10 Oldschool K-Dramas You Need To Watch & 10 New Ones Worth Your Time
New to K-Drama? Add These to Your Watch List
Whether you're familiar with Korean popular culture or not, you've likely heard and seen the dramatic rise of K-drama series available on streaming sites like Netflix in recent years. Squid Game, for one, attracted global acclaim, as did many others. If you're curious and looking for recommendations, we've got you covered. Here are 10 classic K-dramas to watch—and 10 new ones to add to your list.
1. Reply 1988
Centered around five childhood friends and their families, Reply 1988 is a must-watch for those who love slice-of-life dramas with a hilarious, memorable cast to boot. Being a throwback to the year 1988, it also brings a rush of nostalgia for those who grew up in the late '80s and '90s.
2. Coffee Prince
Coffee Prince is another classic that K-drama lovers will know well. Featuring seasoned actor Gong Yoo (then 28 years old), he portrays a bachelor who lies about his sexuality to avoid blind dates set up by his grandma. He eventually falls in love with a tomboy who's often mistaken as male, played by singer-actress, Chae Jung-an.
3. Boys Over Flowers
Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, Boys Over Flowers is often regarded as one of the first K-dramas that significantly contributed to the Korean Hallyu Wave, or the rise of Korean popular culture overseas. It tells the story of a working-class girl, played by Ku Hye-sun, who becomes entangled with a group of wealthy boys at her elite school.
4. Full House
Another K-drama that helped propel the Korean Wave was Full House. The synopsis: an aspiring writer has her house (built by her late dad) sold to a popular, snooty actor. They enter a contract marriage—only for real feelings to develop. Starring Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) and Song Hye-kyo, this is a must-watch if you're familiar with either celebrity.
5. Secret Garden
If you're a seasoned K-drama enthusiast, you know Secret Garden had to make it on the list. This is the ultimate rom-com show, featuring a wealthy CEO and a stunt woman, and a twist: soul swap. Complications arise as—you guessed it—feelings develop between them!
6. Winter Sonata
Looking for a tearjerker? Winter Sonata tells the tale of two students who fall in love, only for it to be cut short when one of them suffers serious injuries from a car accident and sustains amnesia, and then is prompted to start a new life overseas. The two meet again as adults while dating different people, and their story begins again.
7. My Girl
My Girl brings a rollercoaster of emotions, making it a must-watch and one of the top K-dramas of all time. Centered around a female protagonist who's adept at lying, she's hired by a wealthy heir to act as his grandpa's long-lost granddaughter. Her act works so well that he makes a full recovery, which means now the heroine and heir must pretend to be cousins while denying their attraction for one another.
8. Stairway to Heaven
If you're in for something even more tragic and sad than Winter Sonata, Stairway to Heaven certainly fits the bill—and honestly, maybe too well. Childhood friends and destined lovers have their bond tested over and over again as tragedy strikes them in this heart-wrenching melodrama.
9. Fated to Love You
A remake of the 2008 hit Taiwanese drama of the same name, Fated to Love You (known also as You Are My Destiny) revolves around a dowdy secretary and a wealthy heir, who accidentally spend a night together. Despite only knowing each other for several days, they tie the knot, starting a rocky relationship as they painstakingly learn to love each other.
10. Kill Me, Heal Me
Kill Me, Heal Me tells the story of a wealthy businessman who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and a psychiatric resident who helps him keep his secret. While his main personality is kind and warmhearted, he actually hosts six other identities in his body.
If you've seen these classics and you're ready for more recent favorites, let's jump into 10 new must-watch K-dramas.
1. When Life Gives You Tangerines
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a slice-of-life romance between the daughter of a diver (haenyeo) and a boy who cherishes her deeply. The drama alternates between their childhood story and the current timeline, centered around their children and especially eldest daughter. Though released in March 2025, it has become a popular hit both domestically and internationally.
2. Squid Game
If you haven't watched or even heard of Squid Game, you must be living under a rock. Set in the modern world where those facing financial hardships can compete in a series of deadly games, this is a must-watch if you're up for a show that's equal parts thrilling and horrifying.
3. All of Us Are Dead
Fans of Train to Busan and zombie thrillers will want to try All of Us Are Dead. Revolving around high school students who are trapped amid a zombie outbreak, they must find ways to survive and fend for one another as the apocalypse takes over.
4. Death's Game
Death's Game centers on a man who decides to take his own life after facing countless struggles. Death, however, is offended by his decision and forces him to play a game where he must go through 12 cycles of death and reincarnation.
5. Marry My Husband
A terminally ill cancer patient finds out that her husband had been cheating on her with her best friend, and is accidentally killed by them. However, instead of dying, she goes back in time to before she'd gotten married, yet with all her memories intact, and has to orchestrate a revenge plan while ensuring she makes smarter decisions to live a better life.
6. Crash Landing on You
Though Crash Landing on You was released in while back in 2020, it remains a highly recommended drama. Centered around a wealthy businesswoman who is blown off-course while paragliding and—literally—crash-lands in North Korea, a well-respected soldier and captain in the Korean People's Army helps her return to her homeland. (Spoiler alert: their love story wasn't just on-screen chemistry—the couple got married in 2022.)
7. D.P.
Short for Deserter Pursuit, D.P. is a military drama that's heavily based on true stories about South Korea's mandatory enlistment. As soldiers face constant bullying and hazing rituals, many are driven to take drastic measures or attempt to escape from the camps—known also as deserters. A team is formed to bring runaways back to base.
8. The Glory
The Glory is a revenge tale of a bullied victim (played by Song Hye-kyo) who orchestrates a plan to bring down her past tormenters. Some scenes are based on a true story from 2006, where a group of middle schoolers repeatedly beat and inflicted harm on a classmate, including using the hot plates of a hair straightener.
9. Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a coming-of-age romance about a fencer and a sports reporter. Their heartwarming—yet heartbreaking—story is told through the lens of the protagonist's diary, which is found by her daughter at her grandma's house.
10. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
As one of the highest-rated K-dramas in Korean cable history, if that doesn't convince you to watch Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, we don't know what will. The synopsis? A successful dentist decides to relocate to a seaside village and open up a clinic there. And there, she meets a jack-of-all-trades handyman who, though unemployed, is committed to helping all his neighbors.
