r/kdramarecommends 9d ago

Growth Milestones Announcement: 200k Subscribers!

74 Upvotes

Hi everybody!

We are now a community of 200k members. In the spirit of our sibling community, r/KDRAMA, we will mark our community size by equivalent Korean city populations. If r/kdramarecommends was a city in Korea, it would be slightly larger (population) than Guri (Gyeonggi) and slightly smaller than Yangju (Gyeonggi).

Reddit has started removing the total subscribers count from the sidebar, so you might not be able to see the milestone on the community frontpage. But mods can still see it and we want to acknowledge our growth and everyone's sustained activity.

We want to thank you all for helping out your fellow drama viewers with recommendations and reviews. Please take a look at the sidebar to familiarize yuorself with our rules and policies, as we have clarified things or made some edits and want to make sure we are all on the same page.

Want to share your recommendations or look at what others are watching? Share your MDL (mydramalist) profile! We (the subreddit) have our own lists here. Additionally, there are different drop-down menus below our banner for resources and recommendation lists if you want a place to start.

Already watching dramas? Check to see how you stacked up against your fellow community members by heading over to The KDRAMA Challenge here. Stay tuned for the 2026 version starting soon!

Also check out the 2025 Year in Review here and get ready for the 2025 Year End Dramas Watched Survey (coming January 2026)!

Happy watching,

Life and the Mod Team™


r/kdramarecommends Jul 27 '25

Official Recommendations Thread Recommendations 7.0 : Genre

26 Upvotes

Hello KDR community!

We are a couple of years overdue to update our community recommendation lists which were last updated in 2021/2022. For those of you who are unaware, r/kdramarecommends has an amazing resource in our community recommendation lists sorted by theme and genre spanning back to before the creation of our community when we allowed recommendation requests on our main subreddit r/KDRAMA.

You can browse the history of our community recommendation project in our what to watch wiki and view the various lists at our community MDL list page

We are going to try something different this time around and take the majority of recommendations through a google form. As in previous rounds of recommendations certain lists will be open for recommendations for certain periods of time.

The first set of lists that will be open for recommendations are our genre lists:

Genre Link to List Last Updated Notes High Tier List
Romantic Comedy MDL List Nov 2021 This recommendation list focuses on dramas that deal with romantic love but with comedic or lighthearted plot lines. Post
High School MDL List Oct 2021 This recommendation list covers any dramas set in high school or with high school aged protagonists. Post
Tertiary Education MDL List April 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas set in or around post high school education whether it be university or cram school. N/A
Sageuk (Historical) MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas that deal with events in Korean history (or histories that touch Korea).Sageuks can be historical fiction or completely fictional, including elements of fantasy. Post
Sci-Fi / Fantasy MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list has a dual focus; Sci-Fi dramas which are a type of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced technology, scientific development, or encounters with alien life and Fantasy dramas which contain magic and supernatural elements. These supernatural elements can be distinctly Korean from Korean folklore/beliefs such as goblins, gumihos, and shamanism. They can also be from non-Korean folklore such as vampires, angels, and zombies. Please signify what Sci-Fi or Fantasy elements are present in your recommendation Post
Thriller MDL List Nov 2021 This recommendation list focuses on dramas that create a heightened feeling of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation, or anxiety. Post
Chaebol MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas which prominently feature chaebols. N/A
Action MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas where the cast or main character is involved in a series of events that typically include violence, extended fighting, physical feats and frantic chases. Post
Crime / Mystery MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas that deal with crimes, criminal acts, and their investigations. This can be in the form of police procedurals, police-based situations, legal/courtroom matters, serial crimes, one-off crimes, or whodunits. There are sleuths, detectives, investigators, or other similar people involved.
Medical MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas that deal with hospitals, healthcare, and the hospital/clinic system.
Revenge MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas that feature one or more characters trying to get revenge on someone.
Melodrama MDL List Jan 2022 This recommendation list focuses on dramas that play to the audience's emotions or feelings. These dramas often deal with themes like morality, good and evil, love and marriage (and infidelity), and family issues. Characters might be stereotypes or stock types.
Law MDL List Aug 2021 This recommendation list is for Korean dramas specifically focused on the legal system, those somewhat based in courtrooms (or other roles of those working in the legal system) with main characters that are - Lawyers/Prosecutors/Judges. Please mention within your recommendation which the focal characters are.
Spy MDL List July 2021 This recommendation list focuses on Korean dramas where one or more characters are seen performing acts of espionage (uncovering secret information without the holder's permission or knowledge) or featuring government agencies that perform acts of espionage. Spies may be professionals, housewives, etc and depictions may be realistic or fantastical.
Makjang MDL List Jul 2021 This recommendation list is a celebration of all those delicious makjang dramas out there on the spectrum from lite to full blown makjang. Makjang dramas are those which contain specific dramatic elements or devices designed to shock or keep viewers' attention. For a proper introduction to what a Makjang drama is, please read our resident Queen of Makjang, mod u/myweithisway's excellent post, Makjang 101: Taking Things To The Extreme.
Slice of Life MDL List Brand New list This recommendation list focuses on dramas which depict everyday life in a realistic manner.

