Must Watch Korean Dramas of 2021

Looking for your next kdrama binge? These twelve series from 2021 cover ratings hits, award winners and global streaming sensations, from seaside romance and medical comfort viewing to survival games and crime stories. Every pick comes with air dates, the main cast and a premise that gives nothing away.

Beyond Evil (괴물)

Release Date: February 19, 2021 - April 10, 2021 Genre: Psychological thriller, Procedural

Who's in the cast:
Shin Ha-kyun as Lee Dong-sik
Yeo Jin-goo as Han Joo-won
Choi Sung-eun as Yoo Jae-yi
Chun Ho-jin as Nam Sang-bae

What it's about: Two police officers in a small Gyeonggi Province city, Lee Dong-sik and Han Joo-won, bend the rules to catch a serial killer. The deeper they dig, the less they trust anyone connected to the case, including each other. It is a tense two-hander for viewers who like their thrillers character-first.

Network: JTBC · Episodes: 16

Vincenzo (빈센조)

Release Date: February 20, 2021 - May 2, 2021 Genre: Crime drama, Black comedy, Romance

Who's in the cast:
Song Joong-ki as Vincenzo Cassano
Jeon Yeo-been as Hong Cha-young
Ok Taec-yeon as Jang Jun-woo
Kim Yeo-jin as Choi Myung-hee
Kwak Dong-yeon as Jang Han-seo

What it's about: Vincenzo Cassano is a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer who flees to Seoul after a betrayal at home. He has gold hidden beneath an old building called Geumga Plaza, but the powerful Babel Group wants the site cleared. Vincenzo teams up with lawyer Hong Cha-young and sets out to beat the conglomerate at its own dirty game.

Network: tvN · Episodes: 20

Watch it on Netflix

Navillera (나빌레라)

Release Date: March 22, 2021 - April 27, 2021 Genre: Drama

Who's in the cast:
Park In-hwan as Shim Deok-chul
Song Kang as Lee Chae-rok
Na Moon-hee as Choi Hae-nam
Hong Seung-hee as Shim Eun-ho

What it's about: Shim Deok-chul, a 70-year-old retired mail carrier, decides to chase a lifelong dream and learn ballet, even though his family disapproves. At a dance studio he meets Lee Chae-rok, a gifted 23-year-old dancer who is struggling to make ends meet. Each helps the other keep going.

Network: tvN · Episodes: 12

Watch it on Netflix

Taxi Driver (모범택시)

Release Date: April 9, 2021 - May 29, 2021 Genre: Action, Crime, Black comedy, Revenge

Who's in the cast:
Lee Je-hoon as Kim Do-gi
Esom as Kang Ha-na
Kim Eui-sung as Jang Sung-chul
Pyo Ye-jin as Ahn Go-eun
Jang Hyuk-jin as Choi Kyung-ku

What it's about: Kim Do-gi is a former special forces soldier who drives for Rainbow Taxi Company, a secret service that takes on cases for victims whose offenders escaped punishment. Prosecutor Kang Ha-na grows suspicious of the company and gets drawn into its work. This entry covers the first season.

Network: SBS · Episodes: 16

Youth of May (오월의 청춘)

Release Date: May 3, 2021 - June 8, 2021 Genre: Melodrama, Period drama

Who's in the cast:
Lee Do-hyun as Hwang Hee-tae
Go Min-si as Kim Myung-hee
Lee Sang-yi as Lee Soo-chan
Keum Sae-rok as Lee Soo-ryeon

What it's about: In Gwangju in the spring of 1980, medical student Hwang Hee-tae falls for a nurse, Kim Myung-hee. The story stays close to the love and friendships of ordinary young people living in the shadow of the Gwangju Uprising rather than the front lines of the events themselves.

Network: KBS2 · Episodes: 12 (broadcast in 24 parts)

Hospital Playlist Season 2 (슬기로운 의사생활 시즌2)

Release Date: June 17, 2021 - September 16, 2021 Genre: Medical drama, Romance, Comedy, Slice of life

Who's in the cast:
Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-jun
Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong-won
Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan
Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok-hyeong
Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-hwa

What it's about: Five doctors in their forties who became friends in medical school work side by side at Yulje Medical Center. The series mixes everyday hospital cases with friendship, family and love stories, and it leans warm and comforting. Season 2 picks up from the first season, so start there if you can.

