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Reading Time: 5 minutesNow that winter is finally here, you’re spending more chilly evenings at home curled under blankets and scanning titles on Netflix. And since you’ve already binged all of the top American shows, why not try your hand at K-dramas?
K-drama or Korean drama refers to almost any South Korean fictional television series, regardless of the subject or genre. With inspiration drawn from webcomics, K-dramas famously have eccentric storylines filled with plot twists at every corner.
Everyone has at least seen a K-drama title, read the show’s summary, and wondered, “Is this show for me?” That’s the amazing thing about K-dramas – there’s truly something for everyone. Amid the growing popularity of K-dramas, Netflix has invested nearly $500 million and partnered with South Korean studios to bring their subscribers original and high-quality content. To help you get started on your K-drama journey, here is a list of some highly addictive titles on the streaming service right now.
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Sweet Home
Credit: Netflix
Who says K-dramas are all romance? Sweet Home, the series filled with horror, thrill, and bloodshed is the perfect show for those who like getting spooked.
The series follows high-school student Cha Hyun-Su, an orphaned and standoffish introvert who moves to an old apartment complex called Green Home. A month later and without warning, his fellow residents begin to exhibit startling symptoms such as bloody noses, hallucinations, and aggression before transforming into blood-thirsty creatures.
Unlike traditional horror shows, we won’t be seeing zombies or vampires terrorize the residents of Green Home, but instead, something far more sinister awaits the viewer.
Stream season one on Netflix to uncover the mysteries of Green Home.
Hospital Playlist
Credit: Netflix
If you’ve burned through all 18 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, consider checking out Hospital Playlist.
The series follows five attending doctors at Yulje Medical Centre as they navigate their respective areas of medicine. Since undergrad, the group has only grown closer as they work at the same hospital (in their spare time, they even perform in their own band!). You’ll fall in love with each doctor’s unique personality and fall even harder for the side characters around them.
This show has everything. A star-studded cast, slow-burning romance, comedy and of course, so much drama. As early as episode one, you will become enamored with each doctor’s professional, personal and romantic lives, all while sharpening your medical knowledge.
Season one and two are streaming now!
Signal
Credit: Netflix
You haven’t seen a police procedural quite like Signal before.
Inspired by real-life criminal incidents including the Hwaseong serial murders, this series follows quick-witted police lieutenant and expert criminal profiler, Park Hae Young as he tries to crack cold cases from decades ago.
Quickly, you will see that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill police show as characters in the present time can actually communicate with those in the past through a mysterious walkie-talkie. Police detective Lee Jae Han from the past work together with Park Hae Young in a race to find the perpetrators behind the gruesome serial murders.
Will they help each other solve their cold cases? Or will the weight of the past prove to be too much for both protagonists?
See how the past and present collide by streaming season one of Signal.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
Credit: Netflix
Rom-com lovers, you’re in for a treat.
Pained psychiatric ward caretaker Moon Kang Tae and antisocial and knife-obsessed children’s book author Moon Young make an unusual pair in the series, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. Though the two come from drastically different backgrounds, they go on an emotional and oftentimes comical journey. Together, they explore childhood trauma, their broken hearts and possibly the spark between them.
With the long glances, wrist grabs and a slow-burning romance, there’s a reason that It’s Okay to Not Be Okay was the most popular show of 2020 in the romance genre on Netflix in South Korea. And though romance is a huge part of the show, it isn’t its only gleaming factor. The show also explores themes revolving around mental health–something that adds an element of authenticity to the show.
Stream all 16 episodes of season one now and ship MoonMoon!
The Silent Sea
Credit: Netflix
Get ready for Korean superstar Gong Yoo to make his much-anticipated return to the drama world with The Silent Sea. Set in the future, The Silent Sea is a sci-fi K-drama about what happens when food and water run dry on planet Earth. This series follows Yoon-Jae, a soldier for the space agency. Strong-willed Yoon-Jae is selected for a team to travel to the moon for a 24-hour mission. There, the space explorers try to retrieve samples from an abandoned research facility steeped in classified secrets.
This series is based on the 2014 short film The Sea of Tranquility. Choi Hang-Yong directed the short film and the Netflix drama series.
Season one is set to air on December 24th on Netflix. Don’t miss out!
The King’s Affection
Credit: Netflix
This historical drama takes place during the height of the Joseon Dynasty. When the Crown Princess Consort gives birth to twins, the son is raised in the palace as the next heir while the daughter is sent away to spare her life.
Several years later, the prince dies in a tragic accident. The Crown Princess Consort, now scrambling to cover up her son’s death, decides to bring her daughter back to the palace to assume her son’s identity. To keep this secret, the twin daughter cannot let anyone get too close. However, her secret threatens to be uncovered when she begins to fall for her tutor.
Watch season one to see if the princess will choose love or royalty in The King’s Affection.
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Kennedy Rasberry
Kennedy Rasberry is a Fellow at Complex Networks and a recent graduate of Ohio University. Her work has been published in Complex Magazine, Melanin in the Media, and The Northern Quota. As she adjusts to post-college life, she has been writing about the things she loves (mostly hair products and makeup) and when she’s not doing that, she is chronically online.