There are countless amazing classic K-dramas like Coffee Prince to high-budget thrillers like Squid Game, there is a lot to choose from.

While a lot of Romantic K-dramas are undoubtedly popular, but some streaming platforms, such as Netflix, have produced K-dramas that are quite dark, like Hellbound. That said, the K-dramas I would recommend to a friend who wants to get into Korean shows include rom-coms, action-packed series, and dark thrillers.

10 Hospital Playlist

2020

Medical dramas have been a source of entertainment for many people, and fortunately, K-dramas don’t disappoint on that front. While there are a plethora of medical K-dramas available to watch, Hospital Playlist is the best way to delve into that subgenre. The series focuses on four friends who are doctors working at the same hospital as they face the trials that come with being in such a high-stakes profession.

Hospital Playlist is great for fans of medical dramas, as it shows interesting medical cases and intense scenes while also depicting the lives of the doctors who save patients. The slice-of-life K-drama has a fun soundtrack that perfectly matches the show and helps it live up to its title. Given how great Hospital Playlist is, it's not surprising that there are other medical K-dramas set in the same universe, namely The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call and Resident Playbook.

9 What's Wrong With Secretary Kim

2018

Park Seo-joon showed his versatility in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim. The workplace romance sees Kim Mi-soo, a secretary who wants to quit her job so that she can focus on other aspects of her life, fall in love with her tough and distant boss. What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim isn’t merely a sweet romantic K-drama. Instead, it delves into deep themes, such as PTSD.

While there is no shortage of K-dramas that have an office romance plot, including Song Kang’s Forecasting Love and Weather, What’s Wrong With Secretary sets the precedent of what to expect from the subgenre. Park Seo-joon and Park Min-young have great chemistry in the show. Their characters in the romantic K-drama are evenly matched and complement each other perfectly. With its slice-of-life feel, incredibly romantic love story, and deep themes, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim should be on any beginner's K-drama watchlist.

8 Under The Queen's Umbrella

2022

With the wide selection of period dramas, there’s no better place to start than with Under the Queen’s Umbrella. The historical K-drama chronicles the life of a queen who wants to ensure that one of her sons takes his place as the king, amidst several concubines plotting against her. Under the Queen's Umbrella is a stunning Korean TV show that will take anyone on an emotional rollercoaster. It has everything from humor to sad moments, but also includes a little bit of thriller.

The K-drama is beautifully shot and has a talented cast that captures every intense scene in the show in a way that draws audiences in. Under the Queen’s Umbrella does an amazing job of explaining how the royal succession used to work during the Joseon Era in South Korea, which makes it both educational and entertaining. Amidst the court politics in the K-drama is also a sweet love story that beginners who are looking for a side of history with romance will appreciate.

7 Fight For My Way

2017

Fight For My Way catapulted its cast into stardom after it was released. Starring Park Seo-joon as Ko Dong-man and Kim Ji-won as Choi Ae-ra, the K-drama focuses on a relationship that evolves from friendship to love. While Ae-ra and Dong-man are at the center of Fight For My Way’s premise, the series also features another subplot involving Sang Ha-yoon’s Baek Seol-hee and Ahn Jae-hong’s Kim Joo-man. Despite the numerous storylines in Fight For Way, nothing feels out of place, and everything is perfectly cohesive.

Fight For Way’s main cast went on to have successful acting careers and appeared in popular K-dramas such as Itaewon Class, Marry My Husband, and Queen of Tears after starring in the Korean series.

The friends-to-lovers K-drama is incredibly sweet, inspiring, and emotional. It deals with issues such as young adults pursuing their dreams, something that most people can relate to. Ae-ra and Dong-man are hilariously childish with each other, but their dynamic works well, even after they get into a romantic relationship. Fight For My Way is one of those rare K-dramas that is perfect from start to finish and has no dull moments. Everything in the Korean series is perfect– the show’s cast is great, it's funny, and it has a heartwarming romance.

6 Crash Landing On You (2019)

Crash Landing On You broke several records when it was released, and it's easy to see why. One of tvN’s highest-rated Korean dramas, Crash Landing On You delves into the love story that blossoms between a North Korean soldier and a South Korean heiress. The romantic K-drama held the record for tvN’s most-watched K-dramas for five years until it was dethroned by Queen of Tears in 2024. Crash Landing On You also won several awards, and it's mostly thanks to the show’s unique romantic story.

