This is a list of all the kdramas I’ve watched or am watching ordered via genre and year. I hope to get some reviews and thoughts up about each of them. But for now, I’ve only made a start on some of the 2024 kdramas (this website **is** still pretty new, after all).
But in the future…I’ll have pages for each of them and talk about the various tropes and why everyone should check them out (even though some of them are old)! All of these kdramas changed my life in some way. The storytelling is addictive and yet free of the more graphic things. I can’t watch NA tv series because of the content warnings, so kdramas have (mostly) been a safe haven for me.
Six Flying Dragons and Signal are probably the two notable exceptions.
Anyways. I’m so thankful I eventually found kdramas. These stories, and all the things they’ve taught me (about life, relationships, culture, history, and more), have given me a lot of hope through some very difficult times.
There are also some that I didn’t finish (denoted by DNF). Life has a way of getting in the way, or sometimes I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I tried to list the reason where I remembered.
Crime/Thriller/Mystery Kdramas
- Spy (2015)
- It’s got Kim Jaejoong, need I say more? (also has lots of cloak-and-dagger spy stuff, but with a South Korean flare)
- Signal (2016)
- Solving a cold case mystery across time and space
- Queen of Mystery (2017)
- Crime book enthusiast helps seasoned cop solve crime mysteries (season 2 is more of the same, and the character arcs are just as good)
- Queen of Mystery 2 (2018)
High School Kdramas
- Boys Over Flowers (2009)
- “no one’s ever done that to me” trope, he falls first, high school, rich guy poor girl
- Playful Kiss (2010) – DNF (it’s a good adaptation, but life got busy)
- remake of a Japanese anime/drama; grumpy sunshine trope – like, to the extreme
- Dream High (2011) – Pretty sure it’s a hybrid musical kdrama
- kind of like Imitation where it gives you some idea of what idols go through in the training/education phase
- Monstar (2013)
- another idol life sneak peak + light romance
- The Heirs (2013)
- similar to Boys over Flowers but more emphasis on rich guy poor girl, one house trope, “no one’s ever done that to me” trope, he falls first
- Who Are You: School (2015)
- school bullying, and mystery (this might make you cry)
Historical
- Jewel In the Palace (2003/04)
- based on true history; woman goes from palace maid up to the first female royal physician
- Dong Yi (2010) – DNF (it got a bit sad I think? but it’s a really good story!)
- based on true history – woman rises through the ranks; LOTS of court intrigue
- Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)
- girl pretends to be a boy; surrounded by hunks; cute fictional romance story
- Goddess of Fire (2013)
- based on true history; skilled woman potter x crown prince (I think the love story is fictional but her skill was real?)
- Jang Ok-Jung, Living by Love (2013)
- based on true history: she rises to the top and wins the heart of the king, just to turn into the villain who schemes to become queen
- Reply 1994 (2013) – DNF (BECAUSE IT’S TOO GOOD AND I COULDN’T LET GO)
- literally a slice-of-life type drama where we get to see what life in South Korea was like for college kids in 1994. It’s also got a cute romance, and just cute AF in general (the cast is awesome)
- Miss Korea (2013/14)
- underdog pageant story + underdog makeup business during IMF crisis years
- Six Flying Dragons (2015/16) – DNF (got too intense for me – GREAT HISTORICAL BUT ALSO TRIGGER WARNING – SA/Graphic violence)
- they’re plotting to create major change; HUGE amount of court politics and intrigue
- Flower of the Prison (2016)
- strong female lead (trained ninja/assassin); intrigue (but light)
- Love in the Moonlight (2016)
- girl pretends to be boy; cute romance with the crown prince
- Queen for Seven Days (2017)
- COURT INTRIGUE, and cute AF love story but it’s painful (will make you cry)
- Saimdang, Memoir of Colors (2017)
- will make you cry; loyalty; historical rules; no happy ending
- 100 days my Prince (2018)
- he forgets who he is (crown prince) and gets married to a commoner; grumpy sunshine trope
- Grand Prince (2018) – DNF (the love triangle politics became too much I think)
- Flower Crew: Joseon’s Marriage Agency (2019)
- they help make matches; the romance story is very light and cute
- Nokdu Flower (2019)
