There are only 2 months left before another year starts. Soon many of us will have a much-deserved winter or Christmas break. If you’re planning to stay indoors, relax, and chill while binge-watching all day, below are the best Kdramas of 2023 (so far) that you should stream.
I must say, Kdramas are really giving Hollywood a run for their money. The new Kdramas this year are more than just romantic comedies, there are political, fantasy, suspense, action, and more. The series below are not listed in ranking, it’s in a random order.
1. Love to Hate You
Starting this list with a romantic-comedy drama that is easy to binge-watch. The flow of the love story will not stress you and it feels refreshing once you finish it. It’s an enemies-to-lovers kind of story built around a fake relationship. It is fun and depicts a fresh perspective on misogyny in Korea from exploring the gender pay gap and workplace culture. Adding fun to the story is the subplot of the second male and female lead.
2. Agency
Second on this list is an unusual Kdrama. Unusual because it has no romantic sub-plots at all which is very rare for dramas in general. It is a workplace drama starring Go Ah-in (played by Lee Bo-young) who is the first female executive at a big advertising agency. It focuses on her path to success, her mental health, her struggles with work-life balance, and the pressures that women face in corporate life. It’s relatable and engrossing.
3. Queenmaker
This series is for people who love political dramas. The Queenmaker is about strong women which is quite rare in the political Kdrama realm. It stars Hwang Do-hee (Kim Hee-ae), a trusted and highly efficient employee of a behemothic South Korean chaebol until she learns to have a conscience. She seeks justice and revenge by teaming up with internet-viral human rights lawyer Oh Kyung-sook (Moon So-ri) to expose the reality of corruption and nepotism in politics.
4. Bloodhounds
If you’re a fan of action and suspense, then I highly recommend this series. It is about friends who work with a benevolent moneylender and band together to take down a ruthless loan shark who preys on the financially desperate. This series kept me on the edge of my seat.
5. Doctor Cha
Twenty years after leaving her medical career, a housewife returns as a first-year resident and struggles to find her footing in a job full of surprises. It tackles ageism and misogyny but the story will keep you laughing and it feels heart-warming.
6. Mask Girl
This one is for people who love black comedy and suspense. It is about an office worker who is insecure about her looks and has given up on her lifelong dream of being in the spotlight because she’s not “beautiful” enough. But she becomes a masked internet personality by night until a chain of ill-fated events overtakes her life.
7. Celebrity
For a series about influencers, this is quite scary. And it will make you wonder if this is based on a real story. Some subplots feel really familiar. The story is about Seo A-ri who achieved social media stardom overnight, but deadly consequences await in this glitzy, glamorous world of influencers.
8. The Kidnapping Day
In dire need of money to pay for his daughter’s hospital bills, Myeong-jun decides to kidnap a girl named Ro-hee in exchange for a ransom from her rich parents. This dark comedy series is quite heart-warming too.
9. Doona!
If you’re a fan of Kpop, then you’ll like this series. It is about a student who moves into the same shared house as Lee Doo-Na, an attractive idol who has taken early retirement. The student becomes increasingly interested in Doo-Na’s mysterious life. It’s more than just romance, it is also about friendship, mental health, and
10. Twinkling Watermelon
This fun and heart-warming series is about a high school student Eun Gyeol (Ryeo Un) who has hearing-impaired parents, but he has a gift for music. He is a model student by day and plays the guitar in a band at night. One day, he visits a mysterious musical instruments store and travels to a strange place. There he met new friends and they formed a band called Watermelon Sugar.
