Another year has come to an end and I am once again wondering 'how is the year already over? What did I do in 2024 exactly?' Well, even if I don't have a yearly wrapped of my life, I will always have a yearly wrapped for Korean Dramas. And this year, I have a lot to say. So, let's get going! Here are 10 best kdramas of 2024, their review, and my thoughts on them.
1. This 10 best kdramas of 2024 list based on ratings, popularity, writing, acting, etc. This is NOT my favourite kdramas of 2024 list (stay tuned for that one).
2. Even if some of these dramas might not make to my best kdramas of 2024 list, I still have thoughts - a lot of thoughts. So take my review with a grain of salt and let's have a healthy discussion in the comments.
3. This is not a ranked list.
10 Best Kdramas of 2024
- Lovely Runner
- Queen of Tears
- Marry My Husband
- Welcome to Samdal-ri
- Love Next Door
- A Shop For Killers
- The Judge From Hell
- The Trunk
- Mr Plankton
- When the Phone Rings
1. Lovely Runner
Genre: Romcom, Time travel, Mystery, and Fantasy
Starring: Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon
Where to Watch: Netflix, Viki, and TVing
Review: Lovely Runner is without a doubt the most popular Kdrama of 2024 with a very high fan rating. It has all the elements that we love in kdramas - romance, cute couple, time travel, fantasy, mystery, comedy, and Byeon Woo Seok. If you are looking to be entertained, then give this drama a try.
My Thoughts: Although Lovely Runner was thoroughly entertaining and kept me waiting for new episodes each week, the writing of the drama eventually became its downfall. As the drama came to a close, instead of focusing on characters and their development, the story kept going in circles and forgot about the characters. Maybe we can argue the drama shouldn't be 16 episodes since it could have easily ended at 12 episode mark but if they had focused on the characters and plot points they introduced and forgot - it would have been a 10/10 kdrama for me. But they didn't. For this reason, Lovely Runner may not make it to my personal favourite list.
Krati Joshi
For my full thoughts on Lovely Runner, read this
2. Queen of Tears
Genre: Romance, comedy, and second chance romance
Starring: Kim Ji Won and Kim Soo Hyun
Where to Watch: Netflix and TVing
Review: Queen of Tears was the blockbuster kdrama of 2024 year for sure (we have had very little of those in the past few years). By blockbuster, I mean: star cast, very popular, high budget, and financially successful. Queen of Tears was successful even before the first episode dropped on Netflix. It was highly watched and kept audience excited throughout its 16-episode run.
Kim-Kim couple are not only two incredibly stunning actors, they are also incredible actors who can make you feel everything they are feeling. Although it may seem like Queen of Tears is a romcom, this drama is very melodramatic and as the name suggest - it will make you cry almost every episode.
My Thoughts: 2024 was the year when Kdramas focused on what happens after happily ever after. Queen of Tears was at top of that list. It is a second chance romance and a story of married couple falling back in love with each other. It is a good choice for people who have a lot of patience to watch a slow burn romance unfold. However, I am not one of those people.
I couldn't get invested in any of the characters—not even the main leads. I tried to keep watching it with a hope that maybe as the story goes by I would feel something besides annoyance. There is a scene at the very beginning of the drama where the FL (female lead) tells the ML (male lead) that she is dying and the first feeling the ML feels after hearing that: happiness... because he will finally be free?? Now, I know it was probably fake and ML loves FL selflessly. But I just couldn't get past this scene and both their selfishness to get invested in their love. If I felt anything for these two, I might have liked Queen of Tears, but I felt nothing.
3. Marry My Husband
Genre: Romance, Revenge, Thriller, and Fantasy
Starring: Park Min Young, Na In Woo, Lee Yi Kyung, and Song Ha Yoon
Where to Watch: Prime and TVing
Review: Marry My Husband is a story of a woman who suffers a lot mentally, physically, and emotionally due to her husband and best friend, and is later murdered by them. Through some miracle she goes back 10 years in time before she married her husband and vows to take revenge and live her best life. All four actors are incredibly amazing and they will convince you to love or hate them. It is a drama that doesn't get boring from start to finish. Well...except for a minor unnecessary plot-point in the second-half of the drama, it is a very solid drama throughout.