- boy pretends to be girl; strong female lead; feminism/feminist issues in historical context
- Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (2019)
- crown prince x court historian – cute romance, and Cha Eun Woo (need I say more? he’s adorable in this)
- Queen: Love and War (2019/20) – DNF (the politics made me sad)
- River where the Moon Rises (2021) – DNF (the sudden cast change threw me off, and the extra delay didn’t help)
- strong female lead (training assassin type), but again…the cast change threw things off
- Secret Royal Inspector & Joy (2021) – DNF (life got busy)
- rich dude who likes to cook is tasked with becoming a royal inspector, and picks up a commoner as an assistant along the way
- The Red Sleeve (2021/22) – DNF (life got busy)
- palace maid and crown prince drama
- The Forbidden Marriage (2022/23) – DNF (life got busy)
- king won’t let anyone get married because of his grief over losing his wife, so a common girl pretends to be possessed with the former wife’s spirit (cute romance; he falls first trope)
- Our Blooming Youth (2023)
- crown prince x woman-in-hiding; murder mystery + romance
- Knight Flower (2024)
- strong female lead (trained assassin); he falls first trope; clean romance to the extreme (only tension); murder mystery
Modern Romance Kdramas
- Full House (2004)
- Rain stars in this. He’s not popular anymore, but back then…he used to be THE idol. This is a cute romance where he’s some rich guy and bought a woman’s house illegally (her friends betrayed her). She stands her ground and won’t leave, so they start the “one house” trope…and eventually things spiral.
- My Lovely Samsoon (2005)
- fat female lead; noona drama; also has HyunBin when he was super young. Grumpy Sunshine trope. Cute romance
- Coffee Prince (2007) – DNF (other kdramas pulled me away)
- girl pretends to be boy
- Prime Minister and I (2013/14) – DNF (the trope wasn’t hitting the spot for me)
- prime minister is single and falls for a woman (power politics basically)
- I Need Romance 3 (2014)
- noona romance; healthy relationship communication (AND SUPER HOT AT THE SAME TIME)
- She Was Pretty (2015)
- one of Choi Siwon’s best drama’s imo. It’s cute. Office romance; childhood friend romance.
- Oh My Venus (2015/16) – DNF
- fat female lead; toxic stereotypes about weight; cute couple otherwise
- Descendant’s of the Sun (2016)
- idk where to start. military meets medical romance, set in fictional place; i think the world has moved on from some of the things that made this drama popular when it aired
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016/17) – DNF (it’s super cute, though!)
- college girl; fat female lead (more like muscular, but she struggles with her body image in the same ways); strong female lead
- Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)
- noona romance; office romance
- Crash Landing on You (2019/20)
- North Korea soldier meets rich female lead and helps hide her/keep her alive when she lands in North Korea after a storm (cute romance, and it’s HyunBin so….)
- True Beauty (2020/21)
- Cha Eun Woo; college romance; he falls first; plastic surgery/body image issues
- Imitation (2021)
- 4 Ateez members star in this kdrama! it shows what idol life is like after debut
- King the Land (2023) – DNF (other things took my attention, but it’s so green flaggy I want to finish!)
- hotel worker rises through the ranks and the boss falls for her; he falls first/healthy romance (consent on screen)/written for women
- Queen of Divorce (2024) – Currently watching! Recap + Review in Progress Here
- wife forced into divorce now helps other wives in bad positions; psycho ex mother-in-law/horrible ex-husband; mystery + solving cases
- Queen of Tears (2024) – Currently watching! Recap + Review in Progress Here
- grumpy sunshine reversal (she’s the grump); he falls first; three year itch until she finds out she’s got a terminal illness
- Wedding Impossible (2024) – Currently watching! Recap + Review in Progress Here
- grumpy sunshine reversal (she’s the grump); rich man; fake relationship; he falls first
Romantasy (Fantasy/Romance) Kdramas
- Princess Hours (2006) – DNF
- (it got LONG and pacing was slow, great enemies-to-lovers, though) fictional/fantasy story of royalty existing in modern South Korea; common girl gets married to prince
- My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010) – DNF (pacing was a bit slow?)
