Every year, the K-dramas get even better than the last. From romance to mystery to slice of life, there is certainly something for everyone in the classic Korean drama series.
These were my top five of 2024:
- Marry My Husband
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Based on a comic, this drama was a nail-biting revenge story following Jiwon.
Jiwon is a hardworking woman with a husband, Minhwan, and a best friend named Sumin. However, when she develops cancer, Jiwon comes to the startling realization that Sumin and Minhwan have been having an affair behind her back. On her deathbed, she promises to live life differently and is surprisingly reincarnated three years before everything in her life falls apart. Now hell-bent on changing her fate, she concocts a scheme to have her best friend marry her husband and save herself from death.
The drama was well done, and every episode makes you sympathize and root for Jiwon after seeing everything she has been through because of people who claimed to love her. If you like a good femme fatale with a side of romance and revenge, this is for you.
- Doctor Slump
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This drama follows Haneul and Jeongwoo, successful doctors in the present day but academic rivals in the past. However, both the bright physicians are facing huge problems: Haneul’s verbally abusive superior constantly berates her and takes credit for her work, while one of Jeongwoo’s patients mysteriously passes away, and someone intends to frame him for it.
These two doctors quit their jobs and meet again, intending to be friends and enjoy what they were deprived of in their studious youths. This drama captured the themes of burnout in medicine so well, and you couldn’t help but feel empathy for Haneul and Jeongwoo.
The joy derived from watching them live their lives happily and enjoy the things they were never able to as children was infectious. If you’re craving a break from your stressful schedule, this is the breath of fresh air you need.Â
- Family By Choice
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Following the lives of friends Juwon, Sanha, and Haejun, who have been practically raised together, the drama explores the concept of found family. It also explores complex topics such as death, abandonment, and what truly makes and breaks a family.
I thought the drama was sweet, and there were certainly some tear-jerking moments. I also thought how they portrayed the struggles and the unconditional love and support of a single-parent household was realistic and beautiful.
I found the friendship between the three kids to be beautiful as well. The way the actors playing Haejun and Sanha depicted the pain of being abandoned by their respective mothers was heartbreaking but extremely well done.
If you’re looking to laugh and cry, this is the show for you.Â
- Lovely Runner
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Another K-drama dealing with the past and present follows Sol, a massive fan of the singer Sunjae, who gave her comfort when she dealt with paralysis as a result of an accident. However, Sunjae’s tragic death breaks Sol’s heart. She’s transported to the past, when they were high school students at the same school, where she’s tasked with changing both her future and his.
This drama went absolutely viral, and everyone loved how the romance was portrayed. The complex topics, which I thought were handled quite well, included the difficulty of life in the spotlight and recovering from a life-altering accident.
The scenes that I thought were the most beautiful dealt with the yellow umbrella—a symbol of Sol and Sunjae’s commitment—and the scene where the cherry blossoms fall. For some feel-good romance, Lovely Runner will have you covered.
- Queen of Tears
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This was by far my favorite drama of the year!
Following the marriage of Hyunwoo, an ordinary man, and Haein, the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Korea, we see a couple go from absolutely in love to hardened and cold from grief. However, a series of catastrophic and chaotic events push Hyunwoo and Haein closer together than ever before and force them to confront their once-loving, now-stagnant marriage.
Without giving too much away, this drama will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last episode. Besides Haein and Hyunwoo, the supporting characters that comprise their families are so compelling and funny that I didn’t want to miss a single moment.
The drama also tugs at your heartstrings when you see Haein and Hyunwoo’s life in the past and present, making you question what drove them to fall out of love. As the drama goes along, you can’t help but root for them to get back together.
If you can slightly suspend your disbelief and want some funny and romantic tension, Queen of Tears is for you.
If there’s nothing on here for you now, you might have to wait to see what 2025 brings!
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