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Not many stories can be considered perfect. Art is subjective, and the standards for "perfection" are in the eye of the beholder. When it comes to series with more objective flaws, let's be honest: making television is hard work.
It's a miracle that any series makes it to our screens, and the effort needed to do so means it's easy to encounter some setbacks. And that's all right — plenty of series hold their flaws and their shining achievements in the same hand. Without further ado, here are 10 flawed K-Dramas that are still worth the journey, ranked.
10 'Forecasting Love And Weather'
Cast: Park Min-young, Song Kang, Yoon Park
Image via JTBC
Jin Ha-kyung (Park Min-young) is a rising star at the Korea Meteorological Administration. Every day throws new challenges into the intuitive forecaster's path: warning the public about severe weather, maintaining a work-life balance, and healing her broken heart after discovering her ex-fiancé's affair. Ha-kyung grows close to Lee Shi-woo (Song Kang), a new employee who's also feeling the sting of a fresh breakup. After drowning their sorrows in alcohol, the pair have an impulsive fling. Mortified over sleeping with her professional subordinate (who's also eight years her junior), Ha-kyung wants their relationship to stay a misguided one-night stand. But her feelings for Shi-woo are genuine and reciprocated — proving that life is as unpredictable as the weather.
A sweet workplace dramedy, Forecasting Love and Weather falls victim to a common K-Drama weakness. It's difficult to stretch a plot across 16 ninety-minute episodes, and the back half of Forecasting's narrative runs in semi-tedious circles. That said, Park Min-young (What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, Marry My Husband) is a living legend who never misses a beat, her chemistry with Song Kang (Sweet Home, My Demon) crackles, and meteorology makes for a fascinating setting.
Forecasting Love And Weather
Release Date February 12, 2022
Finale Year November 30, 2021
Cast Andrew Grace , Harrison Xu , Keisuke Hoashi , Will Choi , Lee Sung-wook , Nara Yun , Park Young-soo , Ren Hanami
Main Genre K-Drama
Seasons 1
9 'Boys Over Flowers'
Cast: Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong
Image via KBS2
Working-class teenager Geum Jan-di (Koo Hye-sun) transfers into the prestigious Shinhwa High School on a scholarship. Her nemesis, the wealthy and worshiped Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), terrorizes his classmates with an iron fist. As one of the only people to stand up to his bullying, Jan-di catches Jun-pyo's eye. What he initially assumes is disdain morphs into a crush. Jun-pyo tries to court Jan-di, and it's a rocky road to romance — but once the pair work past their assumptions, pride, and pain, true love blossoms.
A cultural phenomenon when it aired in 2009, Boys Over Flowers' core concept hasn't aged well. A bad boy bullying his future girlfriend is a long-standing romantic trope, especially where adolescent enemies-to-lovers are concerned. Nevertheless, it's difficult not to cringe when the series over-romanticizes Jun-pyo's atrocious behavior. To his credit, he cares deeply, and it helps that Jan-di, while occasionally passive, is no damsel-in-distress pushover. Ultimately, Boys Over Flowers' flaws are inseparable from its high school soap opera charms.
Boys Over Flowers
Release Date January 5, 2009
Cast Kyo Hye-sun , Lee Min-ho , Kim Hyun-joong , Kim Bum , Kim Joon
Rating
Seasons 1
Creator(s) Jeon Ki-sang , Yoon Ji-ryun , Yoko Kamio
8 'Flower of Evil'
Cast: Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Jang Hee-jin
Image via tvN
At first glance, Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi) is a picture-perfect family man. No one would suspect any differently, but Hee-sung has secrets — many secrets, in fact. For one, he doesn't feel emotions. The best he can manage is imitating them on command. He's also haunted by his past, a byzantine web of lies, death, and switched identities. When a new murder investigation ties back to Hee-sung, his wife, Detective Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won), must unearth the truth about the man she loves.
