Everyone knows that kdramas are addicting. Once you start watching them, you can’t leave them. You can watch most of them on Netflix & Viki or all of them on free streaming sites.
In South Korea, these dramas are aired on TV channels. Some of the well-known channels that air Korean dramas are tvN, OCN, JTBC, KBS, MBC, SBS, etc. These channels show various dramas in a specific time period.
In this article, you will get to know some of the popular Kdramas aired on tvN till the end of 2023. According to Wikipedia, tvN Korean dramas hold 33 spots of the 60 on the list of highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television currently.
Best tvN Korean Dramas
tvN (an abbreviation for Total Variety Network) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network owned by the E&M Division of CJ ENM.
tvN is known for its popular Korean dramas that have received one of the highest viewership ratings ever. If you are looking for some of the best dramas aired on tvN, read this article.
1. Goblin
Kim Shin (Goblin) is framed as a traitor and killed by the young king. Years after his death, he is cursed by the almighty to stay immortal forever. He meets Ji Eun Tak who claims to be his bride. The story revolves around four main characters.
2. Signal
Park Hae Young witnesses the kidnapping of a girl 15 years ago. Currently, Hae Yeong is now a police officer and criminal profiler. One day, he finds a walkie-talkie that connects him with Detective Lee Jae Han who is in the past. Together, they solve a series of murders.
3. Crash Landing On You
Se Ri goes for a short paragliding ride, a sudden tornado blows her off course, leading her to crash land in North Korea, where she meets an army officer, who agrees to help her return to South Korea. They fall in love, despite the dispute between their countries.
Cast –
- Hyun Bin as Ri Jung Hyuk
- Son Ye Jin as Yoon Se Ri
- Seo Ji Hye as Seo Dan
- Kim Jung Hyun as Goo Seung Jun
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
4. Hospital Playlist
The drama tells the story of doctors, patients, and nurses working at Yulje Medical Center. It focuses on five doctors who have been friends since they entered medical school in 1999. It will also deal with a story of a band formed by a group of doctors.
Cast –
- Jo Jung Suk as Li Ik Jun
- Yoo Yeon Seok as Ahn Jung Won
- Jung Kyung Ho as Kim Jun Wan
- Jeon Mi Do as Chae Song Hwa
No. Of Episodes – 12
Watch On – Netflix
5. Reply 1988
The drama follows the lives of 5 families living on the same street in a neighborhood. A nostalgic look back at the year 1988. As the group of friends gets into and out of mischief, what experiences will they carry with them into their future lives?
6. Mr. Sunshine
A young boy born into a house servant’s family and travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo. He returns to his homeland later as a U.S. marine officer. He falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter. At the same time, he discovers a plot by foreign forces to colonize Korea.
Cast –
- Lee Byung Hun as Choi Yoo Jin
- Kim Tae Ri as Go Ae Shin
- Kim Min Jung as Kudo Hina / Lee Yang Hwa
- Yoo Yeon Seok as Gu Dong Mae / Ishida Sho
No. Of Episodes – 24
Watch On – Netflix
7. Prison Playbook
A captivating drama revolving around the lives of convicts behind bars, their families, and duty officers working in the correctional facilities. A superstar baseball pitcher, Kim Je Hyuk, is convicted of assault after he saves his sister & lands in prison.
Cast –
- Park Hae Soo as Kim Je Hyuk
- Jung Kyung Ho as Lee Joon Ho
- Krystal Jung as Kim Ji Ho
- Im Hwa Young as Kim Je Hee
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
8. It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
The drama revolves around a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who lives with his brother having autism & a popular writer who is suffering from an antisocial personality disorder. They unravel many secrets, seek comfort from each other, and move forward in their lives.
Cast –
- Kim Soo Hyun as Moon Gang Tae
- Seo Yea Ji as Ko Moon Young
- Oh Jung Se as Moon Sang Tae
- Park Gyu Young as Nam Ju Ri
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
9. Alchemy Of Souls
Hangul: 환혼
Year: 2022
Set in a fictional country called Daeho, Jang Wook of the noble Jang family has a secret about his birth. He meets Mu Deok, an elite warrior trapped within a physically weak body who becomes his servant and secretly begins teaching him how to fight.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Jae Wook as Jang Wook
- Jung So Min as Mu Deok Yi
- Hwang Min Hyun as Seo Yul
- Shin Seung Ho as Go Won
No. Of Episodes: 20 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
10. My Mister
The drama tells us the story of three middle-aged brothers, who are enduring the weight of their lives, and a strong, cold woman, who has been living a hard life of her own, as they come together in healing each other’s past scars.
