If you’re a fan of K-pop icons like BTS and Blackpink, you will get hooked on Korean dramas. That is if you haven’t tried one yet. From thrilling action to skip-a-bit romance, Kdramas are known for their unique storytelling styles and Hollywood-esque cinematography. Here are some of the most-watched ones in 2023 you can check out.
1. Strong Girl Nam-soon
IMDb Rating: 6.9
“Strong Girl Nam-soon” is sort of a sequel spin-off to the 2017 hit series “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.” The story follows Gang Nam-soon (Lee Yoo-mi), a young woman with amazing human strength who returns to South Korea after getting lost in Mongolia as a child.
Nam-soon plans to look for her birth family, and while she successfully finds her mother, Hwang Geum-joo (Kim Jung-eun), and grandmother, Gil Joong-gan (Kim Hae-soo), they get mixed up with the Doogo drug case investigated by Detective Gang Hee-sik (Ong Seong-wu).
2. Vigilante
IMDb Rating: 7.7
“Vigilante” is an action-crime thriller that features Kim Ji-Yong (Nam Joo-hyuk), a police academy student who’s out to punish criminals who get away with only a slap on the wrist. The drama follows the game of tag by the Metropolitan Investigation Team headed by Jo Heon (Yoo Ji-Tae) and the infamous vigilante. A reporter named Choi Mi-ryeo (Kim So-jin) covers the wild chase between the authorities and the vigilante.
3. Castaway Diva
IMDb Rating: 8.2
“Castaway Dive” is a musical comedy and drama that narrates the story of Seo Mok-ha (Park Eun-bin), a K-pop idol who auditions in Seoul after winning the UCC competition but ends up stranded alone on an uninhabited island for 15 years. She’s back to make her dreams come true and be the dive she’s set out to be.
4. My Demon
IMDb Rating: 8.6
“My Demon” is a fantasy drama that centers on the entanglement of a powerless demon, Jung Gu-won (Song Kang), and a cunning conglomerate heiress, Do Do-hee (Kim Yoo-jung). The story also focuses on the contract marriage between the unusual couple and how they plan to bring back everything they lost.
5. The Worst of Evil
IMDb Rating: 8.4
“The Worst of Evil” is a South Korean crime drama that follows Park Jun-mo (Ji Chang-wook), a police officer who goes undercover to investigate a massive crime syndicate operating all over South Korea, Japan, and China. With the help of his narcotics officer wife Yoo Eui-jung (Im Se-mi), he plans to stop the crime, get a promotion, and show his in-laws that he deserves his wife.
6. Perfect Marriage Revenge
IMDb Rating: 8.9
“Perfect Marriage Revenge” is a romance drama that tells the story of Han Yi-joo (Jung Yoo-min), a painter who goes back in time after she gets into a car accident and dies. She discovers her family betrayed her, and her husband just married her to be close to her sister. To get revenge, she entered into a contractual marriage with Seo Do-gook (Sung Hoon), the guy her sister wants to marry.
7. My Dearest
IMDb Rating: 9
“My Dearest” is a historical romance set during the Qing invasion of Joseon by the 1936 novel entitled “Gone With The Wind.” The series follows the romance between noblewoman Yoo Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-Jin) and Lee Jang-Hyun (Namkoong Min), a mysterious and complex man hiding a dark secret. They try their best to survive together amidst the invasion.
8. A Good Day to Be a Dog
IMDb Rating: 8.3
“A Good Day to Be a Dog” is a romantic comedy that narrates the unique and unexpected romance between Han Hae-na (Park Gyu-Young) and Jin Seo-won (Cha Eun-woo), both are teachers in the same high school. Hae-na suffers from a curse she inherited from her ancestors, where she turns into a dog for 6 hours after midnight once they kiss other people. Seo-won, even with his fear of dogs, helps her overcome this curse.
9. Doona!
IMDb Rating: 7.2
“Doona!” is a romantic comedy-drama based on a Naver webtoon. The series follows Lee Doo-Na (Bae Suzy), the main vocalist of a popular idol girl group. After announcing her retirement, she lives near a university and becomes roommates with Lee Won-jun (Yang Se-jong), a carefree and warm male student who falls in love with her.
10. Death’s Game
IMDb Rating: N/A
“Death’s Game” is a fantasy drama based on a South Korean webtoon tackling serious issues like death and reincarnation. The story follows Choi Yi-Jae (Seo In-Guk), a man whose bright personality was washed up by unemployment and economic struggles. He repeatedly faces Death (Park So-Dam), who gives him the punishment for choosing death rather than life.
11. The Killing Vote
IMDb Rating: 7.3
“The Killing Vote” is a dramatic thriller that centers on a mysterious character known as Gaetal or Dog Mask, who conducts polls on citizens via text on whether to execute criminals who avoided punishment. If 50 percent agrees, he will make the judgment.
Kim Mu-chan (Park Hae-jun), a leading police investigator, Kwon Seok-joo (Park Sung-Woong), a famous legal scholar-turned-criminal, and Joo Hyun (Lim Ji-Yeon), a cyber safety police officer, get caught in the chaos of the chase.
12. Moon in the Day
IMDb Rating: 7.6
“Moon in the Day” is a historical romance that narrates the story of Korea’s top star Han Joon-O (Kim Young-Dae) who was possessed by the vengeful spirit of the nobleman Do Ha after a car accident that almost took his life. Do Ha, Han Joon-O’s past life, was killed by his lover, Han Ri-Ta (Pyo Ye-Jin), whose reincarnation, Kang Young-Hwa, is currently Joon-O’s bodyguard.
11 TV Shows That Lost Audiences in Record Time
With an ever-expanding selection of TV shows, it can be tough to sift through the ones that aren’t worth our time. Recently, I discovered an online thread where fellow TV watchers shared honest opinions about disappointing shows.
I found the conversation intriguing and compiled the top-voted inputs in this article.
MSN Writer, Radical FIRE
Expertise: Entertainment, Travel, Interior Design, and Personal Improvement Niches
Education: Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Major in Development Tourism Management at Ateneo de Naga University
Experience: Marisa Bolivar is a content writer with 10 years of experience in creating blogs and articles across different industries on the web. She has explored many niches in her years working as a content specialist with her favorite zeroing on entertainment, from books to movies and TV shows. Marisa is also a bookworm, who has a fondness for personal improvement and philosophical authors like Paulo Coelho and Mitch Albom.