10 Underrated Korean Dramas That You Absolutely Must Watch!

by NetizenDrama, March 4, 2019

117 97

Hello! I'm Nina, I run NetizenDrama, a website and twitter account where I translate knetizens' comments, Kdrama related news, and write some reviews about dramas that I'm currently watching!

I got into Kdramas in 2012, however, I always notice that some good dramas are just not getting the attention they really deserve! So I decided to make a small list of underrated dramas that I truly enjoyed watching. I published this article on my website and thanks to editor Yuanwei, I got the opportunity to post it here as well, plus I added 2 extra dramas for fun. hehe

DISCLAIMER: This is based on my own preferences.

Come Back Mister

Episodes: 16
Genre: Comedy, Melodrama

Simply one of my favourite dramas but unfortunately it was overshadowed by Descendants of the Sun and, to be honest, I enjoyed and loved this one more than DOTS!

It tells the story of two middle-aged men who die and then come back to earth and inhabit the bodies of a young man and young woman in order to protect the ones they love.

Trailer: Link

Angry Mom

Episodes: 16
Genre: Family, School

Another one of my favourites! Not only did this drama introduce us to Jisoo, but it talked about a lot of important issues such as bullying, paedophilia, murder, sexual assault and child abuse.

The drama tells the story of a mother who goes to school to protect her children from school violence.

Trailer: Link

Circle

Episodes: 12
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery

I sometimes think this drama was released ahead of its time and probably that's why a lot of people didn't watch it or enjoy it! It really had a unique plot and was full of twists. It might be confusing in the first few episodes, but it picks up and everything comes and fits together later.

The drama is set in the present (2017) and the future (2037), the story is about an alien invasion in 2017 and the subsequent new Earth in 2037; which is separated into the “Smart Earth” where people’s emotions are controlled and no crimes and illness exist, and the “General Earth” where people still suffer from rampant plague and lawlessness.

Trailer: Link

Beautiful Mind

Episodes: 14
Genre: Medical, Melodrama, Mystery

Another drama that was ignored because it aired along with the popular drama Doctors, but this was a really well written medical mystery drama! I was really sad when they reduced the episodes, but thankfully it was wrapped up really nicely.

The drama tells the story of Lee Young Oh, an excellent neurosurgeon, who lacks empathy towards his patients due to his antisocial personality disorder. One day, he meets Kye Jin Sung, a detective in the violent crimes division, and he gets involved in bizarre patient deaths. He also falls in love with her and recovers his humanity.

Trailer: Link

Missing Noir M

Episodes: 10
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller

I feel this drama is the most underrated. It was a really good crime drama, it had the suspense and mystery! I'm still waiting for a second season no matter what! If you are loving Kim Kang Woo in Item, but you find that drama extremely boring, I highly recommend you to check this one.

Gil Soo Hyun is extremely intelligent. At the age of 10, he attended Harvard University and after graduating, he went to work at the FBI. 10 years later, he decided to come back to South Korea. He now works as the leader of the Special Missing Persons Unit. The unit deals with about 1% of special missing cases involving violent crimes. His appearance borders on perfection, but he holds a secret. Detective Oh Dae Yeong joins the Special Missing Persons Unit. He has worked as a detective for 20 years and he has an obsession in observing the law. He is known as a master of missing person cases.

Trailer: Link

A Poem A Day

Episodes: 16
Genre: Medical, Comedy, Romance

Some avoided this drama because of the female lead or because they thought it will be boring because of the poems, and I honestly was one of these people, but after watching it, I ended up loving it!

The drama tells the story about the lives of people who work at the hospital like physical therapists, rehabilitation therapists, radiologists, nurses, medical trainees and more.

Trailer: Link

Duel

Episodes: 16
Genre: Detective, crime, thriller, science fiction

The drama that made me fall in love with Yang Se Jong! This drama was so good, I have to say the first episode was a slow-burn and you may find it boring, but things keep getting better and better from there.

The drama is about a detective, Jang Deuk Chun, who gets tangled up in a shocking incident after meeting a human clone. They will have to battle each other to survive.

Trailer: Link

Falling for Innocence

Episodes: 16
Genre: Romance, Comedy

This was my first Jung Kyung Ho drama and since then I became his fan! The acting was so good and so is the story. I find myself going back and re-watching some of the funny scenes. Its strange that I never saw people talking about it!

The drama talks about Min Ho, whose father ran a large company, but his death led to his uncle taking over the company. Because of this, he grows into a cutthroat investor. He then undergoes a heart transplant surgery and his personality changes. Thanks to his new heart, he begins to have warm feelings and he falls in love with a woman named Sun Jung.

Trailer: Link

Cross

Episodes: 16
Genre: Medical, Revenge, Thriller

Despite the scandal of one of the leads, this drama still delivered a solid story till the end! It's not the typical medical drama. It's more in the crime/thriller genre, but still shows the side of good doctors and how they help others. I also loved how the writer didn't focus on the romance part that much. Yes, we felt the leads liked each other, but that wasn't and didn't turn into the main plot. I have to say Go Kyung Pyo truly nailed his character

The drama is about a man who became a doctor in order to get revenge and kill the person who brutally murdered his father.

Trailer: Link

The Village: Achiara's Secret

Episodes: 16
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

I think this was probably the first thriller drama that I ever watched and it made me love this genre! It was so good, it didn't have romance, which probably was the best thing, it had no useless characters or development, It was mainly focused on the story and everything fit perfectly at the end.

The drama is about Achiara, a small, quiet, peaceful village with hardly any crime. But on her first day of school, English teacher Han So Yoon discovers a buried corpse. As the town's people speculate on the identity of the dead person and the reason she was killed, So Yoon and Police Officer Woo Jae attempt to find the truth. As they get closer, the ugliness of the village is revealed.

Trailer: Link