Thursday, 11.38pm. Your uni group chat suddenly comes alive: "Crash Landing on You. Trust me." It's the third time this month Priya has posted exactly the same message (this time with a GIF of a sobbing soldier). You give in. You open Netflix, type "Korean", and the screen fills with thumbnails that all look the same — a boy in a long coat, a girl with very wide eyes, an English title. You press play on episode 1. It runs for over an hour. You glance at the counter — sixteen episodes.
Sixteen episodes of more than an hour each is, at the very least, eighteen hours of your life, for a story whose rules and characters you know nothing about. Halfway through episode 2, the music swells over an endless slow-motion shot and you wonder whether it's meant to be funny. You close the laptop. The next day you reply "tried it, not for me" — and Priya sends you a three-minute voice note.
Plenty of us have been there. And yet K-dramas are no longer a niche taste. In January 2023, Netflix reported "over 60 percent of all Netflix members watching Korean titles last year", and a few months earlier the V&A had opened Hallyu! The Korean Wave, a whole exhibition on the subject in South Kensington. What went wrong was the way in. My way in was Kingdom: six episodes of under an hour, zombies at the royal court of Joseon, and a Sunday with nothing planned. Three weeks later I knew the word "sageuk" and had opinions about horsehair hats.
This guide gives you an entry route by genre (romance, feel-good, thriller, historical), the codes you need so you don't bail at episode 2, and where to watch it all legally in the UK. With, for every series, the number of episodes — because that's THE question nobody asks before pressing play.
Why people give up on their first K-drama
People give up on their first K-drama for three reasons — length, pace and codes. None of them says anything about the quality of the series. They just mean you arrived without the instructions.
Length first. An episode of Crash Landing on You runs between 70 and 110 minutes — the length of a film. A Korean prime-time drama usually tells its story in a single season, but a dense one: most of the series in this guide have 12 to 16 episodes. So you're signing up for a block of anything from 12 to over 20 hours.
Then pace. The first two episodes of a drama set everything up — the family, the past, the rival, the cousin who lies, the grandmother who knows. It drags (a bit). Then, around episode 3 or 4, the story tips over, and that's when you find yourself at 2am pressing "next episode" with a conviction you didn't know you had.
And finally, codes. A Korean drama draws on storytelling traditions that aren't ours — broad physical comedy, unashamedly emotional close-ups, slow motion, the same song every time two characters lock eyes. If you don't know them, it reads as clumsy. If you do, you're waiting for them — and you laugh with the show, not at it.
The K-drama codes to know before episode 1
K-drama codes are situations that come back from one series to the next, and that Korean audiences wait for the way you wait for a chorus. Knowing them spoils nothing. Quite the opposite — you finally understand why the camera lingers on a bowl of noodles.
The first code is restraint. Korean romance is a romance of slowness: a look, a hand grabbing a wrist, a shared umbrella — that's where the tension lives. The first kiss, when it finally arrives, is an event. Reviewing Crash Landing on You for The Guardian in May 2020, Jo Walker listed the tropes she kept spotting after bingeing Korean dramas in lockdown: "forgotten chance meetings, dramatic piggyback rides, and at least one scene per show where the heroine gets totally juiced on beer". Five years on, the list still holds.
Add the family on top. Relationships on screen rest on its weight, on the hierarchy between older and younger, on respect for elders. A 35-year-old hero lowering his eyes in front of his mother reads, in Seoul, as plain respect.
| The code | What it means | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| The single season | The story is written to end: 12 to 16 episodes, a proper ending | Crash Landing on You, Business Proposal |
| The long-awaited kiss | Tension builds for hours before the first kiss | Almost every romance |
| The chaebol | The heir or heiress to a family conglomerate, rich and surrounded by schemes | Crash Landing on You, Queen of Tears |
| The forgotten childhood meeting | The leads crossed paths years ago without remembering | Romances (often in flashback) |
| The second male lead | The other suitor, often kinder, whom viewers adore and who loses | Love triangles |
| Ramyeon | Sharing instant noodles means sharing intimacy | Romances and comedies |
| The piggyback | Carrying someone on your back, usually after one drink too many | Romances and comedies |
| Product placement | Sandwiches, skincare or cars in close-up, mid-scene | Pretty much everywhere (and not subtly) |
Ramyeon deserves an explanation. In the film One Fine Spring Day (2001), the heroine asks the man she's with whether he wants to eat ramyeon — and according to the South Korean daily The Hankyoreh, "this quote is often recited as a pick-up line", roughly an invitation to spend the night. Ever since, when two characters share a pan of noodles late at night, Korean viewers know. Now you do too.
