My Thai Dramas / Movies Watchlist

Rom-coms can be very generic, relying largely on couple chemistry to push mediocre stories or cliched tropes forward. Prima facie, this might seem like a done-to-death story with a chirpy FL and quiet ML but the execution and writing of our central characters (the leads, the FL's family, the second leads) is what made this such a breath of fresh air. I am not exaggerating when I say this, but this has to be one of the most well-written romcoms I have seen in years. I don't think I have loved a FL as much as I loved Mata. She was such a ray of sunshine, who made everyone fall in love with her thanks to her generosity, kindness and ability to love without judging. The FL's family, despite being transgenders who were shunned by society at large, never stopped teaching each other and Mata to be kind, to be honest to who they were, and allowing each other to make their decisions for themselves. I loved the ML equally. He was kind, introverted and soft. Not once, did he exert his will or raise his voice at the FL.  The leads had the healthiest relationship I've seen in a drama. The importance of mental health and well-being, communicating and supporting each other, and being honest to yourself came through and through all the way till the end. I loved the development our second leads had too as they slowly learnt that they were destroying themselves in the process of competing. The ML's family also had a nice development, esp with the mum / dad. All in all, this drama was PERFECTION.

To evoke such strong feelings of wanting to live in the 1930s and experience what these characters did.. oh how is it possible, that too with a lakorn?! A rare lakorn with zero toxicity, sane and logical characters, a well-rounded story with a romance that gave me butterflies.. what more can I ask for? Absolutely loved every single about this from the casting / acting, to the OST, to the direction and production.
Highly highly recommended for all :)

P.S This could very well pass as a Thai adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. So if you love Jane Austen and P&P, this is an absolute must-watch!

This is a drama I hesitate to recommend because it is not for a morally upright audience.

What makes this drama a gold standard in the slap/kiss genre:

Well-rounded characters and development. Each character was so well-written with powerful back stories that even though I couldn't relate, I could understand their psychology and why they acted the way they did. The relationships were complex, be it Kawee and his dad, Kawee/Narin, Kawee/Leela, Leela/Narin. Characters were well-utilised and the show truly came full circle in showing us a journey of how they grew, with great parallels.

Great pacing - First 4 episodes consisted of the backstory. Then the next 4 episodes focusing on how everything went south, and the last 4 episodes on redemption. Each arc was given thought, well-written, acted and directed all around.

Best redemption arc I've seen in any show HANDS DOWN with the way the ML placed himself at the mercy of the FL and tried to reflect and atone for every single wrongdoing.

A light-hearted, and educational historical romcom with a loveable FL and romantic ML that made for a delightful watch! Even though its not the most perfect drama and lost its steam in the last few episodes, it seamlessly combined history & culture into the story along with giving us such a clean, wholesome romance. Unlike the usual lakorns, there were no loud or evil characters and watching them evolve was a refreshing change. Kudos to the production for this wonderful drama.
Highly recommended for all :)

I am not one to cry easily but this made me tear up.. it touched that little corner of my heart which yearns to love, and be loved.
Some pacing issues aside, this was a very heartfelt and sincere coming-of-age film about a young guy's journey into realising the value of what he has, and what he lost. The lush greenery and beautiful score added to the beauty of this movie.
James and Toey pleasantly surprised me with their understated performances and chemistry given that this was an early work for both of them.
Time well spent :)

Both the leads and second leads were positive, likeable characters with a sense of duty. There was no real love triangle or negative characters (only 1 villain at the archaeological site which was not connected to the romance at all). Both the male leads and female leads were friends, and supported each other at the cost of their own heartbreak (can you believe this is possible in a lakorn?!)
I don't understand people who say the ML was indecisive because he wasn't. He took his time to discover his feelings and once he did, he was clear and let the FL and his brothers know. Rather, it was the FL who ran away out of her own misplaced sense of justice and wanting to be a martyr. And being the gentleman he was, he accepted her decision.
The second leads were adorable and I enjoyed watching the 2ML's confusion over his feelings for her (while she was dressed as a man) and the 2FL's growing feelings for him which she was too shy to express. But once she was sure, she did not shy away from her feelings and stood firm just like him.
The brothers were also a nice addition, with the way they supported one another both in mischief, and hard times. I wish the other stories gave the brothers as much screen time as this one did.
All in all, a very positive and endearing lakorn, with very little angst, which is quite rare. I would definitely recommend this!

