10 K-Dramas You Need To Binge Watch Right Now

Whether it's "Squid Game" or any number of crime thrillers, K-dramas, or South Korean scripted television of any genre, are taking over the world. The best K-dramas are expertly crafted, with tightly self-contained stories moving at a brisk pace. Korean filmmakers have mastered the art of making their shows binge-friendly, often ending episodes with cliffhangers or plot twists perfect for hooking viewers to immediately watch the next episode. And with many K-dramas only lasting for a single season, there are plenty of shows that can be binged on a relaxing weekend or even in a single day.

Typically, K-dramas tend to last anywhere from a dozen to around 16 episodes to tell a complete story, not often getting follow-up seasons. Even more binge-friendly are shows that run for 10 episodes or less, with their stories unfolding rapidly, holding viewer attention. With shows like these, once you get started, chances are you're not stopping until you reach the end. With that in mind, here are K-dramas you need to binge watch right now.

Revenge is one of the most common K-drama tropes, often stemming from a desire to avenge a fallen loved one. Vengeance is very much the centerpiece of the crime thriller "My Name," but achieving it gets increasingly complicated for protagonist Yoon Ji-woo (Han So-hee). After her mobster father is murdered, Ji-woo joins the police force under an assumed name to learn who killed him and have her bloody retribution. However, as the police investigate the crime syndicate of her father's crime lord friend, Ji-woo discovers her dad's and her own allegiances aren't at all what they seem.

From its opening murder to the deadly game of cat-and-mouse between the police and criminals, "My Name" is a violent thrill ride. At its core, the show is a mystery, but virtually every episode contains a bone-crunching set piece, whether it's a gang war or the fight club Ji-woo trains at. Right until the end, "My Name" keeps you guessing which way the story is going to go next, maintaining that suspense for eight episodes. Anchored by a standout performance from Han So-hee, "My Name" is among the best Netflix original K-dramas.

Love and music blend together seamlessly in the Disney+ original K-drama series "Soundtrack #1," starring Han So-hee in a very different role than she had "My Name." Han plays Lee Eun-soo, a lyricist who temporarily moves in with her longtime friend Han Seon-woo (Park Hyung-sik). This cohabitation leads to them getting to know each other more closely, with romantic love quickly blossoming between the two friends. Given its premise, every episode has rousing K-pop numbers as Seon-woo helps Eun-soo pen songs, with their escalating love story informing Eun-soo's songwriting.

With a season of only four episodes, "Soundtrack #1" is the shortest K-drama on this list and moves the most briskly, though the story never feels rushed. Han So-hee and Park Hyung-sik have a palpable chemistry that lights up the entire series, elevated by the warm cinematography and soulful accompanying music. The series received a standalone follow-up, appropriately titled "Soundtrack #2," in 2022, following a completely different couple brought together by music. With this sequel only running for six episodes, one could potentially binge both seasons back-to-back on Disney+ in a single weekend.

The fights come fast and furious in the action thriller series "Bloodhounds," adapting Jeong Chan's webtoon of the same name. After his mother is conned by powerful loan shark and career criminal Kim Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong), boxer Kim Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) decides to take matters into his own hands. Geon-woo teams up with fellow boxer Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) and kind-hearted moneylender Choi Tae-ho (Huh Joon-ho) to dismantle Myeong-gil's empire. This proves more violent than the three men anticipated, however, with Myeong-gil constantly retaliating with escalating attacks.

"Bloodhounds" knows exactly how to keep its audience hooked, ending each episode either with a shocking reversal of fortune or the promise of an imminent brawl. And the show absolutely delivers on these promises, with the Netflix series featuring some of the most impressive fight sequences of any K-drama in recent memory. The war against Myeong-gil swings back and forth across eight episodes, with Geon-woo and Woo-jin enduring everything that comes their way to take him down. "Bloodhounds" proved popular with international audiences upon its 2023 premiere, with a second season currently in production.

Westerns aren't the first genre most people would normally associate with K-dramas, but Korea recently produced a standout show worthy of any Wild West fan. Set in the 1920s during the brutal Japanese occupation of Korea, "Song of the Bandits" takes place in the neighboring Chinese region of Gando. Crooks and particularly cruel Japanese soldiers in the area prey upon Korean refugees who fled their homeland, causing Gando to descend into lawlessness. Former Japanese soldier Lee Yoon (Kim Nam-gil) decides to stand up for the helpless, assisting freedom fighters in Gando while enduring a growing bounty for battling those exploiting refugees.

The Western archetype fits the historical context of "Song of the Bandits" perfectly, while Kim Nam-gil magnetically fills his gunslinger role. Through its unique Korean period piece perspective, the show blends everything from archery and sword fights with gunplay and train heists. That "Song of the Bandits" fits that all, including its Korean revolutionary stakes, within nine episodes is all the more impressive. Simply put, as the Western genre sees a renaissance, one of Netflix's best original Westerns is a K-drama.

There are so many great horror K-dramas, like the high school zombie series "All of Us Are Dead" and the apocalyptic monster mash "Sweet Home." The 2024 series "The Bequeathed," adapting the webtoon of the same name by Kang Tae-kyung, offers a different kind of supernatural horror experience. After inheriting his family's burial ground, college instructor Yoon Seo-ha (Kim Hyun-joo) witnesses bizarre incidents putting her on edge. This leads to multiple murders linked to the burial ground and Korean shamanism, with the resulting police investigation uncovering macabre secrets defying conventional explanation.

