5 Best K-Dramas to Binge-Watch [Part One]

It’s binge-watch season, people! (When is it not? 😄)

by Rachelle "Roach"

The hot, lazy days of summer are upon us, and how better to pass the time than watching hours of K-dramas in the air conditioning with a box of Korean snacks? 😉 K-dramas are ideal for binge-watching for a few reasons. For one, they’re usually full of hijinks and campy twists and jaw-dropping plot lines. You don’t have to talk yourself into watching the next episode -- you just have to.

The other great thing about K-dramas is that they usually last just one season. You’re not going to excitedly pull up the Netflix queue only to realize there’s seven long seasons and you now know how the next month of your life will be spent. Instead, Korean TV jam-packs a whole lot of drama and excitement into one season, and afterwards you can move on with your life. Or, on to the next one. Here are some of my favorites:

Coffee Prince

Available On: Viki You’re not going to last long in the Korean TV crowd if you haven’t seen this classic romance. It employs a favorite drama trope – a hidden identity – in this case, a few times over, as it’s a girl pretending to be a guy for a guy who is pretending that she's his gay lover. Got it? Good.

Boys Over Flowers

Available On: Viki This is a great show to start with if you’re new to the K-drama game. It takes place in a ritzy Korean high school, where a scholarship student attracts the attention of the popular boys clique that has all your stereotypical yet loveable teenagers who think they’ve figured out life. The show truly has it all: spunky sidekicks, class tensions, eye candy, the little guys taking on bullies, and of course, major drama and all the flirting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_AixAcVeAA

Bonus: If you already watched and loved Boys Over Flowers, check out Heirs, which follows a similar trajectory. (Read: rich kids have to contend with a sassy chick from a more humble background.)

Doctors

Available on: Viki If you like Grey’s Anatomy and ER, you’re going to like Doctors. It centers around a woman who, with the help of an outstanding mentor, went from being a tough, trouble-making teen to a world-class doctor. She’s the best at what she does, but she also has trouble getting close to people – until her mentor comes back in the picture! He, along with some of her co-workers with their own interesting back stories, shake things up. This one is just finishing up its real-time TV run, so if you watch now you can feel right on trend with all the other drama lovers out there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubg8j_qsrLM

Mary Stayed Out All Night

Available on: Viki This is a great show with all the makings of a soapy drama: a love triangle, class tensions, lies, heartache, and a dead mother. But it’s got more soul, rock & roll, and a slightly different path than most of the other romantic comedies out there. It didn’t get the best ratings in Korea, meaning that if you’re one of those people who think you hate K-dramas, this show might be the slightly different one that gets you over to the good side.

Oh My Ghostess

Available on: Viki We couldn’t include a K-drama list without giving you one with a little supernatural action and a lot of heavy seduction. In Oh My Ghostess, a quiet, unassuming chef who can also communicate with the beyond is transformed into a heartbreaker with the help of a ghost who died tragically young and partner-less. It’s the supernatural rom-com you had no idea you’d been craving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtbRPLCxX6c

Happy binging! 😄 Rachelle, also known as “Roach” among her friends, is a freelance writer based in NYC. She loves trying to cook Korean food but then giving up and heading to Flushing for the good stuff. You can check out more of her work at stuffroachknows.com.