Falling down the K-Drama Rabbit Hole...
Apologies for being MIA, but...I fell down the K-Drama rabbit hole. I got sucked into a vortex of K-Drama goodness and I am now just resurfacing.
I make it a point to try and avoid watching K-dramas unless I'm on break or know I have the time needed to devote to watching that particular K-Drama because I know once I start I won't be able to stop, but I had a slip up and got sucked in even though I wasn't prepared to binge watch. If you've ever watched a K-Drama then I think you know what I mean...Netflix binge watching has got nothing on K-Drama binge watching. When I binge watch something on Netflix I can control myself and stop and start as needed...but when I get sucked into a really good K-drama I can't stop. I am that crazy person who's still staring at the screen at 6 am the next morning before I force myself to finally conch out for a few hours before starting up again because I have to know what happens next. Honestly I think I've gotten an average of about 3-4 hours of sleep these past several days...which finally caught up with me yesterday in the form of a nasty headache.
While there have been American TV shows which have a serial plot, most of them do not...while they do have themes and storylines that can carry through the season they generally wrap up each episode in a nice little bow...each episode can stand on it's own and has a beginning, middle, and end. K-dramas on the other hand have a serial plot that is unraveled over the entirety of the K-drama. I guess the best way to put it into perspective is to compare it to...let's say an American show is generally like a collection of short stories put together into one book. It has a running theme, but you don't have to read it from start to finish. You can read just one, or a few, or jump around and read it out of order and it will still make sense because each little story can stand on its own. A K-Drama on the other hand is a novel with many chapters. You can't jump around and read it out of order or just read certain chapters...you have to read it in order from start to finish. I hope that makes sense.
Also, because K-Dramas are serial and always leaves you with a cliffhanger, I tend to wait until the series is fully done before diving in because I can't stand the torture of waiting between episodes to find out what happens next. I would rather just wait until all the episodes are out and binge watch it. This is the reason I don't read books as often as I used to either because when I pick up a good book I can't stop reading. I have to keep going until I'm done. When I was younger I would devour books like nobody's business. I was a total book nerd. My weekends, winter and summer break were devoted to reading. I would spend my summers at the library just reading book after book after book. Now as an adult with so much going on in my life I try to avoid falling down the rabbit hole because I have work and responsibilities, but it does still happen now and then.
If you've never watched a K-Drama, or are curious about recommendations for some awesome K-Dramas, below is a list of some of my favorites, along with a few that are still on my list of K-Dramas to watch...but be forewarned, once you fall down the rabbit hole there's no going back, so make sure you carve out the time needed to watch it...unless you just have the necessary super human strength to control yourself unlike me.
I'm subscribed to DramaFever (think of it as the Korean Netflix) which is an excellent source for watching K-Dramas (and other asian content), but I know Netflix has some K-Dramas as does Hulu. Another great resource is OnDemandKorea. I'm sure there are many more out there as well, but I would start there...or you could just buy the DVD. Generally most of the dramas can be found on DramaFever...but I will link what I can find below. Some of the dramas on DramaFever say "currently unavailable in your country" so I will try to find alternatives,
but just in case it is allowed in your country I will still link it anyways.
Generally, each episode is about an hour long more or less, so if the series has 16 episodes you can expect to invest about 16 hours of your time to finish that drama.
Some great places to search for K-Dramas...
123movies: https://123movies.is/country/kr
DramaFever: https://www.dramafever.com/
Kissasian: http://kissasian.com/Country/South-Korea?page=1
*OnDemandKorea: http://www.ondemandkorea.com/drama
*SBS Dramas: http://allvod.sbs.co.kr/allvod/vodFreeDetail.do?type=legend
Viki: https://www.viki.com/explore?country=korea&type=series
*Indicates no subtitles
Here are some of my favorite K-Dramas...