The "second male lead" is a love-triangle classic — kind, attentive, there at the right moment — and the script sacrifices him almost every time. Fans even have a name for the frustration: second lead syndrome. Consider yourself warned.
The last code is more down to earth: product placement. When the heroine pauses mid-break-up to bite into a perfectly framed sandwich, that sandwich has a contract.
Start with romance: the series that win people over
Romance is the safest way in, because it's the genre where Korean codes are the easiest to read and the funniest. Four series, four temperaments — all on Netflix in the UK.
Business Proposal (SBS, 2022): the shortest, to test the water
Twelve episodes of about an hour — the ideal format for a first go. The story? Ha-ri turns up in disguise to a blind date in place of a friend, with one mission: scare the suitor off. Except the suitor turns out to be the CEO of her company, and he makes her an offer. It's enemies-to-lovers with no apologies, and the physical comedy doesn't try to be subtle (and works). If you laugh in episode 1, the genre is for you.
Crash Landing on You (tvN, 2019-2020): the classic
A paragliding accident sends a South Korean heiress across the border into North Korea, and into the life of an army officer who decides to hide her. Sixteen episodes, most of them well over an hour. It's long, sometimes wildly implausible, and it's the series everyone will tell you to start with — for good reasons: the supporting cast (the soldiers, the village women) is worth the trip on its own. My view? Save it for your second or third drama, when the codes no longer surprise you.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (tvN, 2021): the comfort romance
A dentist leaves the big city to open a practice in a small seaside town, where she keeps running into a handyman who knows everyone. They have nothing in common — and yet. Sixteen episodes, lots of sea, nosy neighbours and a gentleness that does you good on a rainy Sunday.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One (tvN, 2022): for anyone who likes a cry
In the late 1990s, a teenage fencer refuses to give up on her dream and meets a young man trying to rebuild his life. Sixteen episodes, a rivalry between two fencers that matters as much as the love story, and an ending I'll let you judge for yourself. Bring tissues (no, that's not a figure of speech).
And Queen of Tears (tvN, 2024)? The "queen of department stores" and her husband, who grew up in a small village, go through a marriage crisis — until love comes back by a very unexpected route. Sixteen episodes of roughly 80 to 90 minutes. Gorgeous, but very long for a beginner: keep it for later.
Feel-good and slice of life, if romance isn't enough
Feel-good K-drama is the category that wins over people who can't stand romance — jobs, friendships, families, and a tenderness that never tips into sickly. If you like hospital or courtroom series, this is your corner.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (ENA, 2022) follows Woo Young-woo, a brilliant autistic lawyer newly hired by a big law firm. Sixteen episodes, more or less a case per episode — perfect for watching in small doses. Park Eun-bin, in the title role, carries the whole thing.
Hospital Playlist (tvN, 2020-2021) follows five doctors who have been friends since medical school, their patients, their shifts — and the band they formed to unwind. Two seasons, 24 episodes, some close to two hours — but it's the series that feels most like dinner with old friends.
Move to Heaven (Netflix, 2021) follows a meticulous young man and the uncle he barely knows as they sort through the belongings of people who have died. Ten episodes of 45 minutes to an hour, and emotion that arrives without warning. And It's Okay to Not Be Okay (tvN, 2020) brings together an antisocial children's author and a psychiatric care worker — sixteen episodes, a dark-fairytale look, and a series that talks about mental health without caricature.
A special mention for Our Beloved Summer (SBS, 2021-2022): two exes who made a documentary that went viral at school end up, years later, in front of the same camera again. Sixteen episodes of about an hour. If there's an ex on your course, you'll wince.
Korean thrillers: revenge, survival and inequality
The Korean thriller is the ideal way in if romances feel too slow — shorter series, instant tension, and nearly always a social question under the suspense: money, violence at school, debt, class.
Squid Game (Netflix, 2021) needs no introduction: hundreds of cash-strapped players agree to compete in children's games with deadly stakes. Nine episodes in season one, seven in season two, released at the end of December 2024. A month after the first season landed, The Guardian reported that a "mind-boggling" 142m households had watched it, according to Netflix. I'm going to be unpopular: it isn't the best first K-drama. It's Korean, yes — but built for a global audience, with few of the codes you'll find elsewhere.
The Glory (Netflix, 2022-2023) is pure revenge: years after suffering horrific abuse at school, a woman methodically plans to make her tormentors pay. Sixteen episodes in two parts. According to Netflix's January 2023 round-up, Part 1 was "the most-watched non-English TV show during the week of January 2 with 82.48 million viewing hours". It's cold, precise, addictive.