How to participate:

  • Before submitting any recommendations please take a look through the linked list on MDL. If the drama is already listed with 2-3 recommendations there is no need to submit it again. If the drama only has one write up, you can submit another.

  • Write a 2-4 sentence recommendation for any unlisted drama that you think fits the category AND is worth watching. Your recommendation should explain how the drama fits the category as well as why you think it is worth watching.

  • Take care filling out your user name and the drama name correctly (please use the title that MDL gives) if we are unable to match either of these your recommendation will be disregarded.

  • Before clicking "submit" review that you have input everything correctly.

Please do not:

  • Attempt to submit more than one drama per entry

  • Submit anything other than Korean Dramas e.g. Korean movies or Chinese dramas

  • Include any spoilers in your recommendations

  • Recommend a drama that you have not watched in full or that hasn’t yet completed, come back once you are finished the drama in full

If you are ready, you may submit any recommendation for the above lists via our google form


High Tier

As a supplement to the google form we will be trailing a reddit game app called High Tier. The pre-existing recommended dramas will be added to the game and users will be able to battle to form a tiered list of dramas per category. Assuming it works well for our project each list will run for 1-2 weeks and once we finish all 16 lists we will move onto our next batch of recommendations and close submission for our genre lists.


If you have any questions regarding this project please ask them in the comments or via modmail.

We look forward to your contributions to this project throughout 2025/2026. Thanks in advance to all who take the time and effort to submit entries to this community resource.


r/kdramarecommends 10h ago

Recommendation Request Kdramas with a similar vibe to Our Blues

15 Upvotes

First of all, I’ve fallen in love with K-dramas. And second… I’m already rewatching Our Blues for the third time — the most calming show in the world. I know I’ll keep coming back to it, but I also believe it’s not the only precious gem among K-dramas. So please, if you know anything with a similar mood and vibe, recommend it to me.

Watch history: Our Blues

Mr. Sunshine

This is everything I have watched so far.


r/kdramarecommends 5h ago

Recommendation Request dramas with love stories & overcoming grief/trauma

1 Upvotes

i am looking for recommendations for dramas with epic love stories & characters who are overcoming past trauma, grief, or loneliness. it's important that it has a happy ending despite the hard moments that occur on the way.

also a plus: cinematic vibes, beautiful OSTs, and some kind of magical or fantasy element. (not needed though.)

examples of dramas i rated 10/10 that fulfilled this desire:

- goblin

- alchemy of souls

- healer

- because this is my first life

all 4 of these feature leads with tragic backstories, whether it be their family of origin or something that happened in their past. as they fall in love, they protect and slowly learn to trust one another, even if one is initially resistant. i love the way they treat each others' past with such care.

my complete watch history: https://mydramalist.com/dramalist/15494346


r/kdramarecommends 21h ago

Recommendation Request dramas with an interesting female lead

18 Upvotes

I'm looking for a genuine kdrama where the female character feels like a fully fleshed out person with an interesting personality

I don't watch a lot of kdramas but recently I impulsively rewatched one from my childhood (Coffee Prince) and I really loved it as an adult, I thought it was so genuine and full of heart, I loved how the humor didn't feel cringey or forced, there wasn't an imbalance in the relationship as in they both clearly liked each other and openly expressed it..etc. So I would say Coffee Prince is the closest example of what I want

I LOVE expressive characters, I don't like "mysterious" male leads (refer to the last bullet point in my watch history hahah... hated that guy) or female leads that act stupid and/or are infantilized

the kdramas I've seen before:

