7 Best K-dramas of 2023 according to fans » Dramabeans
7 Best K-dramas of 2023 according to fans
by Dramaddictally
Making a best-of list is no easy task. While we all have our favorites, knowing exactly what makes a drama so special requires a bit of context and a lot of compare and contrast. Dramabeans is no stranger to strong (and well-informed) opinions and with that in mind we rounded up the best dramas of 2023 according to those who know dramas best: a.k.a. the fans.
The selected dramas aren’t just your average list of well-liked shows, but those that made an impact in 2023 — whether at a personal level or an international one. If you’re interested in not only what dramas to add to your watchlist, but exactly why you need them in your K-drama knowledge arsenal, read on. These dramas set standards, changed hearts, and turned skeptics into believers.
And so, in no particular order, here are the 7 Best K-dramas of 2023:
1) Call It Love
Memorable for oh-so-many reasons, this slow-burn romance topped the list for 2023 dramas, as a fan favorite (and also a staff pick). While the pink-hued visuals caused much debate at the time, the painful believability of the love story is what viewers took home and still carry around in their hearts (along with a pinch of frustration about the ending).
Beginning with a revenge premise, but quickly steering toward a healing journey, this drama came with fleshed-out characters, lots of longing, and a tough-but-tender heroine that’s hard to forget. With a forbidden romance at its center, the story takes its characters from a place of palpable loneliness to one of hope amidst the hurt.
“A beautiful story about love, loss, and the cycles our families trap us in,” says @lovelydreams, “the OTP was magic — so tender and heartfelt and unlike most couples lately, they both felt like such real characters who slowly but surely fell in love.”
Plus, it’s a drama that succeeds in making the leads seem like the perfect pairing. “Call It Love nails this aspect of the story by slowly revealing how these two utterly broken individuals who struggle to get through the day find true solace in each other,” @LaurenSophie says, noting that she was hesitant to watch the show due to what seemed like a makjang premise at first. But in the end, she says, “I couldn’t stop thinking about it while it aired, forced myself to watch each new episode in stages so I could savor them, and thought about it for weeks afterwards.”
2) Twinkling Watermelon
A time-slip drama with a twist, this Back-To-The-Future-esque tale taught us about love, regret, struggle, and acceptance — and even showed us how to perform “Magic Castle” in Korean sign language. Racking up points on the heartwarming scale, it was another fan fave that produced overwhelmingly good vibes.
The premise? A teenage boy on the outs with his father travels back to 1995 and runs into his high-school-aged parents. Now, it’s up to him to make sure they end up together — with a lot of music, fun, and heart-wrenching growth along the way.
According to @IsaGC, Twinkling Watermelon became an instant classic. “The music was great, including several old songs. The characters were charming (especially the father/son couple). And many moments were endearing and memorable (like, the serenade and the confession in sign language).”
@wonhwa adds, “The way it used its time-travel premise to show a father teaching his son how to cut loose and be a teenager — and a son helping his father mature into an adult — was one of the best k-drama relationship journeys I’ve watched. A joyous, heartfelt, sometimes heartbreaking show about youth, music, disability, and stopping the cycles of abuse and neglect from being passed to future generations.”
But, along with all the take-home lessons, @Kene009 puts it simply: “It had me in a chokehold. It was so beautiful.”
3) Moving
Under the guise of a superhero story, this human-heart tale packed a punch — making viewers laugh, cry, and cheer loudly for the teenage protagonists and their similarly superpowered parents.
With a huge ensemble cast, the plot follows three high school students as their parents try to protect them from an organization that wants to profit from their powers. From an outer shell of action, fantasy, and thriller to an inner core of family relationships and coming-of-age, the drama caught fans off-guard at just how, well, moving it was.
“It was such a balm for anyone with superhero-burnout from Marvel. It let its characters develop over time. It let us learn about them slowly. It peeled back the layers of their pasts in a really beautiful way. And it made us care about their presents in a way that felt immediate,” says @unaspirated. “It had so many different genres, that it could easily have been a mess, but it never felt disconnected.”
