The 2010s were a golden age for Kdramas. From heart-fluttering romances to amazing thrillers, this decade brought us some of the most iconic shows ever. Get ready for a trip down memory lane as we explore the unforgettable dramas that defined the decade 2010–2019.
1. Reply 1988
Hangul: 응답하라 1988
Year: 2015
The drama follows the lives of 5 families living on the same street in a neighborhood. A nostalgic look back at the year 1988. As the group of friends gets into and out of mischief, what experiences will they carry with them into their future lives?
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Hye Ri as Sung Deok Sun
- Go Kyung Pyo as Sung Sun Woo
- Ryu Joon Yeol as Kim Jung Hwan
- Park Bo Gum as Choi Taek
No. Of Episodes: 20
Streaming Options (region-specific):
2. Prison Playbook
Hangul: 슬기로운 감빵생활
Year: 2017
A compelling drama about the lives of prisoners, their families, and the duty officers who work in the prisons. Kim Je Hyuk, a famous baseball pitcher, is convicted of assault after he saves his sister and goes to jail.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Park Hae Soo as Kim Je Hyuk
- Jung Kyung Ho as Lee Joon Ho
- Krystal Jung as Kim Ji Ho
- Im Hwa Young as Kim Je Hee
No. Of Episodes: 16 (90 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
3. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Hangul: 역도요정 김복주
Year: 2016
Bok Joo is a weightlifter aiming for the gold medal, but then for the first time in her life, she falls in love. At age 20, can she find a way to have both love and fame? The drama shows how friends grow up and how their relationships change as their lives get busier.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Sung Kyung as Kim Bok Joo
- Nam Joo Hyuk as Jung Joon Hyung
- Lee Jae Yoon as Jung Jae Yi
- Kyung Soo Jin as Song Shi Ho
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
4. Goblin
Hangul: 도깨비
Year: 2017
Kim Shin (Goblin) is framed as a traitor and executed by the young monarch. Years after his death, he is cursed by the Almighty to be eternal forever. He encounters Ji Eun Tak, who claims to be his spouse. The plot centres around four main leads.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Gong Yoo as Kim Shin
- Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak
- Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper
- Yoo In Na as Sunny
No. Of Episodes: 16 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
5. Mr. Sunshine
A young boy born into a house servant’s family and travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo. He returns to his homeland later as a U.S. marine officer. He falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter. At the same time, he discovers a plot by foreign forces to colonize Korea.
Cast –
- Lee Byung Hun as Choi Yoo Jin
- Kim Tae Ri as Go Ae Shin
- Kim Min Jung as Kudo Hina / Lee Yang Hwa
- Yoo Yeon Seok as Gu Dong Mae / Ishida Sho
No. Of Episodes – 24
Watch On – Netflix
6. Crash Landing On You
Hangul: 사랑의 불시착
Year: 2019
Se Ri goes for a short paragliding ride, a sudden tornado blows her off course, leading her to crash land in North Korea, where she meets an army officer, who agrees to help her return to South Korea. They fall in love, despite the dispute between their countries.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Hyun Bin as Ri Jung Hyuk
- Son Ye Jin as Yoon Se Ri
- Seo Ji Hye as Seo Dan
- Kim Jung Hyun as Goo Seung Jun
No. Of Episodes: 16
Streaming Options (region-specific):
7. Signal
Hangul: 시그널
Year: 2016
Park Hae Yeong watches a girl being taken away 15 years ago. Hae Yeong is now a police cop and a criminal profiler. One day, he finds a walkie-talkie that links him with Detective Lee Jae Han from the past. Together, they solve a string of killings.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Je Hoon as Park Hae Yeong
- Kim Hye Soo as Cha Soo Hyun
- Jo Jin Woong as Lee Jae Han
- Kim Won Hae as Kim Gye Cheol
No. Of Episodes: 16 (75 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
8. My Mister
Hangul: 나의 아저씨
Year: 2018
The drama tells us the story of three middle-aged brothers, who are enduring the weight of their lives, and a strong, cold woman, who has been living a hard life of her own, as they come together in healing each other’s past scars.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Sun Kyun as Park Dong Hoon
- IU as Lee Ji Ahn
- Park Ho San as Park Sang Hoon
- Song Sae Byuk as Park Gi Hoon
No. Of Episodes: 16
Streaming Options (region-specific):
9. While You Were Sleeping
Hangul: 당신이 잠든 사이에
Year: 2017
A prosecutor named Jae Chan chooses to change the course of events, which saves the lives of Hong Joo and Woo Tak. When they start dreaming about each other, they understand that their lives are now tied together in some way.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Bae Suzy as Nam Hong Ju
