Starts with a heart-pounding bang. Plot’s overly convoluted, but strong performances and speedy pace keep it exciting. What could go wrong? OH, THAT ENDING.

lever, gripping mystery with sparkling performances from Lee Bo-young and Jo Seung-woo. Too bad the plot spun itself into a destructive tornado.

Please don’t ask me why I spent forty hours watching this show. Then I’ll be forced to answer. Oh, who are we kidding. Jung Il-woo, it’s all your fault. I want my hours back.

Set in the financial world, this revenge thriller features a classic underdog hero up against an interesting mix of antagonists, winning some nice payoffs. Banking isn’t that sexy, but the writing and performances are solid.

The medical stories are laughably simple and the politics are tedious, but the growth and bonding amongst the hospital family makes for heartwarming human drama.

The story wasn’t terrible (it’s a revenge thriller classic!), but the muddy cinematography and clumsy directing made it feel like it was worse than it was. Not that I can defend the show, not even for the actors, who are normally so much better. Sigh.

There were so many things amiss in this show, but the one thing I could never get over was how a man who was supposed to be dead and plotting his revenge was just walking around all over town. Without even getting a new face. What.

Beautifully executed. Gorgeous rendering of fictional monarchy, and a couple rich in chemistry. It gets rather slow, but I love the world.

I loved the fusion-fairytale world and all the strangeness of an anachronistic set of values placed in modern society. Candy-coated, but all the sweeter for it.

A reverse-Cinderella tale featuring an ordinary guy who becomes a prince. Should have been an easy follow-up hit, but tanked with poor acting and clunky writing.

Solid execution perhaps obscures a banal story, but Kim Rae-won’s emotional sincerity makes this work. Predictable but enjoyable, like comfort food.

Who doesn’t love a Count of Monte Cristo revenge story? Dramatic thriller veers into over-the-top territory, but the underdog revenge plot can get addictive. Great romantic angst.

Drama, I sentence you to 422 years of time out. Maybe I’ll like you better then… or maybe sucky endings last forever.

A whimsical spin on gumiho lore with a cute romance at the center. I had fun, but I also tore a lot of hair out. I’ll let you decide if the pain is worth it.

Cute chemistry, but the plot is completely insane. Both Kim Kang-woo and Jo Yeo-jung have been better in almost anything else they’ve done.

Consistently entertaining, winning, cohesively written, with a super awesome main couple—it was everything I wanted and more. Always delivered more than I thought to ask for, and left me with a full heart.

Romantic and badass, with a brain and a sense of humor. Also ninja skills.

Surprisingly adorable chemistry between Choi Kang-hee and Chun Jung-myung, in a quirky romance about healing past scars and drawing a wallflower out of her shell.

I know it’s popular… but why? A big tease, and then nobody got off. Rom-com drama blue balls.

Not funny enough to be fun, not weighty enough to bear its own crown of pain. Like one long angsty music video.

Light and jokey, but not much emotional depth. Lee Da-hae can do (and has done) better.

Surprisingly well-drawn characters and relationships that mean something. Packs a lot of heart into those 20-minute episodes, and consistently, week after week. Slice of life and poignant.

Hilarious comic performance by Seo In-gook. Poignant and funny for most of its run… but fantastical with its resolution, which sucks out some of the joy.

Two odd birds in a noona romance that defies logic but still manages to tug at the heartstrings. The mistaken identity hijinks are a hoot and the acting is a little bit genius.

Great genre premise (reaper falls to earth, falls in love, wants to be human) with a cute heroine and intriguing world… but languishes under middling acting and a juvenile approach. What could have been!

The only reason to watch this drama is for the secondary romance and the friendships, which are actually really adorable and refreshing. The main romance is bizarre and convoluted and both too revengey and not revengey enough, and by the time they figure out whether they want love or money, you just really don’t care.

This fusion historical drama has action, comic gags, romance, political intrigue, betrayal—but lacks subtlety. The tone is uneven, but Kang Ji-hwan is wonderful.

Bae Yong-joon and Song Yuna (also with Kim Seung-woo and Song Hye-kyo) in an early hit, about the ins and outs of the hotel business. A Cinderella story, of course, with a little wheeling and dealing thrown in.

Showed elements of an entertaining romp through sageukland, so it was a shame that those were sandwiched between tedious politicking and a storyline that feels like it was too thin to support the drama, and then stretched even thinner to fill screentime. Loved the hints of the bromance that could have ripped out our hearts (in a good way!), only to kind of poke at them instead. I enjoyed all of the lighthearted moments between the Hwarang boys, but tuned out so much of the rest.

A lighthearted youth sageuk with a good setup and a big lack of follow-through. I liked the characters and the world, and even the cheeky humor, but the story had one note and one dimension. Where was my epic bromance?!

Fun blending of folktales and modern humor in a fusion romantic comedy. Only two episodes, it’s a silly, Shrek-like goof.

Disappointing as Hyun Bin’s army comeback drama, though he puts in a good performance as a man with a split-personality. But even two Hyun Bins can’t save a badly plotted story.

Started off so well, but suffered an identity crisis halfway through.

Why is a law drama masquerading as a rock ‘n’ roll drama? I have no idea. Got off to a great start, and I was humming the songs for weeks. But then it went nowhere…and really, really slowly at that.

Alpha-girl-and-beta-male romance had potential, but took a dry, straight approach that was bereft of fun. Slow place and business machinations nobody cares about drag it down.

Lee Jang-woo is the only good thing about this show.

Compulsively watchable with an addictive pace. The legal stuff is unrealistic, but who’s watching this for the law? The romance wasn’t my thing, but the heroine was awesomely sassy, a definite favorite.

The noona romance to end all noona romances. The cast of quirky characters is memorable, the show’s message heartfelt, and the couple rivals my favorites of all time.

A screaming, wailing, fucking mess.