This may be a little late since January is almost done but we are at least still in the first month of 2025 so, I think this still works out. If you guys have listened to the Tea and Soju - A C-drama Podcast for The Drama Trio's End of the Year Wrap Up episode, some of these Kdramas will be familiar. If you have not listened to that episode or any of the other Drama Trio episodes on the podcast, you can listen to the podcast here.
As per usual, just like other years, I have split this list into 2 blogposts. This blogpost is all about Kdramas. The next blogpost will be all of the non-Korean dramas I loved from 2024. 2024 was an interesting year for me when it came to Kdramas. I did not watch as many Kdramas as I wanted to or as many as I thought I would be watching. I didn't start many because I knew I would not like them. I also ran out of time to watch every Kdrama that was on my radar so, I hope to check out some of the ones I missed in 2025. There were months where I was not watching a single Kdrama (airing or otherwise) which is not normal for me. I still watched enough Kdramas to make this list, but I will admit, this was easiest year to make this list. I did not give a high score to many of the Kdramas I did watch and as I said, I did not watch as many Kdramas in 2024 as I usually do. I mean I barely had enough Kdramas on this year's list to have an honorable mentions section. Hopefully I watch more Kdramas this year but also watch higher quality too. I want these lists to be difficult to make. I will say and I have said this in other end of the year podcast episodes - 2024 WAS AWESOME FOR CRIME KDRAMAS! We got some amazing crime Kdramas in 2024 and some I have not even watched yet because I ran out of time.
Disclaimer (as always), my list of Kdramas of 2024 is in no particular order and the dramas are not ranked EXCEPT FOR NUMBER 1. The Kdramas also did not have to air in 2024. I just had to watch them and complete the dramas in 2024. If your favorites aren't on this list, it PROBABLY means I never watched them. I know I missed a few dramas from 2024 that I want to go back and watch. Or I just did not like them as much as you did. Let me know what your favorite Kdramas of 2024 were? I am curious if any of mine are on your top Kdramas of 2024 list. I make these lists to suggest some good dramas for you to watch in the future that you might have missed when they aired ORÂ to try out a new genre or type of Kdrama.
TOP 10 KDRAMAS OF 2024!!
Episodes: 8 (APPLE TV)
When Pachinko Season 1 came out, it was my favorite Kdrama of that year and it is the same in 2024. This show is a masterpiece, and it is a shame that not a lot of people have access to it because they are really missing out. I have not read the book so; I am solely going off the show. It is hard to make a 2nd season better or equal to the 1st season and Pachinko accomplished that in my opinion. I feel privileged to watch this show because it is so good. 😂 It has a beautiful OST. It has gorgeous cinematography. It has a wonderful story with rich history. The characters make this a heartwarming but also heartbreaking story. It is an impactful show with a story that needed to be told. I can't wait to see what happens next. I know this might not be considered a Kdrama but I think if this show was made in Korea, it would be a completely different story and that is why it stands out and makes it unique. FYI< look for a podcast review of this coming up - featuring me on someone else's podcast.
RATING: 10/10
Episodes: 8 in total (AMAZON PRIME)
When this Kdrama came out of nowhere in the beginning of 2024, I thought we were set, and this had set a precedence for 2024. I was wrong with that prediction BUT THIS KDRAMA WAS AMAZING! This drama blew my mind! It definitely left an impact, and I was thinking about it for a long time after it ended. It sticks with you. The acting was great. I loved that it had so many cameos and was such a big cast. It is not surprising that I loved this drama as much as I did. The story really took you for a ride and did not let go until the end. You cared about these characters and rooted for them. I loved the messages that the audience drew from this Kdrama. I have a podcast review episode up on the podcast now if you want to go check it a more in-depth review of this Kdrama.
RATING: 9.5/10
Episodes: 8 (HULU/Disney +)
Another Kdrama that is probably not surprising this is on my favorites of 2024 list. It was on a lot of people's end of the year list. It is a FANTASTIC drama! It was fast paced and I was enthralled the entire time. It was a crazy concept and the drama pulls it off. Â I liked the found family a lot. The action and cinematography during those fight scenes were great to watch. I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT THIS WOULD BE GETTING A SEASON 2! It needs a Season 2 and I can't wait to revisit the world and characters. I hope Season 2 is just as good as Season 1. I have a review of this drama up on the Podcast.
RATING: 9.5/10
Episodes: 12 (NETFLIX)
This was a surprising watch for me. I mainly clicked play on it because my boy Jang Dong Yoon was starring in it. I was fully expecting to drop it because it is essentially a slice of life Kdrama with a minor murder plot mixed into it. The murder plot didn't even need to be in the drama it was so small. Slice of Life dramas are usually not my thing BUT THIS DRAMA WAS AMAZING! Not a lot of people watched it either. It is the definition of a healing drama. I loved the underdog story. You can't help but root for Jang Dong Yoon's character. I loved his character's personality and outlook on life. I loved all of the villagers and their story. The acting was fantastic. Please go back and check this out.