Flower of Evil begins as a suspenseful mystery before detouring into an epic, tender, and resilient love story replete with twists and turns that are too good to spoil. That shift won't be for everyone, and by the finale, some of Flower's elaborate shake-ups strain even our generous suspension of disbelief. But that's a small price to pay for Hee-sung and Ji-won's surprisingly moving story, which will steal your heart.
Flower of Evil
Release Date July 29, 2020
Cast Lee Joon-Gi , Moon Chae-Won , Jang Hee-jin , Seo Hyun-woo , Jung Seo-yeon
Seasons 1
Creator(s) Kim Cheol-Kyu , Yoo Jung-hee
7 'The Glory'
Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon
Image via Netflix
Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) is a survivor. She cut herself off from the world after enduring years of horrific bullying from her fellow students. Now an adult, Dong-eun re-emerges from her protective shell as a cool, collected, and preternaturally focused woman on a mission. Forever altered by her trauma, she has masterminded her revenge plan down to the letter — and her abusers will pay in blood.
To call a Kim Eun-sook (Descendants of the Sun, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) drama imperfect feels like sacrilege, but even the greatest writers can stumble. The Glory is the most fearless series on Kim's resume to date, and her character-focused attention to detail offers a fresh twist on a familiar revenge saga. This is a deeply upsetting series and a necessary one, given the epidemic of ongoing school violence that inspired the main story. The Glory loses steam during its second half: certain elements don't coherently pay off, its dark heart doesn't fuse with a late-stage romance, and it wavers over its final thesis. However, nobody does it like Kim, and Song delivers the performance of her career.
The Glory
Release Date October 30, 2022
Cast Song Hye-Kyo , Lee Do-Hyun , Lim Ji-yeon , Yeom Hye-ran , Park Sung-hoon , Jung Sung-il
Seasons 1
Producers Yoon Ha-lim
Creator(s) Ahn Gil-ho , Kim Eun-sook
Writers Kim Eun-sook
Network Netflix
Directors An Gil-ho
6 'Twenty-Five Twenty-One'
Cast: Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Bona
Image via tvN
Kicking off in 1988 and spanning through to 2021, Twenty-Five Twenty-One follows Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri), a passionate fencing prodigy. She changes high schools to chase her dream of becoming a professional fencer. As she grows, she gains clarity about the woman she wants to become, discovers a dear friend in her hero-turned-rival (Bona), and experiences a first love whirlwind with her neighbor, Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk), a reporter with a heart of gold.
Just shy of a modern classic, Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a coming-of-age dramedy that overflows with a winning concept and bittersweet charm while also addressing social inequality, the effects of the IMF housing crisis, and how bearing witness to tragedy can permanently change people. Kim (Mr. Sunshine, The Handmaiden) is an imminently watchable heroine, and her chemistry with Nam makes this series sing. But we suggest either skipping the final episode or bracing yourself for a discordant, polarizing ending.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Release Date February 12, 2022
Cast Kim Tae-ri , Nam Joo-hyuk , Kim Ji-yeon , Choi Hyun-wook , Lee Joo-myung
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 1
Creator(s) Jung Ji-hyun
Writers Kwon Do-eun
5 'Coffee Prince'
Cast: Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun-kyun
Image via MBC
Between her brash demeanor, masculine fashion, and cropped hair, Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye) constantly gets mistaken for a man. Working several jobs as the breadwinner for her family, she uses the assumption to her advantage and snags another job as a waiter at a coffee shop named Coffee Prince. Eun-chan also agrees to be Choi Han-gyeol's (Gong Yoo) fake boyfriend. The owner of Coffee Prince is a troubled chaebol and tired of dodging blind dates with women he doesn't care about. Pretending he's gay gets his demanding family off his back — but as time passes, Han-gyeol falls for Eun-chan, a woman he believes is another man.