My Thoughts: Finally a drama in this list that I truly loved. If this was my personal favorite list of 2024, Marry My Husband would be in my top 3 for sure. It is the kind of drama that will keep you engaged and excited for the next episode. I recently did a rewatch of this drama just to see if it is as good of a watch as it was while it was airing, I am happy to report, it is still great watch in my second watch. Or maybe I am biased because I really love Park Min Young, so maybe give the first episode a try and decide for yourself.
4. Welcome to Samdal-ri
Genre: Romance, Comedy, and Friends to Lover
Starring: Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun
Where to Watch: Netflix
5. Love Next Door
Genre: Romance, Comedy, and Friends to Lover
Starring: Jung So Min and Jung Hae In
Where to Watch: Netflix and TVing
Review: Let's start with stating that there are two friends to lovers dramas in this 10 best kdramas of 2024 list (Welcome to Samdal-ri and Love Next Door) and if I were to explain the theme of both these dramas to you, you will be confused which drama I am talking about. So, I have decided to review them together.
Both Welcome to Samdal-ri and Love Next Door starts with the FL (female lead) coming back in town after a long while. Both FLs are dealing with career and life crisis. Both ML (male leads) are still in their hometown and have a strong parental bond with FL's mother. In both dramas each episode have flashbacks showing the two best friends grow up and go through life and hardships together; parallelly the two are doing the same in the present.
So, why are both these dramas in this list when they are so similar? Short Answer: Because Welcome to Samdal-ri and Love Next Door deserve to be in this list. You will not go wrong watching either or both of these dramas. Regardless of what drama you watch, the main leads friendship and love for one another is just such a pleasure to witness.
However, even though these two dramas may feel similar, they are very different and original. For me, the biggest difference between the two dramas was the bond between the two leads.In Welcome to Samdal-ri the leads are more lovers than best friends; while in Love Next Door crossing the line from friends to lover felt like crossing an ocean on a boat.
My Thoughts:
Welcome to Samdal-ri ended in January 2024 but the show remained with me throughout the year. This was such a refreshing and very well written drama. Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun are just incredible actors and so is the entire star cast of this drama. It is a very cozy and sweet drama that will make you happy.
As a long time Jung Hae In lover, I can't express how happy it makes me that he is finally in a romcom and not making me cry every 2 seconds. Love Next Door was a top notch drama with a very sweet story. Unlike the other drama set in small town, this drama is set in Seoul neighbourhood and has a lot of focus on the career and lives of the leads.
Welcome to Samdal-ri: If you like small town, feel-good, romance dramas where you can't sneeze without the entire colony finding out, you should definitely give this drama a try.
Love Next Door: If you are looking for a good friends to lover trope where you see them realise that they love one another more than friends, go for this drama.
6. A Shop for Killers
Genre: Thriller, Action, and Mystery
Starring: Lee Dong Wook and Kim Hye Joon
Where to Watch: Disney+ Hotstar, Hulu, and Disney+
Review: A Shop for Killers is a drama about a girl who was raised by her uncle. Her life takes a thrilling turn when her uncle dies and for some reason her house is surrounded by hundreds of killers trying to kill her. As she is stuck in her house with no exit except death, she recalls the training her uncle gave her all her life and fights for her life.
My Thoughts: I really loved A Shop for Killers. There was action, murder, and gun firing every scene of this drama but it was very engaging from start to finish. I was sat at the edge of my seat for all 8 episodes of the drama. And don't even get me started on HOW HOT Lee Dong Wook looked in the drama. Like, sir, you are the reason for global warming hot. As a kdrama lover who is also a John Wick movie series fan, A Shop for Killers was like best of both worlds. I am very much looking forward to season to of this drama.
7. The Judge From Hell
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, and Romance
Starring: Park Shin Hye and Kim Jae Young
Where to Watch: Disney+ Hotstar, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV
Review: The Judge From Hell follows the story of an elite judge, Kang Bit Na, who happens to be demon sent on earth on a mission to send evil souls to hell. With a good mix of supernatural element, mystery engaging cases, great characters, and a sweet romance, this drama has everything that makes the drama fun to watch. Yes, obviously it is not a perfect drama but it is not claiming to be perfect either, which is why the drama is as enjoyable as it is. It also not hurts that Park Shin Hye did a bang on job as Kang Bit Na, her chemistry with Kim Jae Young was also equally fun to watch.
