Moving, gripping thriller that’s intellectually satisfying while also grabbing you by the heart. Wove together two timelines seamlessly and intelligently. Has this show created a new gold standard?

Addictive, relentlessly paced thriller full of harrowing hairpin turns. You’ll be sucked in by the intricately crafted parallel worlds, but what really wows you by the end is the moving human drama.

At times silly and overly simplistic with rather broad comedy, but the core of the show is sweet and heartwarming. The main couple (and actors) buoy the show.

Not a deep drama, but it shows what fun a rom-com can be when the actors commit to the comedy.

Low-key high school mystery drama that explores corruption from a youth’s perspective in a fresh and interesting way. The young cast of newcomers is a plus, but I kept wanting more twists in the mystery and more directorial oomph.

Witty, trendy, funny. Fabulous soundtrack and surprisingly tight plotting. Skillful use of chronology and narrative.

Feels like indie cinema in the form of a drama. Edgy, while still capturing a bit of whimsy and romance.

A perfect gem of a drama that seamlessly weaves together fantasy, history, humor, and heartfelt romance. I would wish this mini-drama were longer, but was so content with what it delivered that I wouldn’t give that up.

Bite-sized fantasy sageuk that does everything right in just two short episodes. The heroine is adorable, the king is cheeky, and the romance will sweep you off your feet and make you wish there were 14 more episodes.

Oh, how I wished this were better. So many actors I love playing characters I didn’t care about. Ha Suk-jin carried this sitcom for me, and for that alone it was worth watching. But only just.

Intense, thrilling, smartly woven together. Great balance of light and dark. Hits on all three points of acting, directing, writing—and it’s FUN.

This is not a good drama, but thankfully its outrageousness (intentional and otherwise) keep it entertaining. Alas its hilarity doesn’t come as frequently as one would like.

Probably my favorite of the Season Dramas, because it’s not about fauxcest and more about the realistic moving on from first love into the present. Atmospheric, and actually uses the feeling of summer in a palpable way.

So cute and well-done. But, ran out of steam toward the end, curtailing the earlier addiction high.

Fantastic fusion sageuk world with gender-bendy shenanigans. Idealistic and addictive, but doesn’t deliver on all its setups. Makes up for it with bromance explosion of epic proportions.

This show is all silliness, but in a good way. It meanders a bit and the ending is rushed, but it’s bolstered by a fun cast of oddball underdogs, a dimly sweet heroine, strong friendships, and an assertive sense of humor.

A little mysterious, a little ominous, the drama turns out to be a heart-warming story of healing, growth, and bonding. Has some slowish moments, but refreshing in tone and message.

I wish this show were half its length. It had such cuteness and light humor at first, interwoven with an interesting moody texture. The couple was adorable, and their chemistry natural. But the serial murder arc went on too long and dragged down the end; I felt like the show burst out of the gates, but crawled to a finish.

A breezy romance between a couple who marries first, then falls in love. Led by an adorable pairing (who became a real-life couple after this drama), the stakes are low and so are the dramatics, but the show keeps up a chipper tone as a sweet, innocent rom-com.

Overdirected and underwritten, with an ending that’ll make you want to throw your screen. The style actively works against substance. Often pretentious, sometimes insufferable.

Beautifully filmed, elegant schlock. Draws you in with its moody, almost dreamy melo touch, but the story is nothing we haven’t seen in other (faux) incest-chaebol-takeover dramas. Disliked every character and the tiresome machinations.

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A solid remake of the American series that’s beautifully directed and well-acted, with complex characters and a layered story. I wanted to like the heroine more, but I sometimes found her difficult to relate to, despite rooting for her to reclaim her life.

This could have been thrilling, blood-pounding, and epic, and the high-powered action scenes certainly went all-out. The drama had a tendency to overdo everything, but had strong villains and solid setup. Why they chose to focus on a limp biscuit of a romance is beyond me.

A surprising series that hit all my drama sweet spots: idealistic, funny, epic, and sweetly romantic. It could do with better finesse in many areas, but has so much heart that it’s bursting at the seams.

What happens when first loves reconnect 20 years later… when one’s an ajumma and the other’s a movie star lying about his age? Hilarious, touching, and well-acted. Never a dull moment.

A sweet, feel-good coming-of-age drama built around young love and friendships and the evolutions of both, using the K-pop industry as an effective backdrop. The music is catchy, often emotionally evocative, and, most importantly, narratively relevant. The editing can be awkward in points and the acting veers green, but the drama has a winsome spirit and a ton of heart, and that spoke to mine.

Fresh, epic mythology about a centuries-old immortal goblin that’s at times beautifully sad and poetic, and other times witty and surprisingly funny. The episodes run way too long, but the bromance is worth it.

The unusual premise—finding out that a much younger man is now your stepdad—does set this rom-com apart, and there are some fun hijinks in the age/role reversal. But ultimately there’s not enough story or spark to keep it interesting after that.

A straight-up juvenile romance, dressed up as a grown-up sageuk. The drama’s one-track mind keeps it from having depth or substance, but it’s easy to watch.

The conflict is laughably simple, but there’s a whole lot of pretty to keep you distracted for most of its run.