8 Must-Watch K-Dramas For Every Sci-Fi Fan

Signal

Two Detectives Find An Ally On The Other End Of A Mysterious Radio

By far one of the most quintessential K-dramas that includes science fiction is Signal, a genre-bending crime procedural that adds in a hint of tech-based mystery. The series begins with two skilled investigators— criminal profiler Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) and detective Cha Soo-hyun (Kim Hye-soo)— discovering a strange radio. When they connect to someone on the other side of the walkie-talkie, the pair realize their correspondent is Lee Jae-han (Cho Jin-woong), a renowned detective who vanished over a decade prior.

Seemingly from the 1990s, Jae-han helps Hae-young and Soo-hyun crack cold cases by passing on key details from the past. As the unlikely team solidifies their odd arrangement, however, another unsolved case lingers perpetually in the background: Jae-han's disappearance. Aside from being one of the most unique versions of time travel ever created, Signal is the perfect mix of tense crime drama and immersive science fiction, making it a truly thrilling watch.

Moving

In A World Where Superheroes Are Eradicated, Three Neighboring Families Resist

Typically, superheroes exist in a liminal space between science fiction and fantasy, but Moving was purposefully marketed as both. The action-packed family drama centers on three high-school students who inherit superhuman powers from their parents. The only issue, of course, is that numerous government organizations are hell-bent on eradicating superheroes entirely— meaning the main families, helmed by former special agents, must use their professional expertise to keep the neighborhood safe.

Regardless of whether you think Moving should be classified as a sci-fi or fantasy K-drama, there's no denying it's a masterclass in storytelling and narrative balance. With such a diverse ensemble cast, the characters could have easily blended together or felt unnecessary, but each person the viewer meets has their own pivotal role to play in rebelling against the corrupt government. The highly-anticipated season 2 will likely drop in 2026, so Moving is a must-watch for any superhero fan in need of a new fixation.

The Silent Sea

A Risky Mission Leaves A Crew Of Astronauts Embroiled In Cosmic Chaos

The Silent Sea is a highly-contentious title, but it certainly feels like a classic sci-fi story. In a world where most of the planet's safe drinking water has been drained, the drama follows a ragtag group on an emergency expedition to the moon. Mere years prior, however, over 100 people mysteriously died at their destination: an abandoned lab known as Balhae Station. The truth behind the tragedy soon becomes apparent when the team discovers a bizarre element with disastrous side effects.

Despite being led by two of the most beloved K-drama actors in the business— Gong Yoo (Han Yoon-jae) and Bae Suzy (Song Ji-an)— The Silent Sea is often overlooked, even by avid fans of the genre. Nonetheless, the series fuses sci-fi with horror in a vastly under-utilized setting to create a gripping, if not divisive, storyline. If you enjoy thrills and chills and are willing to overlook some less-than-realistic physics, The Silent Sea is definitely the way to go.

Train

One Man's Quest To Save The Love Of His Life Takes Him To Another Universe

Many of the greatest sci-fi stories include some otherworldly journey, and Train is no exception. Seo Do-won (Yoon Shi-yoon) is a dedicated detective whose life turns upside down following the murder of his wife, Han Seo-kyung (Kyung Soo-jin). As grief sinks its claws in, Do-won finds himself growing exponentially desperate to catch Seo-kyung's killer— which leads him straight to the eponymous train that takes him to a parallel universe.

There, Do-won finds a different version of the world, including himself. Rather than a staunch proponent of the law, Do-won in universe "B" is a corrupt cop. Instead of being a powerful prosecutor, Seo-kyung is a frigid detective with a chip on her shoulder. Most importantly, an emotionless working relationship replaces their marriage, leading Do-won to search for answers regarding his wife's death while simultaneously falling for her all over again. As the time travel-adjacent K-drama asserts, however, fate is a big obstacle that only few can overcome.

My Love from the Star

Nevertheless, science fiction doesn't always have to be a deadly serious affair. My Love from the Star has an absurd premise— an A-list actress falling in love with an alien— but it's considered a classic K-drama romance and a trailblazer of Korean sci-fi. Be it melodramatic plot twists or steamy kiss scenes, My Love from the Star oozes a nostalgic kind of charm that will have every viewer daydreaming about their own intergalactic love story.

Ironically, the wacky extraterrestrial romance is partially based in reality, as it draws inspiration from some of the earliest recorded UFO sightings in Korean history. That small detail makes My Love from the Star twice as entertaining, but the rom-com won't be worthwhile for everybody. Even still, any hopeless romantic sci-fi fans should run, not walk, to watch the quirkiest love story of the 2010s.

Sisyphus: The Myth

Two Unlikely Heroes Band Together To Stop The World's Imminent Collapse

For those who love a good apocalypse, Sisyphus: The Myth will be more your speed. The K-drama thriller follows Kang Seo-hae (Park Shin-hye), a woman hardened by nuclear war who travels back in time in hopes of preventing the carnage. There, she meets Han Tae-sul (Cho Seung-woo), a high-powered CEO and physicist who— beneath his flippant demeanor— holds the secret to potentially saving the world.​​​​​​​

Admittedly, Sisyphus: The Myth doesn't have the most sophisticated time travel technology. In fact, it's difficult to pin down the science behind many major plot points, but the series becomes infinitely more rewarding if you accept it as an action-adventure story and simply suspend your disbelief. Some viewers prize realism above all else, but the best science fiction isn't always necessarily sound.

SF8

A Visionary Anthology That Offers Something For Everyone

SF8 is more than just Korean sci-fi at its best; it's an absolute triumph of filmmaking. Split between eight distinct filmmakers, SF8 is an anthology masterpiece that thoroughly explores sci-fi's biggest themes, ranging from artificial intelligence and the true meaning of humanity to the ethical dilemmas that strike during the end of the world.

Understandably, it has been called the Korean equivalent of Black Mirror due to the striking similarities it has to the British series, but SF8 deserves its flowers as a standalone project. The eight comprehensive sci-fi scenarios are nothing short of a cinematic tour de force, and the sheer artistry behind them must be appreciated.

Connect

An Immortal Android Embarks On A Journey Of Revenge Against A Serial Killer

Without question, Connect is one of the best K-dramas on streaming, let alone an indomitable sci-fi story. At the heart of the action is Ha Dong-soo (Jung Hae-in), a self-repairing humanoid who is targeted by organ harvesters. After he escapes, the immortal realizes he can, as the title suggests, connect to his stolen organs, meaning he can see through his missing eye— which just so happened to be transplanted into a dangerous killer.

From there, Dong-soo goes on a hunt to reclaim his body parts, but he gets swept up into a convoluted serial killer case in the process. The psychological thriller isn't for the faint of heart, but Connect is a must-watch for anyone who can stomach its body horror. There are countless K-dramas that fall back on sci-fi clichés, but Connect is the perfect example of how Korean storytelling can elevate the genre, centuries after its invention.