My Thoughts: You know the dramas with different cases each week while a larger story is piecing together in the background? Once upon a time, kdramaland had many similar format shows but nowadays these format dramas have become a rarity. So when a drama like The Judge From Hell comes along, no wonder people liked it as much as they did.
8. The Trunk
Genre: Noir, Romance, Thriller, and Mystery
Starring: Seo Hyun Jin and Gong Yoo
Where to Watch: Netflix
Review: Great actors, incredible cinematography, and solid writing – The Trunk has it all, but it is definitely not for all. It’s not your typical kdrama that everyone will enjoy or even understand. The Trunk feels more like a Western show than an Korean drama. It is a slow-paced, character-driven story with deeply flawed characters, exploring some very dark themes. From the way it is shot to its deliberate pacing, you can definitely see a vision behind it. And, of course, Seo Hyun Jin and Gong Yoo are such outstanding actors they took this drama to another level.
My Thoughts: If I am being honest, I debated a lot about including The Trunk in this top 10 kdramas of 2024 list. But I couldn’t find a fault in the drama that would justify taking it off the list, so here we are. It is the kind of drama that only a small group of people will truly appreciate. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them – and that’s perfectly okay.
9. Mr Plankton
Genre: Romance, Drama, and Comedy
Starring: Woo Do Hwan, Oh Jung Se, and Lee You Mi
Where to Watch: Netflix
Review: Mr Plankton is about Hae Jo, who lives a carefree life doing odd jobs that often get him into trouble. He is a deeply flawed person with abandonment issues, never letting anyone get close as he feels unworthy of being loved. After finding out that he has little time to live, he sets out on a road trip, with the first stop being his ex-girlfriend's wedding, where he kidnaps her.
The rest of the drama follows Hae Jo, his ex-girlfriend, and her fiancé on the adventure of a lifetime. It is a story with a predetermined sad ending; however, it is not about the end but the journey that the characters take.
My Thoughts: I can watch anything to see Woo Do Hwan's smile (and his face, and his biceps, and his body). Even though Mr Plankton has some of the most amazing actors in the Kdrama industry, Mr Plankton was Do Hwan's show and Do Hwan's show only. He even made this deeply flawed character lovable.
Mr Plankton is a character-driven drama where the plot takes the backseat, letting the characters run the show—in a good way. You will find yourself laughing out loud one minute and crying your eyes out the next. This is the kind of drama where the audience has to have patience and let themselves be kidnapped by Woo Do Hwan so they can go on this adventure with him.
10. When the Phone Rings
Genre: Romance, Mystery, and a hint of Thriller
Starring: Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin
Where to Watch: Netflix
Review: The only ongoing kdrama on this list—When The Phone Rings. It follows a couple in a marriage of convenience, where the leads have been married for three years but have lived like strangers for most of it. The FL is selectively mute and works as a sign language interpreter, while the ML is a Blue House spokesperson from one of Korea's most influential political families. The drama is filled with tension, mystery, and a very heart-fluttering slow-burn romance.
My Thoughts: Give people a good romance and Yoo Yeon Seok, you got yourself a superhit drama. He always looks incredible, but in this role—as a smart, powerful man who secretly loves and protects his wife—he’s extra dreamy.
Since When The Phone Rings started airing a month ago, it has dominated the Netflix charts, taken over social medias, and has become one of the most talked-about Kdramas of the year. It came out at the right place and the right time—when there’s very little competition and on the most convenient platform, Netflix. So, even though it is only halfway aired, it deserves to be in this list of 10 best kdramas of 2024.
So that were 10 best kdramas of 2024. Stay tuned for my personal favourite dramas of 2024, slumps of the year, underrated kdramas you must watch, and more!!
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What kdramas are in your top 10 kdramas of 2024? Do you plan to add any of these dramas to your watch list? Let me know.