Compared to many of its more sanguine horror K-drama counterparts, "The Bequeathed" doesn't go as overtly with its haunting scares or frightening reveals. The show moves to unsettle the audience instead, instilling a steady sense of dread as Seo-ha is similarly unnerved by her newfound burden. Rather, "The Bequeathed" moves at the deliberate pacing of a mystery that happens to have paranormal elements fueling its disturbing revelations rather than a standard ghost story. "The Bequeathed" draws its viewers in across its six episodes, unearthing its full foreboding scope with mounting unease.

The Japanese manga series "Parasyte" by Hitoshi Iwaaki was adapted into the Netflix original K-drama "Parasyte: The Grey." The show has extraterrestrial parasites land on Earth and infiltrate the local population by possessing human hosts as they move towards completely conquering the planet. A young woman named Jeong Su-in (Jeon So-nee) forms a bond with her parasite instead, allowing her to use its lethal abilities as a twisted defender. Working with a small-time crook and the police, Su-in moves to dismantle the planned parasite invasion.

A global smash success upon its debut in 2024, "Parasyte: The Grey" mixes body horror with alien conspiracy thriller stakes. Though the series is definitely gory, the visual effects involved usually avoid those sequences from becoming overly grotesque, more akin to a B-movie. Jeon So-nee plays a compelling and action-packed protagonist, this de facto savior of humanity from the brain-eating bugs trying to infest the planet. Unfolding over six episodes, "Parasyte: The Grey" moves quickly, steadily progressing towards exposing the alien conspiracy with blood and fury.

Both through his music and acting, Rain is one of the pioneers of Korean pop culture spreading to international audiences. Rain jumped back into the acting spotlight with a starring role in the Disney+ K-drama series "Red Swan," playing bodyguard Seo Do-yoon. Do-yoon protects Oh Wan-soo (Kim Ha-neul), a wealthy socialite targeted by conspiracy linked to her estranged husband over a secret inheritance. As Do-yoon keeps Wan-soo safe and works to expose the conspiracy trying to kill her, the two of them gradually fall in love with each other.

Action aside, the chemistry between Rain and Kim Ha-neul is palpable, simmering under the surface for much of the series. That said, Rain also brings the same smoldering intensity, both in emotional and action set pieces whenever he's on-screen, that he had in 2009's "Ninja Assassin." "Red Swan" is an intentionally messy revenge tale, with Wan-soo's personal life in shambles even before an attempt on her life is made. That quality gives "Red Swan" a greater sense of pathos and payoff as Do-yoon helps Wan-soo get her revenge and win her life back from unhappiness and danger.

Just as the best seasons of "True Detective" explore mysteries across multiple timelines, so too does the Netflix original thriller "The Frog." Set at a secluded, scenic guest house hours outside of Seoul, the show has the rental's owner Jeon Yeong-ha (Kim Yoon-seok) admit a strange guest named Yoo Seong-a (Go Min-si). Seong-a's dark, bloody secret is juxtaposed with a grisly murder that occurred at a similar hotel 20 years prior. Both cases are investigated by police detective Yoon Bo-min (Lee Jung-eun), who realizes there is something deeper and more disturbing at play.

This parallel storytelling structure serves "The Frog" well, expertly knowing when to dial up the suspense in one timeline before alternating to the other. Go Min-si's performance as Seong-a really brings the tension and dark intrigue and whenever she's on-screen, it's all eyes on her. A slow burn, the back half of "The Frog" really delivers on its gruesome, burning questions and thriller spectacle. Totaling eight episodes, "The Frog" runs for just as long as most seasons of "True Detective," offering enough twists and thrills to keep them going down its murderous rabbit hole.

As one nears the end of their life, they hopefully gain a newfound perspective and appreciation for love in all its forms. That somber axiom informs the dark romantic comedy "Mr. Plankton" starring Woo Do-hwan as the terminally ill protagonist Hae Jo. After learning he's dying, Hae Jo crashes the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Jo Jae-mi (Lee Yo-mi) and forces her to accompany him on a road trip. Hae Jo's destination is to finally meet his biological father, learning about Jae-mi's own medical condition in the process.

Woo Do-hwan is a boundlessly energetic force in everything he's in, magnetic in everything from the blood-soaked "Bloodhounds" to period piece "Joseon Attorney." With the material that he's given in "Mr. Plankton," Woo provides both what is clearly his strongest comedic performance to date while showing layers of vulnerability and maturity like he never had before. "Mr. Plankton" doesn't compromise its life-and-death premise, which adds a resonance and emotional honesty to the proceedings. Funny and bittersweet, just like life itself, "Mr. Plankton" unfolds over 10 episodes as Hae Jo comes to terms with his life and what he leaves behind.

Though many Korean love stories are relatively family-friendly with their love scenes, the romantic mystery "The Trunk" goes more intense and lurid than many of its contemporaries. No In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin) specializes in one-year contractual marriages, both arranging them for other couples and herself. In-ji's latest spouse is recent divorcee Han Jeong-won (Gong Yoo), who agrees to the temporary matrimony in a last-ditch effort to win back his ex-wife. This arrangement is derailed when a mysterious trunk is uncovered, with its contents containing secrets that shakes up both their lives.

Adapting the novel of the same name by Kim Ryeo-ryeong, "The Trunk" is powered by torrid bad romances and a central driving mystery. Stylishly filmed, the show is a modern neo-noir with command performances by leads, particularly Gong Yoo as the lovelorn and desperate Jeong-won. Every episode ticks closer to the reveal of this initially innocuous mystery that becomes more unsettling as the story progresses. Darkly surreal and deceptively addictive, "The Trunk" tells its twisted love story in eight episodes.