Five Favorite 2024 Kdramas

S1E1 / It’s the first of the “five favorite” episodes with a look back on some of my favorite Kdramas of 2024. Did I have some quibbles with some of these dramas? Yes, but these were some of my overall favorites. 

I 💙 retrospectives, so let’s see what Kdramas surprised and delighted me as well as a few that didn’t. 

Shows mentioned: 

When the Phone Rings
The Atypical Family
Flex x Cop
My Sweet Mobster
No Gain No Love
Marry My Husband
Wedding Impossible
Mr. Plankton
Lovely Runner
Queen of Tears
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Transcript

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This is How I Met My K-Drama, a podcast about K-drama origin stories and recommendations. I'm Sarah Rosette, and this episode is about my favorite 2024 K-dramas. So I'm going to give you some of my recommendations today. This is a spoiler-free episode, and I figured looking back on 2024 K-dramas is a good way to start. It's the end of the year, the beginning of the year. I love this time of year. We get to look back. I love the top 10 lists, the most memorable moments, the funniest memes, the top stories, things that have happened looking back over the last year. And sometimes you look back and you think, wow, I didn't even remember that happened. So I figured this would just be a fun thing to do to start out. And it will be a spoiler-free episode. Some of the episodes will have spoilers because there'll be interview episodes and we'll talk about anything and everything the guest wants to talk about. So this one will be a good one if you just want a taste of information about some dramas or you just want to go back over the year and think about some of the favorite shows you enjoyed too. Hopefully, this will give you a couple of ideas. If you weren't able to watch all the shows you wanted, this will give you some recommendations, I hope. So the parameters for this is these are 2024 release dates, and these are dramas that I've completed. So I haven't included anything on here that I haven't watched. The drama doesn't have to have ended in 24, it just had to have started in 24. If there's anything that might give you a hint about how that how the drama ends or a way a certain plot line goes, I will call it out and then you can just skip forward 30 seconds or a minute and you'll be fine. So I should tell you that in 2024 I counted up and I completed 16 dramas that were released in 2024. And then I started another 12 and I either dropped or put them on hold. And I also watched 22 dramas that came out pre-2024. Um,

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but I won't go into those. I'm just loving exploring the backlist of K dramas, but I had 22 of those that I watched as well. I didn't count the ones I had dropped because I didn't want to go back and sort through all that. So a total of 38 watched in 2024. This show will focus mostly on the ones that I really, really enjoyed, but just for equal time, I will also mention some that almost made the cut for my favorite five. And then I will mention some, uh just a few that I really wish that I hadn't watched, that I hadn't taken the time to watch. I've got some summaries that will help us kind of frame everything and give you a quick overview of what the drama is about. But the summaries I I created them through Perplexity AI and Google Gemini, and then I went in and gave them my little twist and edited them up and cleaned them up a little bit because the summaries on some of the entertainment sites just aren't that great. They're confusing or they don't tell you a lot about the plot. So that's what I've done to kind of give us a quick overview of each drama. So let's go. All right, five favorite K-dramas from 2024. My first one is the I Can't Stop Watching This drama. And it's the one everyone's talking about right now. It's called When the Phone Rings. And this drama follows a married couple, Baxian and Hong Heiju, who appear to lead a normal life but are really deeply estranged. And their world is turned upside down when Heju is kidnapped. One of the interesting elements about this show is that Heiju has selective mutism and communicates through sign language, which I love shows that take something that we don't normally see and add that to the plot. And this was really well done because she uses sign language to communicate, and her husband, his job is to be a spokesperson for the president. So I love these contrasts that we get even in the very beginning, that his job is actually talking and her life is lived through sign language. So I just love things like that. Okay, who would enjoy this? I think if you like romantic thrillers and mysteries, you would enjoy this. It's very bingey, it's got lots of romantic tension, and it has tons of questions and puzzles. It's got a good mystery plot. And that's something that you don't, I haven't always found in K-Dramas. A lot of times they will have a mystery murder slash serial killer type plot that's a subplot that I feel oftentimes is put in as filler to fill in the saggy middle of the story. But this one isn't not like that in a lot of thriller elements, too. So some of the tropes are just misunderstanding and miscommunication. There's a contract marriage, there's a secret identity, and it deals a lot with family dynamics. So the reason I gave this one the I can't stop watching this drama is because I was fascinated with it. I began watching it when it came out right after Thanksgiving. And I was like, hmm, I think I need to go back and re-watch episode one and two. And I did that. Yes, I spent a lot of time re-watching this, and I the setup is fascinating. And it's something we don't normally see with a sign language element to it. It was just my one drama this year that I really just couldn't stop watching it. All right, the second favorite from 2024 is the I didn't know I liked this genre. And that goes to the atypical family. Now, this series