This one's going to go down as a timeless classic for the ages, for having one of the most satisfying love stories ever, with a fiesty FL who knew the worth of her man and herself and never hesitated to fight for him, and an upright ML who knew how to be a gentleman, to care, and to love others despite his deep-rooted loneliness and trauma. Their story was filled with just the right amount of angst, yearning, depth and intimacy all the way till the end. Yaya and Tor not only had chemistry that was off the charts, but gave the most beautiful performances as our leads. It's not a flawless drama by any means, with some of the family arcs not having the same growth the leads arc had, but it was a perfect 10 in the romance, cinematography, and costume department.
Highly highly recommended for all. Thailand can clearly make dramas that rise above the loud, toxic lakorns when they want to, and I hope they will continue to do so.

A delightful coming-of-age movie featuring some of the most iconic Thai songs, with two friends who fall for the same girl. A classic for the ages, full of friendship, angst, comedy, and heart.
Time well spent :)

It's so rare to find romcoms that truly make you laugh these days, and this was such a refreshing change. It wasn't without its flaws but boy did I enjoy this hilarious, leave-your-brains-at-home story with bickering leads, positive characters, and a lot of heart.
Namfah has found a fan in me for sure. She killed it as Lamdao and Faidam with her comic timing and charm.
Old-school romcom lovers - this one's for you!

A disturbing and powerful character-driven story depicting the ML's psyche and how his sexual addiction came to be, from his desire to be loved and belong, to the perversion that began to take shape in his adolescence given the exposure he had to sex since he was a baby, the parental neglect and disdain he faced from his father and the confusions he had to grapple with over his identity. What a journey told in 1h 50 mins! The director clearly didn't waste a single minute / frame and got to the story the moment the film started.

It's worth watching once for the fantastic performances by the cast, the hard-hitting story and writing, and brilliant direction. But before that, please read the tags and watch out for triggers mainly nudity, sex scenes, rape, and incest.

Vibrant, original and fun. Season 2, when?

A solid adult drama depicting the ugliness of greed and jealousy, complexity of human relationships with love in its various forms, and a well-developed angsty romance. This reminded me of the classic lakorns in the early 2000s which were actually well-written and felt real, unlike most of the slap/kiss trash these days. The acting was absolutely fantastic, the characters were complex and interesting, and I was invested throughout. Not to mention, the OST was gold, with each song being so well utilized in expressing what the characters were going through. Quite a rare feat for a lakorn these days to check so many boxes.

The first 3-4 episodes were so loud and messy that I expected this to be a batshit lakorn with a love hexagon. But the tonal shift in the episodes thereafter thoroughly surprised me, and made this an enjoyable watch. I loved the fiesty FL and her refusal to take shit from anyone. The ML was likeable too; he made me melt with his smile and the way he hugged her. Bright / Kao's chemistry was top notch. The leads bickered a lot but I adored how it was balanced with constant communication, especially with the way they addressed their growing feelings and growing sexual tension at various points. Very very rare for a lakorn. The second leads were adorable and uncomplicated. There were some annoying characters like Aik and his wife, which could have been written better, but I like that they popped up only once in a while and were bearable enough. The crime / mystery element was decent but I didn't care much for it.
All in all, a very enjoyable and watchable lakorn. I'd definitely recommend this!

A very decent and likeable friends-to-lovers story, with some sensitive topics like how physical beauty and economic status aren't all that important. Finding someone who understands you and loves you the way you are is key.

While this wasn't a perfect drama, it was clearly made with love. There was an effort placed in fleshing out the characters, the way they came to be because of their environment, and a subtle attempt at having them change for the better. Definitely one of the better written, and well acted lakorns in recent years. The pacing was just right such that the frustrating elements were not unbearable. Mint is an actress to look out for.

The feels the leads gave me in their scenes, despite the subpar execution / storytelling... <3 

Mark/Kao need another drama together.

Baifern carried this dark and heavy psychological drama with her phenomenal performance as a transgender woman who merely wanted to be loved and accepted like another human being. I gave this a slightly higher rating than I intended purely for the heartachingly perfect finale which tied the otherwise melodramatic and directionless drama together beautifully.
Do watch with caution as it deals with topics that might not be palatable for all, specifically incest, gender dysphoria, infidelity, parental abuse and mental illness.

THE POTENTIAL THIS HAD!!!

Yearning at its finest thanks to Mario/Yaya's explosive chemistry that was well-utilised, but unsatisfactory because the FL remained the little kid who refused to grow up and leave her father's cage all the way till the end.I empathized with her because of the years of loneliness, abuse and manipulation she went through, but shouldn't she grow up by the end? There was little character development for her, which was the most disappointing part of the drama. Both the leads were so broken and tired that by the end, I don't think I wanted them to be together at all. I just wanted them away from the toxicity of each other's shadow and heal. The drama's strongest point was that it showed me how compelling their love, yearning and desire for each other was but it was also the weakest point in that it didn't show me how they would overcome all the hurt and agony they went through. It didn't show me how they would heal each other with their love. On the contrary, their love seemed to drag them down each time. That happy ending, thus, seemed like a little fairytale that was too good to be true, before reality would kick in and they would hurt each other again.  The drama also dragged a little too much and could have been much more concise.