Coffee Prince is a winsome romance and the classic series that made Gong Yoo a Hallyu Wave star. By the standards of a 2007 K-Drama, Han-gyeol accepting his romantic feelings for "another man" defies gender and sexuality stereotypes. Having said that, Coffee Prince's approach to gender and sexuality remains the series' sticking point. It's impossible not to cringe at the stereotypical jokes, the strict gender binary, and how the revelation of Eun-chan's "real" gender gives this queer-adjacent romance a socially acceptable out. But Coffee Prince's charming heart is about progressive acceptance — that antiquated identity norms don't matter when it comes to whom we love.
Release Date July 2, 2007
Cast Lee Ji Wan, Yoon Ji-yoo, Kim Ja-ok, Park Won-sook, Kim Yeong-ok, Ban Hye-ra, Lee Han-wi, Kim Jae-wook, Gong Yoo, Kim Chang-wan, Kim Dong-wook, Choi Il-hwa, Lee Eon, Chae Jung-an, Lee Sun-kyun, Yoon Eun-hye
Main Genre Comedy
Genres Drama, Comedy
Rating TV-Y7
Seasons 1
4 'What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim'
Cast: Park Seo-joon, Park Min-young, Lee Tae-hwan
Image via TVN
After a decade of being the perfect secretary, Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young) stuns her co-workers, her family, and her boss, Vice Chairman Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon), when she resigns out of the blue. It's not a sudden change for Mi-so, who hasn't felt fulfilled for a long time. Young-joon, handsome and insufferably arrogant, pulls out all the stops to change Mi-so's mind – and maybe woo her in the process. Both parties quickly realize that their connection is more profound than they could have imagined.
One of the definitive modern rom-coms, What's Wrong With Secretary Kim balances clever slapstick comedy, swoon-inducing romantic declarations, and two leads whose childhood trauma affects their adult lives. This is an escapist Cinderella complex about the lonely Mi-so becoming cherished and protected, but our heroine becomes too passive in the telling. Secretary Kim also encounters a pacing problem, where the repetitive side plots and supporting characters become tiresome. That's why the fast-forward button was invented.
What's Wrong With Secretary Kim
Release Date June 6, 2018
Cast Jo Deok-hyeon , Kim Hye-ok , Hwang Bo-ra , Lee Byung-joon , Lee Min-ki , Park Min-young , Jung So-min , Park Seo-jun , Lee Yoo-jun , Pyo Ye-jin , Hong Ji-yoon , Son Sung-yoon , Lee Tae-hwan , Kim Byeong-ok , Kang Ki-young , Kang Hong-suk , Hwang Chan-seong , Kim Ye-won , Baek Eun-hae , Kim Jung-woon , Lee Jung-min , Seo Hyo-rim , Moon Woo-jin , Kim Ji-Yu , Bae Gang-Yoo
Producers Jang Jung-do
Writers Jung Eun Young , Choi Bo-rim
Network tvN
Directors Park Joon-hwa
3 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon'
Cast: Park Bo-young, Park Hyung-sik, Ji Soo
Image via Drama House JS Pictures
Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) was born into power. Her matriarchal family line passes down superhuman strength to each woman. Stubborn and hot-tempered, Bong-soon might be physically short, but she doesn't have to walk down a dark street with fear — she's the one who terrifies men. Unfortunately, Bong-soon doesn't feel at home in her own skin. Her longtime unrequited crush, In Guk-doo (Ji Soo), doesn't find physical prowess desirable. Enter Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik), the CEO of a video game company, who witnesses Bong-soon's secret, falls instantly in love, and hires her as his bodyguard. Bong-soon detests this annoying chaebol, but as she searches for a group of kidnapped women, Bong-soon understands what she truly wants: to help the helpless, and love a man who respects her strength.
Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon is an adorable, unconventional, and empowering drama strengthened by its perfectly calibrated romance and Bong-soon's journey of self-acceptance. Park's feisty charm and acute vulnerability make her an electrifying lead, especially when she's paired against a blood-chillingly misogynistic villain (Jang Mi-kwan). But as much as Strong Woman flips gender expectations on its head, the inclusion of regressive stereotypes and a comedic subplot surrounding Bong-soon’s mother (Shim Hye-jin) beating her husband (Do Chil-goo) is tonally uncomfortable. A B-plot about poop wine (yes, you read that right) is a less severe offense but still inexplicable.
