The best K-dramas of all time
The top 3 according to 744 votes from people: Crash Landing on You · My Mister · Reply 1988. (Updated Apr 28, 2026.)
Korean dramas with the highest ratings on MyDramaList and IMDb, the biggest TV audiences in Korea and the strongest word of mouth among international fans.
Top 20
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1
Crash Landing on You
tvN, 2019. A South Korean heiress paraglides into North Korea; one of tvN's highest-rated dramas ever.
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2
My Mister
tvN, 2018. A tired middle-aged engineer and a young woman crushed by debt; quiet and devastating.
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3
Reply 1988
tvN, 2015. Five families in a Seoul alley in 1988; rated around 9 on MyDramaList and a fixture of every ranking.
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4
When Life Gives You Tangerines
Netflix, 2025. Fifty years in the life of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik on Jeju Island, with IU and Park Bo-gum.
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5
Squid Game
Netflix, 2021. Hwang Dong-hyuk's survival game; the most-watched series in Netflix history.
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6
Hospital Playlist
tvN, 2020. Five doctor friends since med school who also play in a band.
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7
Signal
tvN, 2016. A walkie-talkie connects a detective in the present with one in the past to solve cold cases.
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8
Flower of Evil
tvN, 2020. A detective begins to suspect her perfect husband is hiding a dark past.
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9
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
ENA, 2022. An autistic lawyer with a brilliant mind and a love of whales.
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10
Alchemy of Souls
tvN, 2022. Fantasy and soul-swapping sorcery in the fictional kingdom of Daeho.
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11
It's Okay to Not Be Okay
tvN, 2020. A psychiatric ward carer and an antisocial children's author.
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12
Sky Castle
JTBC, 2018. Wealthy mothers obsessed with getting their children into medical school; a ratings record for cable.
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13
Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God)
tvN, 2016. Gong Yoo as an immortal goblin looking for his bride; a pop-culture phenomenon.
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14
Mr. Sunshine
tvN, 2018. Korea at the dawn of the 20th century and the Righteous Army, with Lee Byung-hun.
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15
Descendants of the Sun
KBS2, 2016. A soldier and a doctor in a fictional war zone; a pan-Asian hit.
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16
The Glory
Netflix, 2022. Song Hye-kyo plots revenge on her school bullies, written by Kim Eun-sook.
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17
Strong Woman Do Bong-soon
JTBC, 2017. Park Bo-young as a woman with superhuman strength hired as a bodyguard.
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18
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo
MBC, 2016. A college weightlifter's first love; a comfort watch for many fans.
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19
Moving
Disney+, 2023. Parents hiding superpowers to protect their children; based on Kang Full's webtoon.
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20
Kingdom
Netflix, 2019. Zombies in the Joseon dynasty, with Ju Ji-hoon as the crown prince.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 20… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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21
The World of the Married
JTBC, 2020. A doctor discovers her husband's affair; the highest-rated cable drama in Korean history.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (4)
Just finished When Life Gives You Tangerines and cried in every episode 🍊
My Mister is the most underrated K-drama ever.
Signal is the best thriller K-drama, change my mind.
Reply 1988 at #1 🥹 the best family drama ever made.