centers on the Bach family. They have unique superpowers, all except for the dad, and their powers have begun to fade out as they're dealing with a lot of things going on in their family, tragedies, modern, the challenges of modern life. One of the characters, Guiju, his ability to time travel is his superpower, but it's something that he's not very happy with because it doesn't work the way he wants it to. And I think it's really funny. This is a very funny twist on superpowers. I'm not a superpower hero fan. I don't seek out shows like that. But this one, it had such a strong element of family and re how would you say it? Reconnecting among the family members that it was very compelling to me. And what starts it all off is Dahe, a mysterious woman. She meets some of the family members and she begins to be more involved with him. And I won't say anything else more than that because it will really give the plot away. But I would say this one was another K-drama that was just so well structured. I think this one, it was just amazingly done, so tightly plotted that I'm still, I think that was part of the draw for me is that it was so well done. All right, who would enjoy this? I think people who enjoy fantastical elements, a little fantasy mixed in with your family drama, if you like time travel mixed in with relationship stories, if you like healing dramas, I think this one is one that it is puzzling also because you're trying to figure out how this is all working together, how the time travel is fitting in with the mystery, and who everyone really is, especially in the beginning. And it is a little bit angsty. So if you like a little angst with mixed in with some whimsical elements, then I think you would enjoy this. As far as themes and tropes, found family is a huge theme in this blended family. There's some exploration of destiny, predestination, fate, that type of thing. Like, can you break out of the path that you're on? How much control do we have? Another question is what is what does it mean to be a hero? The title in Korean, it's listed online. I don't speak Korean, but it's listed online as I'm not a hero. It's it does deal with this question of being heroic. That's another theme. And happiness and finding your passion and your place, finding your what you're best at. And also it has a grumpy sunshine pairing, which that's always fun. The other thing I would say about this drama is actually there's so much more to say about this drama, but I'm not spoiling anything, so I'm going to keep it short. But one thing that I really enjoyed in this one was the music. Just so unusual and so different. And it really gave you the feeling of mystery, but there was a way that it was done that it also gave you the tone of the drama, that it was going to be perplexing and off-kilter, but it would all be okay in the end. And I just I loved that. And then the way everything fit together, I found it extremely satisfying. And I was actually surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. It's one of my top shows for the year, and overall, it's one of my favorite shows overall because it was just so well done and so interesting. And I didn't even know I liked heroic characters mixed with a time travel plotline. All right, so the third favorite from 2024 of mine was its best cop consultant premise in a crime mystery show, and that is Flex X cop. And now coming from a mystery background, I love police and detective shows. So I've watched a lot of them, and it is often really hard to find one that's got a unique, interesting premise. And one of the things that they often do is they'll have the cop paired with a consultant. So you've got like the mentalist was the cop paired with the guy who was used to conning people and telling fortunes and stuff like that. And then you've also got Castle, who is a writer paired with a cop. So it's not uncommon to have this pairing, this type of pairing. But I liked Flex Cop, Flex X cop, because the story revolves around Jin Izu, a wealthy Chabel. He's from a super wealthy family, and his reckless behavior leads him to join a police team tracking violent crime. So he's partnered with this detective, and she, her personality is not at all like his. And they initially clash, of course, but they ultimately begin to work together and their styles begin to complement each other. And then, of course, there's a storyline about his background and her background, and there's also a lot of found family storyline elements in this within the police team investigation unit, as well as in Izu's life. And then there's a lot of comedy in it. And I always enjoy a light touch in this type of show. I would say who would enjoy it if you like action detective shows, if you like humor, if you're into who-done it type shows, you would enjoy this. I would say the standout themes in this are purpose, finding your purpose. It's a buddy cop, opposites attract, odd couple type pairing. So there's lots of humor in the way the two different leads go about things. And I like the found family element because it's multi-layered. It's not just finding your place in a found family, it's also finding your little work family. And the mysteries and the found family plot are interwoven. I always love that when the mysteries echo what's going on in the characters' lives. So the cases, you know, they echo the struggles of the lead. He wants to be part of the team, and in the beginning, they don't want him to be part of the team in this situation where they have to work together. It's not an option. So then you've got the forced proximity trope as well. All right, so that was Flex X cop. All right, so I think we're on so four. Yes, we're on four. All right. This was my unexpected surprise of 2024 was My Sweet Mobster. This is a romantic comedy that follows a former gangster turned CEO who navigates his life while running a food company that helps ex-convicts reintegrate into society. And he has