My Name (Netflix, 2021) is the pick for when you're short of time — eight episodes of under an hour. After her father is murdered, a young woman puts herself in the hands of a powerful crime boss, who sends her undercover into the police. Lots of action, fights choreographed to the millimetre, a heroine who doesn't smile. Ideal for a weekend when you want to finish something.
Historical dramas (sageuk) without getting lost in the dynasties
Sageuk is Korean historical drama — costumes, palaces, court plots, often under the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). It's the genre that intimidates beginners most, wrongly. The best recent sageuk mix history with fantasy, comedy or horror — and you don't need any prior knowledge.
Kingdom (Netflix, 2019-2020) is the perfect way in: two seasons of six episodes, each under an hour. Rumours swirl around the ailing king, a mysterious plague spreads, and the crown prince has to protect his people. The plague is zombies. It's beautiful, political and properly frightening. True story: my boyfriend, who swore he couldn't stand subtitles, got through both seasons in one weekend in our Hackney flat (dubbed, fine).
Under the Queen's Umbrella (tvN, 2022) follows a queen who will do anything to make one of her unruly sons the next king of Joseon. Sixteen episodes, unexpected humour and a queen who never sits still. The King's Affection (KBS2, 2021) has a premise straight out of a novel: after the crown prince is assassinated, his twin sister takes the throne while hiding who she is. Twenty episodes, an unbearable secret and a forbidden romance.
Once you're hooked, try two longer sagas. Mr. Sunshine (tvN, 2018) follows a young man taken to the United States in 1871, after the American expedition to Korea, who returns home at a turning point in its history. Twenty-four episodes, sumptuous photography, a slow pace. Alchemy of Souls (tvN, 2022-2023) is pure fantasy in period costume: a powerful sorceress trapped in the body of a blind woman meets a young nobleman who wants her help to change his fate. Thirty episodes over two parts. Both are on Netflix.
Which K-drama to pick for your mood
The best first K-drama is the one that matches the mood you're in tonight, not the one everybody recommends. Here's a simple route — one series to start, one to carry on.
| Your mood | Start with | Format | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| You want to laugh and blush | Business Proposal | 12 episodes of about 1 hour | Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha |
| You want a big love story | Our Beloved Summer | 16 episodes of about 1 hour | Crash Landing on You |
| You want suspense, fast | My Name | 8 episodes of under 1 hour | The Glory |
| You love period pieces | Kingdom | 12 episodes of under 1 hour | Under the Queen's Umbrella |
| You need comfort | Extraordinary Attorney Woo | 16 episodes of 1 hour to 1 hour 20 | Hospital Playlist |
| You want a proper cry | Move to Heaven | 10 episodes of 45 minutes to 1 hour | Twenty-Five Twenty-One |
In practice, allow plenty of time. Twelve one-hour episodes is twelve hours — three weeks at two episodes on two evenings a week. For comparison, Business Proposal aired on Korean television from 28 February to 5 April 2022 — twelve episodes spread over just over five weeks. Nobody says you have to swallow it all in one weekend.
And if you're the type who does everything in company, set up a little "watch club" with your coursemates: one series a month, a debrief over a bowl of noodles. It works exactly like a book club you start and run with friends — a fixed date, one person who picks, a few questions to get the conversation going.
Where to watch K-dramas legally in the UK
In the UK, the easiest place to start is Netflix: every series in this guide is there, apart from Moving (Disney+).
There are two other options. Disney+ makes its own Korean series too, including Moving (2023), a story about low-profile superheroes and their families. And Rakuten Viki specialises in Asian series: without a subscription you can watch part of the catalogue with adverts, while the paid Viki Pass removes the ads and unlocks the rest. Its catalogue changes from country to country (the Viki Pass doesn't unlock region-restricted content) — check a show's page before subscribing for it.
On a student budget, the golden rule fits in one line: one subscription at a time. Subscribe, watch what interests you on that platform, cancel, move on to the next. Monthly Netflix plans and the Viki Pass can be cancelled at any time.
And pirate streaming? You're not the only one tempted. The government's Online Copyright Infringement Tracker from the Intellectual Property Office, published in February 2023, put the infringement level for TV at 19%, and at 32% overall. "Free" drama streaming sites are easy to find — complete with pop-ups that open by themselves and fake "play" buttons.
Subtitles or dubbed, and the Korean words you'll hear everywhere
Watch with subtitles if you can, dubbed if you'd rather — both are fine. On Netflix, many Korean series come with an English dub: Crash Landing on You, Kingdom, Business Proposal and Extraordinary Attorney Woo all do. Each show's page tells you, under "Audio".
The original audio has one real advantage: Korean dialogue is full of words that spell out the relationship between characters, and subtitles translate them badly (or not at all). Back in 2020, when Crash Landing on You was only available in Korean with English subtitles, The Guardian's reviewer noted that "it demands your full attention" — and that's still the best way to watch.
