The 10 Best K-Dramas With More Than One Season, Ranked (According To IMDb)
Out of all the wonderful things that K-dramas have to offer fans, it does come with one slight flaw. It’s common for K-dramas to only go up to a certain number of episodes. This means many shows only make it to one season and it’s unlikely a second installment is created. Don’t be surprised if a show is tagged with one season, but has a separate second installment.
K-drama fans do have a glimmer of hope as some shows broke the mold and went into a second season. As the genre of television has gotten more popular, streaming services have forgone the stereotype and given fans what they were dying for: a chance to see their favorite characters’ stories continue.
10 Voice (2017): 7.7
The thriller procedural show Voice had fans hooked since its debut in 2017. The show had a bit of everything that kept fans intrigued from episode to episode. Each episode dealt with a new heinous criminal, life-threatening 911 calls, and an overall connecting storyline.
Voice centered around the creation of a Golden Time team responsible for answering and dispatching police to distressing 911 calls. The first season had a bigger story; a ‘mad dog’ detective goes off the rails when his wife is murdered while at work. Years later he meets and teams up with a tough policewoman with acute hearing skills. The show’s success led to a second season with some of the same main characters but still tied to the previous season.
9 Love Alarm (2019): 7.8
One of Netflix’s biggest K-dramas that rose to fame was Love Alarm in 2019. It became one of the most popular webtoon-based shows full of emotion, love triangles, and a heart-wrenching story. The end of the first season left fans disappointed as they didn’t know the fate of the main characters.
Fans got their wish when Netflix announced the development of a second season that premiered in 2021. Love Alarm‘s second season met fans’ expectations of seeing where Jo-Jo, Sun-Oh’s, and Hye-Young’s story would lead. The new installment also had fans shocked and baffled at certain storyline outcomes.
8 Vampire Prosecutor (2011): 7.9
Vampires are still popular, even in K-dramas. The police procedural show has similar vibes for fans of iZombie. Instead of eating brains and a zombie, it’s a respected prosecutor who gets bit and becomes a vampire. With a strong sense of justice, the prosecutor finds a way to use his new abilities to help deceased victims. He drinks the blood of the deceased to find out their past.
Fans loved the investigation aspect and supernatural elements of the show. The first season ran from October to December of 2011 for twelve episodes. Shortly after, in 2012, the show got its second season and concluded after eleven episodes.
7 Chief Of Staff (2019): 7.9
Chief of Staff is perfect for any television fan who’s intrigued by drama, politics, and some romance. Jang Tae-Jun (Lee Jung-Jae) is a decisive and strong-minded person who becomes the chief aide of a lawmaker. Tae-Jun has many higher ambitions he plans to succeed in.
On the other end is a first-year lawmaker who’s making a name for herself. Kang Seon-Yeong (Shin Min-A) is ambitious and dedicated as she rose the ranks from being a lawyer and a current affairs host. There’s tension as she has an awkward relationship with Tae-Jun. His boss is rivals with the senior lawmaker who got Seon-Yeong to where she is.
6 The Penthouse: The War in Life (2020): 8.1
Making its way as one of the most binge-watched and popular K-dramas of 2020 and 2021 is The Penthouse: The War in Life. If looking for a show with intense, stifling, and jaw-dropping drama, this show is perfect. The first season revolves around the stories and lives of wealthy families living in Hera Palace.
Each family has high ambitions for their children to succeed and would do anything to protect them. Their lives are turned upside down when a mysterious girl falls to her death at a party at Hera Palace. Their secrets, lies, and suspicions make for a riveting story. The second season continues where the first left off as the lies of the main characters come back to bite them.
5 Dr. Romantic (2016): 8.3
Dr. Romantic was a commercial hit when its first season debuted in 2016. After a tragic accident, Boo Yong-Joo (Han Suk-Kyu) leave his high-profile life as a triple-board certified doctor at the country’s top medical center. After changing his name, he becomes a doctor at a small hospital in the Gangwon Province.
Yong-Joo becomes the Chief Surgeon at Doldam’s Hospital and guides two other great doctors to reach their utmost potential. Unlike others, Yong-Joo encourages his staff to push aside politics and to fight against corporate power for the sake of their patients. The show’s second season aired in 2020.
4 Hello, My Twenties (2016): 8.3
Hello, My Twenties is a perfect title for the 2016 drama. The coming-of-age drama was created in mind to be relatable with young audiences going through their twenties. The story revolves around five women, all in their twenties, living together in a share house called “Bell Opaque.”
The five women are strangers at first and with strikingly different personalities. Over time, they start to bond over the struggles and pains of growing older. The main characters go through many ups and downs, blissful moments, and even love. The second season premiered a year after the first installment in 2017.
3 Welcome To Waikiki (2018): 8.3
Welcome to Waikiki is a slight expectation of the more than one season rule. The first season debuted in 2018 with a total of 20 episodes. Three different young men open a guest house called ‘Waikiki’ in Itaewon. They may not know how to run it but are eager to make money to help start their movie. Their lives get complicated with the arrival of a guest who’s a single mother.
The second season isn’t considered a season, but a second installment. It’s titled, Welcome to Waikiki 2. The only difference is that the main characters from the first season were written out of the new storyline. One character remains and as his career is down in the dumps, he hopes to revive the guest house.
2 Kingdom (2019): 8.4
When it comes to the zombie apocalypse theme tied with a historical setting, Netflix’s Kingdom has done well amongst a worldwide audience. The political period horror thriller premiered on Netflix in 2019 and was adapted from a webtoon series.
The show focused on the Crown Prince dealing with the tainted political conspiracy behind his father’s death as a mysterious plague turns humans into ravenous monsters. With the show’s success came a second season that premiered in 20220. The season picks up after the end of the first with the prince trying to protect his people from the plague. He must also deal with protecting his dynasty.
1 Stranger (2017): 8.6
The crime thriller show Stranger will have any fan wanting more after every episode. The show was a major hit with domestic and worldwide audiences, and it was included in the New York Times‘ Best TV Shows of 2017. Fans praised the show for its thrilling plot elements and performances.
The show focuses on two main characters. Hwang Si-Mok (Cho Seung-Woo) is a top prosecutor who loses his ability to empathize. He teams up with Police Lieutenant Han Yeo-Jin (Bae Doona) in solving a murder. They soon realize their efforts to seek justice are being thwarted by corruption and a conglomerate. The second season brings back the main characters, but this time, there’s tension as the prosecutor’s office and police fight for control over investigations.
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