My K-Drama Queue: What Series Should I Watch Next?

Crash Landing on You is undoubtedly my first K-drama love, but it’s already got lots of company in my grateful, ever-expanding heart. Thanks to recommendations from fandom buddies on Twitter, I’ve now watched 6 9 incredible series (and counting). Won’t be stopping there, either, ’cause I’m still adding new ones to my To Watch list at an alarming rate. Which is why, as an experiment, and hopefully for your entertainment, I’ve decided to start tracking my queue. Here you can see what I have watched, am watching, and plan to watch. It’s a front-row seat to my descent into madness, no doubt, but also a chance for you to influence my choices. What I’m saying is…

Tell me which K-Drama to watch next! 

I invite you to weigh in on my current trajectory, add even more shows to my queue, and make your best case for why I should move your recommendation up in my list of priorities. 

“You’re obsessed!” my IRL friends have remarked. They’re correct. If you’re here, though, that means you are too. So let’s be obsessive fans together, shall we?

My Watch History, or: K-Dramas I’ve Already Seen and Loved (in Viewing Order)

1. Crash Landing on You –  Handsome, broody North Korean soldier can’t say “no” to beautiful, headstrong South Korean businesswoman. That’s it, that’s the plot.
2. Descendants of the Sun – My introduction to Song Joong-ki! I confess I felt more drawn to him than to the show itself. It’s a very enjoyable medical drama, though, and perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy.
3. Her Private Life – Fangirl heroine falls in love with her (temporary) boss. Romantic comedy at its finest and probably my second-favorite K-drama to date.
4. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (a.k.a. Psycho But It’s Okay) – Didn’t expect to cry so much over a modern-day Gothic romance framed around fairytale retellings, but here we are.
5. Guardian: The Great and Lonely God (a.k.a. Goblin) – An immortal warrior and a Grim Reaper both lose their hearts to mortal girls; bonus points for a brilliant use of the reincarnated-soulmates trope.
6. Vincenzo – Two sexy lawyers team up to do crimes in the name of vigilante justice. How could I resist more Song Joong-ki? I couldn’t.
7. Flower of Evil – A psychological thriller with romantic elements that reminded me of The Americans or Mr. and Mrs. Smith. This compelling fan edit, and the accompanying chatter on Twitter, is what encouraged me to start the series sooner rather than later. I didn’t want it to end!
8. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? – Before she starred in my beloved Her Private Life, actress Park Min-young made what @hurleyybird has dubbed “the gold standard for romantic comedy.” But wait, there’s more: It’s also a boss-assistant romance, my guilty pleasure. While the hero ended up being a smidge too domineering for my taste, overall I’d give the series an 8/10.
9. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes – YouTube’s algorithm knows me better than I know myself, so when it serves me a FMV set to good music of a pretty pairing being angsty for ambiguous reasons, I pay attention. Then I add a new series to my watchlist like the lemming I am, because I NEED to find out why two such hot people are so tortured! In this case, the answer was complicated and, fair warning, quite tragic.
10. Bring It On, Ghost – What kind of X-Phile would I be if the phrase “badass ghost hunters” didn’t trigger a burning desire to seek The Truth about this paranormal romance? Guess we’ll never find out, because I watched and really, really enjoyed this one.

Shows I DNF’d (Did Not Finish)

1. Romance Is a Bonus Book – A classic case of “It’s not you, it’s me.” The timing just wasn’t right for my first go-round with this drama. But I’m gonna come back to it, I swear!
2. Angel Eyes – Made it about halfway through and realized I wasn’t looking forward to reaching the next episode anymore. While the actors were charming, the pacing of the plot left something to be desired there toward the middle.
3. Doom at Your Service – Seo In-Guk is as broody and beautiful as he was in The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, and, as established, I love paranormal romance. For some reason, though, my interest in this series waned by the end and I still have yet to watch the last episode.

What I’m Currently Watching

Nothing, and I’m ready for that to change.

