12 Best K-Dramas Released in 2023, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

Korean dramas have taken the world by storm, amassing a loyal global community of fans who tune in weekly for a dose of gripping drama, unexpected romance, and spine-tingling thrills.

From time-traveling lovers to hilarious family dilemmas, these 2023 K-dramas have been exceptionally well received by critics and audiences alike, landing among the 12 highest rated K-dramas of the year.

12. My Perfect Stranger - 81%

This murder mystery series gives us romance and time travel. Two very different people find themselves transported back to 1987. One wants to stop her parents from getting married and the other is looking for the truth behind a series of murders. It doesn't take long to realize that their stories are much more connected than they thought.

11. See You In My 19th Life - 83%

Love knows no lifetime in this fantasy drama revolving around reincarnation, with the main character's ability to remember her past lives, and desire to reconnect with past loves to find her one true love in the 19 lives that she has lived. The concept is truly unique, and tells the story of love and destiny in a refreshing and exciting way.

10. Celebrity - 88%

Celebrity opens the doors to the flashy and scandalous world of influencer culture in Seoul, and the rise and fall of the main characters in a thought-provoking commentary on social media fame. Celebrity follows a young woman, who becomes determined to rise to fame after her family falls on hard times financially.

9. My Dearest - 90%

Adding a historic melodrama to the list, My Dearest takes place during the Qing invasion and sees two young lovers torn apart, leaving them desperate to find each other once more amid the war and devastation. My Dearest is painful and beautiful at the same time, and had fans rooting for the couple from the start.

8. Bloodhounds - 90%

Bloodhounds delivers bromance and boxing, in a thrilling story involving moral dilemmas and brutal fight moves as two heroic young boxers band together in a Robin-Hood-like fashion to take down a vicious loan shark who profits off of vulnerable people struggling financially.

7. Revenant - 92%

Possibly the scariest on this list, the Revenant is dark and thrilling, and includes themes of trauma and survival, as the main character is possessed by a demonic spirit after inheriting a relic from her late father, and finds herself surrounded by mysterious deaths and enlists the help of a gifted folklore professor, who has faced the same demon before.

6. Behind your Touch - 92%

This lighthearted drama is a self-proclaimed 'Com-Rom', prioritizing genuinely funny moments over cliche romance, with a story that follows a veterinarian with psychometric powers, and a hot headed detective who are total opposites, but team up to solve small crimes around them using both of their abilities.

5. The Good Bad Mother - 94%

Life's unexpected turns bring a mother and son back together in this heartfelt drama as a successful prosecutor is left mentally impaired after an accident, and must return home to recuperate under the care of his overbearing mother. This melodrama explores the complexities of family history and strained relationships in a way that brings about both laughter and tears.

4. Crash Course in Romance - 95%

A more mature love story as a grocery store owning mother and a celebrity math tutor fall awkwardly and excitingly in love. Apart from the romance, this series is full of engaging subplots, and speaks up about real-life issues such as mental health and the toxic competitive culture within the elite Korean education system as parents try desperately to secure their children's futures.

3. Love to Hate You - 96%

Opposites attract in this lighthearted drama full of laughs and fake romance that begins with an independent, competitive woman's plot to destroy the life of a distrustful A-list actor after she overhears him saying that all women are gold diggers. And as we can expect with any good romance, things definitely don't go as planned.

2. Twinkling Watermelon - 98%

This time traveling drama has swept fans off of their feet, with its heartwarming story that centers around family, sweet romance, and music as Ha Eun-gyeol, the hearing son of an otherwise deaf family, accidentally travels back to 1995 to and connects with his parents in the hopes of changing the past.

1. Moving - 98%

Taking first place on the list is an action-packed drama following three teenagers who discover that they have superpowers, inherited from their parents, and subsequently have to face off with some very powerful organizations.

WIthin its first week of availability, Moving became the most watched Korean original on Disney+, and has been dubbed Korea's Marvel by many fans, thanks to its interesting heroes, intense action sequences and complex storylines.