Top 10 Favorite South Korean Series: Reality Based

It was very hard for me to limit my favorite series in this list to 10 because I’ve watched a lot of K-Dramas. Due to this, I decided to separate this list into two sections.

  • Reality Based – Series that have no supernatural, paranormal, and/or horror elements in the storyline.
  • Fantasy Based – Series that have a supernatural, paranormal, and/or horror elements in the storyline.

As with my other lists, this includes my thoughts on why they are my favorites.  

Random Notes:

  • There are going to be some light spoilers in the comment sections. 
  • Updated on 2/22/2026 

Review Notes:

  • I do not have a review for every series on this list. For series that have one, I noted it at the end of the comment with “See my full review HERE for more details.”
LightHouse74 Aug 10, 2025
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  • Move to Heaven

    1. Move to Heaven

    Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes

    10

    This was a very interesting and enjoyable series. The script was good, but had some weird aspects to it. It was a little confusing in the beginning because they introduced way too many characters. The romance elements were ok, but I was more interested in the mystery storyline. The actors were great and did an incredible job with their characters. The fighting scenes and cinematography were awesome.

  • Daily Dose of Sunshine

    2. Daily Dose of Sunshine

    Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes

    9.5

    This was an outstanding series. Overall, the script was nicely done and successfully connected multiple elements and characters together. My only critique is that I was not a fan of the romantic storylines. The cast was incredible and did a beautiful job portraying their characters. They did a wonderful job with the cinematography and special effects. See my full review HERE for more details.

  • Family by Choice

    3. Family by Choice

    Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes

    10

    This was an awesome series with a very well written script. It had the right mixture of family drama, comedy, and heartwarming elements. The entire cast was amazing and did on outstanding job with their characters. It also had great cinematography.

  • The Glory

    4. The Glory

    Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

    10

    I’m including Part 2 with this because all of this is one season. I don’t see the point of having two separate pages for this. The whole series was very interesting. The script was wonderful and loved how it linked everything together perfectly. The ending was great and very satisfying. The whole cast was outstanding.

  • Black Knight

    5. Black Knight

    Korean Drama - 2023, 6 episodes

    10

    This was a fantastic series. Their attention to detail with creating this world was outstanding. This is one good example that a great script does not need to be 10+ episodes long. The cast was outstanding and the cinematography/special effects were awesome.

  • You and Everything Else

    6. You and Everything Else

    Korean Drama - 2025, 15 episodes

    10

    This was such an intriguing series. It did a great job pulling you into the storyline. The script was incredible even with its few minor weak points. None of the 15 episodes felt like it dragged. The script had very well-developed characters in which the cast did an incredible job making you fully understand them. The styling department did an incredible job creating different looks with each character for the different time period. The music, editing and cinematography was done with a purpose in mind.

  • Face Me

    7. Face Me

    Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes

    9.0

    This was an incredible medical/crime drama because the script successfully connected multiple elements and characters together. My only complaint was the twist ending. I was able to guess it and who the main villain was very early on in the series. The cast did an incredible job with their characters. It also had great cinematography and special effects make-up.

  • Celebrity

    8. Celebrity

    Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes

    10

    This was a very intriguing series. The script has well-crafted with many twists and turns to keep you guessing. The cast did an amazing job with portraying their characters. It also helped that all of the characters were well written. It had stunning cinematography. It was a brilliant idea to use the different screen formats to establish the changing time lines to reduce possible confusion. See my full review HERE for more details.


  • The Auditors

    9. The Auditors

    Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes

    10

    This was a very interesting series with a great story concept. The 1st episode was a little hard to get through because the character Sin Cha Il was very unlikable at first. However, this disappeared quickly by the next episode. The script was very well written and successfully connected the various characters and storylines into the main story. The ending was awesome. The entire cast was great and did a wonderful job portraying their characters.

  • New Love Playlist

    10. New Love Playlist

    Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes

    9.0

    Although the story concept is nothing new, it’s one that many can relate to. The script is good, but was confused at times because of the time flashes back and forth. However, this may be due to editing choices. On a personal level, I loved how they handle the character Moon Tae Young and his storyline. Well, with the one exception. I thought the cast did a great job with their characters. See my full review HERE for more details.

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