K-dramas are seemingly everywhere in recent years, and 2025 is set to be another big year for Korean shows taking over streaming platforms and larger pop culture discourse, just like K-pop is doing with global music charts. It’s the overwhelming effect of the Korean Wave, which has made the entertainment industry of a relatively small country like South Korea a powerhouse that has touched the whole world.

While K-Dramas might seem overwhelming to someone who has never tried to explore it or who barely knows what Squid Game is, there are plenty of shows that are perfect for beginners. Shows that can get audiences used to the rhythm of stories in K-Dramas, to the genre’s tropes and characters. At the same time, though, there are shows that beginners should absolutely stay away from. Not because they’re bad shows, quite the contrary, but because they’re a bit more complex in one way or another and would better be enjoyed by someone already familiar with how K-dramas work.

10 Empress Ki (2013 - 2014)

Long And Complex

Period K-drama Empress Ki was a massive success at the time of its airing both in its native South Korea and across Asia, with brilliant costumes and overall great performances that really have time to shine over the course of the show’s 51 episodes. The length of Empress Ki is the main reason why it’s not suitable for those who have just started exploring the world of South Korean television.

Empress Ki is set in the Later Three Kingdoms period, which went from the late 9th century to the late 10th century CE. The name refers to a brief resurgence of the old three kingdoms, Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje, that had dominated the Korean peninsula from the 1st century BCE to the 7th century CE.

The plot of Empress Ki is also particularly complex, revolving heavily on real-life events that have happened during the time of the Later Three Kingdoms period. It’s full of palace intrigue and political scheming as it follows a woman who manages to become Empress of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. It’s incredibly entertaining, especially for anyone who loves a good dose of period drama court backstabbings, but it might not also be easiest to follow for someone who is just starting out.

9 Innocent Defendant (2017)

Twisting Story

Innocent Defendant is a crime K-drama that revolves around a Seoul prosecutor who one day wakes up only to find himself a convict on death row. A situation that he can’t explain, especially considering how temporary amnesia has erased all the memories of how exactly he ended up in prison. Since he’s on death row, though, his main concern is getting himself out of prison in time.

While Innocent Defendant makes for a thrilling watch that keeps audiences at the edge of their seat, especially those who are already fans of everything related to crime, police work, and the law, it also has quite a complex plot to follow. It’s mainly because of the tried and true memory loss trope, that makes it so that audiences are just as confused as the main character through whose eyes the story is told.

8 Save Me (2017)

Incredibly Dark

Stories featuring heavy themes and storylines full of suffering and death are nothing new, and that’s true for both K-Dramas and productions coming from every corner of the world. Still, a K-drama as disturbing as Save Me might not be the best introduction to a genre that offers so many lighter and happier stories. That’s because Save Me is truly dark and intense, brilliantly done, and therefore just the kind of story that leaves audiences right at the edge of their seat with anxiety.

Save Me focuses on a fictional religious cult called Goseonwon, in whose grasp young student Sang-mi and her family fall after moving from Seoul to Daegu. Proving that cults sadly are the same everywhere in the world, Goseonwon manages to brainwash Sang-mi’s parents at their weakest moment—right after the death of Sang-mi’s twin brother. A group of local boys, though, decide to band their wits together and try and rescue Sang-mi from the cult.

7 Strangers From Hell (2019)

Full Of Dark Twists

Strangers From Hell, sometimes also known as Hell Is Other People, is a brilliant thriller K-drama featuring incredible performances from its lead actors and a storyline that is truly a masterclass in building tension. At the same time, the story of Strangers From Hell is full of twists and turns as main character Jong-woo navigates his new situations and the threats that come with it. So it might not be a great choice when it comes to venturing into the world of K-dramas.

The story of Strangers From Hell focuses on Jong-woo, who is just starting out as an intern for a big Seoul company and so decides to move into a dorm that doesn’t look particularly luxurious, but that is very cheap. He soon realizes, though, that his neighbors are not exactly what they seem—especially Moon-jo, his next-door neighbor who initially comes across as a kind and comionate dentist.

6 The World Of The Married (2020)

Convoluted Plots

The World of the Married is the highest-rated series on South Korean cable television so it’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to say that they truly know the genre inside and out. Still, it might be one that is best kept for when one has developed a bit more familiarity with the basic workings of K-dramas and can find their way in the middle of their most commonly used tropes and plot devices.

