10 best K-dramas you should savor like fine wine, not instant noodles

In this day and age, where we have reached from ‘Netflix and Chill’ to ‘binge-watching’ the whole series in one sitting, it feels refreshing to sometimes enjoy a show at a slower pace. While some K-dramas offer such thrilling storylines that you finish watching them in just one night, there are others, considered the best K-dramas, that need you to slow down and enjoy the story at a much slower pace.

The best K-dramas will not disappoint in any of their aspects, from a good narrative and cinematography to excellent performances. These dramas will make you pause and think or reminisce, resulting in the slower pacing. Here’s a list of the 10 best K-dramas that should be savored like fine wine rather than eaten like instant noodles.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's opinion and contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

10 best K-dramas you should savor like fine wine, not instant noodles

10) Reply 1988

Lee Hye-ri and Park Bo-gum in Reply 1988 | Image via Netflix

This nostalgic K-drama follows a group of childhood friends who grew up in the same neighborhood, Ssangmun-dong. It follows their lives through high school and eventually into the professional world. It is one of those series that will make you miss your friends, your family, and especially home-cooked meals.

From childhood friendships to first love, first heartbreak, and all the things in between, this show is considered one of the best K-dramas, which you should watch slowly, as it will surely take you on a nostalgic trip of your own childhood.

9) Hospital Playlist

Cast of Hospital Playlist | Image via CJ ENM

Hospital Playlist is regarded as one of the best K-dramas for various reasons. Firstly, due to the ensemble cast, every cast member is given equal weight and not left out in any way. The group of friends, who are now Doctors in the Yulje medical center, work in different departments and have different personalities, but still do not feel like they don’t belong to the group.

Furthermore, the medical drama provides a balanced narrative with equal parts funny and equal parts somber. The characters also have depth and their own arc to follow, which allows us to understand the characters and their choices more. If you are looking for a comfort watch, this drama should definitely be on your watchlist, as it would not disappoint.

8) Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha | Image via Netflix

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is another comfort drama about two broken individuals who become each other's solace. Shin Min-a’s Hye-jin is a dentist who, on a whim, opens her dental clinic in the serene village of Gongjin and meets Kim Seon-ho’s Hong Du-sik, who is known as Chief Hong in the village.

A city girl, who is used to living alone, finds it difficult at first when the residents of the village try to take up her personal space, but slowly she learns to live with them. With getting familiar with the people around her, she also gradually falls in love with the Jack of all trades, Chief Hong.

However, the show is not all about romance and comedy, as secrets about Hong’s past begin affecting their relationship, but they learn to get over their issues by supporting each other. What makes this one of the best K-dramas is its relatability and thought-provoking storytelling. It is a must-watch drama when you are feeling a little bit awry and want some good vibes.

7) Prison Playbook

Another of the best K-dramas that balances humor and depth is Park Hae-soo’s Prison Playbook. Revolving around the lives of prisoners, their families, and guards working in these places, Prison Playbook is considered one of the best K-dramas, as it leaves you with an optimistic outlook toward life.

It is a series that depicts how happiness, hope, and friendships can be found in unexpected places, even in a prison full of convicts. Following the life of a baseball player who ends up in jail after protecting his sister from an assault, the story blends several important themes like humor, emotional depth, and social issues.

6) It’s Okay to Not be Okay

Kim Soo-hyun and Seo Ye-ji in It’s Okay to Not be Okay | Image via Story TV

This psychological melodrama is considered one of the best K-dramas not just due to the narrative but also the cinematography and direction, as it looks as good as the story. It follows three individuals who have been struggling with their own wounds. Gang-tae is struggling to take care of and also help his autistic older brother in getting over their mother’s murder, which he had encountered as a child. They meet Moon-young, who is struggling with her own demons.

As the story progresses, the three help in healing each other’s wounds and move forward. The best part of the show is their organic journey toward their healing process, as it is not rushed and takes time to reveal, confront, and solve their issues. To enjoy this K-drama best, you have to follow the slower pace and pause to let it sink in, to understand the characters and their often whimsical personalities.

5) Misaeng: Incomplete Life

Yim Si-wan in Misaeng: Incomplete Life | Image via tvN

Starring Squid Game Season 3’s Yim Si-wan, Misaeng: Incomplete Life is one of the best K-dramas that signifies the daily life struggles of human beings. After failing to make a name as a Go player, Si-wan’s Geu-rae enters the corporate world without any formal training and tries to survive in a setting that he has no idea of, but takes help from his Go playing techniques to navigate through everything.

The drama addresses the lives of employees of One International, which feels relatable to the professional life of the real world. With all the mundaneness and struggles, but also the humanity of people helping each other out while dealing with their own problems, Misaeng: Incomplete Life curates a story that would make you think about the life and times you are living in.

4) Flower of Evil

Lee Joon-gi in Flower of Evil | Image via Monster Union

This is one of the best K-dramas in the genre of crime thriller that would make you stop and question yourself, just like Ji-won, as the twisted tale points to her husband committing a crime. Flower of Evil follows a perfect family when looked at from afar, but as you peek closer, it begins to reveal dark secrets that could hamper the perfect world of the family.

The only way to enjoy watching Hee-sung/Hyun-soo and Ji-won’s story is to take it slow and uncover the mystery at a pace where you can focus on the emotions of the protagonists while moving forward in the story.

3) Coffee Prince

Eun Hye-yoon and Gong Yoo in Coffee Prince | Image via Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation

While you might still be hungover with emotions after watching Goblin several times, before ruining us with his role as Kim Shin, Gong Yoo broke many K-drama conventional tropes with his series Coffee Prince almost a decade ago. The story follows Han-gyeol, who gradually falls for his employee, Eun-chan, who disguises herself as a boy, which makes Han-gyeol question his sexuality.

While we are used to seeing the pretty and well-dressed female leads, Eun-chan breaks away from this conventional trope as she wears baggy clothes and doesn’t care much about her appearance. Due to these reasons, Coffee Prince is one of the best K-dramas.

2) Crash Landing on You

Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin in Crash Landing on You | Image via Culture Depot

This love story between a South Korean chaebol heiress and a North Korean soldier is regarded as one of the best K-dramas, which would also make you cry a lot, so watching it slowly might be the only healthy way. Following her paragliding accident, Se-ri lands in North Korea and is helped by Jeong-hyeok to get her back to her country.

As they spend time together, they begin to fall for each other, which makes their separation more painful. With a great story and almost a happy ending for the leads, but not for the second leads, as that love story remains incomplete after Jeung-soon dies, the series is a compelling watch and needs to be savored slowly to enjoy the flow of emotions that is the main aspect of the show.

1) When Life Gives You Tangerines

When Life Gives You Tangerines is the most recent Korean show that has been raved about by fans as being one of the best K-dramas. Starring IU as Ae-sun, it follows her story and later her daughter’s story as they navigate their lives and their struggles to achieve their dreams.

Apart from Ae-sun and Gwna-sik’s (Park Bo-hum) eternal love story that could make anyone’s heart flutter, it also focuses on the relationships of the kids with their parents. The one thing that makes this series one of the best is its raw portrayal of motherhood and how messy and emotional it can be, and how society impacts it.