There are masterpiece K-dramas deserve to be watched time after time. While rewatching TV shows is a unique experience where audiences can pick up on clues and foreshadowing that they missed during the first watch, it doesn't compare to watching a show for the first time.
The best K-dramas stay in their audience's minds long after the show ends. The K-drama's charming jokes, unexpected character growth, plot twists, and cliffhangers are always the best the first time around. These K-dramas are an incredible experience to watch for the first time without any spoilers.
10 The Glory (2022)
The Glory is a dark revenge K-drama series revolving around the former victim of school bullying who embarks on a mission to take down her tormentors. The K-drama follows Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) as she plans an elaborate revenge on the group of bullies led by Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon) and takes a job as a teacher at the school where Yeon-jin's daughter Ye-sol (Oh Ji-yul) studies.
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The Glory is a shockingly dark K-drama, Dong-eun survived bullying in the form of violent assault. The satisfying and compelling revenge K-drama makes it impossible not to root for Dong-eun and her ally Kang Hyeon-nam (Yeom Hye-ran) as they fight retribution and build a better life. Dong-eun's intricately planned revenge is revealed throughout the show, and it's a delight to see her abs get their comeuppance. The thrilling and satisfactory revenge plot deserves multiple watches.
9 Reply 1988 (2015)
Reply 1988 is a lighthearted romantic comedy K-drama series that revolves around a group of five friends and their families living in the same neighborhood. The third installment of the Reply anthology series doesn't only focus on the bond between the friends like the previous installments but also examines the heartening friendship between their parents. Throughout the series, Reply 1988 adds an air of mystery regarding who Sung Deok-sun (Lee Hye-ri) gets married to in the future. However, the highlight of the show is the moments of friendship and camaraderie.
Reply 1988 is a friendship-centric K-drama series guaranteed to put audiences in a good mood. While it isn't filled with shocking plot twists, the slice-of-life K-drama is a sweet and heartfelt show filled with hilarious moments and high school drama that never gets old.
8 Crash Landing On You (2019)
Crash Landing on You is a beloved romantic comedy K-drama series that broke viewership records and revolves around an unlikely romance. After the wealthy South Korean CEO and chaebol heiress Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) goes paragliding and is knocked off course by a tornado, she crash lands in North Korea and is found by Ri Jeong-hyeok, who embarks on a mission to help Se-ri return to her home.
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Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok's high-stakes love story and growing bond despite the tension and history between their countries is a thrilling romance. The growth of Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok romance is set against the backdrop of countless conflicts like succession battles in the corporate world and helping Se-ri return to her home in South Korea. Crash Landing on You's blend of drama and romance makes it one of the best and most entertaining K-dramas ever.
7 All Of Us Are Dead (2022-Present)
All of Us Are Dead is a coming-of-age horror series that follows a group of high school students who fight to survive a deadly zombie outbreak. The Netflix original K-drama is a violent and gory zombie apocalypse series, where a science teacher's horrific experiments cause a zombie outbreak in the high school, which later spreads to the city. Nobody is safe in the tension-filled drama, as the terrifying and formidable zombies are deadly threats that take the lives of countless characters in All of Us Are Dead.
All of Us Are Dead expertly builds tension as government officials scramble to handle the crisis and the zombie outbreak keeps the high school students on their toes. The students are forced to work together, resulting in intriguing character dynamics and friendships that are pushed to the brink by the apocalypse. With horrific deaths and shocking plot twists, All of Us Are Dead is an incredible K-drama that keeps audiences on their toes.
6 Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a lighthearted and fun romantic slice of life K-drama that quickly became a hit. The K-drama is a remake of the 2004 film Mr Handy, Mr. Hong and follows a well-accomplished dentist who moves to a quaint and idyllic seaside village after her life takes a turn and opens up a dental clinic. The newcomer Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) initially struggles to adjust to life in the village and finds an ally in Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), the resident handyman who is always willing to lend a hand.
Hye-jin's bonds with the residents of the village steal the spotlight.
Hye-jin and Du-sik's charming relationship is central to the show; however, Hye-jin's bonds with the residents of the village steal the spotlight. Hye-jin's hilarious and sweet relationship with the grandmothers in Gongjin never gets old, no matter how many times I rewatch Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.