- Lee Jong Suk as Jung Jae Chan
- Jung Hae In as Han Woo Tak
- Lee Sang Yeob as Lee Yu Beom
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
10. Strangers From Hell
Hangul: 타인은 지옥이다
Year: 2019
Jong Woo goes to Seoul from the country when his friend Jae Ho gives him a job offer. He finds a cheap hotel while looking for a place to live. He makes the decision to stay there for six months. But strange things start to happen with him.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Im Shi Wan as Yoon Jong Woo
- Lee Dong Wook as Seo Moon Jo
- Lee Jung Eun as Eom Bok Soon
- Ahn Eun Jin as Seo Jung Hwa
No. Of Episodes :10 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Hangul: 힘쎈여자 도봉순
Year: 2017
Do Bong Soon is a girl who doesn’t have a job but has superhuman abilities. Ahn Min Hyuk, the CEO of a gaming company hires her to be his bodyguard. As they get to know each other better, they realize that their relationship goes beyond work.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Park Bo Young as Do Bong Soon
- Park Hyung Sik as Ahn Min Hyuk
- Ji Soo as In Gook Doo
- Jun Suk Ho as Secretary Kong
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
12. Misaeng
Hangul: 미생
Year: 2014
Geu Rae has been playing go since he was a kid. He tried to become a professional go player, but failed. He starts working in a company on the recommendation of a friend. He tries his best at his new job and doesn’t let his humanity slip away.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Im Si Wan as Jang Geu Rae
- Lee Sung Min as Oh Sang Shik
- Kang So Ra as Ahn Young Yi
- Kang Ha Neul as Jang Baek Ki
No. Of Episodes: 20 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
13. The Fiery Priest
Hangul: 열혈사제
Year: 2019
Hae Il, a senior Catholic priest, known for his fiery temper and unorthodox methods teams up with detective Dae Young and prosecutor Kyung Sun to solve the murder of a senior Catholic priest. They also go against the officials to stop the corruption.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Kim Nam Gil as Kim Hae Il
- Kim Sung Kyun as Koo Dae Young
- Lee Ha Nee as Park Kyung Sun
- Ko Jun as Hwang Cheol Bum
No. Of Episodes: 40 (35 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
14. Life on Mars
Hangul: 라이프 온 마스
Year: 2018
One day, Tae Joo has an accident while he is looking into a case. When he wakes up, he is in the winter of 1988. He is now a detective who works at a small city’s police station. He tries to solve the case so that he can get back to the present.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jung Kyung Ho as Han Tae Joo
- Park Sung Woong as Kang Dong Cheol
- Go Ah Sung as Yoon Na Yeong
- Oh Dae Hwan as Lee Yong Gi
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
15. Healer
Hangul: 힐러
Year: 2014
A long-forgotten event that hides dark truths brings together a well-known reporter, a less-known reporter, and a man with the code name “Healer.” The Healer starts to figure out how he and the two reporters know each other, which puts them all in danger.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Chang Wook as Seo Jung Hoo
- Park Min Young as Chae Young Shin
- Yoo Ji Tae as Kim Moon Ho
- Kim Mi Kyung as Jo Min Ja
No. Of Episodes: 20 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
16. Descendants of the Sun
Mo Yeon is a pretty woman who works as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Her life is forever changed when she encounters Shi Jin, the captain of the Alpha Team who cares more about protecting anybody in need of help as well as his country.
17. Kill Me, Heal Me
Hangul: 킬미힐미
Year: 2015
The story is about an heir to a business who has severe dissociative identity disorder. He asks a psychiatrist for help to get his life back under control, but she ends up falling in love with one of his personalities. Her brother looks into him and his family.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Sung as Cha Do Hyun
- Hwang Jung Eum as Oh Ri Jin
- Park Seo Joon as Oh Ri On
- Kim Yoo Ri as Han Chae Yun
No. Of Episodes: 20 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
18. Welcome to Waikiki
Hangul: 으라차차 와이키키
Year: 2018
Three men Dong Gu, Du Shik & Jun Ki along with Seo Jin runs a guesthouse. Things go differently when a single mother enters the house with her baby. Later, Dong Gu’s ex-girlfriend also lives in the house. The drama revolves around these six characters.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Kim Jung Hyun as Kang Dong Goo
- Lee Yi Kyung as Lee Joon Ki
- Son Seung Won as Bong Doo Shik
- Jung In Sun as Han Yoon Ah
No. Of Episodes: 20 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
Whether you’re a seasoned Kdrama fan or just starting out, the 2010s offer a wealth of shows to discover. These are the best ones that people loved watching.
