1. Puck!
Image via Viki
What it’s about: Joon-Man (played by Lee Kwang Soo) finds himself being forced to join a gang of loan sharks in order to work off his ex-wife’s debt. His latest assignment requires him to join an ice-hockey team in order to reclaim money owed to the gang by the team’s coach.
Episode count: 2
Watch it if you like:
– Sports
– Team-bonding
– Bromance
This drama will make you: Want to join a sports team if you’re not already part of one.
Image via @TheDramaKorea (Twitter)
2. Waiting For Love
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What it’s about: Sick of her relationships always failing, Yeon Ae (played by BoA) inadvertently starts texting Gi Dae (played by Daniel Choi) for dating advice. But while Gi Dae seems to have all the answers to guide Yeon Ae through her new relationship with the sweet and charming Jin Gook (played by Im Siwan), he’s actually facing relationship problems of his own with his girlfriend Sae Rom (played by Kim Ji Won).
Episode count: 2
Watch it if you like:
– Rom coms
– Relatable dating experiences
This drama will make you: Reminisce about everything you went through while dating.
Image via Han Cinema
3. Splish Splash Love
Image via Han Cinema
What it’s about: When spunky high-school student Dan-Bi (played by Kim Seul Gi) runs away from having to sit for her university entrance exam, she ends up accidentally time travelling to the Joseon period. She gets lauded as the greatest scientist in the kingdom due to her knowledge of math and science. She also develops a relationship with the young King Lee Do (played by Yoon Doo Joon) and inspires him to reform the country.
Episode count: 2
Watch it if you like:
– Hilarious time travel and cross-dressing hijinks
– Sweet and innocent romance
This drama will make you: Wish that something this epic happened to you all those times that you ponteng-ed.
Image via Han Cinema
4. White Christmas
Image via Dramabeans
What it’s about: A diverse group of 8 students (pictured above from left to right, played by Sung Joon, Lee Soo Hyuk, Kim Woo Bin, Baek Sung Hyun, Esom, Kim Young Kwang, Hong Jong Hyun, and Kwak Jung Wook) and their teacher are the only ones who remain at a prestigious private school located deep in an isolated mountain area over Christmas break. A hauntingly cryptic letter and a snowstorm that cuts them off from civilisation leads to them being trapped in a highly dangerous and emotionally volatile situation.
Episode count: 8
Watch this if you like:
– Strong ensemble cast dynamics
– Dark psychological thrillers that question human nature.
This drama will make you: Question yourself and everyone around you.
Image via Dramabeans
5. Page Turner
Image via KBS World
What it’s about: After an unfortunate car accident that leaves genius piano prodigy Yoo Seul (played by Kim So Hyun) blind, she must learn how to overcome the new struggles in her life with help from the most unexpected sources: Jin Mok (played by Shin Jae Ha), her bitter always-stuck-in-second-place rival, and Cha Sik (played by Ji Soo), a former athlete turned aspiring pianist.
Episode count: 3
Watch it if you like:
– Classical piano
– Heartwrenching emotional struggles
– Inspiring tearjerkers
This drama will make you: Renew your determination to pursue your dreams, no matter how difficult the path.
Image via Dramabeans
6. Adolescence Medley
Image via Han Cinema
What it’s about: Teenager Jung Woo (played by Kwak Dong Yeon) is beyond used to being “the new kid”, having had to move house and transfer schools 7 times due to his father’s job. Knowing that he won’t be at his latest one for long, he purposely gets himself involved in various situations including defending a classmate from the school bullies, asking out his class president who is determined to befriend him, and signing up for the ‘National Singing Contest’. But when his family decides not to move after all, Jung Woo has to stick around and face the consequences of his actions.
Episode count: 4
Watch this if you like:
– Light-hearted teenage “drama”
– Coming of age stories
This drama will make you: Miss your sekolah menengah days.
Image via Amino Apps
7. Another Parting
Image via A Daily Dose of K-Screen
What it’s about: Heol (played by Seo In Guk) is an alien that has been sent to Earth for a single day to find out the reason why humans cry. At first it seems like he may fail like the many other “agents” before him but things change when he meets Ha Na (played by Wang Ji Won), a woman who has been betrayed in love.
Episode count: 5
Watch this if you like:
– Hot aliens that aren’t out to kill or eat you
– Sci-fi romance
This drama will make you: Wish that these kind of aliens really existed.
Image via Couch Kimchi
8. Imaginary Cat
Image via The Movie DB
What it’s about: The stubborn, self-centered and emotionally wounded Jong Hyun (played by Yoo Seung Ho) works part-time at a bookstore while striving to become a successful webtoonist. His cat Bok Gil (voiced by Han Ye Ri) is both his source of joy and comfort as well as the only one he opens his heart to. The story of their lives will be told from both human and feline perspectives.
