Top 10 K-Dramas You Can’t Miss In 2020

2019 was a pretty amazing year for K-drama. Even now in 2020, people still can’t stop talking about shows that dominated last year like “Hotel del Luna,” “Vagabond,” and “Extraordinary You.” But now, it’s time to say goodbye to them and make room for what 2020 has to offer. And there’s no need to worry one bit because this new year has a pretty exciting line up of promising premieres that ranges from dramas and thrillers to medical dramas and webtoon adaptations.  So, buckle up and make room in your calendars! Here are 10 K-dramas to patiently wait and watch out for in 2020:

Top 10 K-Dramas 2020

1. The King: The Eternal Monarch

If you’re a Lee Min Ho fan, here’s some great news for you! He’s back from his military service and in his first drama after hiatus, he’ll be working with “Goblin’s” Kim Go Eun in the upcoming “The King: The Eternal Monarch.” The pair will be reuniting with writer Kim Eun Sook who is also the screenwriter behind the hit dramas “Descendants of the Sun,” “Goblin,” “Heirs,” and “Mr. Sunshine.”

According to Soompi, “The King: The Eternal Monarch” is about two parallel universes, one being a monarchy and the other a democracy. Lee Min Ho will be playing as Emperor Lee Gon who tries to close the door between the two worlds. And Kim Go Eun will be acting as detective Jung Tae Eul who works with the emperor to protect people’s lives. The drama began shooting in the latter half of 2019 and is predicted to air in the first half of 2020.

2. Itaewon Class

Even before its premiere, “Itaewon Class” has already been making a buzz. Based on the popular 2016 webtoon of the same name, the drama revolves around Park Sae Roy and his journey in establishing a restaurant in the Itaewon district despite the challenges and obstacles posed by the unjust society he lives in.  It stars Park Seo Joon, who starred in “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim,” as the main character. “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion” star Kim Da Mi will be joining him and taking on the role of a popular social media influencer who’ll end up managing his restaurant. And according to Soompi, “SKY Castle” actor Kim Dong Hee will also be joining them to complete the love triangle.

3. Kingdom 2

Even before the first season of the Korean zombie thriller series aired, Netflix already greenlighted a second season for it. And well, they weren’t wrong to do it. The first season just took the world by storm! And people can’t get enough of it. Luckily, the second season’s March release is coming closer and closer. Then, fans will get all the zombie goodness they’ve been craving for so long. Set in the Joseon Dynasty, “Kingdom” revolves around a zombie outbreak which unfolds amid a political scuffle to dethrone the crown prince. It stars Bae Doo Na, Ryu Seung Ryong, and Ju Ji Hoon. According to Allkpop, “Legend of the Blue Sea” star Jun Ji Hyun will also be joining the cast for season 2 and 3.

4. The Game: Towards Zero

Another star making a comeback to K-drama is 2PM’s Ok Taec Yeon who’ll be starring in this year’s supernatural thriller “The Game: Towards Zero.” He’ll be taking on the role of Tae Pyeong, a man who can see the moment of someone’s death just by looking into their eyes. And opposite him, Lee Yeon Hee will be playing a charismatic violent crimes detective. Eventually, the two teams up to uncover the secrets and solve a murder case that happened 20 years ago. “The Game: Towards Zero” will start airing on January 22 on MBC.

5. Hi, Bye Mama

After giving birth to her two daughters, Kim Tae Hee went on hiatus. And now, after almost five years, Kim is also back to the K-drama world with her new drama “Hi, Bye Mama.” The fantasy drama tells the story of Cha Yoo Ri (Kim), a mother who meets an untimely death due to an unfortunate accident but gets the chance to be with her family again for 49 days. Kim will be starring in it alongside Lee Kyu Hyung who’s taking on his first lead primetime series role as Cha’s husband who still continues to mourn for her five years later.

6. Dr. Romantic 2

After the success of the first season of Dr. Romantic, fans were rooting for a sequel. Thankfully, their wishes have been granted. And soon, they’ll be able to see some of their favorite stars from the original cast return. This includes Han Suk Kyu, Jin Kyung, Lim Won Hee, and Kim Min Jae. In addition to them, Lee Sung Kyung and Ahn Hyo Seop are also joining the second season of the popular medical drama series. Unfortunately, other cast members Seo Hyun Jin and Yoo Yeon Seok would not be returning. The second season of “Dr. Romantic” will reportedly be written and helmed by the same writer-director duo who created the first season so, the same quality or something even better is to be expected.

7. I’ll Go To You When The Weather Is Nice

If you remember the K-drama series “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?,” you’ll probably remember Park Min Young. This time around, she’ll be starring in the drama “I’ll Go To You When The Weather Is Nice” alongside “Watcher” star Seo Kang Joon. The drama is based on a romance novel of the same title and is set in the countryside. Here, Park will be playing reclusive cellist Mok Hae Won. She doesn’t trust anyone but, when she moves back to her hometown, she meets a bookstore owner Im Eun Seob played by Seo who brings her out of her shell. In turn, Im’s life is shaken up by Mok’s arrival. Although there is no set airing date, the drama is set to be released on the first half of 2020.

8. Stranger 2

The first season of “Stranger” ended in 2017. However, that doesn’t prevent it from granting the wishes of fans of the K-drama who want to see a new season. Now, it’s back with original cast members Cho Seung Woo, Bae Doo Na, Lee Joon Hyuk, and Yoon Se Ah. The first season revolved around the story of Hwang Shi Mok (Cho), an emotionless prosecutor, who partners up with detective Han Yeo Jin (Bae) to solve a serial murder case and unravel corruption in the prosecutor’s office. And with Lee Soo Yeon, the original writer of the first season back to pen the second season, fans can expect “Stranger 2” to have the same thrill and mystery as it revolves around a web of lies and corruption.

9. Love Alarm 2

The first season of “Love Alarm” left fans quite the cliffhanger. As fans would remember, it left off with Jojo (Kim So Hyun) finding out that both guys, Sun Oh and Hye Yeong, have true feelings for her. Just imagine being left at that forever. People would be outraged. Thankfully, Netflix has renewed “Love Alarm” for a second season. The only problem is that there has been no announcement on when it will be released yet. What we do know is that the second season might reveal who Jojo chooses. And it’ll most likely show the Love Alarm 2.0 in action.

10. HERE

Last but not least in our list of K-drama to watch out for is the mysterious series “HERE.” The hook of this K-drama is its star-studded cast which includes Shin Min Ah, Han Ji Min, Lee Byung Hun, and Nam Joo Hyuk. Unfortunately, the specifics of the plot hasn’t been revealed. All we know is that it tells the story of an international non-government organization. Despite all the mystery, that amazing cast line-up is enough to bring the excitement to this series. “HERE” will reportedly air in the latter half of 2020.