- as suggested, he finds out his girlfriend is a Gumiho (9 tail fox)
- Secret Garden (2010/11)
- body switch; rich guy/poor girl; strong female lead (action extra for movies)
- Faith (2012) – DNF (scared about the ending)
- modern female doctor gets kidnapped by strong warrior from the past and taken back in time to heal someone
- Queen and I / aka Queen Inhyeon’s Man (2012)
- Man from Joseon travels to future and falls for an actress (grumpy sunshine); this kdrama will make you cry; no boring episodes
- Rooftop Prince (2012)
- Joseon men travel to the future and learn about life there (also a cute romance)
- Time Slip Dr. Jin (2012) – Jaejoong (duh). The First Historical/Fantasy Kdrama that I ever watched
- male neurosurgeon goes back in time and has to save patients while also trying to survive major historical events and political intrigues
- My Love from the Star (2013/14)
- rich female lead (actress) meets alien who’s 400+ years stuck on earth; age gap/professor romance
- Pinocchio (2014/15)
- murder mystery; rival family romance (will make you cry); no boring episodes; i LOVE the side cast in this drama
- Another Miss Oh (2016)
- male lead is a sound engineer for movies (really cool and we learn about that) and keeps seeing the future…but only for this one woman (cute romance)
- Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) – DNF (I heard it had a sad ending, and I couldn’t)
- girl travels back in time and falls for the bad boy
- W (2016)
- doctor is pulled into her favourite manga and has to survive, only things start to get a bit out of control very fast
- Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin – 2016/17) – DNF (couldn’t bring myself to watch the end, but it’s good!)
- he was cursed to live forever unless someone came along who could see the cursed blade; twist of fate/painful
- Manhole (2017)
- childhood friend romance; Kim Jaejoong (duh). Time travel/alternate reality (cute + funny)
- A Korean Odyssey (2017/18) – AMAZING. Monkey King Fans, please watch this!
- basically a Korean version of the monkey king stories; lots of magic and cool things
- Extraordinary You (2018) – DNF (I was scared about the ending!)
- characters in a manga start to become self aware and question what’s going on/changing their stories
- Mr. Queen (2020/21) – DNF (I got squeamish with the medical themes)
- dude travels back in time and ends up in the body of the queen?! comedy + cute
- Alchemy of Souls Season 1 (2022)
- costumes and sets resemble historical Korean stuff, but the world is entirely fantasy + has lots of magic/soul transfers; skill upgrades/hidden heritage; rival family romance; no boring episodes
- Alchemy of Souls Season 2 (2023) – DNF (I’m avoiding the ending but will finish eventually – it’s that good!)
- My Lovely Liar (2023) – DNF (pacing was a bit slow, but it’s cute!)
- female lead can hear when people are lying; finds one guy who doesn’t lie except for his biggest darkest secret
- A Good Day to Be a Dog (2023/24) – DNF (yet – it’s good, just time restraints)
- woman is cursed to turn into a dog every time she kisses someone new, with specific rules on when she can turn back. she falls for the guy (Cha Eun Woo) who’s terrified of dogs.
- Marry My Husband (2024)
- JUST WATCH IT. beware: domestic violence scenes, but…time reversal/travel; chance to do life differently; massive glow-up; mystery.
Paranormal Romance
- Arang and the Magistrate (2012) – DNF (I was scared of a sad ending)
- this is also historical. she’s a ghost but doesn’t remember why; he’s a magistrate and can see her/wants to uncover her story
- Master’s Sun (2013)
- she can see ghosts and gets possessed if she falls asleep…unless she clings to the rich chaebol who’s aura keeps all ghosts away from her
- Oh My Ghost (2015) – DNF (I was scared of a super sad ending, but the tension was amazing)
- chef starts seeing a female ghost in his restaurant
- The Scholar Who Walks in the Night (2015) – DNF (I think the pacing was slow?)
- vampires + historical