(Not a full list of every single K-Drama that I like, but a VERY healthy list of options)
Autumn In My Heart aka Autumn Fairy Tale or Autumn Tale (가을동화) - 16 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_in_My_Heart
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_in_My_Heart
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/161/Autumn_In_My_Heart/
https://amzn.to/2XQAMLs
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https://amzn.to/2XQAMLs
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Cain And Abel (카인과 아벨) - 20 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain_and_Abel_(South_Korean_TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain_and_Abel_(South_Korean_TV_series)
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/111/Cain_and_Abel/
https://amzn.to/32B2quE
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https://amzn.to/32B2quE
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Fated To Love You (운명처럼 널 사랑해) - 20 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fated_to_Love_You_(2014_TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fated_to_Love_You_(2014_TV_series)
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/4516/Fated_to_Love_You_%2528MBC%2529/
https://amzn.to/2XRYRBq
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https://amzn.to/2XRYRBq
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Full House (풀하우스) - 16 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House_(South_Korean_TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House_(South_Korean_TV_series)
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/277/Full_House/
https://amzn.to/2Y0HAkK
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https://amzn.to/2Y0HAkK
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Golden Bride (황금신부) - 64 Episodes
***Unavailable in the US***
***Unfortunately, no subs***
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Guardian: The Lonely And Great God aka Goblin - 16 Episodes
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/4914/Goblin%253A_The_Lonely_and_Great_God/
https://amzn.to/2SoILsS
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https://amzn.to/2SoILsS
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Lie To Me (내게 거짓말을 해봐) - 16 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie_to_Me_(2011_TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie_to_Me_(2011_TV_series)
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/3936/Lie_To_Me/
https://amzn.to/2JQHZ47
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https://amzn.to/2JQHZ47
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https://www.dramafever.com/drama/119/Lovers_in_Paris/
https://amzn.to/2SpWoIl
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https://amzn.to/2SpWoIl
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Marriage Contract (결혼계약) - 16 Episodes
***Unavailable in the US***
***Unfortunately, no subs...or rather they're gibberish and make no sense***
My Daughter, Geum Sa-Wol (내 딸 금사월) - 51 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Daughter,_Geum_Sa-wol
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Daughter,_Geum_Sa-wol
https://www.viki.com/tv/28309c-my-daughter-geum-sa-wol?locale=en
https://amzn.to/2XNnW0m
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https://amzn.to/2XNnW0m
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My Lovely Sam-Soon aka My Name Is Kim Sam Soon (내 이름은 김삼순) - 16 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lovely_Sam_Soon
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lovely_Sam_Soon
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/8/My_Lovely_Sam_Soon/
https://amzn.to/2XNo93E
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https://amzn.to/2XNo93E
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***Unavailable in the US***
***Unfortunately, no subs***
Prince's First Love (황태자의 첫사랑) - 18 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Love_of_a_Royal_Prince
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Love_of_a_Royal_Prince
Rooftop Room Cat aka Attic Cat (옥탑방 고양이) - 16 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_on_the_Roof
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_on_the_Roof
Save The Last Dance For Me (마지막 춤은 나와 함께) - 20 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Last_Dance_for_Me_(TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Last_Dance_for_Me_(TV_series)
***Unavailable in the US***
***Unfortunately, no subs***
https://amzn.to/2YcW6dd
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https://amzn.to/2YcW6dd
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Stairway to Heaven (천국의 계단) - 20 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairway_to_Heaven_(2003_TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairway_to_Heaven_(2003_TV_series)
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince aka Coffee Prince (커피프린스 1호점) - 17 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_1st_Shop_of_Coffee_Prince
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_1st_Shop_of_Coffee_Prince
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/1/Coffee_Prince/
https://amzn.to/2SuADY8
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https://amzn.to/2SuADY8
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The Prime Minister And I (총리와 나) - 17 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_%26_I
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_%26_I
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/4342/The_Prime_Minister_and_I/
https://amzn.to/2SnRPyi
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https://amzn.to/2SnRPyi
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What Happened in Bali (발리에서 생긴 일) - 20 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Happened_in_Bali
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Happened_in_Bali
You're Beautiful (미남이시네요) - 16 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_Beautiful_(TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_Beautiful_(TV_series)
K-Dramas on my To Watch list...
7th Grade Civil Servant (7급 공무원) - 20 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Grade_Civil_Servant
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Grade_Civil_Servant
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/3853/Level_7_Civil_Servant/
https://amzn.to/2YhgKc6
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https://amzn.to/2YhgKc6
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Descendants Of The Sun (태양의 후예) - 16 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descendants_of_the_Sun
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descendants_of_the_Sun
My Love From Another Star aka You Who Came from the Stars (별에서 온 그대) - 21 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Love_from_the_Star
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Love_from_the_Star
Secret Garden (시크릿 가든) - 20 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Garden_(South_Korean_TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Garden_(South_Korean_TV_series)
Temptation Of Wife (아내의 유혹) - 129 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temptation_of_Wife_(2008_TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temptation_of_Wife_(2008_TV_series)
***Unavailable in the US***
***Unfortunately, no subs***
The Producers (프로듀사) - 12 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Producers_(TV_series)
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Producers_(TV_series)
What Happens to My Family? (가족끼리 왜 이래) - 53 Episodes
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Happens_to_My_Family%3F
Synopsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Happens_to_My_Family%3F
https://amzn.to/2Soo9RK
***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.***
FTC disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links.
***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.***
FTC disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links.
