billion (US$35 million, €33 million, or £29 million as of broadcast) prize.
The title of the series draws from a similarly named
Korean children's game.
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area
Cast: Yoo Ji-taePark, Hae-sooJeon,
Jong-seoLee, Hyun-wooLee, Won-jongPark, Myung-hoon
Storyline: The
series, both a remake and spin-off/continuation of the Spanish TV drama,
follows the storyline and characters of the original. "The Professor"
(Yoo Ji-tae), a strategist criminal mastermind, plans
to pull off a heist in the reunified Korean Peninsula inspired
by those in Spain. The operation involves strategists and desperados with
different characteristics and abilities, who have to face unusual situations.
Thieves overtake the mint of a unified Korea. With hostages trapped inside, the
police must stop them — as well as the shadowy mastermind behind it all.
Vincenzo
Cast: Song
Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taec-yeon, Kim Yeo-jin, Kwak Dong-yeon, Jo Han-chul
Storyline: At the age of eight, Park Joo-hyung (Song
Joong-ki) was adopted by an Italian family. He
later joins the mafia and is adopted by Don Fabio, head of the Cassano Family.
Renamed “Vincenzo Cassano” he becomes a lawyer, a consigliere for the mafia,
and Don Fabio's right-hand man. After Fabio dies, Paolo, Fabio's biological son
and the new leader of the Cassano Family attempts to kill Vincenzo.
He flees to Seoul
and sets out to recover 1.5 tons of gold that he helped a recently-dead Chinese
tycoon secretly stash within the basement of Geumga Plaza. However, a
subsidiary of Babel Group has illegally taken ownership of the building, and
Vincenzo must use his skills to reclaim the building and recover his fortunes.
All of Us Are Dead
Cast: Yoon
Chan-young, Park Ji-hu, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kim
Byung-chul, Lee Kyu-hyung, Jeon Bae-soo
Storyline: After a failed
science experiment, a local high school is overrun with zombies, and the
trapped students struggle to survive. With no food or water, and communication
cut-off by the government, they must use equipment around the school to protect
themselves in the midst of a battleground or they will become part of the
infected.
My Name
Cast: Han
So-hee. Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun
Storyline: In this intense
thriller, a young woman named Ji-woo (Han So-hee) sets out to avenge the
death of her father, who was involved in the criminal underworld. She takes up
a new identity as a member of the police force working with her father's old
partner, Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon).
Signal
Cast: Lee
Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, Cho Jin-woong
Storyline: Criminal profiler Park
Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) solves a
kidnapping case involving a culprit who apparently disappeared after the crime
with a mysterious walkie-talkie he picks up. The success of this case triggers
the formation of a long-term cold case team, led by Det. Cha Soo-hyun (Kim
Hye-soo), who has searched for her long-lost
mentor, Det. Lee Jae-han (Cho
Jin-woong), over the past 15 years. With the
help of Jae-han, the person at the other end of the walkie-talkie, Hae-young
solves other cold cases that had remained unsolved for years while also helping
Jae-han help solve other cases. Unintended consequences due to the changes in
the past follow.
Healer
Cast: Ji
Chang-wook, Park Min-young, Yoo Ji-tae
Storyline: In this action drama, Ji Chang-wook plays the
"Healer," a night courier who messengers illegal items and does
whatever the client needs—as long as it isn't murder—with the help of a genius
hacker. When he crosses paths with tabloid writer Chae Young Shin (Park
Min-young) and successful reporter Kim Moon Ho (Yoo Ji-tae), all
three learn that they're connected in several ways. Come for the intricate
plot, stay for some serious romance.
Hotel del Luna
Cast: Lee Ji-eun, Yeo Jin-goo
Where to watch Hotel Del Luna: Prime Video, Viki (free)
Storyline: The Hotel Del Luna
is a refuge for the dead, a middle ground that helps souls pass into the
afterlife. All souls pass on after dealing with their unfinished business in
life, except Man-wol (IU), the owner who has been cursed to run the
hotel for over a millennium, as penance for her sins. The hotel also needs a
human manager to help it run; the next fated human is Koo Chan-sung (Yeo
Jin-goo), a Harvard graduate who discovers that he can see ghosts. As they
work together, Chan-sung begins to unravel the secrets of Man-wol's past.
The Uncanny Counter
Cast: Jo Byung-gyu, Yoo Jun-sang, Kim
Se-jeong, Yeom Hye-ran
This show loosely reminds me of Ghostbusters,
but with an eclectic group of characters who each possesses special abilities.
