This year will see continued growth for Flavour of the Film, having signed off last year with my celebratory Love Actually piece and ultimately kicking off the expansion of content I produce for this blog. To keep that ball rolling, I’m coming in hot with my first K-Drama checklist; ideal for those of you who are looking for recommendations within the subgenre! I’m excited about this one.
Read on for detail and a free printable version of the checklist. 갑시다! (Let’s go!)
Contents
- K-Drama Checklist For Beginners
- Romantic
- Fun
- Period
- Fantasy
- Intense
- Dark
- Round Up
- K-Drama Checklist Printable
K-Drama Checklist For Beginners
This one’s been a long time coming, let me tell you. If you’ve given my about page a little read then you’ll be aware that I wrote my BA dissertation on the rise of South Korean dramas in the West. It was the most fun I’ve had writing an academic piece, and I’m still proud of it six years later.
It almost feels overdue, but I’m excited to be introducing content centred around celebrating K-Dramas on Flavour of the Film. Regular readers will know that I have a dedicated space for anime on this blog, and I’m hyped to be expanding my space for international film and TV further.
Note: There is a lot of uncertainty and concern surrounding South Korea’s wellbeing as a country. It’s important to acknowledge it, but it shouldn’t deter from the quality of their film and television industry, and the great pieces that they produce. There is a remarkable amount of talent in this industry and that should be celebrated!
As a general rule, I don’t tend to watch anything preceding 2016 aside from the rare occasion, when I can see the potential of the piece in question being a particularly good show.
The reason for this is because 2016 is when the Korean Wave (also referred to as Hallyu 2.0) really took off. More funding, more attention and more focus was put into making high quality K-Dramas and it really shows.
Whilst I have categorised the K-Dramas I’m recommending into specific genres, many of them will cross over. That’s part of the beauty of K-Dramas: they aren’t always easily definable and certainly keep you guessing!
A lot of the K-Dramas listed are available on the regular streaming sites on Netflix and the like. However, if they aren’t coming up on any of those streaming sites in your country, they are more than likely available on Rakuten Viki.
Let’s get into it!
Romantic
Strong Woman Bong-soon (2017)
I’ve lost count how many times I’ve rewatched this. Arguably my favourite of them all. Bong-soon is supernaturally strong, just like all of the women in her family line. She keeps her power secret, but when she gets caught up in a kidnapping case, she has no choice but to use her powers for good.
All while nursing a crush on her brother’s friend and adapting to her new job as a bodyguard for the CEO of her dream game company.
It’s not on the same level, but if you like Strong Woman Bong-soon, the spin off titled Strong Girl Nam-soon is a fun addition to the same world.
Where to watch: Netflix (both)
Touch Your Heart (2019)
I still listen to the music from this one. SO good.
An actress looking for a comeback following a scandal works as a secretary in a lawyer’s office. It’s a romance, so you can gather the potential for love blossoming.
Where to watch it: Viki
Something in the Rain (2018)
Stunning visuals and colour palette in this one!
This one’s a story of love igniting despite naysayers and societal pressure. A career driven woman reunites with the younger brother of her best friend and more than their friendship is kindled.
There’s an age gap that everyone around the couple disapproves of, but when love is true, it finds a way eventually.
Where to watch it: Viki
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? (2018)
An egotistical heir is caught by surprise when his long term secretary hands in her notice and begins her plans to change career. When he realises that he’s lost without her – in more ways than one – he goes to lengths to be with her.
Where to watch it: Viki
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
After moving from the city to a quaint seaside village, a dentist opens up her own practice and meets a man who rubs her up the wrong way. Great for fans of opposites attract situations.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Mr. Plankton (2024)
Former lovers reunite after one of them receives a terminal diagnosis. They are brought back together in supposedly unlikely circumstances, for one last accompaniment.
Where to watch: Netflix
Suspicious Partner (2017)
This is another one I’ve rewatched multiple times. Genuine chemistry and a story that spans more years than the main characters realise.
A trainee works closely with a prosecutor during a murder case. Tensions run high between them until she suddenly becomes a suspect and finds herself at the mercy of the prosecutor she was working under.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Her Private Life (2019)
KPOP fans are likely to relate to the female protagonist of this one. Another easily rewatchable K-Drama.
Art curator by day, KPOP fan and photographer by night. All is well and hidden until an artist emerges from a hiatus and works her out.
Where to watch it: Netflix
King the Land (2023)
The owner of a hotel can’t stand the hardworking employee that he keeps running into. He’s especially displeased with her bright and alluring smile.
Wonderful soundtrack to this one!
Where to watch it: Netflix
Descendants of the Sun (2016)
This is one of the first K-Dramas I watched. Utterly brilliant.