Forbidden love is a popular trope in romantic K-dramas, and the success of Crash Landing On You proves that. The Korean drama isn’t a typical romance because it focuses on a topic that is seen as taboo, which is a North Korean soldier falling for a South Korean person. But perhaps Crash Landing On You’s greatest strength is that it shows love has no boundaries. Se-ri not only finds love in North Korea, but she also finds friends who become like family to her. Crash Landing On You’s romance storyline, family drama, and found family premise are perfect for K-drama beginners.

5 Goblin

2016

Led by Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun, Goblin became a domestic and international success. The fantasy Korean series follows Kim Shin, a 1000-year-old goblin looking for his bride. Several K-dramas are usually a mixture of more than one genre, and Goblin perfectly shows that. Apart from Kim Shin’s and Ji Eun-tak's love story, beginners to K-dramas will enjoy the fantasy and historical elements included in the Korean series and the chemistry between its lead characters.

Goblin isn’t only funny, but it also has some emotional moments that pull at the heartstrings. The romantic Korean drama's side couple is also another reason why Goblin has accrued such critical and audience success. Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na are so good as Wang Yeo and Kim Sun in Goblin that they collaborated on another K-drama, Touch Your Heart, three years after the TV show was released.

4 Extraordinary Attorney Woo

2022

Extraordinary Attorney is a refreshing K-drama that perfectly combines elements that make Korean series such a joy to watch. What makes Extraordinary Attorney Woo stand out is its nuanced portrayal of neurodiversity. The K-drama sees a lawyer with autism grappling with working in a demanding job.

The show focuses on capturing all of Woo’s traits in a way that resonates with audiences. Extraordinary Attorney Woo brings a fresh perspective to a very important topic and does so in an informative way. The K-drama features interesting legal cases while also showing the hurdles that Woo has to cross to be taken seriously by her colleagues.

3 Boys Over Flowers

2009

At the time Boys Over Flowers was released, the Korean Wave was already in full swing, but the 2009 series played a huge role in getting global audiences to pay more attention to K-dramas. The premise of Boys Over Flowers centers around Geum Jan-di, a poor girl who transfers to the prestigious Shinwa High and falls in love with the richest chaebol at the school. The cast of Boys Over Flowers, including Lee Min-ho, went on to have prestigious careers and appeared in many other great K-dramas.

It's a great way to dip your toes into the genre. The coming-of-age K-drama has a heartwarming love story that touches on how differences in economic status can shape a romantic relationship. The best thing about Boys Over Flowers is how Geum Jan-di and Gu Jun-pyo complement each other and stick together despite the number of people who want them apart. They have a funny dynamic which adds humor to the series, but are also complex characters dealing with the pains of growing up and falling in love at a young age.

2 All Of Us Are Dead

2022

Korean film and TV makers know what makes the zombie genre work. All of Us Are Dead, the popular Netflix original K-drama that chronicles teenagers who have to fight for survival after zombies invade their school, is a great example of that. If you like movies or TV shows about the undead creatures, then you can’t do any better than All of Us Are Dead. The K-drama adds a unique twist to the genre by featuring zombies with rarely seen abilities.

All of Us Are Dead is action-packed but also has complex characters and a great twist. The adrenaline-inducing K-drama has no boring moments. It’s fast-paced, has several moments of suspense, and shows the lengths that people go to to survive. All of Us Are Dead will have you hooked from its very first episode and is a great first K-drama.

1 Squid Game

2021

Even if you have never watched a K-drama before, chances are you’ve probably heard of Squid Game. Netflix’s biggest show of all time, Squid Game was a hit with audiences and critics alike. The thriller K-drama centers around a group of people with huge amounts of debt who are chosen to play children’s games in order to win money.

The players in Squid Game are in that position because they are economically disadvantaged, so the rich people use them as a way to entertain themselves. The Korean drama also touches on how greed can corrupt, as seen when the players vote on continuing the games even when it means more people will die. These are universal themes that speak to audiences from all around the world, which makes Squid Game the perfect K-drama for beginners.