an unexpected romance with a kids' content creator. And this one, it's got kind of this wacky, zany humor to it when it begins. And I was like, I don't know if this is for me or not, but I had heard other people were enjoying it, so I thought, well, I'll keep watching it. And I think once you get past about episode two, the zaniness kind of tones down. But there was even in the first episodes, there was enough of a theme of dealing with redemption and prejudice that I thought, hmm, this could be interesting. So I went with it and I was very happy that I did. And I didn't expect it, I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, but I really did enjoy My Sweet Mobster. I think if you like romantic comedies with like this kind of wacky zany tone, you would love this. It's lighthearted, it's so charming. My Sweet Mobster also did an excellent job of giving personalities, I guess you'd say, to each member of the gang that work for this food company. Everyone had a distinct personality, everybody had a backstory, and sometimes you don't really get that. I enjoyed that. It very much reminded me of the gang in Crash Landing on You. So this one really did an excellent job of balancing sweet and funny and heartwarming. And part of that came through getting to know these, the personality of the seven dwarves, because basically it is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves retold. It's got that fairy tale element feel to it. And let's see, another trope in this would be Gangster with the Heart of Gold, Love Triangle, there's a Love Triangle, but there's also this uh really steadfast relationship. So if you don't like angst, if you don't like drama, I guess, of the ups and downs of a romantic relationship, sometimes that you see this has a very steadfast relationship. So if you like that, you'll enjoy this one. And I think my only quibble with this one was that I would have liked a little bit more information about the female lead on her background. We get a little smidge of that. It's mostly about the reformed gangster. And I even enjoyed the secondary couple just as much as the main leads, and that's kind of rare for me. A lot of times the secondary couple I get a little impatient with, and I want to move on and get back to the main couple, very rarely have second male lead syndrome. So this one, though, I really enjoyed the all the characters in this. It was a it was a fun, uh lighthearted, charming watch. The fifth 2024 favorite for me was a rom-com with actual rom and com. And that's no gain, no love. And here's the quick summary of that. Sonhei Young is a woman determined to avoid any personal losses, up to the point that she proposes a fake marriage to Kim Jiuk, a convenience store clerk, in order to qualify for a work promotion that is only available to married employees. Now, they do set this up well that it's a big deal and it could really help her out, but it is quite an extreme situation. But she is a character who does not suffer losses lightly. She really does everything she can to prevent a loss in her life. So as they navigate through this fake relationship, they have opposing personalities and they clash, but of course, it leads to unexpected situations and the potential for real feelings to develop. All right, so this one was a fun, another fun surprise for me. I hadn't intended to watch it, but I gave it a try and I really enjoyed it. I really liked Shinmana's just unapologetically selfish character. She was very selfish, but it's amazing that you end up rooting for her. You see her selfishness, but you also see her generosity. And she is very generous towards her friends, but you don't see that right away. She seems unlikable because she's very calculating, but she's also loyal and she takes care of the people around her. So it's a great character study, actually. And the thing about this is you have this fun concept, and they just layered in the humor into this. It was always, there was always romance and there was always humor, which I really enjoyed because a lot of things that are labeled as rom-com either turn very dark, or there's really not a lot of humor in them. So I enjoyed the mix of these two. Some of the tropes were marriage of convenience, fake relationship, new noromance, age gap type situation. And you've got the three friends, you have the three girls that live together. And I always enjoy seeing the trio and how they interact with their world and how they interact with each other and how they help each other. Some of the themes were selfishness versus generosity. And you see that in the two characters. Shin Mana's character is very selfish in many ways, and Kim Young-day's character is very giving and to the point that it's almost detrimental. So it's a very interesting contrast of personalities. So you've got the opposites attract trope as well. And then you have a little bit of exploration of promises and living in a way, in a certain way because you have made promises or there's expectations on you, versus living freely. So who would enjoy this? I think fans of romantic comedies, especially if you enjoy fake marriages, contract relationships, or work settings for your romantic comedies. It's generally lighthearted and funny, and it can be and it's really heartwarming too. My only quibble with this one was the second male lead in this. Spoiler warning on this, jump ahead 30 to seconds to a minute. I think people really love the actor, but the behavior of this character was horrible. He never apologized for the things he did, and he was in a position where he could fix things. He made mistakes and he could have fixed them, but he did not, and we never saw that. And I feel like they they fumbled some storylines. The main characters, that storyline was well done, but some of the other ones just weren't satisfying. Yeah. I don't know if they were hoping to get a second season or if they had to cut down from 16 episodes to 12. But yeah, I