My K-Drama Queue in Order of Current Priority…Unless You Change My Mind*

1. I’m Not a Robot – Up next we’ve got another top pick from a friend of a friend. Everything I know about it, I gleaned from a plot synopsis: The heroine’s ex-boyfriend builds an AI that looks exactly like her, but when it malfunctions, he pays her to pretend to be the AI for his client. Naturally, the client turns out to be a handsome, successful businessman…and the hero of the series.
2. The King: Eternal Monarch – The Goblin vibes are strong with this one, right down to the casting of Kim Go-eun as heroine. Rumor has it the plot can be a tad confusing at first, but I’ve decided it deserves a prime place on my queue anyway. @EmmaB_Video’s edit of an inexplicably sexy battle scene sealed the deal.
3. Fight for My Way – The Swoon knows what it’s doing with these highly effective Instagram posts about new-to-me dramas. I fully recognize that they’re using content marketing tactics to lure me into spending more time on the Netflix app, but I don’t even mind.
4. My Love from the Star – Recommended by a friend of a friend (thanks, Jill!), this show already has two other things going for it: Roswell vibes and Kim Soo-Hyun from It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.
5. Not Yet 30 – Have I mentioned how susceptible I am to FMVs? In my defense, this one set to the song “Flashlight” is REALLY GOOD.
6. Romance Is a Bonus Book – Inspired by the American TV show Younger, which is set in the book publishing industry, Romance Is a Bonus Book is the very first K-drama I ever tried! I remember liking what I saw, but I clearly wasn’t in the right headspace yet because I got distracted by something else, abandoning poor Kang Dan-i and Cha Eun-ho. Soon I will rectify this mistake.
7. Because This Is My First Life – Roommates-to-lovers is already one of my favorite romance tropes. Roommates-to-lovers leveled up by a marriage of convenience, though, may just take the cake. Can’t wait to be the judge of that!
8. Strong Woman Do-Bong Soon – I credit an invaluable Twitter thread by @ceres_station for the presence of quite a few of the series on here, including this one. While “funny drama with a superhero element” isn’t my go-to genre, I’m willing to give it a shot.
9. So I Married The Anti-Fan – In my queue for the ingenious title alone, honestly. Since it’s still in the middle of its run, however, I will likely hold off until I can binge all 16 episodes on Viki.
10. Love Alarm – My friend Chris likes it, and Netflix keeps bringing it to my attention because the second season just dropped, so I’ll probably cave to peer pressure and hit “Play” sooner rather than later.
11. The Guest – What’s that you say? It’s not a romance but features a “sexy exorcist” and “high shipping potential”?! @kirsten_SE hit a home run off of this pitch.
12. City Hunter – Full disclosure, ceres_station had me at “He’s not supposed to fall in love.” Plus, the series co-stars a baby Park Min-Young of Her Private Life fame! SOLD.
13. Fated to Love You – The title alone called out to me, and ceres_station’s promises it’s “sweet, soft, funny, angsty.” (Note that she does reference a tw for miscarriage.)
14. She Was Pretty – Do I have a single, solitary clue what this is about? Nope! Yet when a fellow fangirl suggests shows close to her heart, you listen. @sweetiepiepen, this one’s for you!
15. Inheritors, a.k.a. The Heirs – A Buzzfeed listicle tells me it’s “widely considered one of the most iconic K-dramas of all time,” and ceres_station compares it to Gossip Girl. Obviously, I’m curious, even with the caveat that aspects of the show haven’t aged well.
16. Mystic Pop-Up Bar – My friend Chris says this is his all-time favorite drama, so even though it’s not a romance, it gets a place in the queue for sure.
17. Secret Garden – A few people, including @sweetiepiepen on Twitter, have put Secret Garden on my radar, and it’s easy to understand why: Hyun Bin stars! That said, I hear his character is a major departure from Ri Jeong Hyeok, so I have to make sure I’m ready to see him in such a different role.
18. Something in the Rain – Younger brother’s best friend romance starring Son Ye-jin of Crash Landing on You? Don’t mind if I do! Eventually. When I can move on from her as Se-ri. Plus, I hear this one takes some weird turns?
19. Vagabond – My friend and author K.M. Jackson learned the hard way that Vagabond is one of the rare dramas that ends on a cliffhanger, so I’ve been forewarned on that front. She’s clamoring for a Season 2, though, and I gotta find out why! Of course, I may as well wait a bit to catch up, to lessen my own wait, mwahahaha.

*I reserve the right to change the order of this list at any time and for any reason. Or for no reason! I’m fickle that way.

Poll time! What should I watch next? And which series are still missing from my list? Let me know here in the comments or on Twitter @ShipRecced, pretty please!

P.S. Don’t miss my top picks for 5 Achingly Romantic K-Dramas to Watch Again and Again

This live tracker was originally published on May 7, 2021. Latest update: May 17, 2021.