Are you in a Korean drama drought lately? Or are you new to the Hallyu wave and curious about what the buzz is all about? Planning to re-watch or circle back on a series that’s not sticky on your first watch? I made a list for you!
Since my latest blog ranking of the best Korean dramas in 2021, I know there have been a lot of changes in the streaming game now that Disney+ and Prime Video are taking a pie in the competition.
Here are the top 45 Best Korean Dramas of all time based on my preference which is backed up by their own commercial and artistic merits. The list is based on all the Korean dramas that were released as of 2023. (If you want to see a visual overview of this list, watch this TikTok video.)
Top 10:
Moving (2023)
Full House (2004)
Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)
Goblin (2016)
Dr Romantic 1–3 (2016, 2020, 2023)
Crash Landing On You (2019)
Good Doctor (2013)
Reborn Rich (2022)
Top 11–20:
Squid Game (2021)
Sky Castle (2019)
Itaewon Class (2020)
Descendants of The Sun (2016)
Start-Up (2020)
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
*Hwarang (2016)
Mr Queen (2020)
My Love From The Star (2013)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
Top 21–30
It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (2020)
The Glory (2022)
Vincenzo (2022)
Legends of The Blue Sea (2016)
*Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)
Weightlifting Kim Bok Joo (2016)
Chicago Typewriter (2017)
While You Were Sleeping (2017)
*Hospital Playlist (2020)
Top 31–40
Queenmaker (2023)
Pinocchio (2014)
*It’s Okay That’s Love (2014)
Taxi Driver (2021)
Snowdrop (2021)
Uncanny Counter (2020)
All Of Us Are Dead (2022)
The Heirs (2013)
Secret Garden (2010)
Search: WWW (2019)
Top 40–45
Shooting Stars (2022)
World Of The Married (2020)
Misaeng (2014)
Signal (2016)
Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)
Here are some honorable mentions: Park Bo-Young’s The Daily Dose of Sunshine is a nice watch as it sheds light on different mental health scenarios, not just in passing but in full detail. IU’s Hotel De Luna, Lee Do Hyun’s Good Bad Mother, Kang Ha Neul’s When The Camellia Blooms (where Ha Neul won Best Actor), Park Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo’s Happiness, and Lee Byung Hun’s Mr. Sunshine are the crowd’s favorites. I couldn’t drag myself to watch the latter for some reason. Lee Je Hun’s Move To Heaven is also underrated but very moving (no pun intended). Other classics such as Winter Sonata and Jewel In The Palace were some of the KDRAMAs that paved the way for Korean Novelas before the streaming era.
Bookmark this space as I update my list every year. (I can’t wait to watch Han So Hee and Park Seo Joon’s Gyeongseong Creature which will air on Netflix on December 22.)
*All series with asterisks are Korean dramas I parked for a while since the pilot isn’t that sticky on my first watch. I re-watched and realized how good they are.
Did I miss anything? What’s on your list?
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