Top Ten Favorite Series from South Korea: Reality Based
It was very hard for me to limit my favorite series in this list to 10. Because if 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.
This ranking is to express my own opinions.
Random Notes:
- There are going to be some light spoilers in the comment sections.
- Feel free to send my any questions, feedback, and/or comments.
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1. Move to Heaven
Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes
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.
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2. Daily Dose of Sunshine
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
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.
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3. Family by Choice
Korean Drama - 2024, 16 episodes
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.
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4. The Glory
Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes
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.
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5. Black Knight
Korean Drama - 2023, 6 episodes
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.
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6. Face Me
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
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.
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7. Celebrity
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
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.
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8. The Auditors
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
Currently need a VIKIPASS Standard Subscription on Viki. 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.
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9. New Love Playlist
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
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. See spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. I thought the cast did a great job with their characters. Episode 1: Prologue is listed as New Love Playlist Prologue on MDL. It was a nice introduction to the series.
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10. Knight Flower
Korean Drama - 2024, 12 episodes
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.