Why You Should Start Watching Korean TV Dramas

This is not something I typically advertise about myself. Usually, someone has to know me for a while before I tell them about my love for Korean dramas.

I’m not necessarily embarrassed by them per se, it’s just not something that comes up in day to day conversation.

Hey, nice to meet you!

Hi, hello there. I’m Ryan and did you know that today my favorite character named Kang Chul in this Korean drama I’m watching just found out that he is really a comic book character and that his love interest, Yeon Joo, is from the real world and his whole life has been created by her father for entertainment purposes?

*other person walked away thirty words ago*

What can I say? Better hope you don’t run into me without a belt, otherwise I’ll probably charm your pants off.

Korean dramas are usually 16-20 episodes at about an hour an episode. Once you finish, you’re done. There are almost never second seasons. Just 16 hours of pure emotional turbulence.

I like to equate these dramas as the Korean version of Grey’s Anatomy, minus the 14 season running time. If you like any dramatic television series like that one, I’d encourage you to try a drama! The language and subtitles take a bit getting used to but I’m slightly happy, slightly sad to say that I know more Korean now than I probably will ever need to know in my lifetime. I now go around using Korean exclamations and generally making everyone around me wonder about my sanity.

So if that sounds good to you, start binging! I’m joking... usually I mumble them under my breath.

There are a few running themes that dramas usually prescribe to, for example:

Rich boy chaebol (basically a son that stands to inherit a very wealthy business agglomerate and is a douchebag on the surface but is secretly struggling under the expectations of his status) versus poor, hardworking, unattractive (but actually is beautiful and is just wearing crappy clothing) girl. She humbles him, they fall in love, the mother is crazy, etc.

There are many other running themes, but I’m not into writing a thousand word article about Korean dramas just like you are not into reading one. But, like with any show, though they might have a similar plot point here and there, they are all different. Settings can range from historical period dramas to present day and, of course, there are many different genres that you can choose from.

Korean dramas are wonderfully cheesy, usually have some romantic element, can be funny or serious and are all around a good freaking time. Unless, of course, you don’t like those things. In which case I ask why you read this article past the sub-headline.

So if you're looking for a show but have finished everything that looks interesting to you on Netflix, go visit Dramafever or Viki. Use cautiously however, these dramas are like a black hole. Once you start, it is really hard not to finish.

They're just so freaking bad-good.