An Introduction to K-dramas

The growing popularity of K-dramas comes to us as part of The Korean Wave – the global rise of South Korean pop culture through shows, films and music, starting in the 1990s. You might be aware of Parasite, BTS, or K-POP Demon Hunters, which have brought South Korean media to new audiences with global recognition and awards. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime now not only stream K-dramas, but Netflix also creates and funds original K-dramas themselves, with shows like Squid Game and Business Proposal trending worldwide. What are K-dramas? Korean dramas: TV shows made in South Korea. Starting in the 1960s, they were exported in 1990s as part of The Korean Wave, popular in Japan and China, and in the 2010s and 2020s, started gaining attention from international audiences. For viewers, K-dramas not only offer a range of genres and storylines to entertain us, but they also introduce us to Korean culture and history.

K-dramas are rarely more than one season, with an average of 16 episodes in each series, sometimes as few as 8 or 12, with each episode lasting around 40-60 minutes. If you like one-season shows such as the Queen’s Gambit, Normal People or Chernobyl, K-dramas will likely appeal to you too. Episodes are released weekly in South Korea, and there’s nothing like a good cliff-hanger to make audiences come back week after week. Most shows are even only filmed a short time before airing, allowing for changes by production depending on audience responses. On many platforms you can find full dramas to watch all at once, but if you like the appeal of a weekly episode release, you can tune into ongoing dramas on platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, Viki or IQIYI. K-dramas offer a wide range of genres, including romance, comedy, action, crime, historical, fantasy and coming of age. If you like gangsters, time travel, office drama, lawyers, hospitals, kings, families, small towns, or mythical creatures, you’ll find something you like. There are even K-dramas about K-dramas and the world of showbiz and actors.

Here’s a short list of K-dramas that might help you get started. If you like:

Ongoing Series: Siren’s Kiss (Amazon Prime, Episodes on Mondays and Tuesdays), Still Shining (Netflix, two episodes each Friday).

Time Travel: Twinkling Watermelon (Netflix), Lovely Runner (Amazon Prime)

Small Town Drama: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (Netflix), Welcome to Sandal-ri (Netflix)

Fantasy: Doom At Your Service (Netflix), Tale of the Nine Tailed (Amazon Prime/Netflix)

Action: Bloodhounds (Netflix), Good Boy (Amazon Prime)

Revenge: The Glory (Netflix), Marry My Husband (Amazon Prime)

Romance: Love Next Door (Netflix), Touch Your Heart (Amazon Prime)

Medical Drama: Resident Playbook (Netflix), Dr Romantic (Netflix)

Teen Drama: True Beauty (Netflix/Amazon Prime), Boys over Flowers (Netflix)

Courtrooms/Lawyers: Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix), May It Please the Court (Disney +).

Platforms such as Viki or IQIYI, which specialise in Asian programming, have a more extensive range of shows to offer, including LGBTQ+ storylines.

If you’ve seen any of these shows or have any other recommendation leave a review on Recce App and let us know your thoughts! Or add some of these to your watchlist to check out later.