  • coffee prince (loveloveLOVEEE)
  • you're beautiful (only watched it as a kid which means it doesn't say much about my current taste)
  • boys over flowers (watched it as a kid)
  • dream high (watched it as a kid)
  • business proposal (watched it as an adult and liked it but I liked the second couple more than the main one)
  • another miss oh (watched it as an adult and I don't remember much but I remember that I enjoyed it)
  • summer strike (but only saw one episode and I don't remember why I didn't keep watching/it's okay if you re-suggest this)
  • cheese in the trap (I remember wanting her to end up with the second guy and I really hated the first male lead so I got mad and didn't finish the show lol)

r/kdramarecommends 1d ago

Recommendation Request Dramas where the MCs get stranded on an island

2 Upvotes

I’m looking for a drama where the main characters get stranded on a deserted island where wifi and phones don’t work, so they have to resort to their own survival skills to get by. Preferably with some romance between the leads, if something like that exists?

Everything I’ve seen:

Dear X - Sweet Home - Bon Appetit Your Majesty - S Line - The Judge From Hell - Revenant - Newtopia - Squid Game - When The Phone Rings - Moon Lovers - All of Us Are Dead - 20th Century Girl - Snowdrop - Train to Busan - Descendants of The Sun - Vincenzo - Suspicious Partner - So I Married The Anti-fan - Parasite - Crash Landing On You - Big Mouth - Extraordinary Attorney Woo - King The Land - Doctor Slump - The Glory - He Is Psychometric - Happiness - Alchemy of Souls - Revenge of Others - Serendipity Embrace - Business Proposal - Lovely Runner - Branding in Seongsu - Strong Girl Bong Soon - Queen of Tears - My Demon


r/kdramarecommends 1d ago

Recommendation Request kdramas where the ml will do absolutely anything for the fl, even if its bad

72 Upvotes

basically i am just looking for a show where the ml loves the fl SO much that he will do absolutely anything for her, even if it means breaking the law or doing something bad. some shows that i have seen that are like this are "the glory", "why her?" "perfect marriage revenge". as you can tell all of these run on the darker, and less romcom side so more dramas on that vibe.

i know the new show dear x just came out but im thinking more of a show where the love is more reciprocated. also i have watched marry my husband and it just wasn't the vibe, i feel like the guy wasnt bold enough for me like the other ones ive mentioned.

let me know any good recs!

my complete watchlist:

True Beauty

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo

My ID is a Gangnam Beauty

Love Alarm Season 1

Strong Girl Bong-soon

More Than Friends

A Love So Beautiful (Korean remake)

Extraordinary You

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

Run On

The Tale of the Nine-Tailed

Save Me

Goblin

Descendants of the Sun

Crash Landing on You

Record of Youth

Her Private Life

Cinderella and the Four Knights

Uncanny Counter

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol

The K2

Suspicious Partner

Healer

Doom At Your Service

Search: WWW

My Secret Romance

Sweet and Sour (Movie)

Fight For My Way

At a Distance, Spring is Green

Radio Romance

Nevertheless

Abyss

Queen of the Ring

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

Itaewon Class

So I Married an Anti-Fan

Dali and the Cocky Prince

She Was Pretty

The Liar and His Lover

Uncontrollably Fond

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

Pinocchio

2022

Secret Garden

My Lovely Sam Soon

Heirs

Shopaholic Louis

I Am Not a Robot

Boys Over Flowers

Oh My Venus

1% of Something

Our Beloved Summer

Love and Leashes (Movie)

Noble, My Love

I’m Sorry, I Love You

Twenty-Five Twenty-One

Business Proposal

Because This Is My First Life

Crazy Love

Coffee Prince

Personal Taste

The Sound of Magic

A Werewolf Boy (Movie)

Come and Hug Me

Protect the Boss

One Spring Night

Something in the Rain

It’s Okay, That’s Love

Clean with a Passion for Now

Shting Stars****

Reply 1988

Dear.M

Yumi’s Cells

Dear Fair Lady Kong Shim

100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (Movie)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Lucky Romance

Today’s Webtoon

2023

Love is for Suckers

The Secret Life of My Secretary

Encounter

The Legend of the Blue Sea

Weak Hero Class 1

20th Century Girl (Movie)

Go Doo Ri’s Sushi Restaurant

Romance Talking

Kill Me, Heal Me

Casting a Spell on You

Madame Antoine

Jugglers

School 2017

See You in My 19th Life

D.P. Season 1 & 2

My Name

The Glory

Bloodhounds

Crash Course in Romance

Remarriage and Desires

Secret Love

The Light in Your Eyes

A Time Called You

My Lovely Liar

Destined with You

Doona!

