2024 started off immediately with some of the best K-dramas dropping at the beginning of the year. There were action-packed, supernatural, and definitely some romantic comedies setting the tone for how the year would look. With more and more K-dramas coming to Netflix, Disney+/Hulu and Amazon Prime, there are an endless number of K-dramas to watch with all your favorite stars who have shown year after year that they have what it takes to deliver the right performances to stir the masses. Gyeongseong Creature came back with their new season, and it was just as good as the first. Park Shin-hye starred in Doctor Slump and The Judge From Hell this year– both were worth a rewatch.
With so many K-dramas such as Love Next Door, When The Phone Rings, Heirarchy and more dropping this year, there were so many to choose from that looked worthy enough of making it into the best K-dramas of 2024 list. There’s a mixture of romantic comedies, supernatural, and sci-fiction dramas throughout this list. This year some big names even made some big waves in Korea with their choice of drama genre and that made those K-dramas even more special.
10
‘Gyeongseong Creature 2’
Written by Kang Eun-kyung
Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee came back with season two of Gyeongseong Creature with another eye-catching performance as Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok— two ill-fated individuals who have loved and who have had their fates continuously entwined. Still in a fight against the monsters being created, season two takes viewers into the future where Tae-sang has lost some of his memory. Chae-ok is still trying to get to the bottom of the monsters showing up on the streets. New monsters and a new setting in the year of 2024, which is 70 years after the events of season one, bring out some new and old faces back to life. When the two meet once again, they join together to shut down the operation run by the same corporation with Yukiko Maeda (Claudia Kim) still leading the charge from the shadows.
Gyeongseong Creature season 2, which was teased immediately after the conclusion of season one, brings familiar vibes with a twist to those who loved the K-drama. The teaser allowed for a lot to be anticipated and opened room for many questions that needed to be solved. With just the right amount of wait time in between seasons, the second installment was able to hold that thrill that came with the first one and bring back ther central monster. It gave the audience a great number of new elements but also brought back that will they, won’t they feeling between the Chae-rok and Tae-sang that carried throughout the season. Park and Han have great chemistry, and it doesn’t take much to capture those precious moments on screen. There is a particular scene in part two between So-hee and Seo-joon after they reunite that was filmed as one continuous shot. The beauty of the moment is enough to make this K-drama one of the best historical, sci-fi K-dramas to come out of 2024.
- Release Date
-
December 22, 2023
- Seasons
-
2
- Creator(s)
-
Kang Eun-kyung
, Chung Dong-yoon - Writers
-
Kang Eun-kyung
- Directors
-
Chung Dong-yoon
, Roh Young-sub - Cast
-
Park Seo-joon
, Han So-hee
, Soo Hyun Kim
, Kim Hae-sook
9
‘Lovely Runner’
Written by Lee Shi-eun
Adapted from the web novel ‘The Best of Tomorrow,’ Lovely Runner is a fantasy romantic comedy about unexpected consequences and love. Im-sol (Kim Hye-yoon) is a fan of the K-pop idol, Ryu San-jae (Byun Woo-seok) and becomes devastated by his tragic death. In this time-traveling nostalgic romantic comedy, Im Sol decides to go back to stop his death from happening to the year of 2008, when San-jae was only 19 years old. Many things ensue, like unexpectedly getting a chance at love, a surprise murder plot, and decisions on how to change the future without completely succumbing to the consequences.
Byun Woo-seok is coming off of a big year of K-dramas and show appearances, so hopping into another nostalgic drama isn’t far from his realm of expertise. 20th Century Girl brought Byun to the spotlight and this drama helped to secure his continuous rise in the K-drama genre. Hye-yoon and Woo-sek are great together and their chemistry blossoms throughout each episode. There’s always been a twist in romantic comedy K-dramas lately, and this one is no different. The finale brings the series together and helps make it so memorable in 2024.
