K-Dramas you’ll love to watch this Autumn
Cold weather and longer nights signal the start of more evenings hunkered down in front of the TV. And luckily, Netflix isn't short of Korean entertainment, from well-loved classics to exciting new series.
Image: Glitch/Netflix © 2022
20th Century Girl
A coming-of-age film set in 1999, 20th Century Girl is bringing us nostalgia. The story follows a 17-year-old called Bo-Ra (played by Kim-Yoo-jeong). When Bo-Ra’s best friend Yeon-Do is sent to the US to have heart surgery, Bo-Ra begins to spy on Yeon-Do’s crush and report back. This is a touching tale of friendship between young women as they begin to navigate their first romantic feelings.
20th Century Girl. Image: Seo Ji Hyung/Netflix © 2022
Keep an eye out for the countless props paying homage to nineties K-Pop and K-Films such as An Affair (starring a young Lee Jung-jae, who you may have seen recently in Squid Game).
Stream the full series now on Netflix.
Take 1
Korean music fans listen up – Take 1 is for you. The Netflix series documents popular Korean artists as they embark on giving a performance that challenges them more than ever before. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring episode comes from AKMU who choose to involve skydiving in their performance. However, you can also expect to see others such as MAMAMOO reuniting after two years apart, You Hee-yul returning to where his band first started, and RAIN taking on an iconic location.
Out now on Netflix.
Glitch
Calling all sci-fi lovers, add Glitch to your list. The series is a comedic mystery and at times thrilling. Protagonist Hong Ji-hyo is living a normal life until one evening her long-term boyfriend goes missing.
Image: Glitch/Netflix © 2022
As she tries to find him she discovers that her solution may lie with those that have their eyes on the sky – as she recruits the help of a community of UFO watchers including Bo-ra. What happened to Hong Ji-hyo’s boyfriend and will she ever find him?
Now streaming on Netflix.
Little Women
While you may think a series loosely based on Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women may involve period dresses in 19th Century Massachusetts, you’d be totally wrong.
Here Little Women is set in modern-day Korea. Despite the big difference, it retains the sisterly love at the core of its narrative. The series focuses on the Oh sisters who grew up in poverty. But when 70 billion won goes missing they suddenly become embroiled in a frightening turn of events.
Watch now on Netflix.
Narco-Saints
The new Narco-Saints is a K-Drama set outside of Seoul, and right in Suriname, South America. An ordinary Korean entrepreneur finds himself with no choice but to join a dangerous secret mission for the government.
Narco-Saints. Image: Cho Wonjin/Netflix © 2022
It involves capturing a Korean drug lord operating in South America, which sends our protagonist spiraling into the dark underworld of drug trade. Narco-Saints is bound to be a thriller, and adding to its interest is that this tale is based on the true story of ‘drug king’ Cho Bong-haeng.
Stream now on Netflix.
Once upon a small town
Big city dweller Han Ji-yul is tricked into moving from Seoul to the sticks where he operates as the local vet. Here he begins adjusting to rural life and meeting the residents. Among them is police office Ahn Ja-Yeong (played by Red Velvet’s Joy) who holds a secret. Expect romance and drama from this KakaoTV original series. And get guessing what Ja-Yeong’s secret could be?
Watch the full series now on Netflix.
The Fabulous
If you’re looking for a comedic and romantic drama then keep your eyes peeled for The Fabulous. The series follows the lives of a group of friends living in Seoul , embroiled in the cut-throat fashion industry.
The Fabulous. Image: Seung-wan Kim /Netflix © 2022
Among the group is a lackluster freelance re-toucher called Ji Woo-min, played by SHINee’s very own Minho. There’s also Pyo Ji-eun, employed at a luxury brand promotion agency but struggling under the pressures of such a demanding space. With the series centred around friendship, against a stressful background of carving out a successful career, we’re sure it's something many of us can relate to.
Out now on Netflix.
Pachinko
You may already be familiar with Pachinko, the hugely popular novel by Min Jin Lee.
The story follows four generations of a Korean family, starting with a family living on an island just off of Busan. When the teenage daughter, Sun-ja, becomes pregnant out of wedlock circumstances see her sent to Japan. From there we learn what life was truly like for Koreans forced to lose their identity in Japan under and after colonial rule. It’s a real insight into the history of Korea and how the lives of those on the ground were truly affected.
Out now on AppleTV.
Somebody
Somebody follows the life of Sum (played by Kang Hae-lim), an extremely introverted woman who works for a match-making app called Somebody.
Somebody. Image: Nathan K. H. Jang
Life is simple until a killer starts using the app to connect with their next victim. The spate of crimes coincide with Sum matching with an architect called Yoon-o (played by Kim Young-Kwang). After an intense romance will she be safe or will she be complicit once she finds out Yoon-o is the murderer?
Out on Netflix on 18th November.
Under the Queen’s Umbrella
Step back in time to the Joseon period, where a hot-headed Queen, Im Hwa Ryeong is challenged to preserve the dynasty. Although she has sons to continue to the bloodline, they’re misbehaved and must be shaped into heirs’ worthy of coronation. Meanwhile, the family faces threats from competing families hoping to swoop in and take the throne. The pressure is on the Queen to say the least – and at times she may not act like you’d expect from someone in her position. Get the popcorn out for this period drama.
Stream a new episode every week on Netflix.
Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.