That’s because The World of the Married isn’t particularly long or extremely dark, but it is convoluted in the way that makes K-dramas what they are. The story follows Seon-u, a brilliant doctor with a seemingly perfect life that crashes down around her the moment she discovers her husband’s affair. From there, she will begin to plan her revenge, carefully maneuvering herself through the norms and customs of South Korean society.

5 The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

Parallel Universes

The King: Eternal Monarch marked the return to acting of beloved K-drama actor Lee Min-ho after the end of his military service. It’s a classic romance sprinkled with fantasy elements, a trope that K-dramas do exceedingly well. Except that the fantasy element of The King is also what makes it not the most suitable story to watch to become familiar with K-dramas as a whole.

The story’s premise is that there are two parallel worlds, the “regular” one everyone knows and another where Korea is a Kingdom ruled by a King. Said King finds a portal between the two worlds, where he meets and falls in love with detective Tae-eul. Of course, he will also uncover a complicated, decades-long conspiracy that stretches across the two worlds. That makes The King somewhat of a complicated story to follow, especially for beginners.

4 Lawless Lawyer (2018)

Interconnecting Plots

Lawless Lawyer focuses on main characters Sang-pil and Jae-yi, two lawyers who co-own a firm and whose methods are less than orthodox—Sang-pil was once a gangster, while Jae-yi was suspended for assaulting a judge. They work in the fictional city of Kisung, described as a sort of Korean Gotham where corruption, lawlessness, and every other trope of a stereotypical crime thriller K-drama story are everywhere.

Lawless Lawyer is very entertaining, especially because of the incredibly chaotic duo that Sang-pil and Jae-yi make. It also has quite a convoluted backstory, which involves Sang-pil’s past as a gangster, Jae-yi’s childhood, and their respective mothers, whose destinies were, of course, interconnected—making Sang-pil and Jae-yi bound to each other in a way. It’s plots like this that make K-dramas so intriguing, but also somewhat complex for someone who isn’t already used to all their twists and turns.

3 Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

Time Travel

Time travel is a polarizing trope that is either immensely loved or immensely hated. No matter what one’s opinions on it are, though, adding time travel to any plot is always a surefire way to complicate it. It’s great for said plot since stories thrive on conflict, but it’s less great for someone trying to get into an already unfamiliar genre—which is why Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo might not be the best choice for K-drama beginners.

Time travel is a polarizing trope that is either immensely loved or immensely hated. No matter what one’s opinions on it are, though, adding time travel to any plot is always a surefire way to complicate it.

Still, it’s a story that has become a pillar of the fantasy romance genre and so definitely deserves to be watched sooner or later. It all starts when a solar eclipse throws 21st-century woman Ha-jin back to the 10th century and the Goryeo period, where she meets one of the many princes of the ruling royal family. There, she has to navigate not just her budding feelings but also the intrigues and schemes that are a daily reality for the court.

2 You Are My Destiny (2008 - 2009)

Very Long Run

You Are My Destiny was one of the most followed K-dramas of all time back when it was airing, and it remains a cult classic even now that several years have ed, making some of its plot points somewhat dated. While You Are My Destiny remains entertaining, it’s also incredibly long. Its run consists of 178 episodes, which is great for anyone looking for something that will last them longer than the usual sixteen episodes of regular K-dramas but that also makes You Are My Destiny not the best choice for someone who has never seen a K-drama before.

You Are My Destiny was the first leading role for Im Yoon-ah, a member of the legendary K-Pop girl group Girls' Generation—also known as SNSD.

The story is also full of twists, turns, and K-drama tropes that might work better with someone who is already familiar with the basic workings of South Korean television. It follows the main character, Sae-byuk, a girl who remains cheerful despite her hard past. Sae-byuk’s life will take a completely different turn after undergoing a corneal transplant following an accident.

1 Guardian: The Lonely And Great God (2016 - 2017)

Heavy On Mythology

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, more commonly known as Goblin, is one of the most beloved K-dramas of recent years, becoming nothing short of a cultural phenomenon back when it was airing. It’s an undeniably gorgeous story, filled with heartbreaking romance, that relies heavily on South Korean folklore like so many other K-dramas of a similar inclination. Precisely because it features several elements of South Korean folklore, it might be better suited to someone who is already somewhat familiar with it.

The main character of the well-loved K-drama is Gong Yoo's Kim Shin, a general from the Goryeo Dynasty who was turned into the titular goblin, or dokkaebi, to atone for his sins. He’s cursed to be immortal and watch everyone around him die until he meets the Goblin’s Bride, the only one who can free him from his endless existence. Of course, that’s easier to do when the Goblin and the Goblin’s Bride don’t fall into beautiful, desperate, bittersweet love.