Having said all that, I recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a toxic romance that hits you like a storm, and then makes you cry thereafter because it makes you realise how painful love can be. 

NOTE: This might not be for everybody because there are hinted incentous elements with the ML's mother and the FL's father being obsessed with their kids (ML and FL) and possessive to the point that they cannot take the leads loving anyone else but them.

It took me more than a month to finish this and it's telling. It wasn't a batshit crazy lakorn though it did have its share of annoying characters. The leads were pleasant and I enjoyed watching James/Anne together BUT like another user pointed out, it almost seemed a little too perfect at times with the way the FL was too strong and the ML was too nice. They had well-done romantic scenes but I didn't really care for them much. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about the writing or direction that made this drama feel a little superficial at points. I am not against having plesant leads, but this lacked soul.

This deserved concise story-telling to make the impact, and that could have been achieved in a good 10 -12 episodes. There was little that happened for a good 3/4 of the drama, with the political discussions centering around the same dialogue each time, and because they dragged that I couldn't feel the tension and conflict between the neighbouring kingdoms. At least there were no evil or loud characters that you'd see in a typical lakorn.
The best thing about this, though, were the leads, and the ML's friends cum guards. They were the only interesting characters in the show, and all 4 of them acted their parts well. The leads gave me a very fairytale-ish / Beauty and the Beast vibe and watching the ML fall in love with the FL and attempt to court her was lovely. They definitely kept me invested throughout and I wish the ending wasn't so underwhelming.

This one's a gem in that it teaches values and lessons on what it takes to nurture a marriage. I would have given this a higher score if not for the last few episodes where the issue shifted to the FL's status which became a reason for conflict, underplaying the original conflict (of the way she had to bear the existence of the 2FL throughout the marriage) which was never quite addressed.  I find Bella / James to be an overrated pairing.

A frustrating drama with a ML who was too good for the insensitive FL. I really wanted to love this but the FL went too far with her cruelty towards the ML, and insensitivity towards her father. What irked me even more is that she never quite apologized / redeemed herself. If not for James and Teaw's amazing chemistry together, I doubt I would be able to finish this.
Also, special mention for the FL"s mother, who was hands down the sweetest, and wisest character on the show. I adored her.

Teen Nadech & Yaya! So raw, innocent, and adorable <3
I enjoyed their simple & sweet love story.

A much milder, compact and nicer version / leads and yet, my least favourite because it lacked the intensity, humour and pull the Taiwanese original, and the Korean remake had (to some extent). I think people who have not seen the other two might be able to enjoy this.

Pacing issues and unnecessary villains aside, this was a relatively easy watch with pleasant leads and supporting characters. It wasn't particularly memorable, but at least it wasn't as frustrating as many other lakorns.

If there is one thing that no country can even come close to competing with lakorns about, it would be screaming women beating each other up (and this had plenty; basically anytime the nightclub women were on screen). They are absolutely unmatchable and unhinged in this aspect. That aside, this was far better than the remake. It had a much more understated, heartfelt and simple vibe, despite the misunderstandings, which was well complemented by Tik/Aom's effortless chemistry and charm. 

There was nothing strikingly unplesant about this lakorn.. There was barely any scheming villains, or extreme bullying / violence or anything loud that you would expect. And yet, this had little substance.
All the characters were very one-dimensional, and there was very little that really happened in this. The leads were complex but nothing was fleshed about them or what they went through being part of the restrictive household.. I finished this lakorn not knowing anything about their likes / dislikes other than the general characteristics which I learnt about them in Episodes 1-2 (which by the way were the strongest episodes).
Andrew / Bua had such beautiful chemistry.. too bad the show never quite utilized it.

Great chemistry and angst with a selfish and toxic ML who kept cheating and insulting the doormat FL whose only life mission was to please him. Mark/Mew were amazing together, but the story and script was a huge mess. 

I was invested thanks to the lead actor. I would not recommend it because it never quite got to the revenge. We were promised something dark in the first few episodes but this was rather mild. The FL was OK for most part but she became unbearable in the last few episodes with her stupidity and ignorance. Leads had good chemistry but by the end, I didn't care. The other characters were rather one-note and their acting was so-so.
All in all, the ML and good OST is what kept this show going.
I feel like I wasted my time.

