Best Korean Dramas of 2017

2017 was a good year in the land of Korean drama. At the very least, it was a much better year compared to 2016. There were some high quality dramas on air that kept me coming back to them every week.These are my personal picks for top Korean drama in 2017.


15) Witch's Court

I didn't want to include this drama in the list because it kind of started out with a bang and then becomes a mess before eventually giving out a couple satisfactory ending episodes BUT what compels me to include this in the list is Ma Yi Deum (Played by Jung Ryeo Won on whom I have this huge crush. She is one of my favorite Korean actresses). The drama follows this witch-like prosecutor Ma Yi Deum who resorts to cunning tactics and personal attacks to get her way and win cases. Unlike your typical dramas where the heroine is all goody two shoes and can't do no wrong, Ma Yi Deum isn't afraid to get down and dirty and Jung Ryeo Won plays the witch-like comedic Ma Yi Deum to a T. I am trying really hard to talk about other characters and actors but I really can't. Ma Yi Deum carries the whole drama on her shoulders. She is the heart and soul of this drama. If you are looking for a drama with a funny and interesting female lead, give this one a try.

14) Age of Youth Season 2

If you watched season 1 of this drama, you'd know that this is a slice of life drama focusing on a group of girls and their relationships. A follow up series is very rare in Kdrama land but seeing as this is a season 2, you can imagine how acclaimed and rather good the first season was. Although, season 2 isn't as good as the first one (something all sequels tend to suffer with), it still manages to capture the essence of college life and friendships in a realistic sense. I highly recommend this drama to anyone who is looking for a good slice-of-life drama that sustains your attention throughout (also season 1 for those haven't watched because that was a MASTERPIECE).

13) Queen of Mystery 

Yoo Seol Ok (Played by Choi Kang Hee whose drama 'Protect the boss' you should definitely check out) is a housewife who always loved mystery novels and dreamed of becoming a detective. She gives up on her dream after marriage and leads a rather boring life until one day she meets Ha Wan Seung (Kwon Sang woo), a detective. Both of them decide to solve cases together.

I was reluctant to watch this drama at first which was quite dumb of me as the drama was actually so much better than I expected it to be. The drama has a bit of everything; comedy, a bit of romance, mystery and action but what keeps you entertained is the chemistry between the two leads and the rest of the cast. Watch this if you are in a bit of mood for mystery but do take this WARNING: The ending was rather open ended and left a lot of things unexplained (maybe they were hoping for a season 2) so keep that in mind before you dive in.

12) Fight for My Way

The plot of this drama is pretty simple and might seem like your typical 'best friends who are oblivious to feelings they have for each other and eventually fall in love' kind of story but there's more at play here. The drama explores the life of 4 friends as they deal with the ups and downs of life and makes an effort to portray characters in a realistic sense (more so with the second couple) and I personally enjoyed watching it.

11) Woman of Dignity

The drama is a murder mystery revolving around two ladies - The rich wife of a chaebol Ah Jin (Kim Hee Sun) and the rich household's newly appointed personal maid Park Bok Ja (Kim Sun Ah).

I decided to give this drama a try because it recorded one of the highest ratings for a cable drama ever and I wondered if it was a makjang drama.

It was.

BUT I thoroughly enjoyed it. Usually makjang dramas involve lots of ugly twists and incredibly outrageous scenarios and this drama had them all. However, the good acting, cinematography and background score coupled with incredibly well panned final episodes make this drama a perfect watch for those looking to feel ''why am I watching this.. this is so bad it's good I can't believe this is happening omg' kinda feeling.

10) Goblin

I might get serious flak for this should anyone read this blog but I really did not enjoy Goblin as much as I was hoping to. Goblin was 'the hit' this year - literally almost every drama fan was head over heels for this drama and I really thought it'd be an absolute fantastic watch but what I got was mediocre writing, an inconsistent plot and scenes that often felt too long. That being said, what make this drama WORK are the actors, the bromance between the two male leads, ASTOUNDING cinematography for a drama series and excellent music. If you are looking for a supernatural drama that also delivers high quality, Goblin is your way to go (do mind though that the episodes sometimes do feel a tad bit long). 

9) Chicago Typewriter

This drama may not be as popular as some of the other ones but it had really good reviews and I wanted to see if it lived up to it's name. I was not disappointed at all. At times, I felt like it wasn't a compelling watch but then suddenly something interesting would happen that would keep me going. The editing, casting and cinematography was excellent. What I really enjoyed was how seamlessly the drama made switches between the past and present. Highly recommend this drama to those who like a really well made drama and also to fans of Yoo Ah In.

8) Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

This drama was written for Park Bo Young. This was one of the very few shows this year where I didn't care about the plot, plot holes and just enjoyed it all the way through. This drama was PURE fun. Don't want to address a drama as cute EVER but this drama compels me to do so and I will forever worship Park Bo Young for the rest of my damn life. Yes, the whole kidnapping aspect of the drama could have been done better but who the heck cares? The drama was an absolute fun to watch and is probably one of the only dramas on this list I could re-watch again (only the Do Bong Soon and Min Hyuk parts of course).