8
‘Begins Youth’
Written by Kim Soo-ahn and Choi Woo-Joo
Begins Youth is based on the BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) universe, which the musical group started to do as a means of storytelling based around their songs in 2015, starting with their hit song ‘I Need U’. The K-drama follows seven young boys as they navigate their own personal traumas and find friendship among themselves. Begins Youth follows Kim Hwan (Seo Ji-hoon), Min Ce-in (Noh Jong-hyun), Jeong Ho-su (Ahn Ji-ho), Kim Do-geon (So Young-joo), Park Ha-ru (Kim Yoon-woo), Kim Joo-an (Jung Woo-jin) and Jeon Jae-ha (Jeon Jin-seo). Abusive and neglectful parents, the pressure of being the best, loneliness and mental illness are just some of the traumatic experiences that the boys face throughout the series. Begins Youth has BTS songs guiding the show along and showing them at different stages of their teen years. Not every moment is a happy one, but it makes ones that are that much more special.
This series is more than just a retelling of the songs’ storylines created by BTS, but digs deep into each characters’ lives where it seems so natural and true to watch. Viewers watch as the eldest members of the group take care of the younger ones by supporting them in doing things they enjoy, allowing them to have a safe place for them to talk about their hardships, and even providing them with a place to stay when things are not going well at home. The casting of the characters is done so perfectly. Though Begins Youth is not based on the lives of the actual BTS members, the mannerisms and quirks that the members possess are present in the story, which makes it an even more enjoyable experience for Armys and fans of the show to watch. Excellent performances from Kim Yoon-woo and Jung Woo-jin are something that needs to be seen by a larger audience, plus Kim Chang-jun (The Glory) among the cast. The overall writing is enthralling and the quality of this series is not like most newly produced K-dramas from smaller sites. Hopefully, this show will be able to be spread more widely to the public as it is currently on a newer streaming service called Xclusive.
7
‘Love Next Door’
Written by Shin Ha-eun
Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) and Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in) have known each other since birth. And even though Seung-hyo likes to act as if he is annoyed by Seok-ryu, he’s secretly in love with her and has been harboring those feelings all the way through college and some of their adult lives. After losing touch with each other, Seok-ryu shows back up in their hometown, where the two start to reconnect and become even closer than before. Seok-ryu’s reason for returning to her hometown is unknown and Seung-hyo is an architect who is just trying to run his new office when she comes back.
The comedic value of the leads and the ensemble cast carry this show to the end. The writing that may sometimes feel mundane and slow to some is actually perfectly executed to show the struggles 30-something year-olds go through when they’ve hit a wall in their life. There are scenes where Hae-in and So-min look so fully emersed in these characters that you forget you’re watching a fictional k-drama. It’s an easy watch and has a formula that is attuned to older k-dramas where everything isn’t revealed within the first few episodes. It also has a longer season than most of them do these days as well. Laughing, crying, and uwu-ing are all guaranteed to ensue while watching Love Next Door.
Love Next Door
- Release Date
-
August 17, 2024
- Seasons
-
1
- Cast
-
Jung Hae-in
, Jung So-min
, Kim Ji-eun
, Yoon Ji-on
, Park Ji-young
, Jo Han-chul
, Jang Young-Nam
, Lee Seung-joon
6
‘The Trunk’
Written by Park Eun-young
With the anticipation of seeing Gong Yoo in another drama, The Trunk is a series that was made for the yearners! The series opens with a trunk falling into a lake and sinking to the bottom as the audience then sees a flashback to five months ago as a woman leans over a man in the hospital. The man dies, and the woman gives the doctors a card telling him to get in touch with his guardian because they are no longer married, but divorced. Noh In-ji (Seo Hyung-jin) works for a contract marriage company that arranges 1-year marriages and her next one will be to Han Jeong-won. He’s still married, but his wife is in favor of this so that they can spend time apart. Jeong-won is a troubled music producer who uses pills to cope with his nightmares and other trauma-induced issues. After Jeong-won meets In-ji, he eventually begins to develop feelings for her and struggles with coming to terms with that while still wanting to stay committed to his marriage to his wife, Seo-yeon (Jun Yun-ha). Throughout the 8-episode run, the secrets of the trunk and the NM company unravel.
