Best K-Dramas to Start With

Decided to try K-dramas but do not know where to start? This list is a gentle way into Korean series that stream easily and hook you from episode one — no need to study genres in advance, you just press play and get pulled in.

Inside: the global phenomenon Squid Game, the tender Crash Landing on You about a North Korean soldier and a Southern heiress, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo, a kind story that warms you up. For something harder — The Glory and the zombie hit All of Us Are Dead.

Pick a mood and see why half the world is hooked on K-dramas.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

2022

8.6

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

2016

8.5

It's Okay to Not Be Okay

Descendants of the Sun

Korean series long outgrew their fan niche: Squid Game became the most-watched show in Netflix history. But if you are only approaching now, it matters to start through the right door — pick something too niche and you may decide "K-dramas are not for me."

Why they hook you

Compactness and density. Most are a single complete season of 12–16 episodes, with no endlessly dragging plot: the story is conceived, told and closed. And Koreans blend genres brilliantly — Vincenzo is a gangster drama and a comedy at once; Goblin is fantasy and melodrama. Boredom never gets a foothold.

Where to start

Want to test whether it clicks at all? Squid Game: you have surely heard of it, and it grips instantly. Love warm and romantic? Crash Landing on You and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Want kind and humane? Extraordinary Attorney Woo. And It's Okay to Not Be Okay is a beautiful story about self-acceptance that wins many people over to the genre.

Once you are hooked

Time for something stronger. The Glory is a cold, precise thriller about revenge for school bullying. All of Us Are Dead and Sweet Home are Korean horror that holds its own against the West. Kingdom adds Joseon-era historical scope to the scares. After a couple of these, "start watching K-dramas" turns into "cannot stop."

Frequently asked questions

Which K-drama should a beginner start with?

Squid Game if you want the global hit, or Crash Landing on You for a warm romantic entry. Both pull you in within the first episodes.

What are the most popular Korean dramas?

Squid Game, The Glory, Goblin and Crash Landing on You are among the most talked-about K-dramas of recent years.