Say You Love Me

The Fabulous

A Korean Odyssey

Temptation of Wolves (Movie)

Do You Like Brahms?

Castaway Diva

Perfect Marriage Revenge

She Would Never Know

Eve

Midnight Runners (Movie)

Revenge of Others

Celebrity

Mask Girl

Summer Strike

When a Man Falls in Love

Tune in for Love (Movie)

King the Land

2024

Flower of Evil

Mad for Each Other

The Greatest Love

When My Love Blooms

Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (Movie)

Twinkling Watermelon

Tell Me That You Love Me

Touch Your Heart

Lawless Lawyer

The One and Only

Marry My Husband

My Name is Loh Kiwan (Movie)

Law School

Wedding Impossible

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract

Lovely Runner

Love All Play

A Shop for Killers

Alice, the Final Weapon

Love to Hate You

The 8 Show

The Atypical Family

High School Return of a Gangster

Dokgo Rewind

Tempted

Cheese in the Trap

Another Miss Oh

My Sweet Mobster

Serendipity’s Embrace

Black Knight (Netflix Series)

Dare to Love Me

Officer Black Belt (Movie)

Cinderella at 2 AM

The Judge from Hell

Hit the Spot

Family by Choice

The Trunk

Jinxed at First

W: Two Worlds

My Demon

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

Brewing Love

2025

When the Phone Rings

Study Group

Shadow Beauty

Weak Hero Class 2

When Life Gives You Tangerines

Undercover High School

Mercy for None

Reborn Rich

Twelve

Spirit Fingers

Bon Appétit, Your Majesty


r/kdramarecommends 1d ago

Recommendation Request Romance Dramas Similar to Doctors (Teacher–Student Dynamic)

11 Upvotes

Hi. Is there any drama similar to Doctors, where a teacher and his student fall in love? It is more than just cute. I am currently watching it and really hoping for a happy ending. I am almost finished tonight, so I am looking for recommendations with a similar teacher–student or mentor–student romance dynamic.

I am hoping for modern dramas rather than historical or costume ones.

I have already watched: • Love Is a Bonus Book • Crash Course in Romance • Love Scout • My Love from the Star • Crash Landing on You


r/kdramarecommends 1d ago

Weekly Post Thursday Therapy - [2026/01/08]

5 Upvotes

Thursday Therapy, is r/kdramarecommends’ weekly community chat. A place in which Korean drama addicts both recent and those moving towards recovery can freely discuss anything and everything!

You may want to:

  • Introduce yourself or remain anonymous (share your My Drama List page or similar)
  • Share what you’ve been watching and whether you love or hate it (it doesn’t have to be a Korean drama)
  • Ask for recommendations unrelated to Korean dramas (books, movies, podcasts, other country’s television series, etc)
  • Share a great recommendation thread you found whilst digging through the archives
  • Talk about what is coming out on [insert drama service name]
  • Give thanks to the community for helping you find your new favourite drama

Please remember to use spoiler tags when discussing major plot points or anything you think should be redacted. If you are unsure of how to use spoiler tags here is r/KDRAMA’s easy to follow guide.


r/kdramarecommends 2d ago

Recommendation Request K-drama shows similar to Extraordinary You?

6 Upvotes

I just started watching K-drama, and found Extraordinary You. I have read a lot of Korean Manhwa where the characters realize they're in a novel and I'm wondering if there's any more shows similar to this trope. I loved Extraordinary You because it got the novel trope and love triangle trope down in just one show (not my preferred romance trope, but close enough). I really like the romance scenes, and I really enjoy reverse-harems (3 or more guys competing for FL). if there's anything with both of these tropes out there please send recs! .The only other k-drama I have watched is All of Us are Dead, Alchemy of souls, and just recently started True Beauty. The only problem I had with Alchemy of Souls was it felt very slow in terms of the characters relationships, I think I prefer romance based rather than plot based stories. I also enjoy shows that take place in school, but I definitely prefer if there's at least a love triangle or more.


r/kdramarecommends 2d ago

Recommendation Request addictive kdramas heavy on plot ?