had some quibbles with this one, but I still overall enjoyed it, and I think I'll probably go back and re-watch it sometime. So those are my five favorite dramas from this year: When the Phone Rings, The Atypical Family, Flex X Cop, My Sweet Mobster, and No Gain No Love. I'm sure you're thinking, why no Lovely Runner on this favorites of 2024? Because obviously I like romantic comedies, I like lighter shows. I tried watching it and it just wasn't for me. So please don't hate me. It just didn't appeal to me. And we all have different things that we like and enjoy, and sometimes things just don't hit right. I may go back to it in the future, which would be very typical for me. I'm always late to the party, never usually on the bandwagon when it starts off. So that may happen. But for me, right now, no lovely runner. So that's why I listed the shows that I did. I thought I would also include a couple of other categories. This one is called Could Have Been a Contender. These shows had great elements, but they just weren't for me. It didn't work. Marry My Husband, spoiler warning on this, jump ahead 30 to seconds to a minute. It was revenge done right until about episode 12-ish. And it's about a woman who travels back in time to seek revenge on her cheating husband and best friend, aiming to change her fate and find happiness. So I was all in on this. I loved the first half of the show, two-thirds of the show. It was just so well done. And I was, I didn't realize I liked revenge. This could have gone into the I didn't know I liked this genre category, except that it kind of fell apart at the end. But I was all there for this woman reclaiming her life, learning to live well and happily, but it just didn't work. It didn't finish on a high note for me. Same thing with Wedding Impossible. Spoiler warning on this jump ahead 30 seconds to a minute. I think this one had the best meta references. If you like rom coms, this has so many references within the show to rom coms. It made it fun. A woman pretends to be her best friend. Friend's fiance to stop his unwanted marriage, leading to unexpected complications and romantic entanglements with his younger brother. Another element I liked in this was that she was an actress. And so there were lots of references to her and the work she had done, and like she had been, you know, zombie number 14 in some show, and then she's in a historical, and then she's in a rom-com. So that was really fun to watch, too. So this had a lot of fun elements, but it it just fizzled at the end. Very self-aware. There's some great twist on the tropes. It's very clever writing. I really enjoyed that part of it. But after about episode nine-ish, it just fell off a cliff for me. They didn't seem to know what to do in those last couple of episodes. So if you enjoy this type of setup with the sort of an enemies to lovers, fake marriage, age gap, behind the scenes of the entertainment industry in Korea. If you like that, then I would say watch the first up to about episode nine and then just be done. Because they couldn't really land the plane on this one. That's why it could have been a contender, but wasn't. And then the other one for me that could have been a contender was Mr. Plankton. It was technically so well done. There were things about themes and symbolism, and there's a road trip. I always love a good road trip show. But for me, the characters just weren't for me. It's about a man who has its troubled past, and this is not a spoiler because he finds this out very early on in the first episode. He realizes that he's dying and he wants to go on a journey to find his biological dad. And he con well, wouldn't say convinces, but he takes an old girlfriend on this journey with him. And, you know, it's this story of what they discover on this journey. So this one, it could have been a contender for me, but I just didn't connect with the characters. And then I was going to give you a quick couple of shows that I'm calling these refund my time shows. Queen of Tears, Too Many Characters, Loaded Episodes. And I really felt that there were a lot of set pieces where they set the scene up and they were like, okay, we will do X so that we can see X cry, so we can watch this character cry. I just couldn't get past past the plot holes in this one. That was just me. That was my experience. And there are other shows that you could argue had just as bad plot holes, but I really like them. Like when the phone rings, people are saying, Oh, it has tons of plot holes, but I'm totally fine with it because I'm on board. I just wasn't on board with Queen of Tears. Another one that I didn't really enjoy, and I watched the whole thing, was Hide. I was so excited. It was a screenwriter from Just Between Lovers. I thought, oh, I love that show, so I'll probably enjoy this one. And I didn't like it. I thought it was predictable. And about halfway through, I knew it was going to happen. And yes, that happened. And I just, I didn't care. I didn't care. So I did watch to the end, thinking it might change, but it didn't. My other refund my time was welcome to Sandalry. I should have loved this one. On paper, it has all the things I like: the three sisters, the fall from grace, the retreat to the village to heal, the old flame. But for me, they just spent too much time getting fall down drunk and not talking to each other. Too much angst for me and not enough payoff. So those were my three that I watched and wished I hadn't to go to kind of balance out all of my raptures over favorite five. So that is a quick summary of what I my favorites this year and my not so favorites. What did you enjoy in 2024? I would love to hear. I will post about this on Instagram when this comes out, and I would love to hear from you. So if you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to write or review it wherever you listen to podcasts. That will help uh Katerama fans find the podcast, and I will see you next time.