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Release Date February 24, 2017
Cast Park Bo-young , Park Hyung-sik , Kim Ji-soo , Jun Suk-ho , Shim Hye-jin , Yoo Jae-myung , An Woo-yeon , Kim Min-kyo , Yoon Ye-hee , Kim Won-hae , Im Won-hee , Kim Ki-moo , Seol In-a , Choi Won-myeong , Jang Mi-kwan , Lee Do-Hyun , Park Bo-Mi , Kim Young-Choon , Baek Soo-Ryun , Yoon Young Joo , Kim Seong-beom , Kim Won-suk , Shim Hoon-ki , Lee Se-Wook , Choi Mu-in , Choi Hyung , Jun Byung-Chul , Choi Seung-hoon , Choi Hyun-Seo , Ahn Chang-hwan , Yoo In-soo , Kim Soo-yeon , Yang Joo-ho , Oh Soon-tae , Heo Jung-Guk
Main Genre Comedy
Seasons 1
Creator(s) Baek Mi-kyoung
2 'Descendants of the Sun'
Cast: Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo
Image via Hulu
South Korean Army Captain Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki) and Dr. Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) comes from entirely different lifestyles. Despite their undeniable and enduring romantic tension, their clashing worldviews keep them apart: Si-jin commits violence to save others, while Mo-yeon swore a surgeon's oath to never harm another person. When both of them are assigned to a dangerously war-torn country, however, Si-jin and Mo-yeon find a way to survive the world's chaos and preserve their tender love.
2016's Descendants of the Sun, a hit so massive it’s almost impossible to express its impact, is a sweeping, immersive, and nuanced epic with an earnest heart that beats to the rhythm of So-jin and Mo-yeon's love story. The series' tendency to glorify the military instead of acknowledging individual heroism and examining the institution's flaws is its biggest pitfall, but at this point, citing flaws comes down to inconsequential nitpicks.
Release Date April 8, 2016
Cast Song Hye-kyo , Song Joong-ki , Kim Ji-won , Jin Goo , Onew , Kang Shin-il , Cho Tae-kwan , Jo Jae-yun , Hyun Jyu-ni , Jeon Soo-jin , Lee Seung-joon , Kim Min-seok , Ahn Bo-hyun , David Lee McInnis , Lee Yi-kyung , Kim Byung-chul , Park Hwan-Hee , Elena Zhernovaya , Jo Woo-ri , Tae In-ho , Seo Jeong-yeon , Park Hoon , Choi Woong , Shin Dong-hoon , Kim Hyo Myung
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 1
1 'Mr. Queen'
Cast: Shin Hye-sun, Kim Jung-hyun, Choi Jin-hyuk
Image via Netflix
Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk) has it all. He's a celebrated head chief for Korea's president, and with that comes money, raging narcissism, and womanizing. After a mistake lands Bong-hwan in hot career waters, he falls in actual water — a pool transports him back through time and into the body of Cheorin (Shin Hye-sun), the queen of Joseon. Desperate to return to his time and body, Bong-hwan instead finds himself living out history while married to the unassuming King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun), a quirky puppet king coming into his power. As the two sniff out conspiracies and navigate royal court politics, they also protect one another — and Bong-hwan feels irresistibly drawn to his king.
Mr. Queen is an instant classic, a time-travel gender-bending romance with queer subtext so earnest, it transcends subtext. Outrageously funny, unexpectedly somber, exquisitely paced, and carried by Choi's stunning performance, Mr. Queen's biggest sticking point is what you might expect. Without diving into heavy spoilers, the central male-male romance makes massive strides compared to other queerbaiting K-Dramas while still not quite crossing the finish line. We could have had it all with Mr. Queen, but it gets close enough to qualify as near-perfect.
Mr. Queen
Release Date December 12, 2020
Seasons 1
Creator(s) Park Kye-ok , Choi A-il
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