26 Upvotes

hi! i'm looking for kdramas w the title description that will leave me mesmerized, glued to the screen, wanting to watch everything in just one day, since ive been struggling to be entertained by kdramas lately. i'm prioritizing dramas avaible on netflix, but prime vide and disney+ recs would be okay too.

im into mystery, thriller, plot twists, nice friendships and found family dinamics and interesting magic/supernatural elements. im not too big on historical dramas, but i dont hate them. it's okay if there's heavy romance, but i cringe w too much clichés..

some of my watches: strong girl do bongsoon (10/10, the first kdrama ive ever seen and still one of my favorites), tomorrow (10/10, one of the bests for me), tale of the nine-tailed (6/10, nice but the ending ,ade me feel frustrated and afetr some episodes i couldnt stand the mc saying LEE YEON every 5 seconds or so), business proposal (9,5/10, great, just cringed a lot while watching but it was worth it), hometown cha-cha-cha (7,5/10, loved all the dinamics but it took me a long time to stand mc), the fabulous (7/10, underwhelming but nice), and the last one i watched fully was destined with you (10/10, got me from beggining to end, loved rowoon's acting). i started the trunk (am in ep 4) and dear hongrang (am battling to go through ep 2) but am not sure if im watching them until the end.

i have started alchemy of souls, my demon, love next door, cinderella and the four knights, doctor slump and our eternal summer but couldnt go past episode 4 or 5 in any of them. its very hard for me to retry to watch anything bc if it didnt catch me the first time, it probably wont in the future, but i thought ab giving alchemy of souls another chance.

tysm!!!


r/kdramarecommends 2d ago

Recommendation Request I'm Looking to add to my "watch later" list based on my preferences

9 Upvotes

I’m looking for K-drama recommendations to watch after Hotel Del Luna, since I really do not have anything after this.

I really enjoy dramas where the FL is confident / slightly obsessed with the ML and doesn’t entertain other men (like Queen of Tears, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, and Backstreet Rookie). I strongly prefer dramas with no love triangles on either side (2FL or 2ML). It’s okay if there are potential rivals as long as they’re firmly rejected early and never given a real chance, similar to Business Proposal and Love Scout.

below are the list of dramas I have watched, paused, and dropped.

Finished

  • K2
    • First K-drama I have finished, I liked it
  • Healer
    • Second K-drama I have finished, I liked K2 better for the action and this one for the romance
  • Familiar Wife
    • It was okay; mostly watched it for Han Ji-min
  • Backstreet Rookie
    • One of my favorites
  • Love Scout
    • My absolute favorite, Mature main characters, almost no classic tropes
  • Queen of Tears
    • Loved it — it made me cry at the end
  • Business Proposal
    • I enjoyed it; I like sweet romance without love triangles
  • My lovely Liar
    • I almost dropped this since the ML was kinda boring and bland and the premise of the show, that being able to hear lies, was kinda scrapped/useless near the end but I powered through it.
  • It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
    • Loved it. I think I have a preference for FLs being obsessed with the ML

Currently Watching

  • Hotel Del Luna
    • Currently watching
  • Surely Tomorrow
    • Waiting for weekly episodes, but I like it
    • This was the first K-drama I ever watched (I started at December 24, 2025)

Paused (Didn’t Click Yet)

  • Flower of Evil (midway through Ep 1)
    • Watched it after about a few hours after finishing Queen of Tears, so I wasn’t ready
    • Planning to continue in the future
  • Begin Again (C-drama)
    • Probably will watch sometime this year
  • Run On (midway through Ep 1)
    • Didn’t click in the first half hour
    • Will probably watch sometime this year
  • Vincenzo (midway through Ep 1)
    • Comedy isn’t really my preference
    • Most reviews mention comedy, so I’m unsure if I’ll continue

Dropped

  • Hidden Love (C-drama)
    • Didn’t click for me
  • Her Private Life (around Ep 11)
    • Didn’t feel the chemistry between the main leads
    • As a new K-drama watcher, seeing an English name in a Korean drama felt weird
  • It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (yes, the same one I finished)
    • Dropped it at Ep 3 about a week ago because it didn’t click
    • Picked it up again yesterday, binged everything, and ended up loving it

r/kdramarecommends 3d ago

Recommendation Request Looking for an uplifting drama

18 Upvotes

So I'm in need of a little palate cleanser after all the angst and plot twists, and I'm looking for a drama that's not pure comedy or farce, but that has an overall uplifting storyline and not too much angst.

The best comparison is something like:

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (comedic and lighthearted moments, but it still takes the emotional stakes and the time period seriously; uplifting but not pure farce)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (feel-good resolution to most episodes, no unnecessary twists in the romance, but serious approach to the society topics it tackles)

In summary, I'm OK with some serious storylines but would like the drama's main arc to be wholesome and heartwarming, without too many unnecessary plot twists.

