28 Highest-Rated K-Dramas Released in 2023, Ranked

This year, Korean drama creators have truly outdone themselves, whipping up a bunch of shows that have audiences everywhere glued to their screens, hearts fluttering and eyes welling up.

We're taking a deep dive into the 28 highest-rated K-Dramas of the year, ranked not just by their heart-stopping plots or tear-jerking moments, but by their ability to make us cancel plans, ignore our phone notifications, and forget that we had a life outside of our screens.

28. Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Set ten years after Tagon's rule, Eun Seom unifies tribes to challenge Ta Gon's tyranny and bring peace to the world of Arthdal.

27. My Dearest

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Set in the 1600s, a mysterious man, Lee Jang Hyun, and a noblewoman, Yu Gil Chae, navigate love and war, raising the bar for historical melodramas.

26. Dr. Romantic Season 3

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Dr. Kim Sa Bu opens a trauma center, facing challenges with the government and his rival Cha Jin Man, continuing the series' ideological battles.

25. The Worst of Evil

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Park Jun Mu, a rural police officer, infiltrates a drug cartel only to find his detective wife on a similar mission, unraveling a dangerous underworld.

24. My Perfect Stranger

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Two characters, Yoon Hae Joon and Baek Yoon Young, travel back to 1987 to solve a murder case and prevent their parents' marriage, uncovering intertwined destinies.

23. Vigilante

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Kim Ji Yong, a police academy student with a double life, enforces justice both legally and as a vigilante, pursued by Detective Cho Heon for his unlawful actions.

22. Taxi Driver Season 2

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

The Rainbow Taxi team reunites to combat a mysterious organization targeting their members, balancing personal issues and societal problems.

21. Agency

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Go Ah-in, from a low-income family and non-prestigious college background, climbs her way to become the first female executive at a top advertising agency, facing challenges in a male-dominated workplace.

20. Pandora: Beneath the Paradise

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Tae-era, living a seemingly perfect life, confronts repressed memories and embarks on a revenge journey to right past wrongs while protecting her family.

19. Twinkling Watermelon

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Eun Gyeol, a time-traveling high school student, must guide his father's love life in 1995, blending time travel with youthful drama.

18. Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Lee Yeon, a mythical fox, finds himself in 1938 Gyeongseong, unraveling mysteries and navigating challenges in this time-traveling sequel.

17. The Killing Vote

Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A

Korean citizens vote via text message on the fate of heinous criminals, with a mysterious person in a dog mask executing those receiving over 50% death penalty votes, challenging the government's control.

16. See You in My 19th Life

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 79%

Ban Ji-eum, with the ability to recall past lives, reconnects with people from her previous life, including her past lover, after dying in a tragic accident.

15. Celebrity

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

Park Guy-young, a woman who becomes an online influencer after her family loses their wealth, navigates the scandalous and challenging world of influencers in Seoul.

14. Doctor Cha

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

Cha Jung Sook, a housewife and former medical student, reignites her medical career alongside her husband, a chief surgeon, navigating professional and personal challenges in their marriage.

13. Bloodhounds

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

Three young men enter the money lending business, confronting social injustice and powerful adversaries in a gritty action thriller.

12. The Glory Part 2

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%

A former victim of school violence seeks revenge 18 years later, targeting those who ruined her life in a story of sweet and devastating vengeance.

11. Alchemy of Souls

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 91%

A fantasy drama where characters navigate a world of magic and action, with compelling chemistry and stunning visual elements, avoiding clichés.

10. The Good Bad Mother

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 92%

A family melodrama exploring the complex relationship between a strict mother and her prosecutor son, focusing on their attempts to mend their bond.

9. Revenant

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 93%

Three strangers, including a student, a folklore teacher, and a detective, unite to solve a decade-old mystery involving demons on Earth.

8. Love to Hate You

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 93%

A romantic comedy exploring the relationship between a strong-willed attorney and a mistrusting A-list actor, addressing issues of misogyny and poor treatment of women.

7. Divorce Attorney Shin

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Cho Seung-woo stars as a pianist-turned-lawyer specializing in divorce cases, taking on clients he feels a personal connection with, driven by his own poignant past.

6. Queenmaker

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

A strong-willed woman plots to overthrow her corrupt employers by propelling a civil rights lawyer to become the Mayor of Seoul, reevaluating her life choices after a life-altering incident.

5. Mask Girl

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Kim Mo-mi, hindered by her perception of lacking beauty, dons a mask to achieve internet fame, leading her life into unexpected chaos and darkness.

4. Crash Course in Romance

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

A romantic comedy mixing thriller, mystery, and coming-of-age elements, following the love story between a single mother and a celebrity math tutor.

3. D.P. Season 2

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Continuing the story of Jun Ho, a military officer in the defector arrest team, the series delves into the challenges of South Korean military life and its impact on the characters.

2. Daily Dose of Sunshine

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Set in a psychiatric ward, the drama follows nurse Jung Da Eun and doctor Dong Go Yoon as they care for patients, exploring themes of mental health and personal growth.

1. Moving

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Three high school students with hidden superpowers confront a North Korean spy, exploring themes of humanity and sacrifice in a unique, action-packed drama.