7) While You Were Sleeping

I admit, although I like Suzy, I was never a fan of her acting and I have always disliked Lee Jong Suk (watched all his dramas shamelessly though) but this drama completely changed my opinion of them. This was essentially a law drama coupled with fantasy that had all the elements of a good drama - great characterization, engaging story line, good cast and complimentary music. If I had to nitpick, I would probably say there's still more room for Suzy to grow as an actress (which is a good thing) and the chemistry between the leads felt off to me at times but nonetheless, a really really compelling watch. 

6) Because This is My First Life

This was a loose remake of the Japanese drama Nigeru Wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu. I watched the original Japanese drama and I would say the Korean one was better in almost all the aspects save for the relationship between the main leads. The Japanese one dealt with a single story line and the ending of the drama never felt out of character. This is my only gripe for the Korean one where we were dealing with 3 different couples and the ending felt just a bit ooc as I would have liked for more development before they reached the conclusion. Overall, Because this is my first life was a beautiful drama throughout that really shows complexities of different relationships and teaches us to embraces the most important thing in life - love (I may have cringed when I wrote that but I really can't explain it any other way). With a solid script and excellent acting, this was one of the most stirring dramas that I watched this year. Highly recommended. 

5) Avengers Social Club 

What an absolutely refreshing drama! You can read my review for this drama here. I went into this drama thinking it was going to be all serious and no fun but damn... how incredibly wrong I was! The main plot of this drama is revenge but it's unlike any revenge drama that I have ever seen but that's a good thing in this case. I did touch upon how they could have made it a bit more serious to make it more riveting but after watching the whole drama, I think the tone of this drama was perfect. Strong performances, lots of humor , fresh and entertaining, Avengers social club is one of my favorite dramas this season, and I highly recommend it - if you are still wondering if  you should watch this drama, the chemistry between the three female main characters will give you life. Please heed my advice and watch this one! 

4) Defendant  

Heart palpitations, anxiety attacks and extreme nervousness - these are, but some of the things you will experience when you watch this phenomenal series. The drama follows Park Jeong Woo (played by my favorite actor Ji Sung) who one day finds himself on a death row and in jail and he does not remember how he ended up in prison in the first place. What follows is an exciting tale of back and forth between Park Jeong Woo and his nemesis Cha Minho (played brilliantly, marvelously by Uhm Ki Joon) that leaves you breathless every episode. The only thing I didn't like about this drama was the female lead (Yuri from Girls generation). Her acting kind of distracted me in a bad way sometimes but thankfully she does not have a huge role and puts up a decent performance. The plot may not be appealing to some right way but trust me when I say this; the drama will leave you gasping for breath more often than not. There will be nail biting, head scratching and impatience from each and every one of you that gives this drama a chance and it will all be worth it. 

3) Chief Kim

WOW! This was a GEM of a drama. I really cannot put into words how much I enjoyed this drama. If you are looking for that one drama where you want to drown yourself in comedy done cleverly without excessive exaggeration - Chief Kim is the perfect drama for you. Nam Gung Min literally makes you laugh just by existing in this brilliant drama. You will fall in love with Chief kim and the antagonist (Lee Junho of 2PM) relationship and also fall in love with other characters along the way (I am looking at you Park Myung Seok). There was not a single thing that I didn't like about this drama. Everything about it was perfect. Watch it!

2) My Father is Strange

I really enjoy watching family dramas but I had yet to come across a drama that made me fall in love like the drama 'five enough' did. This was until I watched ' My Father is Strange.' This drama explores family relationships in a way that feels real. Usually most, if not all family dramas involve some form of outrageous scenarios to keep the audience entertained but 'Father is Strange' is a drama that captivates you with no such outrageous bullshit. The drama is really long (52 episodes) but every episode is a joy to watch and you find yourself in anticipation for the next episode. I watched this drama every week for 6 months of its run and I was always in awe of how great and heart-warming it was. It never felt dragged out (really important for a long drama series) and I was truly happy for watching this drama till the very end. If it weren't for the number one drama on my list, this drama would have topped my list (I mean duh that's why it's second... dunno what I was trying to explain but you get it). 

1) Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim

I know that this was technically a 2016 drama but it ended in 2017 and that's a good enough reason for me to include it in the list. I would have included it in the 2016 list as well with the same illogical reason because for me, this drama is THE BEST DRAMA that I have ever watched hands down. I would honestly dedicate a song singing high praises for this drama and it would not even be close to how I actually feel about it. The title might throw you off but goddamn if it isn't the perfect title. The drama explores the life of once acclaimed-now-alienated Dr. Kim Sabu (Played so so exceptionally by Han Seok Kyu) and his group of medical professionals as they take on seemingly impossible cases. The teamwork aspect of this drama was further amplified by such an overwhelmingly talented cast - especially Han Seok Kyu who mesmerizes you in such a subtle way that you cannot help but feel helpless when at the end you realize - you have a crush on an old man. As I watched the series, I finally deciphered what the title means and I hope you will too.

 I would like to once again reiterate that this is solely my list and it may not reflect the usual consensus.