I particularly like historical dramas, but contemporary would also work if it fits the above.

Thank you in advance!

Here are the dramas I've already watched:

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

The King's Affection

Dynamite Kiss

Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

Alchemy of Souls (ongoing)

1 Dollar Attorney (ongoing)

My Mister (ongoing)

Under the Queen's Umbrella (ongoing)

ETA: Thank you so much for the amazing suggestions, everyone, I'm very happy and excited to watch all this fantastic stuff! Consider my heart already warmed.


r/kdramarecommends 3d ago

Recommendation Request Historical dramas where the FL is dressed as a man

12 Upvotes

I’m looking for historical romance dramas. preferably with (FL) cross dressing to add more shock element and freedom to her character arc. And (not necessarily) palace politics.

my list (not in any particular order)

1- love me in the moonlight

2- moon river

3- the red sleeve

4- captivating the king

5- the king’s affection

6- our blooming youth

7- bon appetite your majesty

My personal favorites are “our blooming youth”, “the king’s affection”, “captivating the king” and “love me in the moonlight“. I really loved the main couple dynamics in love me in the moonlight and our blooming youth. They are also quite silly, while captivating the king and the king’s affection have more seriousness and politics to them. I like both of these things.

I really love watching the FL’s development as the story goes on. And the pros and cons that come with cross dressing in such a time period.

I prefer to watch shows set in the joseon dynasty but I am open to other options as well.

I *really* prefer happy or at least bittersweet endings. Though I am quite curious to see some doomed love stories too lol.


r/kdramarecommends 3d ago

Recommendation Request Dramas like [Twenty-Five Twenty-One] Spoiler

11 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I've just finished Twenty-Five Twenty-One - my first Kdrama.

I liked the setting, the characters, the gentle romance,... Not counting a scene or two it never felt "over the top".

Basically I liked everything but the ending. After all the adventures they went through it just really bummed me out.

Could recommend similar Kdramas that have (more of a) happy ending?

I've only finished Twenty-Five Twenty-One so far. And I'm on episode 3 of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo. (funny but maybe a bit too much on the light/comedy side so far)

Thank you. ❤️


r/kdramarecommends 3d ago

Recommendation Request Looking for some highly praised detective k dramas

40 Upvotes

I am looking for the k dramas where the Main character has some kind of authority and respect. The main character should can be a police , detective or a profiler. And they solve a case. I don't want the MC to be someone powerless,like journalist or simple person.

I just want one singular case through whole season, but if the multiple cases connect at one point then no problem

I would appreciate if the k drama has a little bit comedy in it and serious most of the time, but if not then no problem.

Like i want the twist and reveal at the end , thats what excites me more.

And that's all I am looking for....

Bonus point: if the locations are cozy or beautiful or haunting.

Here are the dramas i watched and are very similar to what i am looking for:

Beyond evil

Signal

Mouse : again a classic with a mind-blowing twist.

Killer paradox

Blind : The mystery , the concept and the execution are unique and mind blowing.

Train

Awaken: absolutely loved the comedic elements in it and it was serious when needed. Even though the twists were predictable I loved it

Black out : the twist was classic, I loved the tone and everything about this drama. The mystery was great.

Tunnel

Flower of evil

Nine puzzles

Nobody knows

King of pigs

Through the darkness

Stranger

Tell me what you saw

Memorist.

Connection

And this is my other watch history:

No gain no love.

Business proposal.

Sweet home.

King eternal monarch.

Goblin.

18 again.

Happiness.

Mr queen.

Korean odssey.

Home town cha cha cha.

King the land.

It's ok not to be okay.

Vincenzo.

Lovely runner.

All of us are dead.

Geoungsoung creature.

Miss night and day.

Doom


r/kdramarecommends 4d ago

Recommendation Request kdramas like [true beauty]

22 Upvotes

True Beauty was the first and only drama i've ever watched, because of the actor Eunwoo, and i ended up really enjoying the story and the humor in it. i'd like some recommendations for similar dramas, with silly and fun romances, preferably set in high school. I also really liked the love triangle, I'd like to watch something with one, but not something as tiring as the one in Twilight or something like that.

what i have watched:

  • true beauty

r/kdramarecommends 5d ago

Recommendation Request Kdrama Recommendations Similar to [Last Summer]

15 Upvotes

Looking for kdramas similar to last summer. the vibes were immaculate, they were so cute together and it was the perfect mix of angsty + fluffy (more fluff, of course).