The Trunk leads with a gradual progression of events that make the audience wonder what the point of two married people getting into a contract to live as a married couple with someone else is actually for. This K-drama had been teased for a while, but The Trunk was still dropped onto the Netflix quietly, and if it wasn’t already on a viewer’s list this year, it would have been missed. Gong Yoo is this vulnerable and taciturn role, and brings a new acting range that audiences haven’t seen much of from him. Seo Hyun-jin brings such a stern, strong demeaner to the character of In-ji that when she unfortunately breaks down it hurts all the more. Gorgeous cinemotagraphy captures the full essence of the house and the use of chandeliers that play such a huge role in this K-drama are just some of the reasons this K-drama is in the best 10 of K-dramas of 2024.
The Trunk
- Writers
-
Park Eun-young
- Directors
-
Kim Kyoo-tae
- Release Date
-
November 29, 2024
- Finale Year
-
November 30, 2023
- Main Genre
-
Mystery
- Seasons
-
1
- Character(s)
-
Roh In-ji
, Han Jeong-won
, Uncredited
5
‘Queen of Tears’
Written by Park Ji-eun
She’s the queen of department stores, and he’s the man from a small town whose family is well-respected in the town. Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won) and Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) are a married couple already going through a rough patch when Hae-in learns some terminal news that brings a different dynamic back to their relationship. Hyun-woo decides to divorce Hae-in, but because of her medical news, he decides to stick by her side through all that is to come. The two find love within each other again and begin to take a heart-wrenching, devastatingly beautiful journey through this sudden crisis.
Soo-hyun and Ji-won are the perfect married couple in this horribly sad, but often funny K-drama. The leads are able to easily look and act like a married couple in the most natural way, which sets them apart from some other K-drama married couples. The audience also gets to witness this couple have amazing comedic timing even when Haein is supposed to be a more straightforward and serious character. Kim Ji-won hits the emotional highs and lows with ease while maintaining a personality that is true to her character. Just like its namesake, Queen of Tears is a K-drama that will definitely make the audience cry. From Seoul to Germany, this K-drama pushes its limits and allows this couple to take you from thinking about how they could love each other again, to how they have to stay together, because their love is so real.
Queen Of Tears
- Release Date
-
March 9, 2024
- Directors
-
Jang Young-woo
, Kim Hee-won - Finale Year
-
November 30, 2023
- Cast
-
Kim Soo-hyun
, Kim Ji-won
, Park Sung-hoon
, Kwak Dong-yeon
, Lee Joo-bin - Seasons
-
1
4
‘The Judge From Hell’
Written by Park Jin Pyo
Falling in love with a demon is never ideal, but no one can choose who they fall in love with. Kang Bit-na (Park Shin-hye) is the elite judge that has her own special quirks that she likes to add to her job. However, she is a demon who enjoys killing and sending evil people to Hell. Those who have led others to their deaths are her main targets. When she meets Han Da-on (Kim Jae-young), a detective who has a gentler personality, the two go down a path with each other that they never knew they would before. The Judge from Hell is a fun and surprising K-drama that lit 2024 on fire.
The Judge from Hell brings a ferocious and demanding role to the screen for Park Shin-hye. She has been in the K-drama acting game for a while and has mastered melodramas to action and comedy roles. Her other big drama this year, Doctor Slump, also gave her a chance to get into a heartwarming romantic comedy opposite Park Hyun-sik. The chemistry between Bit-na and Do-an is fiery, bringing out a side we haven’t seen from Shin-hye in a while. Jae-young is the perfect gentle giant to match and, with all the interesting cases happening in between, this K-drama is far from boring, but one of the best from 2024.
- Release Date
-
September 21, 2024
- Seasons
-
1
- Network
-
SBS
- Directors
-
Park Jin-pyo
3
‘Light Shop’
Written by Kang Full
A K-drama that brought out those who can only be seen by certain people, Light Shop entered the end of the year with a mystery thriller ready to deliver at the end of the year. The series starts off ominously and eerily by showing a loop of a man meeting a woman dragging along a suitcase and sitting outside a bus stop. We later learn the reason no one else stopped to speak to her is because they couldn’t see her, only he could. Light Shop follows a group of people who can see people that no one else can. These dead people are all connected in a certain way and come to the Light Shop looking for help without knowing it. The short series eventually gives the characters an unexpected fate while also creating unexpected events for the main characters: Won-yeong (Ju Ji-hoon), Yeon-ji (Park Bo-young), Ji-yeong (iKim Seol-hyun), Seon-hae (Kim Min-Ha), Hyeon-ju (Shin Eun-soo), Hyeon-min (Uhm Tae-goo) and Seong-sik (Bae Sung-woo).