I would have given this a higher score if not for that ending, which made the entire journey worthless.

SPOILER

The ML spent more than 3/4 of the drama falling in love with Rerng, going through heartbreak over her, and then fighting with her after his marriage to FL, and then lusting over her and sleeping with her countlessly. When it came to divorce, he suddenly remembered that he loved his wife? And that he wanted to be with her when the entire drama was about his relationship with Rerng?! He said he wanted to take revenge on Rerng but he was clearly lusting over her the entire time and couldn't stop thinking about her or peeking at her legs and body.

He proposed to the FL at Rerng's father's funeral to provoke her. He made countless remarks that may have looked like he loved the FL, but were a subtle comparison to Rerng and almost like he settled for her because she was the complete opposite of Rerng and because he knew that she would not betray him and have her own mind like Rerng.

It's only when he realized that Rerng didn't really love him and was merely using him - he suddenly got a wake up call and was completely over her. He did exactly what Rerng did to him, he used the FL and betrayed her.

Also I have to say this - I am not going to deny that Rerng is a bitch. BUT she was who she was. Unlike the ML who slept with her, and then the next moment spilled bullshit like he loved his wife and then told her to back off. Even after the affair is discovered, instead of taking time to reflect and realising how Pim was going through pretty much two-fold of what Rerng did to him, he went crazy like a bull getting jealous over Terd making Pim smile. Instead of taking ownership of the baby and the fact that Rerng was pregnant, he treated her like shit. Yes, she deserved it. But at the same time, he acted like it was purely her fault. It freaking takes 2 hands to clap, and he was no innocent man who didn't know what he was getting into.

This didn't have the overdose of evil or loud characters that a lot of lakorns have, and yet I did not like it. I am surprised I managed to finish this because (1) this had no plot and the characters were pretty bland, (2) the FL's secret (her relationship with her father) was dragged until the end of E11 for no reason, and (3) Mew's disappointing portrayal of the FL. Part of the blame probably goes to the director because I've seen Mew in other dramas where she was fine. The director clearly didn't understand how to portray her being shy. As a result all the way until E13, the FL looked skittish and romantically disinterested whenever the ML came close to her, which made me feel like the ML was trying to force himself on her (even though he did no such thing). I don't even understand when she fell in love with him LOL. Also, she cried at the drop of a hot, which annoyed me to no end. It's a pity because other than these 2 traits, she wasn't an unlikeable character.
Among the few dramas I've seen starring Nadech, this is probably the best he's ever looked and acted on screen. His screen presence, charm and character really carried this mediocre drama all the way to the end. I feel more inclined to check out his other works after this.

I loved the chemistry between the leads despite how problematic it was BUT the writing was extremely messy and directionless.

Ridiculous clickbait-y premise, a hard-to-please FL with a fantastic reproductive system, an overbearing yet sweet ML who everyone loved to attack with slaps, gunshots and knives, tons of slap/kiss scenes (literally), bitchy, greedy and toxic side characters with no purpose other than making others lives hell, two adorable twin kids, and a happy ending with a football team in the making.. this one has it all.
You're either gonna hate it, or devour it as "golden trash" like another user described.
Go figure.
I fall in the former by the way.

Nadech/Yaya's story begun here.  That's all you need to know. Other than that, there is nothing nice about this rape story.

Bad boy Push kept me watching.

Older dramas from any country hit different and this was no exception. I loved the first 11 episodes but after the 12th episode, this really dragged and went no where. What a disappointment! Too many misunderstandings with both leads hating on each other for hanging out with others when they were both doing the same thing, The biggest gripe, though, was the fact that the leads had zero character development. The FL strung the 2ML along instead of rejecting him especially after he confessed his love to her and would have continued to do so if he did not step back. That destroyed her character, and made her unlikeable. I wish she displayed the same assertiveness that she did when fighting with the ML as in other situations when people were looking down on her, or in making her feelings clear with both the ML and 2ML. The ML never realised his mistakes of how his behaviour towards her (the bullying) made her prejudiced and determined to hate him, and how he treated her disrespectly. Not a single sorry. In fact, in the last scene he gets her to agree to marriage by forcibly kissing her. SIGHHHHH.
Janie was decent, but Ken, as always, brought his A game to this that allowed me to stick through it. The last few episodes really destroyed what could have been a gem.