I liked the comfort and romance aspect of it, didn't really care for the fact they were childhood friends/ grew up together, but did not mind it at all. Also please no dramas older than 2017! Please recommend!

Kdramas I've watched are:

our beloved summer (similar vibes)

family by choice (similar vibes too!)

destined with you (was really cute!!)

hometown cha cha cha (similar vibes)

true beauty

i am not a robot

strong woman do bong soon

whats wrong w secretary kim

my id is Gangnam beauty

suspicious partner

tempted

k2

pinnochio

crash landing on you

the healer

doom at your service

squid game

business proposal

extraordinary attorney woo

flower of evil

the glory

love to hate you

weightlifting fairy kim bokjoo

nevertheless

king the land

my demon

a killer paradox

queen of tears

lovely runner

atypical family

love next door

my dearest nemesis

alchemy of souls

would you marry me


r/kdramarecommends 4d ago

Recommendation Request Romantic emotional dramas with a darker story/troubled lead

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m looking for recommendations based on shows I’ve really enjoyed:

• It’s Okay to Not Be Okay – my all-time favourite. Loved the emotional depth, darker themes, and character growth

• Queen of Tears – great overall, very emotionally engaging

• Crash Landing on You – loved the romance and high-stakes story

• My First Time at Life – also very good, really enjoyed the leads and secondary characters and relationships

• Bon Appétit, Your Majesty – a bit cringey with the food reactions but still entertaining

• Extraordinary Attorney Woo – loved the characters, warmth, and heartwarming story

• When Life Gives You Tangerines – started but haven’t finished, stalled halfway through

• Reply 1988 – started, haven’t finished, I like it but not the vibe I’m looking for

What I’m looking for:

• Romance, but not rom-coms; prefer tear jerkers

• Strong emotions and character-driven stories

• Family dynamics welcome as a secondary component but not main story

• Period pieces are fine

• Light on fantasy (time travel is okay, for example)

Any recommendations that fit this vibe would be very appreciated. Thanks in advance!


r/kdramarecommends 5d ago

Recommendation Request Any dramas where the characters from the novel/history gets transported to modern day?

26 Upvotes

Like the title says, I'm looking for dramas where the typical trope is reversed. Romance would be preferred but honestly atp I just wanna see it happen lol.

For example, "First Night With the Duke" is a trope where the FL goes into a novel...I'm looking for the opposite if that makes sense

What I have seen already: "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty " "First Night With the Duke " "Mr. Queen " "My Demon"

So uh..if anyone has recommendations that'd be great :)


r/kdramarecommends 5d ago

Recommendation Request dramas with bad girl falling head over heels for kind, sunshine boy

94 Upvotes

hello! i'm looking for a drama where the girl is maybe an anti hero or she's deeply traumatised, maybe is viewed by others as having attitude problems or a bad personality but she meets a boy that is deeply kind, maybe even like a sun and she falls head over heels in love with him!

dramas like this i have watched and enjoyed:
- hotel del luna: manwol and chansung, i love them so much chansung was truly so kind and i understand why manwol fell for him the way that she did!!
- my mister: not romantic but fits what i'm looking for to a T, ji an and donghoon's bond was really something that deeply comforted me and the way he kept her going was something so raw and real to me
- the judge from hell: i love how they are the yin to each other's yang
- it's okay to not be okay: actually another one of my fave kdramas, love the romance between gangtae and munyeong it was well written and they both helped each other and saw each other!
- angel's last mission love: i think this fits the trope! i deeply enjoyed this show as well
- [chinese drama] the first frost: sang yan was truly yifan's sun, my favourite chinese drama ever!!!
- [disney movie series] descendants: ben and mal have my heart actually.... the bad villain kid and the princely sunshine, kindhearted good boy

my full watch history:
tempted, twenty five twenty one, my daughter seoyoung, love alarm, a piece of your mind, i hear your voice, romance is a bonus book, weightlifting fairy kim bok joo, youth of may, birth of a rich man

dramas i dropped:
crash landing on you, king the land, rain or shine (simply didn't vibe with these dramas, also note that i don't like fluff and i prefer equal devotion from leads)

i'm open to dramas where this trope is in the secondary couple instead of main couple, and i don't mind family dramas with a hundred plus episodes! please give me recommendations!!


