Recommendations

Both Tamra, the Island and The Murky Stream (Takryu) are Korean historical dramas set in the Joseon era, featuring characters who must navigate harsh and challenging social environments shaped by rigid rules, survival struggles, and cultural conflict — Takryu focuses on a former gangster, a righteous official, and others trying to survive and challenge corruption in a lawless setting, while Tamra follows villagers and outsiders dealing with isolationist policies, societal pressures, and personal growth amid hardship, blending historical conflict with character-driven stories of resilience and adaptation even if the tone and genre elements (romance and comedy) differ

Both God of War (also known as Mooshin) and The Murky Stream (Takryu) are gritty historical Korean dramas that center on protagonists who rise from humble, oppressed beginnings amid chaotic, corrupt times — in God of War a former slave fights and survives through warfare to become a powerful military leader during the Goryeo Dynasty, and in Takryu a gangster with a troubled past struggles to survive and seek justice in a lawless late Joseon world — giving each series a raw, character-driven story of survival, societal conflict, and moral ambiguity in harsh historical settings rather than romantic palace intrigue.

Both Six Flying Dragons and The Murky Stream (Takryu) are Joseon-era historical dramas that explore deep political and social upheaval, moral struggle, and the impact of corruption and ambition on individuals and society, featuring large casts of complex characters shaped by historical conflict, personal hardship, and shifting power structures, blending action, strategic rivalry, and emotionally driven storytelling rather than focusing solely on romance or light-hearted plots.

Deep Rooted Tree is similar to The Murky Stream (Takryu) because both are Joseon-era historical dramas that dive into grim political and societal struggles, featuring protagonists shaped by harsh pasts and moral complexity as they confront corruption, power struggles, and personal quests for justice in a turbulent world, blending action, intrigue, and emotional storytelling rather than light romance or simple historical settings.

Both dramas are set in the Joseon era and grounded in historical action that explores how individuals navigate a world shaped by corruption, social struggle, and survival, with Warrior Baek Dong-soo following the coming-of-age and martial challenges of a swordsman amidst political factionalism and moral dilemmas, and Takryu (The Murky Stream) centering on a former gangster, a righteous merchant, and an honest official confronting systemic corruption and lawlessness — giving each narrative a gritty, character-driven portrayal of lives shaped by hardship and the fight for justice in a turbulent society.

Six Flying Dragons is similar to Damo because both are Joseon-era historical dramas that weave political conflict, larger societal change, and deep character journeys together, portraying protagonists and key figures whose personal ambitions, loyalties, and moral struggles play out against turbulent historical backdrops rather than purely romantic plots, with a strong emphasis on action, intrigue, and the impact of history on individuals and relationships.

Deep Rooted Tree is similar to Damo in that both are Joseon-era historical dramas with intense political intrigue, deep emotional stakes, and morally complex characters shaped by tragedy and revenge, featuring protagonists whose personal losses and quests intersect with larger societal conflicts and oppressive power structures, blending action, mystery, and dramatic personal relationships against a richly depicted historical backdrop rather than just light romance or adventure.

The Princess’s Man is similar to Damo in that both are Joseon-era historical dramas featuring intense tragedy, forbidden or complicated romance, and deep emotional stakes against a backdrop of political conflict and betrayal — The Princess’s Man centers on a forbidden, tragic love between a noblewoman and a man caught in deadly factional strife and revenge, where politics and family enmity tear lovers apart, much like Damo’s blend of romance, loyalty, and personal hardship in a dangerous, morally complex historical world.

How Warrior Baek Dong-soo is similar to Damo
Warrior Baek Dong-soo and Damo are both Korean historical dramas set in the Joseon era that combine intense action, swordplay, and martial-arts sequences with deep emotional storytelling, following characters shaped by personal hardship and loyalty as they navigate a world of political intrigue, injustice, and duty while dealing with complicated relationships and the burdens of fate, making them appealing to viewers who enjoy action-driven historical sagas with strong character drama.

Both Iljimae and Damo are Korean historical dramas set in the Joseon era that mix action, romance, and social conflict, featuring protagonists shaped by personal tragedy and injustice who operate outside or on the edges of the law to fight against corrupt authority and help the downtrodden, with emotional storytelling anchored in moral dilemmas, forbidden or complicated love, and the struggle between duty and personal desire.

Both Damo and Takryu are Joseon-era historical dramas that blend action, personal struggle, and societal conflict, featuring protagonists shaped by hardship and injustice as they fight against corrupt systems and rigid social hierarchies, with emotional depth, gritty confrontations, and themes of loyalty and survival driving their intertwined fates in harsh, morally complex worlds.

Beyond both being written by Chun Sung-il, The Slave Hunters and Takryu are similar in how they use a Joseon-era setting to critique a corrupt social order, centering on morally complex, wounded protagonists who live on the margins of society and are driven by loss, resentment, and a desire for dignity, while blending gritty action with tragic romance and fatalistic storytelling that emphasizes loyalty, resistance, and the crushing weight of class and power rather than idealized heroism.

-Both are black comedies about economic violence.
-Show how capitalist pressure turns ordinary people into perpetrators.
-Treat violence as something that feels structurally induced, not psychopathic.
-Sit squarely in Korea’s long tradition of class satire through cruelty.

An entertainment industry's successful male lead falls to ruin one day, and rebuilds his career from the bottom up again!

Piano based kdrama with romance and bromance too .... surely you will love it and has the best actors too