Maha Yassin
Kdramas have been popular for a hot minute. It’s safe to say they are no longer a niche preference as more and more people enter the Kdramas world. Fans no longer have to search far and wide on sketchy websites to get their hands on the latest Kdrama. Nowadays, streaming platforms such as Netflix have a wide variety of Kdramas for fans of all tastes. There are hundreds of Kdramas on Netflix, and all you have to do is click and watch!
What if you are new to all of this? What if you were one of those people who made fun of their friend who watched Kdramas and now is itching to get into them (We know you’re out there)? If you got into Kdramas around ten years ago, there were only a handful of really good and popular ones to choose from. However, today, the world of Kdrama is so much bigger! Every week, there are a couple of new ones coming out, and as a newbie, it’s hard to choose your first Kdrama!
Well, do not fret, my friend! Today, we will list Kdramas on Netflix that can be the perfect start to your Kdrama journey. Whatever your genre preferences are, a Kdrama is waiting to blow your mind! And we cannot wait to make the introductions.
Why Should You Get Into Kdramas Today?
Here is the thing: We think Kdramas are fantastic! And you should start watching ones simply because they’re great and we know you will love them. However, there is a specific reason why now is the perfect time to discover the world of Kdramas.
With the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, many TV shows will get delayed, and new seasons of your favourite shows will not see the light for some time (yes, it’s sad, but writers and actors deserve fair pay!). So, you need to find another entertainment industry to provide you with your sustainment of shows, and Kdramas are the perfect ones! Since the strikes will not affect the Korean industry in any way, the influx of Kdramas will not stop. It might even use the opportunity to grow.
So, if you want to keep getting new shows and never stop binging (not in an unhealthy way, please!), Kdramas are the solution! And trust us, once you start watching Kdramas, you will never want to stop!
The Best Kdramas on Netflix For Newbies
Netflix is one of the best streaming platforms for Kdramas internationally. If you’re based in Korea, you probably have other means to watch Kdramas. But if you’re not, then Kdramas on Netflix are your go-to. Over the years, Netflix added more and more Kdramas to its catalogue as the demand for them increased. Nowadays, they even produce their own Kdramas! You can find a lot of Netflix-exclusive Kdramas on the platform, and to be honest, they’re pretty good.
As a newbie to the world of Kdramas, you can find it hard to choose which ones are best to start your journey. That’s what we are here for today! We will recommend ten Kdramas on Netflix that can be the perfect introduction to the Kdrama world.
So strap up and get ready to start your adventure in the world of Kdramas!
Crash Landing on You
We’re going to start with a classic enemies-to-lovers story, and here, we’re not talking about personal animosity—we’re talking about countries being at war! Those two people should not be associated at all, but fate will have the last word on Crash Landing on You.
Crash Landing on You tells the story of wealthy heiress Yoon Se-ri, who goes paragliding and ends up crash-landing in North Korea! She is immediately found by North Korean Captain Ri Jeoung-Hyeok, who decides to help her return to her country. But since she can’t go back the way she came, he hides her at his house (wink wink) until he can find a way to get her back to South Korea.
If you love the enemies-to-lovers trope as much as we do and would enjoy seeing a rich heiress slum it down in a small village, then Crash Landing on You is the perfect Kdrama on Netflix for you! We do not know one person who watched this show and did not immediately fall in love with it!
Hometown Cha Cha Cha
What do you do when everything you have ever worked for comes crashing down? You pack your bags and move to a beautiful coastal village, of course! If you’re lucky, a bonus would be meeting the love of your life and building a much more beautiful life in that small village.
Yoon Hye-jin is a dentist who works in one of the best dental clinics in Seoul. One day, after an altercation with her boss, Hye-jin quits her job and decides to take a trip to the beach. Upon arrival, Hye-jin finds out that this seaside village doesn’t have a dental clinic and decides to open her own. With a new life comes the chance for new relationships and new adventures, and that’s what Hye-jin finds in Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
If you’re at a crossroads in your life, Hometown Cha Cha Cha is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix for you. It will give you hope in a new beginning and help you see that with every closed door, there are a hundred new ones opened for you. Not to mention, it has a charming romantic story that will just make you want to fall in love TODAY!
Fight For My Way
Friends to lovers nation, where are you? This trope is the romantic trope that most people can resonate with because who is better to fall in love with than someone you already call your best friend?
Fight for My Way is the story of four friends who have known each other since high school and adulthood. While Baek Seol-hee and Kim Joo-man have been dating since college, Choi Ae-ra and Ko Dong-man remained just friends. As adulthood and its responsibilities and expectations wrap its hands around the group of friends, they start to reexamine their relationships and make new choices.
Fight for My Way is not only one of the best Kdramas on Netflix, but it is also one of the best friend-to-lovers stories you will ever watch! It’s funny, it’s romantic, it’s exciting, and it’s very relatable to twenty-something-year-olds trying to figure out life.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Is going to a sports university any different from going to a normal one? Regarding lifetime friendships, love, school expectations and frenemies, it’s precisely the same. When you’re in college, you’re no longer a child, and you’re not exactly an adult either. Then what are you? A mess. You are a mess.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo follows university weightlifter Kim Bok Jo and her classmates as they navigate their school life and try to grow up. Kim Bok Jo wants it all. She wants to become a weightlifting champion, she wants to keep her friends forever, and she wants to fall in love. But when she starts to fall for her frenemy, Jung Joon-hyun, she doesn’t know how to act or what to do!
