Top 3 K-Dramas To Have On Your Watchlist This November

Is your K-Drama watchlist ready for November? Here are 3 dramas to not miss.

Laure, Kpopmap Editor
2 min to read · Published : Oct 30, 2019 · Updated : Feb 17, 2023

Top 3 K-Dramas To Have On Your Watchlist This November

tvN

Just a few days and it will be the start of November. Is your watchlist ready for the new month?

If September and October were crazy in terms of new dramas, November is rather a quiet month but still has plenty of exciting dramas to watch.

Kpopmap made a selection of 3 dramas starting in November to not forget to watch.

1- "Psychopath Diary"

tvN

When: From Nov. 20 on tvN

Cast: Yoon ShiYoon, Jung InSun, Park SungHoon, VICTON‘s SuBin

Summary: Yook DongSik was running away from the scene of a murder and got into an accident. After waking up, he had no recollections of his memory and does not even know who he is. He only has with him a diary that recorded the process of murders and mistakes himself as a serial psychopath killer.

Why watch?: First of all, Yoon ShiYoon's acting is always on the point and captivating to watch. He has the skills to addict viewers to his characters with the perfect portrayal of their emotions. Second, the plot seems quite attractive making it a must-watch.

2- "People With Flaws"

MBC

When: From November on MBC

Cast: Oh YeonSeo, Ahn JaeHyun, Kim SeulGi

Summary: A romantic comedy about a woman who has an aversion for flower boys and a man who has an obsession with appearance as they overcome the prejudices against people with flaws.

Why watch?: It seems like a funny romantic-comedy yet with some depth. It has a promising and refreshing plot that might bring laughter to the audience. It isworth watching.

For more information and characters' description, you can check our cast and summary here.

3- "Crash Landing On You"

tvN

When: From November on tvN

Cast: Son YeJin, Hyun Bin, Kim JungHyun, SeoJiHye

Summary: The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting her.

Why watch?: Two Hallyu stars on a romance action drama with the theme of North Korea. The story sounds over-the-top but quite addictive and entertaining. The drama promises beautiful sceneries too. It seems to be one of the must-watch drama of this year, many are excited about this drama.

For more information and characters' description, you can check our cast and summary here.

Which drama are you looking for in November?

Oct 30, 2019 ~ Dec 01, 2019

People With Flaws

15.3%
(602)

Psychopath Diary

18.3%
(721)

Other

20.4%
(806)

Crash Landing On You

46%
(1,813)

Ahn JaeHyun

HEART TOP 100

1,233

Press unlimited hearts and cheer for the artist!

Hyun Bin

HEART TOP 100

34.4K+

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Oh YeonSeo

HEART TOP 100

Press unlimited hearts and cheer for the artist!

Son YeJin

HEART TOP 100

630

Press unlimited hearts and cheer for the artist!

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KDRAMA STORIES

Two Parts, One Series: The Rise Of A New K-Drama Format

K-Dramas have gone through various changes throughout the years. Read more on the most recent K-Drama model that has been gaining traction among recent series.

Dyllan Mykel, Kpopmap Editor
4 min to read · Published : Jan 28, 2024

Two Parts, One Series: The Rise Of A New K-Drama Format

Netflix / TVING

In a world where many Western television series welcome multiple seasons, K-Dramas are often wrapped up in at least 16 episodes, sometimes even more. And while daily dramas often sit at the cusp of 40+ episodes, they never crest over one singular season.

The Korean film industry followed this model for a long time, however, in recent years, the landscape of K-Dramas has greatly evolved with the roaring tide of the Hallyu wave. Following the globalization of Korean entertainment, production companies and film crews are starting to take a new approach, splitting one K-Drama into two different parts.

Now, before we explore the success of this new approach, let’s take a look at the evolution of the typical K-Drama.

One Story, One Season

SBS

There is no doubt that the main allure of K-Dramas is the fact that many end within one season. Working with this model for so long, film crews, writers, and directors understand what it takes to create a compelling K-Drama that audiences will love.

Within the first few episodes, they introduce the main characters, the core focus of the plot, and the looming obstacle that stands in the main characters’ way. Then over the course of the series, there’s internal struggles, a multitude of disagreements, and at times, heart-fluttering romance in between. But regardless of how many things happen over the course of a drama, viewers know that by the final episode, most, if not all, questions will be answered and any loose ends will be promptly tied up.

This tried and true formula has led dramas like “My Love From The Star”, “Secret Garden”, and “Coffee Prince” become shining examples of what a classic K-Drama should be. Many viewers will fondly remember committing 16+ hours of their time to these dramas without a second thought.

Multiple Seasons Approach

SBS / tvN

Although a majority of K-Dramas continued forward with its usual format, there has been a recent rise in multiple season shows. Some of these include “Uncanny Counter”, “The Penthouse: War In Life”, and “Taxi Driver”.

Despite not having a definitive end, these shows reached mass success from the public both locally and abroad, and as a result, fans were more than happy to hear of their renewal. These dramas kept viewers at the edge of their seats and by the time the final credits rolled, they were understandably asking for more.

Now, not all successful dramas end up having a second season, as highlighted by the many years of K-Drama history. But the ones that do usually receive thunderous applause from viewers that makes it difficult to not have a second, or even third, season.

Despite their obvious success, not everyone is on board for these changes. On forum sites like Reddit, many argue that multiple seasons take away the initial appeal K-Dramas had in the first place and the risk of leaving behind too many unanswered questions due to cancellations or other issues. While this might be true for some, many multiple season dramas are still able to properly close the door on the series, allowing fans to move onto the next big thing.

The Rise Of A New K-Drama Model

TVING

Seasons aside, there seems to be a new K-Drama model coming to light: one story, split into two parts.

This can be seen through the highly successful Netflix-produced “The Glory” and TVING’s “Death Game”. These shows contain the typical flow of the classic K-Drama model, however, the main difference is that they are split into two separate parts. In the case of “The Glory”, the first 8 episodes were released on December 30, 2022, while the final 8 were released on March 10.

Now, with a number of shows split up into two separate parts, there’s more shocking cliffhangers, more mysteries waiting to unfold, and more time to ruminate and fully digest the events of a drama. And while the wait between the first and second part isn’t nearly as long as a K-Drama with multiple seasons, a bit of patience is required to fully appreciate the entirety of a drama.

Of course, dedicated fans in addition to a great storyline will keep viewers excitedly waiting for part 2, and ultimately the conclusion of the drama, however, for more casual viewers, this might cause them to lose interest and move onto something else.

This newer model of K-Dramas will not please everyone, but it seems like it’s growing in popularity as more shows adopt its structure. Now comes the question: will it work? Outside of "The Glory", looking at the success of shows like "Island", "Duty After School", and etc., K-Dramas split into two separate parts continue to retain a majority of their viewers. However, there is the danger of waiting too long or going up against a surging series with high viewership. If these conditions are met, this might mark a significant fall in viewership compared to the first part of the series.

But as seen from these previous works, the right story, cast, and amount of hype make it possible to create a drama that many people will love and continue to support worldwide. In the end, this newer model of dramas is establishing a firm foothold in the scene, and there's no doubt we will see more of it.

Which K-Drama model do you prefer the most?