(Also, remember that these aren’t necessarily dramas that released in 2024, but rather ones that I WATCHED in 2024. Some of them are a couple years old, lol)
Let’s get this countdown started!
First off, a quick honorable mention to Love Next Door. It could have made the actual list, but if I’m being 100% honest, the secondary leads’ story was more compelling to me than the primary leads and I found it a bit frustrating to constantly be wishing we were spending more time with the secondary leads. It was still a pretty good drama though! The main leads were good too! I just was more personally invested in the secondary leads.
5. Melancholia – I think including this drama is probably my hottest take on the list, but idgaf, I loved it. The reason it’s a hot take is that on the surface it does seem like an student-teacher romance, but I swear, it’s a one sided crush on the student’s side while the student is a student!! Idk if that truly makes it better but whatever, for me, that is not the point of this drama at all. For me, it’s a story about depression and losing the love for something that once brought you joy. In this story, that thing is math (lol can’t relate) and at different points, both the leads embark on the journey towards rediscovering that passion for math and finding happiness and meaning in it once again. There’s also some fun K-drama tropes about corruption in academia and the upper echelons of society and an undercurrent of revenge and wanting to take down the systems that destroyed you. So I get it if you’re wary due to the student crushing on his teacher, but like… I found the drama meaningful to me in terms of seeing my own experiences with depression reflected in media.
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[What drama will be #1???]
4. Queen of Tears – This drama was an instant classic, imo. A man from a poor rural family marries into a chaebol family and at first they are happy together, but 3 years in, he is miserable. The leads have amazing chemistry, and it’s SO much fun watching them fall in love again and remember why they married in the first place. The secondary characters are also a TON of fun which is what makes the drama stand out to me, among all the other romance dramas. There’s a subplot where the rich family has to go live with the rural parents and I LOVE that fish out of water shit. Overall, a really enjoyable ride that is worthy of being on my list.
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3. Goodbye, Earth – This drama wasn’t widely loved but I thought that it was beautiful. The set up of this drama is that an asteroid is going to hit Earth in 300 days and it will kill most of life on earth. If you’re looking for some kind of science fiction action story where Our Heroes find a way to save the day or at least find a way to survive the event… well that is not this story. This is a story about human nature, religion, faith, relationships, and community. It is an exploration of how humans behave in the face of certain death and how people navigate the increasing reality of impending doom. Do they prey on their fellow humans? Do they find solace in each other? In religion? Do they find meaning and purpose in helping others?
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2. Navillera – Hey so, if you want a touching story about an elderly man finally being able to pursue his dream of learning ballet and his unlikely friendship with a young, troubled ballerino… then idk you are looking for a super specific story but this is what you’ve been searching for! Heads up though, you might cry. I did. A lot. Also, Song Kang is hot in this.
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1. The Lovely Runner – NOT a surprising, number one, I hope. This drama was a phenomenon for good reason! Imagine, you’re a mega fan of an idol who dies suddenly and then you wake up 15 years in the past, in your high school body. You can change his fate! That’s the basic premise of the show, but I really undersold how well written the drama is. The characters are charming af and the time travel aspect holds together really well. Also, as the story unfolds, your perception of previous events change as you understand more about these characters and see their POV and experiences of events that you’d previously only understood from another character’s POV. I’m explaining it badly. Just trust me that it’s very good, ok?
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So that’s it, ONTD! What did you think? Is my taste garbage? What were the best dramas you watched this past year? What are you watching now? (I’m a bit behind on my drama viewing, but am currently halfway through Mr. Plankton and then I want to start When the Phone Rings and The Trunk.) What are you looking forward to in 2025?
