The 5 Best Korean Dramas to Stream on Netflix This Spring

Have we finally entered the Netflix K-drama era where everything is a sequel or a spin-off? No – there will still be some original K-dramas making their way to our Netflix queues next spring, from the zany comedy of Chicken Nuggets to a completely new love story from the author of the Hallyu classic Crash landing on you.

However, I’ve definitely started to notice it quite Some upcoming series are based on existing hits. Of a Hospital playlist Spin-off for the upcoming third season of Sweet home, Netflix K-dramas don’t feel quite as fresh as they used to. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – after all, we’re getting a new season of the sports reality hit Physical: 100 on March 19 — but it definitely feels like the end of an era. With that in mind, here are the five most promising upcoming Korean dramas, both delightfully new and beautifully tied to beloved hits, that you can expect to see on Netflix this spring.

Queen of Tears

Release date: 9th March
Number of episodes: 16 (two episodes weekly)
Recommended for fans of: Crash landing on you, It’s okay not to be okay, My liberation notes

Most romantic dramas – Korean or otherwise – follow a tried and tested path that usually involves the beginning of a relationship. We start with a friendly meeting, the two fall in love and perhaps we experience a wedding or a period of bliss before the curtain closes. Queen of Tears is unique because its story is primarily concerned with whatever is to come after

Queen of Tears The focus is on the fairytale romance between Justice Director Baek Hyun-woo (It’s okay not to be okayis Kim Soo-hyun), who grew up in the middle of nowhere, and the director of the Queen Department Store, Hong Hae-in (My liberation notes‘Kim Ji-won), a chaebol heiress. The two married across social classes out of love, but are now anything but a fairy tale. They’ve fallen out of love, or so it seems, and the K-drama tells the story of how they get back together.

The show comes from famous Hallyu writer Park Ji-eun, the pen behind hits like Crash landing on you And My love from the starSo Queen of Tears has all the makings of a future K-drama classic.

Chicken Nuggets

Release date: March, 15
Number of episodes: 10
Recommended for fans of: Dirk Gently, Movingfried chicken

I won’t pretend the situation isn’t strange: when a mysterious closet turns company boss Choi Sun-man’s daughter into a piece Gangjeong fried chicken, Choi and intern Go Baek-joong do everything they can to return her to human form. This is being billed as a “black comedy,” and I understand where that’s coming from – making something delicious out of a family member is terrible – but tonally, from the looks of the trailer, this show is going to be pure fun.

With a premise this crazy, this K-drama could be somewhere between the best and worst series of 2024. Its place on this spectrum lies in the execution and Choi Sun-man – who also played a father next to a fried chicken in the 2023 K-drama breakout Moving — As a lead, we are in good hands. mask girl‘s Ahn Jae-hong also plays the role of the intern, with shorter appearances My demonis Kim You-jung as the teased daughter and Squid gameis Jung Ho-yeon in a cameo appearance.

The series is an adaptation of a webtoon with the same Korean name, and original author Park Ji-dok is also a writer on the Netflix adaptation. Additionally, every trailer instance where Ryu Seung-ryong as Choi Sun-man tries to protect the orange chicken nug, who he assumes is his beloved daughter, made me laugh. And that’s not nothing.

The 8 Show

Image: Netflix

Release date: This spring will be announced later
Number of episodes: TBA
Recommended for fans of: Squid game, Alice in the Borderland, The an episode of Doctor Who

We’re counting down the days until the second season of Squid game? The 8 Show could help. The K-drama tells the fictional story of eight people who are invited to appear on a reality variety TV show titled Money game. If the eight people can endure living in an eight-story concrete fortress for 100 days, they can split the winnings equally. The prize money starts at 44.8 billion won (around $33.6 million), and of course there is a catch. They can spend the money on essentials like food, water and electricity, but it comes out of profits – and the essentials cost thousands of times their normal price. Good luck, people!

The series is an adaptation of a webtoon story called Money game (I guess that was to close to Squid game) and is directed by film writer and director Han Jae-rim (The face reader, Emergency declaration). Ryoo Joon-yeol, who starred in the 2022 historical hit The night owl, will lead the cast. Honestly, if Netflix would shamelessly search for one Squid gameStill, they could have been a lot lazier. The cast and creative team are top notch. The 8 Show could be awfully great, just like the show that presumably launched it.

Resident Playbook

Image: Netflix

Release date: This spring will be announced later
Number of episodes: TBA
Recommended for fans of: Hospital playlist, Grey’s Anatomy, Call the midwife

Hospital playlist follows a dynamic group of doctor friends who all work at a hospital in Seoul – er, and they have a common bond. It is one of the most successful and consistently entertaining K-dramas of recent years and has already had two seasons and counting. Now there is also a spin-off…

Resident Playbook takes place in the same fictional universe as Hospital playlist, but will follow another group of doctor friends at another hospital in Seoul. Interesting, Resident Playbook will complete the training of interns to become gynecologists. Obstetrics and gynecology are the branches of medicine that focus on the care of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the relevant reproductive organs, which honestly opens up a whole lot of interesting storylines related to it the lives of women in South Korea.

The series is directed by young actress Go Youn-jung, who has given unforgettable performances in the series Sweet home, Alchemy of soulsAnd Moving. I’m excited to see what she can do with this role.

hierarchy

Image: Netflix

Release date: This spring will be announced later
Number of episodes: TBA
Recommended for fans of: elite, Badland Hunter, SKY lock, The glory

Who doesn’t love a teen drama? The format is part of what paved the way for K-dramas to become a global pop culture phenomenon, and we don’t get as many youth-centric K-dramas as we used to. Input hierarchy, an upcoming teen revenge romance about a group of students at Jooshin High, a Korean private school for the 1%. When Kang Ha arrives, he is the rare transfer student to an institution where registration is determined practically at birth. The series synopsis reveals a secret hidden behind Ha’s innocent smile that could bring down the entire school. Wait!

The series has a young cast including Badland Hunter Teenager Roh Jeong-eui with Jung Jae-yi, the daughter of a chaebol, and Crash course in romanceis Lee Chae-min (also current Music bank MC!), the son of a different Chaebol. (Pretty much everyone is the descendant of a chaebol.) Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow Director Bae Hyun-jin is behind the camera. This series could technically arrives in early summer, as it’s listed simply as “Q2” in Netflix promotional materials. Whenever it graces our eyes, we are ready.