13 Underrated K-Dramas from the 2010s That Deserve a Rewatch
Sometimes it feels like the 2010s were the peak K-dramas era; sure, we have better CGI now or whatnot, but the heart?
It was all there.
1. Reply 1997 (2012)
Set in the 1990s, this drama revolves around six high school friends in Busan, led by a die-hard H.O.T fangirl, Sung Shi-won (Jung Eun-ji), and her next-door neighbor, Yoon Yoon-jae (Seo In-guk). Shi-won's obsession with H.O.T leads her to several hilarious escapades, including stalking her favorite idols and clashing with fans of rival group Sechs Kies. Yoon-jae secretly loves Shi-won but keeps it under wraps. The story jumps between their high school years and a 15-year reunion, revealing key life changes.
2. Plus Nine Boys (2014)
Age matters in this drama, which spotlights four male characters who are 9, 19, 29, and 39 years old, respectively. Each faces age-specific challenges. For instance, 19-year-old Kim Min-goo (Yook Sung-jae) finds himself entangled in a love triangle involving his best friend and a girl they both like. Meanwhile, 29-year-old Kang Jin-gu (Kim Young-kwang) is a tour planner whose latest trip becomes a disaster due to the arrival of his ex-girlfriend.
3. Shut Up Flower Boy Band (2012)
This is all about a high school rock band called Eye Candy, led by Joo Byung-hee (Lee Min-ki) and Kwon Ji-hyuk (Sung Joon). They get transferred to a prestigious school after their high school shuts down. Conflict strikes immediately as they butt heads with a band from the new school. Tragedy occurs when Byung-hee is killed in an accident. Devastated, the band almost disbands but decides to honor Byung-hee by competing in a music contest.
4. Let's Eat (2013)
Lee Soo-kyung (Lee Soo-kyung) is a single woman who's deeply in love with one thing – food. Her neighbor, Goo Dae-young (Yoon Doo-joon), shares her passion, and the two bond over various meals. Meanwhile, a series of petty thefts and a murder in their apartment complex add a dash of mystery. Soo-kyung and Dae-young, along with their various neighbors, become amateur sleuths trying to solve these crimes.
5. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016)
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Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) is a weightlifting athlete at a sports university, no-nonsense and intensely focused on her sport. She crushes on Jung Jae-yi (Lee Jae-yoon), a doctor she believes is her childhood friend. Little does she know, her actual childhood friend, Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk), is Jae-yi's cousin and a swimmer at the same university. They reunite, and while initially rocky, their friendship blossoms into love.
6. Chicago Typewriter (2017)
In a clever blend of modern-day and 1930s Korea, famous writer Han Se-joo (Yoo Ah-in) struggles with writer's block until he discovers an antique typewriter. This isn't just any typewriter – it connects him with his past life as a resistance fighter against Japanese colonization. As he begins typing, the typewriter brings to life not just his past but also that of his fan-turned-anti-fan Jeon Seol (Im Soo-jung) and his mysterious ghostwriter Yoo Jin-oh (Go Kyung-pyo).
7. Heartstrings (2011)
Lee Gyu-won (Park Shin-hye) is a traditional Korean music major who clashes with Lee Shin (Jung Yong-hwa), the leader of the rock band The Stupid. When Gyu-won's performance team faces off against The Stupid in a university festival, she ends up losing and, as a penalty, becomes Shin's personal lackey. While she initially detests him, they gradually fall in love. But hurdles appear when Shin's ex-girlfriend returns and a music producer shows interest only in Shin and not the band.
8. Who Are You: School 2015 (2015)
Eun-bi (Kim So-hyun) is a high school girl bullied so mercilessly she tries to end her life but survives with memory loss. Her life takes a turn when she discovers she has a twin sister, Eun-byul, who is missing. She assumes Eun-byul's identity and attends her sister's elite school. At the new school, Eun-bi is surprised to find she is popular but also entangled in a love triangle with Han Yi-an (Nam Joo-hyuk) and Gong Tae-kwang (Yook Sung-jae).
9. Secret Love Affair (2014)
Piano prodigy Lee Sun-jae (Yoo Ah-in) is a delivery man who gets discovered by Oh Hye-won (Kim Hee-ae), a married woman working in the arts. Hye-won arranges an audition for Sun-jae at her institution, and he nails it. As she mentors him, they can't help but feel a connection that blossoms into an illicit relationship. Society frowns, family members suspect, but the affair continues.
10. A Gentleman's Dignity (2012)
Four successful but romantically hapless men in their 40s navigate friendship and love. Kim Do-jin (Jang Dong-gun), an architect, falls head over heels for Seo Yi-soo (Kim Ha-neul), a high school teacher. Yi-soo, on the other hand, has a crush on Im Tae-san (Kim Soo-ro), Do-jin's best friend. Amidst personal and professional setbacks, these guys prove that bromance and romance can coexist.
11. Angry Mom (2015)
When Jo Kang-ja (Kim Hee-sun) discovers that her daughter Oh Ah-ran (Kim Yoo-jung) is being bullied at school, she decides to take matters into her own hands – by enrolling as a student. Using a fake identity, she uncovers corruption and violence far beyond simple bullying. Along the way, she joins forces with a beleaguered teacher, Park No-ah (Ji Hyun-woo), to bring the wrongdoers to justice.
12. Shopping King Louie (2016)
Louie (Seo In-guk), a wealthy heir, loses his memory after an accident. He ends up living with Go Bok-shil (Nam Ji-hyun), a simple country girl searching for her missing brother in Seoul. With no memory and no money, Louie learns about life's smaller joys from Bok-shil, like the fun of bargain shopping.
13. Witch's Romance (2014)
Ban Ji-yeon (Uhm Jung-hwa) is a 39-year-old investigative reporter with a deep distrust of men. Yoon Dong-ha (Park Seo-joon) is a 25-year-old guy running a small errand service. Sparks fly when they meet by chance. Despite the age gap, they find themselves drawn to each other. Ji-yeon's ex-fiancé comes back into the picture, causing emotional turmoil.