Plus, @unaspirated goes on, “Because it was on a streaming service, they could be innovative with the release schedule — something that more dramas have done since — and it could push boundaries in terms of violence, which made it feel more like a movie at times. The acting was exceptional and each character felt like a real person (superpowers and all), heroes and villains alike.”
4) King the Land
The feel-good drama of the year, this rom-com was highly watched and highly divisive. Some called it nothin’ but fluff, while others saw in it not only a swoony chaebol-meets-girl story, but a subtle and serious elbow to the usual Cinderella-like tropes.
On the surface, it’s simple: the heir to a fancy hotel has the hots for one of the hotel’s best service employees. This leads to secret dates, open conversations about social class, and not a whole lot of conflict. In fact, it might be the most drama-free drama of all time. But that’s what made it so watchable.
“Yes, it’s a light, relatively angst-free tale of two beautiful people in love,” says @aigooooo. “But they’re so delightfully, humorously, warmly, gleefully in love. How many times have you watched a drama and groaned when they introduced the requisite breakup/noble idiocy/childhood trauma, and thought, ‘I would gladly watch these two just living happily for the next few episodes.’”
Apart from that, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to representing service workers on the job. The depth comes from “the friendship of the three women and the parallel trials they face as women in the world today, and particularly as women in the service industry,” continues @aigooooo. “The male lead seems to learn so much from the female lead — not about himself [like we usually see] — but about the way the world works and how people interact… She teaches him the value of everybody’s time, which is no small lesson.”
5) The Matchmakers
This fusion sageuk scored all the points on artistic vision with fans calling out how crazy beautiful it was to watch. High-quality craft, costumes, and camerawork came together for an all-together stunning spectacle that was a cut above convention.
It starts like this: when two widowed matchmakers work to marry off the society’s most eligible noblewomen, all that time they’re spending by each other’s sides sets in motion another (more important) match. Still, with sparkling chemistry and charismatic leads, the side couples shine just as bright as the main pair in this case.
“There’s an absolute magic to how the writing, directing, and acting all clicked together,” @HopefulRomantic chimes in. “I consistently felt teary just from the beauty, gentleness, and just-right-ness of it all. It’s a delicate love story and examination of love.” And on top of that, with gorgeous lighting and outdoor shots, “I kept pausing the drama in order to soak in the scenes!”
Calling it a “poem of a K-drama” @petrolia adds that the “tight writing, good editing, and twisted and layered story keep on giving even during a second or third watch.”
6) Perfect Marriage Revenge
The unexpected hit of the season, this drama may not have earned critical acclaim but fans found it intensely fun to watch. Makjang comedy at its best, the show boasts an incredible cast of female characters, some witty one-liners, and an unforgettable OTP.
Adapted from a webtoon, the drama follows a wronged woman when she winds up one year in the past — giving her the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on those who made her suffer. Wild, wacky, and somehow working even though it shouldn’t, the story also epitomizes the revenge theme that was ultra-popular in 2023.
“Perfect Marriage Revenge was that drama that was gifted to my screen right when 2023 was wrapping up and the majority of watches [ranged from] absolute messes to nonsense to utter disappointments and letdowns,” says @jerrykuvira. “It knew what it wanted to do and not even a low budget… diminished the story it told. I loved it. It earned the perfect in its name.”
7) One Day Off
A tiny gem of a drama, this episodic tale of a teacher finding her way in the world had a smaller audience but broad agreement from those who gave it a chance. With eight episodes of only thirty minutes each, it plays like a series of short meditations on life, which make for bite-sized doses with big impact.
About a single woman who uses her weekends to take short trips alone, each episode gives us a new character and setting that she encounters. With impressive direction and an indie-film vibe, fans were left with food for thought in each snippet of this woman’s life.
@Reply1988 calls it “gentle-paced, showcasing the country and the characters,” while @welh640 says it’s a “unique, calming and special drama.” It’s just one of those shows that’s hard to capture in words, which might be why all fans could do was list evocative descriptors of a light, lovely feeling.
For another five dramas that made waves in 2023, check out this list of honorable mentions:
The Kidnapping Day
My Dearest
Alchemy of Souls 2
The Glory
Destined With You
Editor’s note: If you enjoyed this post, please participate in the next Drama Chat where we’ll be asking about your favorite dramas from 2022.
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