5 Flower Of Evil (2020)
Flower of Evil is a dark romantic crime thriller K-drama series that grips audiences from the very beginning. The stakes are sky-high in the K-drama, as detective Cha Ji-won's (Moon Chae-won) perfect life with her perfect family is threatened by her husband Baek Hee-sung's (Lee Jong-gi) dark past. As the detective begins investigating a series of murders, she discovers that her husband may not be who she thinks he is.
Flower of Evil's premise keeps audiences on their toes throughout the series, as the mystery of Hee-sung's past and the murders is slowly unraveled. With a strong emotional premise, compelling and intriguing characters, and an unpredictable plot filled with twists and turns, Flower of Evil is an unforgettable fast-paced crime thriller that is guaranteed to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
4 Signal (2016-Present)
Signal is an award-winning crime thriller K-drama that follows a criminal profiler and a detective from two different times who are able to communicate and work together to solve crimes. Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) finds a walkie talkie that allows him to communicate with Detective Jae-han (Cho Jin-woong) in the past. As the two solve mysteries in both the past and present, there are consequences for altering the past.
Watching Signal is a thrilling experience that keeps a sense of intrigue and mystery throughout the entire K-drama series.
Signal is a well-crafted and well-executed K-drama that blends fantastical elements like the time-traveling walkie talkie with the mysterious crimes that haunt both the past and present timelines. Filled with twists and turns, watching Signal is a thrilling experience that keeps a sense of intrigue and mystery throughout the entire K-drama series. The cinematography, acting, and premise of the K-drama make Signal a must-watch TV show.
3 Hotel Del Luna (2019)
The dark fantasy K-drama Hotel del Luna revolves around the staff and guests of the titular supernatural hotel that can only be accessed by ghosts, excluding the hotel's human general manager and other special cases. The owner of the hotel, Jang Man-wol is played by Lee Ji-eun, an actor and singer known by her stage name IU, and is the highlight of the show. Man-wol's impeccable outfits, stellar acting, and thrilling character growth and backstory. In addition, the reserved and standoffish Man-wol's dynamic with the stoic new general manager Koo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) results in a unique and refreshing romance.
The intricate backstories of the characters and world-building and its slow reveal throughout the show deserve to be witnessed with fresh eyes.
The high-budget and visually stunning K-drama Hotel del Luna is made to be watched again and again due to its remarkable supernatural premise, intriguing characters, and ionate romantic scenes. The intricate backstories of the characters and world-building and its slow reveal throughout the show deserve to be witnessed with fresh eyes.
2 Mouse (2021)
Mouse is a dark crime thriller and suspense K-drama revolving around two detectives and their attempts to take down a serial killer. Detective Ko Moo-chi (Lee Hee-joon) and the rookie police officer Jeong Ba-reum's (Lee Seung-gi) investigation into the serial killer intensifies after Ba-reum has a confrontation with the serial killer. Mouse hinges on Lee Seung-gi's incredible performance as the multifaceted Ba-reum and Lee Hee-joon's performance as the determined detective Moo-chi who is willing to go to shocking lengths to take the killer down.
Mouse's shocking reveal of the highly elusive and deadly serial killer is slowly built up throughout the episodes. The hints and clues regarding the true identity of the serial killer are sprinkled throughout the series. The compelling mystery behind Mouse is well-built and thrilling to witness, as the serial killer's chilling crimes haunt the town.
1 The Light In Your Eyes (2019)
The Light in Your Eyes is a critically acclaimed and highly rated melodrama K-drama. The show follows Kim Hye-ja (Han Ji-min), a young woman who found a magical watch that can turn back time as a child and uses it to prevent her father's tragic death in a car accident. However, the usage of the watch to alter the past results in Hye-ja aging drastically, and saving her father from the car accident results in her turning into an elderly woman (Kim Hye-ja).
Despite The Light in Your Eyes being a slow-paced K-drama, the beautiful story and its jaw-dropping plot twist make it a masterpiece that needs to be rewatched countless times.
The Light in Your Eyes features a heartwarming and heartwrenching romance between Hye-ja and Lee Joon-ha (Nam Joo-hyuk). The K-drama reminds audiences that life is fleeting and precious, and tells viewers to prioritize living in the present and stop lamenting over the past. Despite The Light in Your Eyes being a slow-paced K-drama, the beautiful story and its jaw-dropping plot twist make it a masterpiece that needs to be rewatched countless times.