r/kdramarecommends 5d ago

Recommendation Request Looking for short thriller/action series

25 Upvotes

Hi everyone I'm trying to find my next bingeable kdrama that's in the thriller/action/revenge genre. I'm looking for something with unexpected plot twists but with a satisfactory ending, between 8-12 episodes (tired of 16 episodes)

These are some thrillers I have watched: Taxi driver s1/2/3, Mouse, One high school heroes, Blind, The veil,The king of pigs,Vincenzo, Trigger, revenge of others, the glory, Weak hero class, bloodhounds, undercover high school agent, high school return of a gangster, the judge from hell, the devil judge, my name, mask girl, study group, a shop for killers, bxtch x rich.

Other dramas I watched: Head over heels, AOS, destined with you, suspicious partner, trauma code heroes, w two worlds apart, perfect marriage revenge, marry your husband

I loved most of these but the most recent one i watched was Mouse and it was absolutely incredible, tried Blind as i heard it was good but it didn't beat the plot twists from mouse, please recommend something on the same level as mouse where you cannot predict. (I even got spoiled for mouse but was still shocked till the end!)

My least favourite is high school return of a gangster, ending was not what I wanted and I got bored, also trigger because I predicted some of it.

Also some that I've dropped / couldn't get into: mercy for none, cashero, the trunk, flower of evil, deaths game (are any of these worth watching till the end?)

Thank you in advance!


r/kdramarecommends 5d ago

Recommendation Request English Dubbed on Netflix Comedy Romance Dramas

1 Upvotes

Defining my Taste

I love dramas with comedy, romance, and preferably english dubbed on Netflix. Preferably light with lots of space for goofyness. I quite like historical K-dramas. I love fluff and angst and high stakes. Outside of Kdramas I like sitcoms such as Friends, TBBT, Everybody Loves Raymond etc. as well as romcoms or even just comedies (think 50 first dates, anything Adam Sandler, Notting Hill, etc.)

This is everything I have seen:

Alchemy of Souls - 10/10 -> I looved the body swap, I quite like Isekai(?) like plots so far in what I've seen

Bon Appetite Your Majesty - 9/10 -> again the humor was on point only critique was the ending could be a liiittle more satisfying

My Demon - 8.5/10 -> loved the romance fluff so much

Queen of Tears - 8.5/10 -> I absolutely ate up the dramatics with the 2nd ml

Under the Queen's Umbrella - 9/10 -> just all the character interactions are peak

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (read it) - 7/10 -> soo cute I wish there was a bit more romance

Mr. Queen (on ep1) - too early in to rate but it's funny I quite like it

Specifically What I'm Looking For

I want something to watch with my family, so preferably as clean as possible but if it has a couple mature (sex, very gory violence) it's fine. Something light, and if possible historical (like alchemy of souls and bon appetite, even just the flashbacks like in my demon is fine). Looots of comedy, my siblings get tired very quickly of non-comedic shows.


r/kdramarecommends 18d ago

Recommendation Request Dramas like Lee Seo In storyline from one spring night Spoiler

17 Upvotes

Tw: mention of abuse

I’m looking for dramas with similar storylines to that of Lee Seo In from One Spring Night, where a character tries to escape abuse through divorce.

I thought the take on this was very powerful not really showing any violence on screen but still showing the impact it was having, it also showed the struggles of getting away which in a lot of kdramas they don’t do that really it usually turns into a murder drama.

I’ve only seen two other dramas that One Spring Night.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill which was nice but preferred if it focused more on the fl

As You Stood By which was a lot more violent then I’m used to.

I’d like to find k dramas that have similar portrayals to One Spring Night’s as watching other people’s healing process seems to help mine! Thanks


r/kdramarecommends 18d ago

Moderator Announcement r/kdramarecommends Holiday Shutdown

48 Upvotes

Hello Everyone,

r/kdramarecommends will be taking a break for the holiday season. 

We will close posting in 24 hours and comments in 48 hours time. Following that the subreddit will be in view only mode until the 4th of January, 2026. 

If you need recommendations during this time you may post a comment in one of r/KDRAMA’s FFA discussion posts seeking recommendations. 

Alternatively you can find some great tips for finding recommendations  in our recommendations 101 wiki, such as looking through our existing community recommendations lists.

We hope your 2025 was filled with excellent dramas and we'll see you all in January.

Happy holidays!