11. Flower Of Evil
Baek Hee Sung is a craftsman living with his wife, Cha Ji Won & daughter. But he hides some dark secrets that even his wife is unaware of. His wife is a homicide detective who investigates a case of a psychopath who is quite close to her.
12. Vincenzo
Vincenzo, a mafia consigliere flees to South Korea to recover 1.5 tons of gold within the basement of Geumga Plaza. However, a company has illegally taken ownership of the building, and Vincenzo must use his skills to reclaim the building and recover his fortunes.
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
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
13. Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Hangul: 스물다섯 스물하나
Year: 2022
Set in 1998, the drama tells the stories of youth who find new direction and growth after having their dreams taken away. Yi Jin and Hee Do first meet when they are 22 and 18 years old and fall in love when they turn 25 and 21.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi Jin
- Kim Tae Ri as Na Hee Do
- Bona as Go Yoo Rim
- Choi Hyun Wook as Moon Ji Woong
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
14. Hotel Del Luna
Hotel del Luna is the eponymous hotel located in the middle of Seoul, which caters only to ghosts; the beautiful but ill-tempered CEO, Jang Man Wol is cursed to manage the hotel due to a terrible crime she committed, but cannot remember.
Cast –
- IU as Jang Man Wol
- Yeo Jin Goo as Goo Chan Sung
- Shin Jung Keun as Kim Sun Bi
- Bae Hae Seon as Choi Seo Hee
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix, Viki, Prime Video
15. Stranger
Hangul: 비밀의 숲
Year: 2017
Hwang Shi Mok, a prosecutor finds him in a murder case. He meets Police Lieutenant Yeo Jin at a murder crime scene. They work together to wipe out corruption at the prosecutor’s office and solve a serial murder case.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jo Seung Woo as Hwang Shi Mok
- Bae Doo Na as Han Yeo Jin
- Lee Joon Hyuk as Seo Dong Jae
- Shin Hye Sun as Young Eun Soo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
16. Happiness
Hangul: 해피니스
Year: 2021
In the near future, a new apartment building has been built. The people who live there come from different places, but a new disease spreads quickly. It shows the psychological battle and the way that people from different classes treat each other.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Han Hyo Joo as Yoon Sae Bom
- Park Hyung Sik as Jung Yi Hyun
- Jo Woo Jin as Han Tae Seok
- Park Joo Hee as Ji Soo
No. Of Episodes: 12 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
17. Mother
A temporary teacher at an elementary school realizes that one of her students is being abused at home by her family. She makes an impulsive decision to kidnap the child and attempts to become her mother.
Cast –
- Lee Bo Young as Kang Soo Jin
- Heo Yeol as Kim Hye Na
- Lee Hye Young as Kang Yeong Shin
- Go Sung Hee as Shin Ja Young
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Viki
18. Mouse
Ba Reum is a police officer whose life changes when he encounters a psychopathic killer. This drives him and his partner to unveil the truth behind psychopathic behaviours. A drama that asks the question, “What if we could identify psychopaths in advance?”
Cast –
- Lee Seung Gi as Jung Ba Reum
- Lee Hee Joon as Ko Moo Chi
- Park Joo Hyun as Oh Bong Yi
- Kyung Soo Jin as Choi Hong Joo
No. Of Episodes – 20
Watch On – Viki
19. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Hye Jin, a dentist moves to the seaside village of Gongjin. She meets Du Shik and becomes curious about him. He is known as Mr. Hong around town. He is unemployed officially, but he is a master of odd jobs who appears to help everyone with any situation.
Cast –
- Shin Min Ah as Yoon Hye Jin
- Kim Seon Ho as Hong Doo Shik
- Lee Sang Yi as Ji Sung Hyun
- Lee Suk Hyeong as Kang Do Ha
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
20. Our Beloved Summer
A coming of age, romantic comedy revolving around Choi Woong and Yeon Soo, who broke up with a promise never to meet again. The documentary they filmed ten years ago in high school gets the fame and they are by compulsion facing camera once more.
Cast –
- Choi Woo Shik as Choi Woong
- Kim Da Mi as Gook Yeon Soo
- Kim Sung Chul as Kim Ji Woong
- Roh Jeong Eui as NJ
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
Wrapping Up
These were the 20 dramas aired on the channel tvN till the end of 2023. Looking at the list, it is true that tvN has given some of the best dramas from different genres to watch.
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