K-dramas have evolved a lot since the Korean wave had first hit and now, we can enjoy series ranging between crime thrillers and science fictions. Despite people loving serious dramas, we need a laugh once in a while and even for that, we don’t need to look elsewhere. We have made a list of the top twelve Korean dramas that do not go into heavy melodramas. From Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won’s ‘Secret Garden’ to Shin Hye Sun’s ‘Mr. Queen,’ these series will always make you grin from ear to ear. So let’s have a look.
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017)
Screenwriter: Baek Mi Kyung
Director: Lee Hyung Min
Starring: Park Bo Young, Park Hyung Shik, Kim Ji Soo, Jun Suk Ho, Shim Hye Jin, Yoo Jae Myung
Total Number of Episodes: 16
One of the most popular Asian dramas of all time, ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ revolves around a woman named Do Bong Soon, who has inherited Herculean strength from her mother but can never misuse her superpower as it will result in her losing all her strength. When Ahn Min Hyuk, the CEO of a gaming company, witnesses her beating a group of gangsters, he gets amazed by her strength and hires her as his bodyguard to help him catch a suspicious man. Meanwhile, the neighbourhood in which Do Bong Soon lives has recently been flooded with reports on woman murder and abduction.
The plot has a lot of comedy with adorable chemistry between the leads, along with a little thriller aspect added to it in order to strengthen the story. Even after years of its release, the fans are still hoping to get a sequel. You can watch the drama online on Netflix, Viki, We TV and Apple TV.
Goblin (2016)
Screenwriter: Kim Eun Sook
Director: Lee Eung Bok
Starring: Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook, Yoo In Na, Yook Sung Jae
Total Number of Episodes: 16
‘Goblin’ or ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’ is a fantasy romance drama centring on a modern-day goblin named Kim Shin who has been living a cursed life of an immortal for 900 years and needs to find his human bride to break the curse. He comes across a grim reaper who has no knowledge of his past life but somehow seems connected to Kim life. When goblin finally finds his bride, his desire to die fades away and wants to live a happy life with her going against the rules of nature.
If you haven’t watched this series yet, please do yourself a favour and catch up with it. The series has a unique story flavoured with numerous emotions delivered by talented actors playing well-written characters. The comedy, fantasy, romance and drama— everything is just on point. You can watch it online on Viki, Netflix, Prime Video and Apple TV.
True Beauty (2020)
Director: Kim Sang Hyub
Screenwriter: Lee Shi Eun
Starring: Moon Ga Young, Cha Eun Woo, Hwang In Yeop, Park Yoo Na, Jang Hye Jin, Park Ho San
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Adapted from a webtoon, ‘True Beauty’ is about a high school girl named Lim Ju Gyeong who has been bullied her entire life for being ugly. After she transfers her school, she decides not to let this continue anymore and turns herself into a pretty girl using the make-up skills that she learns from YouTube. However, a cold boy with a dark past from her new school named Lee Su Ho happens to see her bare face. As he gets to know her, he decides to keep her secret and eventually comes close. However, hiding such a secret is harder than imagined.
When it comes to comedy, ‘True Beauty’ can give a tough competition to many high-rated dramas and is one of the most popular K-dramas in recent times. Although the story is pretty basic, the plotline has been written well and all the three main leads have done a wonderful job in executing the emotions. You can definitely go for it without a second thought and check it out on Viki with a subscription.
Mr. Queen (2020)
Director: Yoon Sung Shik
Screenwriter: Park Kye Ok, Choi Ah Il
Starring: Shin Hye Sun, Kim Jung Hyun, Bae Jong Ok, Kim Tae Woo, Jo Yun Hee, Seol In Ah
Total Number of Episodes: 20
The drama revolves around a chef who works for the top politicians of the country in the President’s Blue House but somehow ends up in the body of a queen named Kim So-Yong in the Joseon period. Although the queen’s husband is the reigning monarch, Cheol Jong, he does not have any power of his own and is a puppet in the hands of the queen of the late king, Sun Won. However, Queen Kim So Yong discovers that the king is not as gentle as patient as he appears to be and has been harbouring dark secrets.
One of the most humorous historical Kdrama, ‘Mr. Queen’ is the best stress reliever. Those who have watched it already must know how addicting it can be where not a single moment goes by in a dull manner. The drama is available to watch with English subtitles on Viki.
Read: Top Eight Must-Watch Korean Movies Of All Time
18 Again (2020)
Director: Ha Byung Hoon
Screenwriter: Kim Do Yeon, Choi Yi Ryoon, Ahn Eun Bin
Starring: Kim Ha Neul, Yoon Sang Hyun, Lee Do Hyun, Roh Jeong Eui, Ryeoun, Wi Ha Joon
Total Number of Episodes: 16
’18 Again’ follows the life of a 37-year-old man, Hong Dae Young whose married life has been falling apart and is on the verge of getting divorced. However, while he was taking a look at his hard life, he realises the things that went wrong bringing him such a fate and he then finds himself inside the body of his 18-year-old self. As he starts living a new life, he enrols himself into the school in which his children studies and thus gets a chance to get closer to them. He realises that despite his middle-aged brain, there are a lot of things that he still needs to learn.
The drama has a wonderful combination of humour, romance and emotions and delivers many life lessons. The actors have delivered impressive performances and have done justice to the characters. You can stream it online on Netflix and Viki.