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is one of the cutest and most heartwarming Kdramas on Netflix! It will make you swoon and wish to return to your school days (assuming they’re finished) to experience it all again.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Do you remember your first love? The first time you ever felt your heart flutter? The first time you looked at someone and forgot how to breathe? We never forget our first love or even crush. It’s a story everyone holds close to their heart as a sweet memory, no matter how it ended.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One tells the story of fencer Na Hui-Do and her first love, Beak Ijin. Hui-Do wants to be the number one fencer in the world, and she works for it. One day, she meets Beak Ijin, an older boy who works at the local bookshop. A beautiful friendship blossoms, and a heartbreaking love story starts and ends in their neighbourhood streets.
Before you start watching Twenty-Five Twenty-One, make sure there is a box of tissues nearby. The story is not a tragedy (don’t worry), but you will cry! If you’re up for experiencing first love again, this is the Kdrama you seek.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Are you up for some office romance? Extraordinary Attorney Woo is so much more! With an autistic character in the lead, this series has gotten a lot of praise from fans worldwide. Now is your time to watch it!
Woo Young-woo is a young autistic attorney about to start her first-ever job in a law firm. Facing lots of challenges as a young attorney and an autistic individual, Young-woo must navigate this new life outside of the safety of her home. It helps that she meets Lee Joon-ho, a colleague who is willing to do anything to help Young-woo succeed in life.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a heartwarming series with a great representation of autistic people. It shows Young-woo’s daily life, her strengths and her challenges surrounded by friends and family. It is one of the most well-made Kdramas on Netflix, and we’re sure you’ll have a great time watching it.
The Legend Of The Blue Sea
Okay, let’s take this a little deeper and add some fantasy elements to these Kdramas! A mermaid finds herself enchanted by a human and decides to forgo her tail and follow him to land. Sounds familiar? Maybe for The Little Mermaid fans, but this time, it’s very different!
The Legend of the Blue Sea takes place in two different timelines. In the Joseon era, a mermaid is captured in a small village and kept restrained for the arrival of an essential governmental figure. In the present, mermaid Shim Cheong sees Heo Joon-jae for the first time and immediately falls in love with him. She decides to give up her mermaid tail for legs and to find Joon-jae in Seoul. How hard can that be?
One of the best urban fantasy Kdramas on Netflix, The Legend of the Blue Sea is an excellent beginning for your Kdrama adventure, especially if you love fantasy stories. The intertwining timeline of the past and present will keep you on your toes, and the fantastic performances by some of Kdrama’s best actors will leave you in awe!
Oh My Venus
An oldie but a goodie! If you want to get a taste of the original Kdramas, but you don’t want to watch something too old in fear of it ageing badly (a lot did, oops), check out Oh My Venus!
Kang Joo-eun has been in a long-term relationship she thought was heading to marriage. But suddenly, she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her, and when she confronts him, he blames her, saying that she no longer takes care of herself and he’s no longer attracted to her! Angry and determined to prove him wrong, Joo-eun enlists the help of a renowned fitness coach to help her get back in shape, not for her cheating ex-boyfriend but for herself and her health.
Oh My Venus is a story of self-love and taking care of yourself for your own health, not for people’s comments or standards. It helps that it also has one of the cutest romances in a Kdrama on Netflix! Forget the cheater and get ready to meet Kim Young-ho!
Descendants Of The Sun
What do a doctor and a soldier have in common? Both save lives. But also, both have very different ideas about how to save said life. Can they ever find common ground? Or can they find a way to understand each other and fall in love?
Descendants of the Sun is a melodrama about the love story of Kang Mo-yeon, a doctor, and Yoo Shi-jin, a special forces agent. When Mo-yeon and Shi-jin try to date for the first time, things don’t go well. They disagree on many things, and their professions keep them apart most of the time. When they both get assigned to the same war-torn country of Urk, Mo-yeon and Shi-jin start to grow closer and explore feelings long buried.
Descendants of the Sun was among the best and most acclaimed Kdramas of 2016 (the golden year of Kdramas!). It’s a love story in the middle of an army camp that uncovers the different lives of everyone involved. Get ready to cry, laugh and cry some more! Descendants of the Sun is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix and one of the best Kdramas, period!
King The Land
Even if you are not a Kdrama fan yet, you probably came across King the Land or at least seen it trending on Netflix. Do you fancy a workplace romance that takes place in a fancy hotel between the heir to the hotel and a hard-working employee? Yes, please!
King The Land follows hard-working Cheon Sa-rang, who always dreamt of being a hotel concierge. After being accepted into one of the best hotels in Seoul, Sa-rang will do her best and rise in the ranks to join the esteemed King the Land VVIP lounge staff. On the other hand, King Hotel would-be heir Gu Won is only here because his father is making him. As the two grow closer, they also work to save the hotel from Won’s sister and her greed.
King The Land is one of the latest popular additions to Kdramas on Netflix. Even though it follows a very cliche Kdrama plot, it’s still enjoyable to watch and has an adorable love story. If you want to taste classic Kdrama stories but want to watch something new, then King The Land is the Kdrama for you.
What do you think? Did you find the best drama to start your journey in the Kdrama world? The more you watch Kdramas, the better you will understand your taste and start to find ones you like on your own. But we can all use help initially to get our feet in the water. These Kdramas on Netflix are some of the most popular ones ever, and if you ask any Kdrama lover you know, they’ll 100% recommend at least one of these!