- Oppa: "older brother", said by a woman to an older man. In a romance it's also a term of affection — hence the innuendo.
- Unnie: "older sister", said by a woman to an older woman, friends included.
- Hyung and noona: the equivalents used by a man (to an older man, to an older woman).
- Sunbae: your senior at school or work. The opposite, hoobae, is the junior.
- -ssi: the polite suffix added to a name. When two characters drop it, something has happened.
- Aigoo: the universal sigh, somewhere between "oh dear" and "you poor thing".
- Hwaiting (fighting): the fist-raised cheer before an exam or a date.
One detail that matters: a subtitled episode needs your eyes. No scrolling while it plays, or you'll miss half the lines — and with them, half the jokes.
The mistakes that ruin a first K-drama
Here are the five mistakes that ruin a first K-drama, and how to avoid them.
- Starting with the most famous series. Crash Landing on You and Squid Game are global phenomena, and rarely good introductions. Choose by tonight's mood: the mood-by-mood route in this guide is there for that.
- Landing on a daily drama. In Korea, some series air every weeknight and run to far more episodes — different codes, a different audience. To begin with, stick to the single-season series in this guide.
- Bingeing sixteen episodes in two days. You'll finish the series, yes. You'll also finish exhausted, eyes stinging, feeling as though you've been through a bereavement. Two episodes a night is already plenty.
- Reading the comments before you've finished. One post glimpsed by accident can ruin hours of suspense. Mute the show's keywords on your socials while you're watching it.
- Judging the heroines by the standards of our own TV. Yes, some Korean romances play on power dynamics that can grate (the boss, the heir, the slightly overbearing protectiveness). You're allowed to roll your eyes. You're also allowed to love it anyway — the two aren't incompatible.
And if the heroines' skincare rituals fascinate you (those close-ups of night-time serums…), start with the steps of a complete beauty routine, in the right order, before raiding the K-beauty aisle. For a drama night with friends, carry the episode on in real life with karaoke or a Korean restaurant; for more ideas, have a look at our original weekend ideas beyond dinner and a film.
Frequently asked questions
Which K-drama should I start with if I've never watched a Korean series?
Start with a short series in your favourite genre: Business Proposal (12 episodes) if you like romantic comedies, My Name (8 episodes) if you prefer thrillers, Kingdom (two seasons of six episodes) if you like historical or horror series. All three are on Netflix in the UK.
How many episodes does a K-drama have?
Most Korean prime-time series have 12 to 16 episodes, often an hour long or more. Some sagas run to 20, 24 or even 30 episodes (The King's Affection, Mr. Sunshine, Alchemy of Souls). Series made directly for Netflix tend to be shorter: 8 episodes for My Name, 9 for the first season of Squid Game.
Do K-dramas have more than one season?
Usually not: a K-drama tells a complete story in a single season, with a proper ending. There are exceptions, mostly among series made for streaming platforms (Squid Game, Kingdom) or ensemble shows such as Hospital Playlist.
Where can I watch K-dramas for free and legally?
Rakuten Viki shows part of its catalogue with adverts, without a subscription; the paid Viki Pass removes the ads and unlocks the rest. Netflix and Disney+ are paid services. "Free" streaming sites offering every drama are illegal and can expose you to malware.
Why is there so little kissing in K-dramas?
Because classic Korean romance is built on restraint: the tension runs through looks, gestures and waiting, and the first kiss is a key moment of the story. Recent series made for streaming platforms are more direct.
Should I watch K-dramas with subtitles?
You don't have to, but it's worth it: the original audio keeps the words that define relationships (oppa, unnie, sunbae) and the actors' own performances. Many Netflix K-dramas also have an English dub — the "Audio" line on each show's page tells you before you press play.
Is Squid Game a good first K-drama?
It's an excellent series but an average introduction: made for a global audience, it uses few of the codes of classic Korean drama (slow romance, single season, physical comedy). If you loved it, carry on with another thriller such as The Glory or My Name rather than a romance.
Sources
- Netflix — Netflix Takes K-Content to New Heights with 2023 Slate (17 January 2023)
- The Guardian — Crash Landing On You: parachute into this addictively romantic South Korean soap opera (Jo Walker, 11 May 2020)
- The Guardian — 142m households watched Squid Game, Netflix says as it adds 4.4m subscribers (19 October 2021)
- V&A — Hallyu! The Korean Wave (24 September 2022 to 25 June 2023)
- Intellectual Property Office — Online copyright infringement tracker survey (12th Wave), executive summary
- The Hankyoreh — [Cine feature] Ramyeon in Korean Films (2015)