A special forces army officer and a surgeon fall in love while serving in the military. He protects lives, she saves lives.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Love Next Door (2024)
Childhood friends reunite after years – and an ocean – apart. Things are not smooth sailing to say the least, despite familiarity remaining true. Secrets come to light and feelings are put under the microscope.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Oh My Ghost (2015)
An introverted trainee chef is possessed by the ghost of a confident woman looking to solve her unfinished business by hooking up with the (famous) head chef teaching the ways of fine food.
Where to watch it: Viki
Pinocchio (2014)
The life and family of a young boy is ripped apart by the media. After being found lost at sea, he is adopted by a family living in the countryside and proceeds to hide his past for over a decade… until the woman he loves uses her reporter status to uncover the truth of his story.
Where to watch it: Viki
Doctor Slump (2024)
Having worked non-stop her whole life, an anaesthesiologist leaves her job in the hospital and is diagnosed with depression. A former school rival of hers finds himself at the centre of a medical death, where he is put on trial.
Having lost everything as a result of the trial, he moves into the room above her house and they reunite under dire circumstances, finding comfort in one another.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Still 17 (2018)
A woman wakes up from a thirteen year long coma and struggles to adjust to adult life while searching for the man she believes is responsible for her circumstances.
Where to watch it: Viki
Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019)
A single mother looks to get back into the world of work after taking a few years out, but comes up against obstacles in the form of people not giving her a chance. Until one of her oldest friends steps in and hires her at his own publishing firm, despite pushback from those around them.
Where to watch it: Viki
Fun
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
This has to be one of my favourite K-Dramas that I’ve seen so far. SO good.
A brilliant lawyer begins work as a rookie in a highly prestigious law firm, dealing with high stakes cases in the courtroom and navigating life whilst being on the autistic spectrum.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo (2016)
Another favourite of mine!
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo follows the lives of college athletes training to achieve their sporting dreams. Think female weightlifters, swimmers, gymnasts and more, all mixing together and navigating life, friendships, love and sporting competitions.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023)
A high end photographer finds herself at the centre of a business scandal that threatens to ruin everything she has worked for. To escape the press, she and her two sisters return to their seaside hometown from Seoul, where their past is waiting for them.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Healer (2014)
One of the rare pieces preceding 2016 that I will recommend. Ji Chang-wook, Park Min-young and Kim Mi-kyung are brilliant.
A talented reporter discovers the truth about a past case and makes it his mission to help the people involved in it, struggling with his beliefs while doing so.
Where to watch it: Viki
Man to Man (2017)
This is the first K-Drama I ever watched, so I had to include it in my K-Drama watchlist for beginners!
A secret agent works undercover as a bodyguard in charge of protecting a flakey and self-absorbed superstar, whilst carrying out missions at a national security level.
Where to watch it: Viki
Period
Hwarang (2016)
Another one for the KPOP fans! A host of familiar faces make up this cast.
Hwarang is a period drama set during the era of the ancient kingdom known as Silla. The story focuses on the lives of young men working as an elite group of warriors protecting the capital.
Where to watch it: Viki
Kingdom (2019)
Full disclosure: I only include this because its production value is supreme and I know this is a great option for horror fans. East Asia in particular does horror cinema and TV SO well and I respect that.
Those who have read my The Last of Us cake recipe post will know that I’m not a fan of the genre myself.
A mysterious disease rips through a kingdom, sparking rumours about the King having fallen ill. The crown prince becomes the kingdom’s only hope to survive.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Mr. Sunshine (2018)
The cinematography in this one is spectacular. Stunning visuals that I still think about years after watching it.
After getting lost as a young boy and ending up in the U.S. following the Shinmiyangyo incident in 1871, a man returns to his home country of Korea during a turning point in history and falls in love with a noblewoman.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Alchemy of Souls (2022)
Young mages in a fictional country navigate their intertwining lives and the consequences of a forbidden magic spell that allows souls to switch physical bodies. Think dark fantasy, sorcery and romance.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Pachinko (2022 – )
This one is particularly unique because it’s centred around the same family set across multiple time periods and includes dialogue in Korean, Japanese and English.
A saga that spans four generations of a Korean immigrant family who leave their home country in the hopes of making a better life for themselves. Pachinko is based on a New York Times bestseller and is unlike other K-Dramas in a few ways, notably that it’s running for multiple seasons!
Where to watch it: Apple TV
Fantasy
Hotel del Luna (2019)
Fair warning: I balled my eyes out at the end of this one.
A mysterious woman hires a young hotelier to work at the hotel she manages. The only catch? It’s a hotel for ghosts. After accepting the job, he’s thrown into the deep end of her strange and hidden world.
Where to watch it: Netflix
A Korean Odyssey (2017)
A hard one to describe, I must say, but I’ll give it a good go!