I’m Not a Robot (2017)
Director: Jeong Dae Yun
Starring: Chae Soo Bin, Yoo Seung Ho, Uhm Ki Joon, Park Se Wan, Go Geon Han, Song Jae Ryong
Country: South Korea
Total Number of Episodes: 32
‘I’m Not a Robot’ is a Science-fiction centring on a major shareholder of a financial firm, Kim Min Gyu but lives a life of isolation owing to a strange allergy of human beings preventing him to do normal interactions. He happens to get interested in a robotic project and in order to test the functioning of it he opts for a 30-day trial. However, it turns out that the one sent to Kim Min Gyu’s house is not the real robot Aji-3, but a girl named Jo Ji Ah who is a look-alike of it, pretending to be Aji-3. Strangely enough, she becomes the only person with whom Min Gyu can interact physically.
It is one of those fluffy and easy-watch series that will make you laugh without any solid reason. The plot is kind of crazy and unbelievable but the show makers have pulled it off amazingly. You can check it out on Netflix, Viki and We TV.
Secret Garden (2010)
Screenwriter: Kim Eun Sook
Director: Kwon Hyuk Chan, Shin Woo Cheol, Kim Jung Hyun
Starring: Hyun Bin, Ha Ji Won, Yoon Sang Hyun, Kim Sa Rang, Lee Phillip, Yoo Seo Jin
Total Number of Episodes: 20
The story is about an arrogant CEO, Kim Joo Won, who maintains his image of a perfect man and a poor and down-to-earth stuntwoman, Ra Im, with a very beautiful and perfect physique. When they meet accidentally, Joo Won mistakes her for actress Park Chae Rin and thus begin their tense and bickering relationship. At first, Joo Won tries to cover his growing attraction for Ra Im but things get more complicated when a swapping of bodies take place between them as a result of some strange sequence of events.
‘Secret Garden’ has been praised by the fans for its top-notch comedy and sad scenes. Though it appears to be a typical rich guy falling in love with a poor girl, the backup story is strong and interesting. The drama is available for watching on Netflix, Viki, SBS World and Apple TV.
Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
Screenwriter: Park Ji Eun
Director: Jin Hyeok
Starring: Lee Min Ho, Jun Ji Hyun, Lee Hee Joon, Shin Won Ho, Shin Hye Sun, Moon So Ri
Total Number of Episodes: 20
One of the most popular supernatural K-dramas, ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’ is a classic love story between Shim Chung, a mermaid and Heo Joon Jae, a witty con artist. Although Joon Jae initially keeps her with him in order to steal the jade bracelet worth $6 million which has been surrounding Shim Chung’s wrist, it turns out that they are connected not just by coincidences but also by their past lives. As she learns to adapt to her new surroundings, people from her past life appears one by one and not everyone has good intentions.
The cast has done a wonderful job of delivering both the humorous as well as the serious aspects of the drama. The drama focuses on the theme of fate, rebirth, and unrequited love. You can watch the drama with English subtitles on Netflix, We TV, Viki and Hulu.
My Love From Another Star (2013)
Director: Oh Choong Hwan, Jang Tae Yoo
Screenwriter: Park Ji Eun
Starring: Kim Soo Hyun, Jun Ji Hyun, Park Hae Jin, Yoo In Na, Shin Sung Rok, Kim Chang Wan
Total Number of Episodes: 21
‘My Love From Another Star’ is about an alien named Do Min Joon who has been stuck on Earth since the period of the Joseon Dynasty, 400 years ago. His outward appearance and abilities are similar to human beings, except that they are more enhanced. He possesses the powers of stopping the time and teleporting himself as well. Later when he discovers that he has just three more months to spend on the Earth, he comes across Cheon Song Yi, a popular Korean actress and falls in love with her.
The series is so popular that you might have heard its name at least once in your life if you watch K-dramas. You can watch the show online on Viki, Netflix and We TV.
Vincenzo (2021)
Screenwriter: Park Jae Bum
Director: Kim Hee Won
Song Joong Ki
Starring: Jeon Yeo Bin, Ok Taec Yeon, Kim Yeo Jin, Jo Han Chul, Kwak Dong Yeon
‘Vincenzo’ is the newest addition to the list of dark comedy dramas and is currently the most-watched Korean series on Netflix. The titular character of the drama is a Korean origin, Italian lawyer, a consigliere for a Mafia gang who returns to Seoul after the death of the Mafia leader in order to recover 1.5 tons of gold hidden under the basement of Geumga Plaza. However, the building has been illegally taken over by the Babel group. He gets involved with a lawyer named Hong Cha-young after a sequence of events and works together for the fall of the Babel group.
The drama is a must-watch for all K-drama lovers who are looking for law, comedy, crime and politics. It is available for stream on Netflix along with English subtitles.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016)
Screenwriter: Yang Hee Seung, Kim Soo Jin
Director: Oh Hyun Jong
Starring: Lee Sung Kyung, Nam Joo Hyuk, Lee Jae Yoon, Kyung Soo Jin, Cho Hye Jung Lee Joo Young
The story revolves around an aspiring weightlifter, Kim Bok-joo and her group of college athletes fighting for their dreams. Although she is very strong physically, she is quite feminine when it comes to relationships and gets attracted to a doctor. It turns out that he is actually the cousin of her childhood friend, who is an aspiring swimmer.
A lightweight drama on friendship, relationships and dreams, ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’ definitely deserves a spot on this list. You can find it on Viki, Netflix, Prime Video and Apple TV.
Read: All The Reasons Why Vincenzo Is Currently The Best Of Netflix’s K-Dramas
