My Top Favourite dramas
Looking back at my most enjoyed K-dramas and making a favourites list based on different genres.
I came across this old subreddit while on my quest for new drama recommendations, fans shared their favourite K-drama under different genre prompts. There are also fun curated lists and drama battles by fans, some expected classic fan favourites and I discovered some quite a few I haven't yet seen which have been added to my watchlist.

Romance was a difficult category, as there are couple stories I love in typically non-romance shows. I particularly love how romance is written in Slice of Life genres, they are often built gradually through everyday interactions; such is the love story from My Libernation Notes between with Mr Gu and Mi-Jeong. I love watching their affection deepen in their shared daily struggles from the monotonous routines of adulthood. The couples in Hospital Playlist are another example, Seok Hyeong and Min Ah, Song Hwa and Ik Jun would easily be contenders for best romance in a "non-romance" genre. Another example, is the heart-wrenching tale of love and loss between Jang Ju-won and Hwang Ji-hee in Moving; a "superhero" fantasy with deep background story of a middle-aged romance. Their relationship is depicted as simple yet profound romance, very well acted by two actors I haven't seen in rom-coms.
Other difficult categories were Sci-fi, Action and Revenge, those sub-genres being my least favourite and watched Asian dramas.
Here is my own version of the subreddit list with some new added genres, and although some of the dramas below could arguably go under Romance, I've outlined briefly why it personally feels more relevant to place it under it's distinctive genre.
| Category | Tv Show |
|---|---|
| Romantic | Something in the Rain (2018) |
| Comedy | Work Later, Drink Now (2021) |
| Horror | Kingdom (2019) |
| Thriller | A Killer Paradox (2024) |
| Historical | Kingdom (2019) |
| Medical | Hospital Playlist (2020) |
| Psychological | The Frog (2024) |
| Fantasy | Moving (2023) |
| Sci-Fi | |
| Action | . |
| Slice of Life | Reply 1988 (2015) |
| My Liberation Notes (2022) | |
| No romance | Move to Heaven (2021) |
| Prison Playbook (2017) | |
| Police | Live (2018) |
| School | Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016) |
| Revenge | Mine (2021) |