A mythical being is imprisoned for his behaviour. After meeting a girl with a unique ability, he attempts to use her to regain his immortality and continue living a life of antics.
Ghosts, a zombie, mythical creatures and more feature in this interesting hotpot of genres.
Where to watch it: Viki
W: Two Worlds (2016)
A cracking concept, this one.
After discovering that the webtoon her father created is actually a real world, a woman dives in and out of it and saves the life of the main character. He follows her back into her world and falls in love with her.
Where to watch it: Viki
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (aka Goblin – 2016)
Another fair warning: I cried so hard at the end of this one that I gave myself a headache.
A 939 year old guardian of souls – also referred to as a goblin – seeks the right woman to become his bride and the immortal curse he is carrying. In the process, he befriends a grim reaper and a young student with a difficult past.
Where to watch it: Viki
Destined With You (2023)
A successful lawyer plagued by a familial curse discovers that a civil servant could be just the person with the power to break the curse once and for all.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
Mermaid fans convene!
A mermaid from the Joseon era finds herself in modern day Seoul. She encounters a suspicious man who may have connections to someone from her past.
Where to watch it: Viki
Familiar Wife (2018)
A married couple find their lives completely changed after an incident triggers a magic shift in their paths. They are forced to confront themselves and their desires to discover what they really want in life.
Another stunning colour palette!
Where to watch it: Viki
My Love From Another Star (2013)
Technically sci-fi, but we’re rolling with it.
An alien that landed on Earth four hundred years ago is finally getting ready to return to his home planet. Three months before his scheduled departure, he meets a famous actress that throws a spanner into the works.
Where to watch it: Prime Video, Viki
Intense
Little Women (2022)
Not quite the Louise May Alcott tale we all know and admire.
Three sisters all scraping around to get by find themselves head to head with the wealthiest family in the country following a tragic incident and conspiracy that emerges.
This one just gets more nuts with each episode.
Where to watch it: Netflix
LIVE (2018)
An emotionally driven drama that follows the lives of a group of police officers as they try to maintain and protect a sense of justice in their district.
Where to watch it: Viki
Marry My Husband (2024)
I watched this one with my best friend while I was visiting her in Austria. The DRAMA in this one is next level, let me tell you.
A woman with a terminal diagnosis discovers that her husband is cheating on her with her closest friend. Upon finding them in bed together, she confronts them only to be killed. But, she’s given another chance in life, restarting ten years earlier.
It’s JUICY.
Where to watch it: Amazon Prime
While You Were Sleeping (2017)
A woman has prophetic dreams about incidents that take place in the near future. She seeks the help of a prosecutor who attempts to prevent the incidents from ever happening.
Where to watch it: Viki
Itaewon Class (2020)
A formerly incarcerated man simultaneously seeks revenge on the family responsible for the death of his father, and opens a street bar in Itaewon.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Snowdrop (2021)
Set during South Korea’s democracy movement in 1987, Snowdrop is adapted from the handwritten notes of a man who escaped from a political prison located in North Korea.
Where to watch it: Disney+
Lawless Lawyer (2018)
A lawyer is raised by his gangster uncle after witnessing the death of his human rights lawyer mother. After passing the bar, he sets out to use his line of work to avenge his mother in ways unique to him.
Where to watch it: Viki
Dark
Black (2017)
This is one of the three main K-Dramas I wrote about in my dissertation!
A grim reaper manages to uncover the truth behind a series of murders that took place twenty years prior. He is distracted from the task of tracking down his partner – now a fugitive – as a result, and gets tangled up with a detective and a woman who has the ability to foresee death.
Where to watch it: Netflix
The Glory (2022)
Warning: due to the nature of this particular drama and its subject matter, I advise anyone who has experienced bullying to be cautious of this one. It’s very well crafted, but it is incredibly dark.
A woman seeks revenge on the individuals who severely bullied her through school, having spent years plotting an elaborate and detailed plan in order to secure justice for the torture she suffered.
Where to watch it: Netflix
My Name (2021)
A woman joins an organised crime ring before infiltrating the police as an undercover agent with the sole purpose of finding out the truth behind the death of her father.
Where to watch it: Netflix
The Worst of Evil (2023)
During the 1990s, a police officer and his narcotics officer wife go undercover to infiltrate a massive crime syndicate that are responsible for distributing illegal drugs across South Korea, Japan and China.
Where to watch it: Disney+
Round Up
As you can see, I’ve tried to make this K-Drama watchlist for beginners varied in their genre. There are more than the romantic fluffy ones out there.
What I will say about K-Dramas is… once you’re hooked, you’re HOOKED.
Let me know in the comments what your favourite K-Dramas are if you’ve already seen a few and if you have any recommendations that aren’t already listed!
K-Drama Checklist Printable
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