This should have been titled 'All the Psychos around Boss and Me' instead.  Holistically, this was not it. There were too many villains and psychos trying to either harm or separate the leads all the way till the end, unlike the easygoing original with sweet characters. The ML is probably the only character I unbashedly loved. The FL went from lovable to annoying in the last stretch.
All that negativity aside, I actually enjoyed the leads' romance and scenes in this much much more than the original C-version. I wonder if the comparison is even valid though because the essence of the leads' relationship in both dramas was pretty different, other than the initial premise and some key events.
I disliked how the FL in the original had zero confidence and never communicated. The FL had more spunk and personality here. She was so much more outspoken after Episode 8/9. The ML's psyche and coldness was fleshed out better and he was so much more expressive when they began dating (as opposed to the original). I love how he always encouraged her and made her feel that she was great the way she is (something the original didn't have). They also had tons of romantic scenes, and I could really feel the emotional connection and love between them.. they did so much more than just eating and had coupley scenes sprinked throughout their relationship like the FL tickling the ML, them dancing together, her expressing her jealousy, both of them communicating about little things, cheering and validating each other  etc. Push / Aom surprised me with their effortless and cute chemistry. I don't think I'd recommend this unless you just want to watch the couple's scenes and not bother about the rest.

Give this a watch only if you like -
(1) countless men lusting over the FL and attempting to rape her throughout
(2) Damsel-in-distress and goody two-shoes FL who needs constant saving, and never takes agency of her own life
(3) FL with double standards who has no issue with taking ML's help over and over, even to the extent of marrying him, but somehow sees herself as too low to be with him
(4) ML with double standards who goes to watch a beauty pagent and then judges all the women participating in it, falls in love with the FL but does not warm up to her until she proves to be virginal and pure for him
(5) FL cites her marriage as a reason to stop the villain from raping her because it is apparently against the law and morality, while the married villain continues to have numerous mistresses which is apparently ok
(6) Bland uninteresting characters who are screaming, being violent or plain annoying and stupid - EACH ONE OF THEM, INCLUDING THE LEADS

Even though James and Bella had some sweet scenes in this, this was still such an unlikeable and frustrating lakorn. I am surprised by the high rating for this because it's one of the worst I have seen.

Despicable characters. All of them. Dropped at E8.

Push is handsome, Esther is pretty, and together they have chemistry. THAT IS ALL THERE IS TO THIS. All the way till the end, the ML raped the FL and exerted his right on her. He was jealous and possessive of anyone who came even remotely near her while he continued to cheat on her with other women. How does anyone even find this romantic?!

And the point of this story was?
People who meet through a dating app are wrong?! Also, they tried to sell it off as a love story in the last episode but where was the love LOL? The leads did nothing but sleep together and they had zero chemistry and compatibility together. The FL was so unlikeable. She refused to communicate and constantly engaged in risky behaviour. She wanted a FWB relationship but acted annoyed and betrayed when the ML did not appear loyal. The ML was way too needy and expected the FL to reply to his messages immediately after sleeping with her once. The ex was abusive and way too obsessed, and FL, as usual, instead of walking away from men like these, walked straight into the lion's den.
All I will say is that this was a major time waste with messy writing.
This would have done better if they sold it as a crime documentary LOL because it appeared to be one for the first 3 episodes.

0 stars. I kept watching to see how horrible it could get, and it was even worse than that. HANDS DOWN, the worst drama I've ever seen.

Beautiful sets and costumes, but lacking in substance and class that the original had. Dropped at E1.

Seems like Mark/Yaya were told to appear on set and do any random rom-comy thing to showcase their chemistry. Was there even a script? How could they do some of the best actors from Thailand dirty like this? Dropped.

Sorry, Push. Dropped at E4.

Way too perfect FL, and an overbearing ML who has no life beyond crushing on the FL. Dropped.

Just watch the original instead. Dropped at E1.

Dropped.

Bad acting and laughable plot. Dropped at E2.

Even Ken couldn't get me invested in this.  Dropped at E2.

The leads were cute together but I just couldn't get into the story. Too bland and boring.. I lost count of how many times I fell asleep.
Dropped at E5.

Cute chemistry between leads, but annoying characters and even more laughable premise. Dropped at E4.

Dropped.

Other than NY looking expensive and gorgeous in every frame, this was superficial. Dropped at E2.

5 episodes in, and it's the same repetitive cycle of ML and FL fighting over his jealousy with FL's proximity with 2ML while he keeps promising to marry the 2FL. And yes of course, ML kissing and raping the FL countlessly every other night.
The only good thing is that the FL didn't act like a victim. She became his mistress and owned it. She stopped acting shy, and rather stood her ground proudly while challenging the ML. Kwan is a good actress who is very easy on the eyes.

Dropped.