From the cultural phenomenon ‘Lovely Runner’ to the deadly plot of ‘A Killer Paradox,’ the world of K-dramas in 2024 has been filled with thrills and romance galore and we’re only halfway there of the year. The brilliance of Korean shows this year bodes well for the future, including the final season of the dystopian series “Sweet Home” and “Light Shop” on Disney+, the brainchild of Kang Full, the creator of “Moving.”
Before these highly anticipated shows hit our screens, revisit the most beloved K-dramas of the year so far, including the underrated “Midnight Romance in Hagwon,” the campy absurdist comedy “Chicken Nugget,” and the deliciously dramatic melodrama “Marry My Husband.” Here are the 10 best K-dramas of 2024 so far according to American magazine NME:
1- A Killer Paradox
The lines between good and evil blur in this inventive, blood-soaked thriller. Lee Tang (Choi Woo-shik) is an ordinary student, working part-time and disillusioned with his future prospects. During an altercation with a drunken old man one evening, everything changes for him, launching him on a deadly path of expeditious justice and plunging him into the dark and dangerous depths of the world. “A Killer Paradox” excels at viscerally rendering the moral dilemma at the heart of Tang’s story, while refusing to be limited by the conventions of the genre, mixing in new elements of fantasy to keep things always surprising.
2- A Shop for Killers
Jeong Ji-an (Kim Hye-joon) inherits his uncle’s business, only to discover that it is actually a black market for elite assassins. Now targeted for killing, she must use her uncle’s cryptic training and hidden arsenal to survive a series of deadly drones and lethal human weapons. It’s exactly the family series you’d expect to find on Disney+ of all places. “A Shop for Killers” mixes hard-hitting cinematic action sequences with an intriguing mystery. Nothing is as it seems when the K-drama uses clever flashback episodes to unravel the larger narratives of a fraught inheritance and found family.
3- Chicken Nugget
It’s almost impossible to explain how ridiculously comforting “Chicken Nugget” is. Featuring a rare duo of a father and a man in love with his daughter, the Netflix series strives to bring her back to real life after she is transformed into a chicken nugget. Yes, this is indeed the real scenario. There are aliens, robot dogs and a whole range of other machines. While attempting to hatch an adult human being from a chicken nugget, the K-drama delves into absurdist camp: sometimes a Korean historical comedy, sometimes a satire of K-pop cultural memes from decades past .
4- Doctor Slump
Don’t let the title fool you. “Doctor Slump” is a comforting balm, far from sterile medical drama. Park Shin-hye excels as Nam Ha-neul, an exhausted anesthesiologist, while Park Hyung-sik plays Yeo Jeong-woo, a gifted surgeon at a crossroads. The warm complicity of the duo, finally reunited after more than a decade since “The Heirs”, is felt in each scene, enhanced with a well-balanced touch of humor. “Doctor Slump” also addresses the pressures of perfectionism and mental health with gentle empathy, offering comfort to all who witness their personal healing.
5- Lovely Runner
In just a few months, “Lovely Runner” has become one of the most popular K-dramas of this decade so far. This time travel series stars Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon as star-crossed lovers Ryu Sun-jae and Im Sol. The latter attempts to defy Sun-jae’s death across multiple timelines to ensure her perfect “they lived happily and had many children.” From joyous high school romance to complex adult developments tsundere, viewers witness a multitude of destinies through Sun-jae and Sol’s relationship, which promises a real emotional ride over 16 episodes.
6- Marry My Husband
In “Marry My Husband,” Kang Ji-won (played by Park Min-young) discovers that revenge is sweet but also complicated. After being murdered by her cheating boyfriend, Park Min-hwan (played by Lee Yi-kyung), while battling terminal cancer, she is given a second chance at life. She decides to pass on her destiny to her best friend and Min-hwan’s mistress, Jeong Su-min (played by Song Ha-yoon). Despite its clichés, like the one where removing your glasses suddenly reveals your beauty, this K-drama remains captivating thanks to its intensely paced dramatic twists and turns. Park Min-young’s portrayal of Ji-won, the downtrodden underdog who ultimately finds redemption after tragedy, is beautifully performed and forms the thrilling heart of the show.
7- Midnight Romance in Hagwon
“Midnight Romance in Hagwon” stands out nicely in a year so far largely dominated by action-packed dystopian thrillers, time travel dramadies in the world of K-dramas. The series explores the budding relationship between a former tutor (Jung Ryeo-won) and her former student (Wi Ha-Joon), as they find themselves working together in the cutthroat private education industry. Beyond the undeniable and palpable chemistry between the actors, it is the skill of screenwriter Park Kyung-Hwa and the art of direction of director An Pan-Seok that transform “Midnight Romance in Hagwon” from a simple love story into a moving and poignant portrayal of the lives of dedicated educators.
8- Pyramid Game
The “Pyramid Game” series might have escaped mainstream attention, but it is captivating in a dark, inescapable way. This thriller-style K-drama abandons the clichés of sports groups for a terrifying reality: life is about popularity, from birth to death. High school students secretly rank their classmates, and the lowest ranked are ostracized and cruelly harassed. WJSN’s Bona shines as Soo-ji, the foreign exchange student thrown to the bottom of the social ladder, joining Ja-eun (Ryu Da-in), another outcast. From there, the series becomes a gripping battle of wits between Soo-ji and the high school ice queen, Ha-rin (Jang Da-ah), exploring the heartbreaking consequences of social hierarchies and the struggle to preserve meaning. moral.
9- Queen of Tears
Even if you haven’t watched “Queen of Tears”, you’ve probably heard at least about this K-drama and its unprecedented success. There are, of course, good reasons behind this runaway success: it’s a poignant series about a complex woman’s deep struggles with love and loss. This K-drama’s strengths lie in its raw depiction of emotional torment and what it really takes to rise from life’s lows. “Queen of Tears” is undeniably a masterful lesson in the art of finding the right balance between emotional depth and humor, resulting in a beautiful and powerful exploration of the human condition.
10- The A Family
The K-drama “The Atypical Family” focuses on a family whose members all inherit their own unique powers, and upon losing them, they rediscover what it truly means to be a family, despite their transformation into ordinary people. With strong emotional performances from veteran actors like Jang Ki-yong and Claudia Kim, accompanied by its no-holds-barred exploration of taboo themes such as mental health and complicated family dynamics, “The Atypical Family” may not be your typical K-drama, but it’s definitely one of the strongest and original ones this year.
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