Tia

16-20 episode dramas would count as primetime/weekly dramas, I think. Anything under that would be considered a miniseries. I've watched a few great dramas under 50 episodes:
Penthouse
Return (one of my favorites)
Artificial City
Queen of Ambition (another fave of mine)
Lie After Lie
I'm Sorry I Love You (HEARTBREAKING)
Mine
Made In Korea
Royal Family
Golden Empire
Stairway to Heaven
Autumn Tale
The Lady In Dignity
Dear X
Angel's Temptation
A Korean Odyssey (one of my first k-dramas)
Home Sweet Home... and more.

Currently watching Climax and I just finished Return.

I definitely used to think that non-daily dramas were overrated and boring (makes me cringe now that I think about it, haha), but you really have to find the type of dramas you're into and the ones that you prefer. What are your favorite genres? Tropes? Things you like or dislike the most in a drama? Types of characters? I know I'm not into rom-coms, so I don't really watch them, for example.

So far I'm enjoying Climax! It's more like a noir melo to me, very dark, tense, and gritty. Mature, too. I haven't watched Stranger but I plan to.

I definitely don't think it's a makjang. A melodrama, yes.

Yes, and it's important to remember that a makjang is the STYLE of a drama, not the genre of it. Penthouse is a makjang because it's over-the-top and insane, but it is still a mystery-thriller drama. Mixed with crime and a bit of dark comedy.

Plus makjang tropes don't necessarily make a drama a makjang. If this is the case, then EVERY drama produced in the past 30 years is a makjang. Which isn't true, ya know? 👀

I can follow who's who (out of the main cast), I think I want more explanations plot-wise though!

I don't think it's complicated, it's just... hard to follow. Clearly there's things being left out, but I know that it'll be explored/revealed in the next few episodes. So far I've been on a streak of finding k-dramas I've enjoyed lately!

Miniseries, like 8 episodes or less? I loved Made In Korea (and I'm excited for season 2 of that drama.)

Thank you for clarifying your point. 😊 Because sometimes arguments like these lead to a messy slope of victim blaming (for both genders!) And as of right now, I think it's important to listen to victims, value their stories & validate their experiences regardless of their gender/sex.

Ah yes, and those were at 7:50 to 8:30 AM. TV Novels existed too, same with something called "daehas" (historical daily dramas I think.)

Thanks for the extra info! 😁

I love the grey characters (we need more dramas with a morally grey cast, tbh), the story is puzzling though!

Actually (not to sound like a nerd here lol), they're aired during the evening in South Korea, not the day. Soap operas are daytime dramas in the US. Most soap operas in SK are *evening* daily dramas, but there used to be morning dramas too.

19:50/20:00 KST = 7:50/8:00 PM

*evening daily dramas you mean? 😂

You're welcome! A lot of them aren't popular (or at least, not anymore.) Temptation of Wife is an extremely famous one (I recommend it if you're looking to get into dailies, same with The Promise!)

Maybe the backstory will be revealed soon. It IS a little confusing to follow, honestly, but still good to watch.

People are calling this a makjang already... I'm about to crash out like Cheon Seo-Jin in Penthouse. No way in 2026 we're calling adult melodramas/mystery-thrillers makjangs 😭

That last part is the quiet part that these types of people don't wanna say out loud. It's like everything HAS to be male-centered, or else, "B-But what about us MEN?! 😭"

We got our first men's rights activist here, folks. (I'm joking, I'm joking. 😂)

I think the disaster of Woman In A Veil might have derailed/ruined Choi Yoon-Young's career. 😬 Kinda like what happened to the FL in Phoenix 2020, or the SFL in Secrets and Lies. I'd love to see the others in new dramas soon though! Plus I'm really getting into Park Jin-Hee's dramas after finishing Return 2 days ago! 😁

Yes, because it's a daily drama and they are always this long. They've been a thing since at least the 80s.

Ooooh. 👀 I am not there yet but it seems like we have another villainous/grey protagonist here... this makes her more interesting for sure.