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In-depth reviews of the latest and hottest South Korean television series, also known as K-dramas, on cable and streaming services.
Parasite co-writer Han Jin-won makes his directing debut with high-school comedy I Am a Running Mate, starring Yoon Hyun-soo as a student who becomes a coveted running mate in a school election.
Starring Yoo Seung-ho, Kim Dong-hwi, Yoo Su-bin and Lee Joo-young, The Deal is a new Korean drama about a pair kidnappers who get in way over their heads that premiered at Busan 2023.
Lee Sung-min plays a permanently smiling taxi driver who picks up Yoo Yeon-seok’s serial killer in this new Korean drama series with hints of 1986 classic The Hitcher.
This Disney+ Korean drama stars Nam Joo-hyuk as a police recruit who goes after his mother’s killer, then starts a spree of revenge killings, which sees him dubbed the ‘Vigilante’.
From Crash Landing on You to Crash Course in Romance, there have been some classic romantic K-dramas over the years. We rank our 15 best ever, and why they deserve a spot in the list.
Brutal and immersive K-drama series about an undercover cop trying to take down a crime gang gets off to a terrific start, even if its story is formulaic. Can it add something new before exhausting the gangster clichés?
This Coda copy stars Ryeoun as Ha Eun-gyeol, a student whose parents and brother are deaf. Time travel is introduced to the romantic fantasy series early on, with possible Back to the Future plotlines.
Song of the Bandits, a Netflix series starring Kim Nam-gil and Seohyun, mixes the violence of a Western with the melodrama of a Korean TV series. While promising, it ultimately sings a hollow tune.
Disney+ K-drama Moving gets a perfect score for lifting comic-book pulp to epic and emotional heights in a soaring superhero saga whose grand five-episode climax is truly unforgettable.
The team behind The Penthouse return with K-drama The Escape of the Seven, a gleefully over-the-top high- society melodrama that follows seven miscreants after the disappearance of a teenage girl.
The period drama returns, with some new faces and too many explainers and catch-up sequences. Twins Saya and Eunseom (both played by Lee Joon-gi) fight on opposing sides of a battle, unaware of each other.
Seen previously in Kiss Sixth Sense, Yoon Kye-sang plays a divorced father who kidnaps a wealthy couple’s daughter for ransom. Park Sung-hoon is the cop on his trail in this twisty, cinematic Amazon Prime K-drama.
Police patrolling Seoul’s Han River deal with a variety of incidents, and rub up against a shady corporation, in this procedural drama with a drawn-out set-up, stereotypical characters and too little action initially.
A remake of Taiwanese series Someday or One Day, Netflix Korean drama A Time Called You is a head-spinning time-travel romance with way too much going on.
Season 2 of Netflix’s fantasy K-drama The Uncanny Counter is disappointing, with the brash new characters never becoming fully formed, and adding little as the series winds down to a dull, uninventive climax.
Destined with You’s lead characters, played by Jo Bo-ah and Rowoon, have not shown charisma in its early episodes. Time will tell if this Netflix K-drama will charm us into sticking with it.
Ryoo Seung-ryong and Han Hyo-joo lead Disney+ Korean drama series that has an epic feel. The set-up was breathless, introducing us to students with super powers. Now we’ve learned their parents’ shocking past.
The Korean drama series follows boxer Lee Kwon-sook (Kim So-hye), who knocks out the world’s best male boxer, then vanishes on her pro debut. Lee Sang-yeob plays a cocky sports agent who tries to track her down.
Like a set of Russian dolls, Netflix K-drama Mask Girl has stunning layers that have been peeled away with each episode – but for all its brilliance, it has been let down by a predictable ending.
The Uncanny Counter season 2 on Netflix is showing signs of improvement – but the superheroes are caricatured and still not very likeable, and subplots meant to widen the show’s appeal are unnecessary.
Amazon Prime Korean drama The Killing Vote follows police officers, played by Park Hae-jin and Lim Ji-yeon, as they hunt Dog Mask, a vigilante who hacks phones and offers users votes on punishing wrongdoers.
Han Ji-min and Lee Min-ki star in rural fantasy comedy Behind Your Touch, a Netflix K-drama series that pairs a kooky countryside vet who can see the memories of animals with a surly city detective.
The less viewers know about Netflix K-drama Mask Girl going in, the better – so we won’t spoil it for you. Let’s just say it is wickedly entertaining and has a protagonist like no other in a Korean drama series.
South Korea’s male-dominated work culture is examined in this K-drama comedy series starring Ra Mi-ran as Go Hae-ra, a mother trying to return to work after seven years raising her daughter.
Ryoo Seung-ryong and Han Hyo-joo are among the stars of Moving on Disney+, the most expensive Korean drama series yet, which follows superheroes who face off against a mysterious spy operative.
Action-suspense drama The First Responders drops its second season on Disney+ – and this time, the main characters face off against a mysterious and diabolical arsonist.
Kim So-hyun plays a character nicknamed the Liar Hunter for her ability to tell if someone’s answer to a question is true or false. Hwang Min-hyun plays a tight-lipped murder suspect who moves in next door.
Superhero fantasy series The Uncanny Counter was a huge success when it aired in 2020, but season 2 is nowhere near as charming. Perhaps it’s the bigger cast and budget, or the way it resorts to K-drama tropes.
Na In-woo, Kim Ji-eun and Kwon Yool lead Longing for You, a somewhat pedestrian K-drama series that seesaws between investigative thriller, family drama and love triangle.