K-dramas nearly always guarantee an emotional roller coaster, with cliffhangers in every episode and limitless variants of star-crossed romances, separations, and deaths. While certain storylines remain staples of Korean dramas—a love triangle (or square), an unsolved murder mystery, or a tragic backstory—a slew of recent K-dramas have steered clear of tired tropes and delivered original stories across a range of genres, from rom-coms to crime thrillers to historical dramas. Each Korean series has its own distinct auditory identity, thanks to creative soundtracks—often featuring songs by K-pop singers. Visit KissAsian for more info about how to find top rating Asian drama.
Crashing Down on You (2019-2020)
A tornado struck while a woman from South Korea was paragliding, leading her to crash-land in North Korea. Yoon Se-Ri (Son Ye-Jin), a successful entrepreneur and heiress, finds herself locked in a tree above North Korean officer Ri Jeong-Hyeok in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (Hyun Bin). While the premise is implausible, what follows is a compelling romance that gradually tugs at the heartstrings as Jeong-Hyeok tries to hide Se-Ri and return her home. The plot is driven forward by the development of this cross-border connection, yet Crash Landing on You is significantly more sophisticated than the ordinary rom-com because of its multifaceted portrayal of North Korea (the series was made with input from North Korean defectors).
Itaewon Class is a high school in Itaewon, South (2020)
Park Sae-Ro-Yi (Park Seo-Joon) is laser-focused on bringing down the powerful food behemoth Jangga Group after his father is killed in an accident. Jang Dae-Hee (Yoo Jae-Myung), the company's CEO, was involved in Sae-Ro-expulsion Yi's from school as well as his three-year prison sentence. Despite his criminal past, Sae-Ro-Yi creates a bar-restaurant and aspires to make it a top Korean franchise. He gathers a ragtag crew, led by adolescent influencer Jo Yi-Seo (Kim Da-Mi), who becomes the restaurant's manager, to take on CEO Jang. Itaewon Class, based on the same-named webtoon, starts out as a standard underdog story before evolving into a tale about the limitations of vengeance and the power of camaraderie. The show openly discusses issues of prejudice based on race and gender identity, thanks to its diverse ensemble.
Mr. Sunshine is a fictional character (2018)
In 1871, a little boy born into slavery boards a warship and flees Joseon to America after his parents were murdered by aristocrats. Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-Hun), now a captain in the United States Marine Corps on a political mission, returns to the country that once rejected him decades later. He falls for Go Ae-Shin (Kim Tae-Ri), a noblewoman who is covertly linked to a network of Korean independence warriors. Mr. Sunshine depicts a blossoming relationship in a failing nation where national identification did not necessarily coincide with political devotion in the years leading up to Japan's annexation of Korea. Aside from beautiful cinematography, the show features two of the most powerful female leads in K-drama history—one wields a rifle, the other a sword—along with a wide ensemble of characters, each with a distinct role in Joseon's battle.
the kingdom (2019-2020)
The king inexplicably collapses ten days later, and reports that he is dead begin to circulate. Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-Hoon), the King's son, sets out to discover the truth regarding his father's illness. He discovers, far from the palace, that a plague has begun to infect the country, converting the living into the undead. In addition to the combat against the infected, there is a bloodbath among powers vying for the crown. Over the course of its first two seasons, Kingdom reimagines the most thrilling parts of a zombie thriller in this historical drama that asks the question: are the zombies or the humans the enemy?
When the Camellia Flowering Season Arrives (2019)
Dong-Baek (Gong Hyo-Jin) owns and operates Camellia, a bar-restaurant in the fictional town of Ongsan. For running a business that offers alcohol to men who patronize Camellia and for being a single mother, she is the subject of gossip among the women of Ongsan. When police officer Hwang Yong-Sik (Kang Ha-Neul) falls in love with Dong-Baek, what starts out as a one-sided, cringe-inducing crush turns into a touching romance that provides a welcome break from the antagonism she is used to. Yong-presence Sik's is also timely, given that a serial killer is attempting to claim Dong-Baek as his next victim. When the Camellia Blooms combines the lighthearted elements of a rom-com with the suspense of a thriller, making the film even more engaging because to the convincing chemistry between the key actors.
Hello, Mama! (2020)
Cha Yu-Ri (Kim Tae-Hee) has been a ghost since an accident killed her five years ago. She becomes the subject of a reincarnation experiment one day. Yu-Ri reverts to human form, and she is given 49 days to reclaim "her place" in the family in order to survive. She makes an appearance in front of her five-year-old daughter and her remarried spouse Jo Gang-Hwa (Lee Kyu-Hyung). Hi Bye, Mama! delivers a realistic picture of grief and loss, as well as a heartbreaking depiction of a mother-daughter bond marred by trauma, despite its fantasy concept.
Message (2016)
Park Hae-Young (Lee Je-Hoon), a criminal profiler, is tormented by the case of his elementary school classmate's kidnapping and murder, in which the perpetrator was never apprehended. When a modern-day Hae-Young discovers and answers a mystery walkie-talkie and is connected to Detective Lee Jae-Han (Cho Jin-Woong) from the year 2000, he sees an opportunity to solve the crime. Soon, their ability to communicate across time enables them to prevent crimes from occurring in the first place. Signal deftly combines real-life South Korean events—one of the series' cases is based on the Hwaseong serial murders—into a fast-paced narrative that immerses the audience in numerous realities, each with its own mystery.
Playbook for Prisoners (2017)
After fighting a man who attempted to sexually assault his sister, a Korean celebrity pitcher was found guilty. Kim Je-Hyeok (Park Hae-Soo), who was just days away from making his MLB debut in the United States, has been sentenced to one year in prison. Je-Hyeok reconnects with Lee Joon-Ho (Jung Kyung-Ho), a boyhood buddy who is now a correctional officer, as he settles into prison life. Prison Playbook is a dark comedy about corruption in the prison system, set in a world where minor pleasures and human contact are valued.
Stranger still (2017)
When a man with close ties to high-ranking law enforcement officials is murdered, prosecutor Hwang Shi-Mok (Cho Seung-Woo) teams up with warm-hearted police officer Han Yeo-Jin (Bae Doo-Na) to solve the crime. As the odd pair hunts for a trail left by the criminal, they unearth the vast corruption that exists inside the organizations that claim to maintain order. Stranger is a suspenseful murder mystery that casts doubt on the intentions of those entrusted with upholding the law.
The Reply series is a collection of essays written by people who have (2012-2016)
The three seasons of this drama (Reply 1997, Reply 1994, and Reply 1988) each follow a group of friends and their families as they describe their lives from the year in question. The cast's passage to maturity is depicted as they navigate relationships against the backdrop of real-life historical events, ranging from Seoul's 1988 Summer Olympics to the 1995 Sampoong Department Store disaster, which killed over 500 people. The show is best recognized for offering touching vignettes about the links between friends, families, and lovers, injecting sentiment and nostalgia into seemingly commonplace tasks.
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