RATING: 9.5/10
Episodes: 16 (AMAZON PRIME)
I had a lot of fun with this drama. Could it have been better? Yes, absolutely, it was not perfect, but it was still a lot of fun to watch. I still disliked pretty much what everyone else disliked. I am also a sucker for these types of dramas. The acting was good. The chemistry was great. I loved all three couples, and I thought the revenge had a satisfying ending. It could have been 12 episodes. I also was one of those people who enjoyed Perfect Marriage Revenge more, but I still think this Kdrama is solid and a fun watch, nonetheless. I did a full review of this drama on the blog and podcast so, check those out.
RATING: 9/10
Episodes: 14 (VIKI)
This is NEARLYÂ a perfect Kdrama for me. It was so much better than I expected it to be. I just did not know how Korea was going to pull off a crime drama about a cop addicted to drugs BUT THEY DID! There was a small twist at the end of the drama that I wish was not included in the story. I didn't that it was added into the drama. The acting was PHENOMENALÂ - especially Jisung. This is just a fantastic crime drama. It is written well with twists but also is tight with no thread left unresolved at the end of the drama. I loved the found family in the drama. There was a lot of tension and suspense which was great but also gave me a lot of anxiety throughout the drama. One of the best crime Kdramas I have had the pleasure of watching.
RATING: 9.5/10
Episodes: 14 (HULU/Disney +)
I knew as I watched this Kdrama that it would be on this list. It is also not surprising that it is on my end of the year list.  I loved Park Shin Hye in this role. I loved how unapologetically evil she was. I loved how gray these characters were. She started out so evil and grew somewhat to be good and Kim Jae Young's character was the opposite. The chemistry between her and Kim Jae Young was great. I am glad to see him back on my screen and look forward to seeing more of him in the future. I loved the story and lore in this drama. I will say a trigger warning because this drama is quite violent.  There was 1 thread that did not wrap up by the end of the drama and left me with questions but OVERALL, it was still VERY entertaining. I also did predict one character's outcome but not because of the plot or anything. The revenge was very satisfying to watch in this Kdrama as well.
RATING: 9.5/10
Episodes: 6 (NETFLIX)
Another Kdrama that surprised me because I went into it expecting it to be bad since I had watched the anime and other adaptions before it. I was worried it was going to taint the original material, and it DEFINITELY did not do that. I think I actually appreciated it more because I had seen the anime before I watched this. If you like post-apocalyptic/monster stuff, give this one a try. The acting was great, and the CGI really sold me on the drama. The fight scenes were creative and really drew you in. I love that it was basically a spin off and made the story unique and its own while still pulling from the source material. Â I would love a Season 2 of this drama. It didn't have a cliffhanger or anything, but it left some crumbs at the end which would be interesting to explore in Season 2. THE CAMEO WAS AWESOME! I did a review and VERSUS podcast episode on this Korean drama and the anime so, check that out if you missed it.
RATING: 9.5/10
Episodes: 12 (NETFLIX)
I may be a little bias with this drama because Jang Ki Yong stars in it and he is one of my favs. I knew this would be one of my favorite Kdramas of 2024 the minute I completed the drama. I will admit in the beginning; I wasn't sure if I was going to complete this drama but I am so glad I did. I loved the found family. I thought it had a unique plot. I thought the acting was well done. I thought the drama was really creative with the powers and the "real world" problems that were affecting the family. I thought the drama had a lot of good messages being told. I liked the romance but the highlight for me with this drama were the other relationships in this drama such as the father/daughter relationship. This drama has a lot of emotion and discusses a lot of good societal and life issues. I have a review podcast episode up on the podcast if you want to check it out.
RATING: 9/10
Episodes: 12 (HULU/Disney +)
I knew I was going to watch this Kdrama but this turned out to be a surprising one for me as well. I did not anticipate how much I would enjoy this drama. I didn't think you could do a full drama about a police unit who investigated crimes related to vehicles. Â I wish more people watched this drama. I feel like it sort of flew under the radar. It has such a unique topic of being about crimes related to vehicles. I loved the team and found family. I think this drama could have been 10 episodes and not 12 episodes, but I am glad it wasn't a 16-episode drama. The last episode was NOTÂ needed. It definitely set up the potential season 2 which I would totally watch. I know they have said they want to do a Season 2.
RATING: 9/10
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Episodes: 12 (NETFLIX)
The ONLY reason why this is in the Honorable mentions is because it is not a drama. THIS IS STILL ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I WATCHED IN 2024! You probably are not surprised at all that this is on my list with how much I raved about this show when I watched it. I WAS OBSESSED WITH THIS SHOW! I really was trying not to binge this show in one sitting. The competition was intense, but you could see that the chefs respected each other. I would advise you don't watch this on an empty stomach. You get to watch these very talented chefs cook amazing looking dishes. The show is brutal in eliminating people. You can see that these chefs learn from each other and teach each other things whether they are veteran chefs or new chefs. It was fun watching these chefs come up with their dishes and be creative. You can help but root for the underdogs. I am SO GLAD we are getting a Season 2! I have a review podcast episode for this show that you can check out now.
RATING: 10/10
What were your favorite Kdramas of 2023? Did some of your favorite Kdramas make my list?
CHECK OUT MY OTHER LIST - TOP 10 NON - KOREAN DRAMAS OF 2024 WHEN IT COMES OUT!
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