Episode count: 8
Watch this if you like:
– Cats
– Slice of life stories.
This drama will make you: Wish you knew what your cat was thinking.
Image via Dramabeans
9. We Broke Up
Image via Han Cinema
What it’s about: Won Young (Kang Seung Yoon) and Woo Ri (Sandara Park) are former college sweethearts who have recently broken up but are forced to continue living together due to complications with the security deposit and loan on their shared apartment. In the form of a musical drama, the ex-couple portray their struggles with trying to redefine their relationship while also trying to get their personal lives on track.
Episode count: 10
Watch this if you like:
– Musicals
– Romance
– Cohabitation shenanigans
This drama will make you: Think twice about moving in together with your S/O.
Image via Viki
10. Missing Noir M
Image via Han Cinema
What it’s about: The genius former FBI agent and Harvard University graduate Soo Hyun (played by Kim Kang Woo) returns to South Korea to lead a Special Missing Persons Unit consisting of himself, veteran detective Dae Young (played by Park Hee Soon), and hacker/cyber expert Seo Joon (played by Jo Bo Ah). Their team deals with the special 1% of missing persons cases that involve violent crime.
Episode count: 10
Watch this if you like:
– Crime procedurals a la ‘CSI’ or ‘Criminal Minds’
This drama will make you: Wish that our police force was this efficient and geng.
Image via Han Cinema
11. Aftermath
Image via My Drama List
What it’s about: Ordinary high-school student Dae Yong (played by Kim Dong Jun) suddenly develops the ability to tell when someone is about to die or commit a murder. To him, the soon-to-be victims appear to have red eyes and those who are about to become murderers appear to have blue eyes. He decides to become a hero by using his powers to save lives.
Episode count: 5 (Season 1) & 6 (Season 2)
Watch this if you like:
– Stories about superheroes
– Stories with supernatural elements
This drama will make you: Scared of people who wear coloured contact lenses.
Image via Amino Apps
12. Joseon X-Files
Image via Han Cinema
What it’s about: In this Joseon-era alternate history drama, Hyung Do (played by Kim Ji Hoon) is a state inspector who comes into contact with a secret group within the palace administration who document supernatural and paranormal incidents as well as various strange phenomena. Hyung Do ends up working with this group to solve these cases and get to the bottom of the mysterious circumstances that lead to his mentor’s death.
Episode count: 12
Watch this if you like:
– Old-school settings
– Solving mysteries
– Fantasy, mythological, and sci-fi stuff
This drama will make you: Want to start your own secret investigation team.
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13. Ex-Girlfriend Club
Image via Asian Wiki
What it’s about: In order to save the failing production company she works at, film producer Soo Jin (played by Song Ji Hyo) agrees to take on the task of producing the movie adaptation of a popular webtoon. But it turns out that the webtoon in question is written by her ex-boyfriend Myung So (played by Byun Yo Han) who uses his past relationships as source material. Working on the project not only brings Myung So back into Soo Jin’s life, but also his 3 other ex-girlfriends (played by Jang Ji Eun, Lee Yoon Ji, and Ryu Hwa Young) who are against the movie being made.
Episode count: 12
Watch this if you like:
– Rom coms
– Wacky antics
This drama will make you: Hope that you’ll never have to deal with your ex’s exes.
Image via Dramabeans
14. Orange Marmalade
Image via Pixnet
What it’s about: Set in a world where humans and vampires have learned to co-exist due to a peace treaty and the fact that vampires have evolved to no longer rely on human blood for sustenance. The story switches between past and present settings to detail how this came about as well as presenting a love story between female vampire Ma Ri (played by Kim Seol Hyun) and human boy Jae Min (played by Yeo Jin Goo).
Episode count: 12
Watch this if you like:
– Vampire mythology
– Teenage romance
– Friendship feels
This drama will make you: Say “still a better love story than Twilight”.
Image via Viki
HONORABLE MENTION: Midnight Diner
Image via Han Cinema
What it’s about: A restaurant with no set menu has odd late night operating hours of midnight to 7am. The owner and chef, known simply as ‘Master’ (played by Kim Seung Woo) will cook up whatever orders his customers ask for. The diner is a place for people from all walks of life to come together and share stories about their lives.
Episode count: 20 (but they’re only 30 minutes each)
Watch this if you like:
– Slice of life stories
– Episodic serials
– Food porn
This drama will make you: Extremely hungry. And crave all kinds of food.
Image via Han Cinema
Let the binge watching begin! 😀
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