The four-person group, called "Counter," work at a noodle restaurant
by day and at night, hunt down evil spirits who have escaped from the afterlife
to go after humans. This K-drama has been very well received by the audience
and will have you binging all the episodes in one weekend.
Tale of the Nine Tailed
Cast: Lee Dong-wook, Jo Bo-ah, Kim Bum
Where to watch Tale of the Nine Tailed: Prime Video, Viki (free), Netflix
Storyline: You might want to
keep the lights turned on for Lee Dong-wook's new show because it's a little
scary (think scenes with ghosts and a water well à la The Ring). Aside from some minor scenes that make you
shudder, however, the story largely revolves around his character Lee-yeon, a
mythical fox known as gumiho, and a documentary filmmaker Nam Ji-a (played by
Jo Bo-ah) who were once lovers in the past. (The foxes adopt human appearances,
but have special powers.) Circumstances in the present bring the two on a
treacherous journey that involves solving Ji-a's parents mysterious deaths and
the two rediscovering their love for each other.
The King: Eternal Monarch
Cast: Lee
Min-ho, Kim Go-eun, Woo Do-hwan, Kim Kyung-nam, Jung Eun-chae, Lee Jung-jin
Where to watchThe King: Netflix
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Drama, Mystery, Science fiction
Storyline:
This Korean drama
has it all: parallel universes, time travel, a handsome king, a strong female
detective, tragedy, and romance. The show tells the story of Lee Gon (Lee
Min-ho), a Korean emperor who rules The Kingdom of Korea (the North and
South are still unified in this world) and discovers a portal opening in the
bamboo forest that leads him to a parallel universe—the world that we know
today. He meets, and falls in love, with detective Jung Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun)
in this world and they have to work together to close this time portal before
their two worlds collide and freeze in time forever. Will they succeed in their
journey and will their love be able to transcend time?
Mystic Pop-up Bar
Cast: Hwang Jung-eum, Yook Sung-jae, Choi Won-young
Where to watch Mystic Pop-up Bar: Netflix
Storyline:
Mystic Pop-up Bar tells the story of a mysterious pojangmacha
(outdoor drinking establishment) run by an ill-tempered woman named Weol-ju
(Hwang Jung-eum), an innocent part-time employee named Han Kang-bae (Yook
Sung-jae), and a former afterlife detective known as Chief Gwi (Choi Won-young)
who visit customers in their dreams to help resolve their problems. Kang-bae
has a unique ability that is useful to Weol-ju - with a touch, he can make
people pour out all their troubles. This is very useful to Weol-ju who needs to
settle the grudges of 100,000 souls.
Legend of the Blue Sea
Cast: Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Min-ho ,Lee Hee-jun ,Shin
Won-ho ,Lee Ji-hoon Hwang Shin-hye ,Choi Jung-woo ,Na Young-hee ,Shin Hye-sun
Where to Watch Legend of the Blue Sea: Netflix, Viki
Genres: Romantic comedy
Storyline:
This fantasy romance show explores the relationship between a
con artist and a mermaid who meet and fall in love. The mermaid, Shim Cheong,
(played by the talented and beautiful Jun Ji-hyun) follows her lover Heo
Joon-jae (Lee Min-ho) to land unbeknownst to him that she is a mer
person. Juxtaposed against present day, the storyline also focuses on the two's
Joseon-era incarnations, town head Kim Dam-ryeong and the mermaid Se-hwa. That
pair met a tragic fate, so what does this mean for their current counterparts?
Will Shim Cheong and Joon-jae meet the same bad fate?
W – Two Worlds
Cast: Lee Jong-suk, Han Hyo-joo
Genres: Romance, Comedy, Action, Thriller
Storyline:
Cardiothoracic resident Oh Yeon-joo (Han
Hyo-joo) is the daughter of Oh Sung-moo (Kim Eui-sung), the artist
behind the popular 10-year webtoon W, who goes missing the day his final
chapter is due. While looking in his office, Yeon-joo suddenly gets sucked into
the comic itself, and saves the life of its hero Kang Chul (Lee Jong-suk),
who her father is determined to kill. She then emerges back in his office, with
the webtoon chapter having finished itself, with her actions as the new
plot.
My Love from the Star
Cast: Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Park Hae-jin, Yoo In-na Shin
Sung-rok, Ahn Jae-hyun
Storyline:
In this rom-com, Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) is a handsome
alien who landed on Earth 400 years ago during Korea's Joseon era. He's been
waiting for a chance to return to his home planet for centuries. When he has
three months left on Earth, he gets a new neighbor, Hallyu star Cheon Song-yi (Jun
Ji-hyun), who resembles a young woman from his past. Their romance will
have you watching the skies hoping for an alien invasion.