Network: tvN · Episodes: 12

Watch it on Netflix

D.P. (디피)

Release Date: August 27, 2021 Genre: Military drama, Action

Who's in the cast:
Jung Hae-in as An Jun-ho
Koo Kyo-hwan as Han Ho-yeol
Kim Sung-kyun as Park Beom-gu
Son Sukku as Im Ji-sup

What it's about: Set in 2014, the series follows a military police team whose job is to track down deserters. Private An Jun-ho and Corporal Han Ho-yeol pair up on the hunt, and each search shows what drove a conscript to run. It is also a pointed look at bullying and hazing in the barracks. This entry covers the first season.

Network: Netflix · Episodes: 6

Watch it on Netflix

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (갯마을 차차차)

Release Date: August 28, 2021 - October 17, 2021 Genre: Romantic comedy, Slice of life

Who's in the cast:
Shin Min-a as Yoon Hye-jin
Kim Seon-ho as Hong Du-sik
Lee Sang-yi as Ji Seong-hyun
Gong Min-jeung as Pyo Mi-seon
Kim Young-ok as Kim Gam-ri

What it's about: Yoon Hye-jin is a Seoul dentist whose life has hit a rough patch. On an impulse she opens a clinic in Gongjin, a close-knit seaside village, where she meets Hong Du-sik, a jack-of-all-trades the locals call Chief Hong. The two are opposites in nearly every way, and the village around them is half the fun.

Network: tvN · Episodes: 16

Watch it on Netflix

Squid Game (오징어 게임)

Release Date: September 17, 2021 Genre: Survival thriller, Dystopian, Drama

Who's in the cast:
Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun (Player 456)
Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (Player 218)
Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok (Player 067)
Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-ho

What it's about: Hundreds of people deep in debt accept a mysterious invitation to play children's games for a huge cash prize. Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father with money trouble, is one of them. The catch is that losing is fatal. This entry covers the first season.

Network: Netflix · Episodes: 9

Watch it on Netflix

My Name (마이 네임)

Release Date: October 15, 2021 Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Noir

Who's in the cast:
Han So-hee as Yoon Ji-woo
Park Hee-soon as Choi Mu-jin
Ahn Bo-hyun as Jeon Pil-do
Kim Sang-ho as Cha Gi-ho
Lee Hak-ju as Jung Tae-ju

What it's about: After her father is killed, Yoon Ji-woo puts her trust in a powerful crime boss and joins his drug gang, determined to find the killer. He then plants her inside the police force as his mole. It is an action-heavy revenge story built around her double life.

Network: Netflix · Episodes: 8

Watch it on Netflix

Jirisan (지리산)

Release Date: October 23, 2021 - December 12, 2021 Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Thriller, Drama

Who's in the cast:
Jun Ji-hyun as Seo Yi-kang
Ju Ji-hoon as Kang Hyun-jo
Sung Dong-il as Jo Dae-jin
Oh Jung-se as Jung Goo-young

What it's about: Rangers at Jirisan National Park search the mountain's remote, unexplored areas to rescue lost hikers. As the rescues pile up, a mystery grows around the people who come to the mountain and what they are looking for. It pairs mountain-rescue action with a slow-building puzzle.

Network: tvN · Episodes: 16

Hellbound (지옥)

Release Date: November 19, 2021 Genre: Supernatural, Dark fantasy, Thriller, Horror

Who's in the cast:
Kim Hyun-joo as Min Hye-jin
Yang Ik-june as Jin Kyeong-hoon
Park Jeong-min as Bae Young-jae
Won Jin-ah as Song So-hyun

What it's about: Supernatural beings begin to appear and announce exactly when certain people will die and be sent to hell. As fear spreads, a religious movement takes hold and argues that the condemnations are divine justice. The series focuses on how people and institutions react to that fear. This entry covers the first season.

Network: Netflix · Episodes: 6

Watch it on Netflix