There are so many stories within a story surrounding the Light Shop that it has something for every viewer. Getting to learn each character’s story and seeing how they all navigate through their lives with those spirits around them brings an interesting plot alive. The end of Light Shop wraps things up, but it also leaves room for questions to still be left on the brain. At the beginning of the drama, the audience sees what is assumed to be a character being murdered and put into Ji-yeong’s suitcase. Is he really in there or did he get away?
- Release Date
-
December 4, 2024
- Seasons
-
1
- Main Genre
-
Mystery
2
‘Marry My Husband’
Written by Shin Yoo-dam
Marry My Husband was a hit at the early part of the year! It ran from the end of January through February, bringing a new time-traveling revenge-killer drama into the mix. The K-drama followed Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young) as she prepared to marry her fiancé but walked in on him and her best friend having an affair. Ji-won dies in a tragic car accident, but once she’s awake, she learns she’s been transported back in time to 2014. Ji-won decides to get revenge on her ex Min-Hwan (Lee Yi-kyung) and best friend, Soo-min (Song Ha-yoon), when she travels to the past and changes ger outcome. Ji-won eventually learns that her colleague, Yoo Ji-hyuk (Na In-woo), has feelings for her that he has been harboring for some time. They realize they’re both time travelers through the magic of hearing Spring Day by BTS.
This K-drama was a surprise hit that lasted throughout the year and set out to become one of the best to come out of 2024. Park Min-young has been a beloved K-drama actress for a long time and has starred in fan favorites such as What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim opposite Park Seo-jun and Forecasting Love and Weather opposite Song Kang. With her name attached and Na In-woo, who has become a favorite lead actor in recent years, Marry My Husband got a lot of buzz early on. But, the initial episodes move slowly, even with the added details of a shocking moment in the first episode. The slow build to the final stand-off between Ji-won and Soo-min shows just how well planned and executed this script was done.
- Release Date
-
January 1, 2024
- Seasons
-
1
- Creator(s)
-
Seong So Jak
- Cast
-
Park Min-young
, Na In-woo
, Lee Yi-kyung
, Song Ha-yoon - Main Genre
-
Drama
1
‘Love In The Big City’
Written by Park Sang-young
A Korean BL drama (KBL) following the life of Go-young (Nam Yoon-su) as he navigates love, friendship and life as a young man living in South Korea where his sexuality isn’t publicly accepted by the majority of the country. Go-young lives with his best friend Mi Ae (Lee Soo-kyung) throughout his twenties, and we see Go-young living his life as a queer man who’s just trying to have fun and become a writer. He dates many guys, some who stay for a little while and fall in love with him, and others who decide to break up with him first. Go-young is an aspiring writer and begins his book early on, but he never takes it anywhere until Mi Ae decides to leave for work. Go-young struggles with loneliness and often tells his emotions through the tone in his voice as he speaks about his life throughout each episode. Each relationship lands him with a better understanding of himself. He eventually finds love in Gyu Ho (Jin Ho Eun), but circumstances and societal pressures guide them apart. The ending shows whether Go-young truly finds what he’s been searching for through writing his novel and living his life.
The drama is based on a novel of the same name and written by the author, Sang Young Park, and has faced backlash from anti-LGBTQ Korean groups who wanted to stop the drama from airing because it promoted homosexuality. By the time the drama was ready to premiere, TVING halted their promotions because of all the backlash they had been receiving from conservative groups. Throughout it all, the team was able to do a great amount of promotion and still get the show to premiere. Nam Yoon-su (previously in The King’s Affection) even spoke outwardly in defense of the KBL drama and made sure people understood that he was not ashamed of his role. Love In the Big City was a project directed by Hur Jin-ho, Hong Ji-young, Son Tae-gyum and Kim Se-in and the artistry shows its unique value throughout each episode.
