Best introductory / gateway dramas to recommend as first watch

Curious. If you have one chance to recommend somebody her/his "first" K-Drama or C-Drama to watch (hoping to get them "addicted" to this type of entertainment, but you can only guarantee that they will be watching the first two episodes before deciding if to drop or continue). What would it be and why? Lets ignore the "it depends on their taste" for this question and try to introduce them to the average K-Drama (or C-Drama) "formula" as best as we can. So what Drama would it be for K-Drama or C-Drama?

I would say it depends upon what genre the person enjoys the most. My gateway into both were historical/fantasy dramas which is my favorite genre, but a lot of people dislike historicals so that definitely wouldn't draw them in.

So, imo, by genre:

Mystery/Thriller:

Cdramas: Reset or Under the Skin

Kdramas: Flower of Evil (it was my family's gateway since their favorite genre is mystery) or Black Out, depending upon their interest in romance.

Historical + historical/fantasy:

Cdramas: Unless they're a big fan of period drama, probably a mini is best. I'd say A Dream like the True Love or A Familiar Stranger. If they like the genre An Ancient Love Song, Blossom, New Life Begins, or Love between Fairy and Devil. For Republican Era Be Your Knight or Fall in Love.

Kdramas: The Tale of Nokdu, Love in the Moonlight, The Haunted Palace, or My Dearest

Fantasy not historical:

Cdramas: Golden House Hidden Love (for something sweet and light) or Twelve Letters (for something heavy). If they love romantasy novels and want something bonkers and unique Affinity.

Kdramas: Lovely Runner, W, or Happiness

Romance/Rom-com:

Cdramas: Put Your Head on My Shoulder, Lovely Us, Time and Him Are Just Right, When I Fly Towards You or Since I Met U (for sweet) or My Lethal Man (for a bit more edge)

Kdramas: Dali & Cocky Prince, My Sweet Mobster, or What's Wrong with Secretary Kim

Slice of Life:

Cdramas: Go Ahead or Reborn

Kdramas: Just Between Lovers or At a Distance, Spring Is Green

autumn iris:

Oh, I'm sorry. My bad, I get it wrong. Already deleted my previous answer.

no problem at all and thx for the recommendations!

@emeraldarrows thx a lot for your recommendations as well!

I started with K-dramas, and I think that's a good gateway for Asian dramas. They're generally much shorter than C-dramas, and I think that's easier for a newcomer to handle.

We used to have movie (or series) night once a week at our home. I tried to use the criteria I used then to choose the dramas for you (appealing to a wide range of tastes, ages). For our viewing, how current the film was didn't matter if the viewing was good. BTW, I agree with Yellen's recommendation of Crash Landing on You. That, Business Proposal, and Descendants of the Sun are excellent introductions to K-dramas.

KOREAN:

• Descendants of the Sun

• I'm Not a Robot

• Healer

• The Legend of the Blue Sea

• Reply 1988

• My Demon

• Twinkling Watermelon

• My Dearest - the only historical drama of the Korean bunch, but it has wide appeal

• Business Proposal

CHINESE:

• Reset - at 15 episodes and a fast pace, this is probably the easiest to assimilate for newcomers

• The Day of Becoming You - a romcom generally satisfies a large group, and this has only 26 episodes

• Hikaru no Go

• The Story of Ming Lan - at 78 episodes, this is a commitment, but it keeps one's interest

• Go Ahead

• The Double