9 Best K-dramas of 2021

I am usually knee deep in feel-good, romantic Korean dramas. However, 2021 has been a nice and surprising mix in the watchlist—Cheering an old man who dreams of dancing, being heavily invested in the cute brain cells in blue attires that have a hell of a job or spending sleepless nights after bloody, violent games. Here are the best K-dramas of 2021.

Best Korean dramas of 2021

In 2021, Squid Game soared to the Number 1 position on Netflix, and suddenly everybody was talking K-dramas! Already binged it? No problem (but brave you!). For the new fans, there’s an excellent backlist to fall back on, minus the violence in Squid Game. In 2021 Korean drama favourites, you’ll find romantic comedies, historical dramas and chilling thrillers.

1. Yumi’s Cells (2021)

Yumi’s Cells is hilarious, cute, lovey-dovey. It follows a working lady Yumi (Kim Go-eun) and the brain cells (cutest things!) that control her life. Before I watched the drama, I imagined it to be something like Inside Out. It is not—Yumi’s Cells is unique, innovative and incredibly funny. Each episode was wholesome in its own way—Ruby teaching Yumi how to be cute (shoulder spike? Lobster claws? These flirty killer moves !), dates with boyfriend Goo Woong (Ahn Bo-hyun), love cell in coma, stomach cell’s incredible partition diagram that always leaves room for dessert. You would definitely want to read the original webtoon created by Lee Dong-gun that inspired the series. I am slowly chuckling my way through the bite sized comic strips.

2. Beyond Evil (2021)

Who doesn’t love a small-town murder mystery, especially if it is a town with collective secrets and close-knit groups? Beyond Evil was one of the most talked about shows, unanimously praised as one of the best K-dramas of 2021. Police officer Han Joo-wong (Ywo Jin-goo) gets transferred to Manyang Police Substation, where he tries to solve the mystery of a series of murders that took place twenty years ago. His main suspect is his partner police officer Lee Dong-sik (Shin Ha-kyun), but soon enough every townsfolk is a likely suspect. Beyond Evil keeps you guessing, makes you confused, and leaves you biting your nails as you try to solve the murders that continue in present day. Of course, Dong-sik’s calculated smirks do not help at all.

3. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)

For those who were Team Han Ji-pyeong in the love triangle in Start-up, here’s Kim Seon-ho serving you charm and looks as the jack-of-all-trades Hong Du-sik in the idyllic seaside village of Gongjin. When Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) loses her job in the city and starts her own dental clinic in Gongjin, the close-knit community of villagers welcome her into their homes, hearts and gossips. Du-sik and Hye-jin win the award for the cutest couple who will make you sigh on repeat in this feel-good summery love story. Watch for the sun, sand, sea and dimples.

4. Vincenzo (2021)

Love a good building story? Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) was adopted by the Cassano family and raised in Italy. He is a consigliere for the mafia, and the don’s right-hand man. After escaping an assassination attempt, Vincenzo flees to Seoul to recover some hidden gold stashed by s recently-dead tycoon, in the basement of the dilapidated Geumga Plaza. However, the residents of Geumga Plaza aren’t willing to move out and the big (evil) Babel group wants to take over the building. Big conglomerates, competing law firms, unscrupulous attorneys, murders, parties, handsome villains—this one’s got it all. Though the last few episodes follow the same formulaic story in different scenarios, Vincenzo promises laughs and camaraderie. The witty, ambitious Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been), the rival attorney who doesn’t mind breaking rules, steals the show.

Also Read : Best Korean dramas of 2020

5. Squid Game (2021)

Squid Game was all the rage in 2021. I abandoned it quickly enough when I first watched it, because of the violence. No kidding, the show gave me actual bloody nightmares. The hype and memes got to me, and I decided to give it another try. It is violent, blood-spurting, but definitely worth your time. In Squid Game, 456 players who are in financial debt of some sort, decide to play games to win the jackpot of 40 million dollars. The games are fashioned from children’s games of Korea—like marbles, honeycomb, hopscotch—but have deadly endings (literally). Squid Game shines light on the evils of capitalism, rising numbers of debt-ridden youngsters, class disparity, economic struggle and migrant labour. As much as I twitched at the gory scenes, my heart broke for the trusting, loyal Ali (Anupam Tripathi). I cheered the irresponsible man with a heart Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), got furious with the cunning Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) and sunk into despair for Kang Sae-byeok (Ho Yeon-jung). The show is definitely one of the best K-dramas of 2021, and its memory still terrifies me.

6. Navillera (2021)

A slow burn following a retired mail man Shim Deok-chul (Park In-Hwan) who dreams of dancing to Swan Lake before he dies, in spite of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and his unlikely friendship with a young ballet dancer (Song Kang) who is kind of forced to become instructor. Navillera is inspiring, tear inducing, and whispers in your ear that dreams have no expiry date.

7. Mr. Queen (2021)

A modern-day arrogant chef (Choi Jin-hyuk) who works in Blue House, finds himself in the body of Queen So-young (Shin Hye-sun) in the Joseon period ruled by King Cheol-jong (Kim Jung-hyun), the reigning monarch. The chef in the Queen’s guise tries to flatter royal opponents with modern day skin care, and delicious food (though the royal chief chef of the Joseon era is disgusted that a woman is in the kitchen)—international cuisines, Mc Donalds with a twist, ramen. Shin Hye-sun steals the show depicting her two selves—the meek queen and the arrogant man, with her witty dialogue delivery. The resolution of the story was unsatisfactory, but it promises laughs and lip smacking-ly delicious food.

8. Move to Heaven (2021)

Inspired by essays (things Left Behind) by Kim Sae-byul, a former trauma cleaner, Move to Heaven takes us into the world of loss, grief and trauma cleaners. An ex-convict (Lee Je-hoon), his nephew who has Asperger’s syndrome (Tang Jun-sang), run a trauma cleaning business where they discard the belongings of the deceased. In the process, they get to know the stories of those who died, and encounter their own bottled-up memories. Sad and quiet.

9. Penthouse (2021)

What to write about Penthouse! This one’s for lovers of makjang. Think rich families, art schools, luxurious apartments, murders (often in bloody, grotesque ways), rich mom groups, scandals and affairs, secret rooms etc. Penthouse grew on me from its first season. Love it, hate it; you just cannot ignore it—crashing your ex’s wedding in a helicopter, medicines that make you forget (yep, anything is possible) certain parts of your life, murdered school kids, evil twins, creepy housekeeper, grand weddings, bribes—this drama made me forget that we are in the middle of a pandemic. Yet to watch Penthouse 3, but it is surely on my list.

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Disclaimer: All images used are from promotional material of the dramas. Please email if any need to be removed.

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