KDrama Rejects

Korean Dramas I've Rejected


I don't like every Korean Drama I've ever watched. In fact, I give up on about a third of all KDramas I start watching.

Here is my list of rejects. Some (but not all) are preceded by 0, 1, 2, or 3 in parentheses. Here is what those numbers mean:

(0) = Won't try again; (1) = Some merit? (2) = Might watch more? (3) = Might resurrect
  1. (1) Gu Family Book = 구가의서. (Too much sex, violence, repetition.) Went nowhere after 10 of 24 episodes.
  2. (0) Joseon X-Files aka Secret Investigation Record = 기찰비록. Although this received good reviews by many viewers, I never quite came to understand what was going on after three full episodes.
  3. (1) Flower Boys Next Door = 이웃집 꽃미남. After four episodes, I just couldn't stay awake. We put it on hiatus after three episodes, hoping it might pick up. I slept through most of episode 4 and gave up.
  4. (0) Hong Gil Dong. Watched quite a few episodes, but never "connected."
  5. (1) Inspiring Generation. Had high hopes for this one. The cinematography was great, the setting (Shanghai, Osaka, Korea in the early 20th century) was great, and Kim Hyun-Joong was the best I've ever seen him. However, the script went nowhere. It was all about gang fights and relationships that just didn't make sense. Gave up after eight (of 24) episodes.
  6. (1) Beethoven Virus. Gave up on this one about 3/4 of the way through the second episode. The musicians' "faking" skill were pretty lame; the first run-through of a bunch of amateur musicians playing an orchestral piece sounded like a professional orchestra (what reason is there to practice? Who needs a conductor?) Gave up on 18 May 2014.
  7. (0) Gaksital aka Bridal Mask.
  8. (0) Tamra the Island (Director's Cut)
  9. (0) Joseon Gunman. (We might try this again?)
  10. (1) Vampire Prosecutor. Watched two episodes.
  11. (1) Modern Farmer. It passed the point of no return in episode 3, where it lived up to its nickname "King of Bathroom Humor."
  12. (1) Tomorrow Cantabile. Watched three episodes. (See Beethoven Virus above)
  13. (0) Princess's Man. Fell asleep several times in the first episode (the only one I watched).
  14. (2) A Witch's Romance. Gave up on this one after dozing through 5 episodes.
  15. (0) Bad Guys. Ultra violent. Watched only two episodes. On DarkSmurf.com.
  16. (2) The Girl Who Sees Smells. Gave up after 5 episodes in Apr 2015
  17. (1) History of a Salary Man. Fountain of youth drug kept chicken alive
  18. (1) Ex-Girlfriend Club. Even less plot
  19. (1) Orange Marmalade. Really wanted to like this. Vampires.
  20. (1) Producer. Never quite got it. (Maybe only Koreans can appreciate it?)
  21. (0) Masked Prosecutor. Too much violence in this one.
  22. (0) The Time That I Loved You, 7000 Days. The description says the two main characters have loved each other platonically for 17 years, yet throughout the first episode Choi Won tells Jang Ha Na repeatedly that he will never love her. What? I just don't have patience with this one.
  23. (0) The Scholar Who Walks the Night. Watched two episodes. Another vampire drama
  24. (0) The Virtual Bride. Like Modern Farmer (above), this focuses on flatulence. Watched only one episode.
  25. (1) Jewel in the Palace. Slow moving. Supplanted by more interesting Twenty Again and Heard It through the Grapevine
  26. (0) Yong Pal. Might watch more of this one--as we finish Twenty Again and Heard It through the Grapevine.
  27. (0) Liar Game. A young woman helps a grandma carry her suitcase across the street. The grandma leaves the young woman with the suitcase full of money.
  28. (0) Sweden Laundry. Gave up after two episodes.
  29. (2) Oh My Venus. Gave up after 10 3/4 episodes. No plot. Writers keep talking about sex.
  30. (2) Reply 1988. Watched only episode. OD'ed on domestic violence.
  31. (0) Baking King Kim Tak Goo. Watched only 2-3 episodes. Moved very slowly.
  32. (1) Capital Scandal. Liked "Japanese language everywhere" setting. ... But too hard to stay awake. Watched about 85% of first episode.
  33. (1) Remember. Watched first 10 (of 20) episodes. Quit when it looked like it would be a massive train wreck. In episodes 1-2, the main character had super-hero photographic memory--he could replay everything he ever experienced--even things he hadn't noticed before. After episode 2, no more super memory. The bad guys kept walking all over him. Read the recap of episode 20. Can't bring myself to watch any more.
  34. (0) Grandpas over Flowers Investigation Team. Tried three times to watch this first episode. (Finally succeeded the third time). ... But I couldn't stay awake. Looked up a summary of the last episode, and decided I couldn't understand what it was about. Gave up.
  35. (2) Moorim School. After episode 6 still couldn't see that it had any plot. Just a bunch of spoiled kids--many of them blurting out English phrases at random times. Also a school master that never moved his facial muscles. [Sigh]
  36. (2) Good Doctor. The klutzy "good doctor" is just too unbelievable. Gave up after watching far too many episodes (6 to be exact).
  37. (2) Descendants of the Sun. Was distracted from watching this (after eight episodes) by our interest in Baby Faced Beauty. After a week or two we read about the scatological turn in Descendants and decided not to watch any more.
  38. (0) High End Crush. Couldn't figure this one out, so abandoned it.
  39. (0) Haeundae Lovers. A family of morons (except for one person) continue to do stupid things. Couldn't stand it.
  40. (0) Secret Message.  Gave up on this one after 5 episodes. Unsure what the main plot was supposed to be.
  41. (0) Sweet 18. Abandoned after 6 episodes.
  42. (0) Cinderella and the Four Knights
  43. (0) One More Happy Ending
  44. (2) Mr. Baek
  45. (0) One Percent of Anything (2003)
  46. (0) Dear My Friends. A bunch of rude, loud old women cuss, yell and hit each other the entire first episode. Couldn't justify watching any more.
  47. (2) The Legend of the Blue Sea. Got so bored after watching 9 episodes that I gave this one up. Not sure if it was the actors that bored me, or if the Kdrama was inherently boring.
  48. (0) Queen of Office. Watched episode 1 on DramaCool. Would probably have watch more, but the video resolution was so bad that I could barely distinguish the actors' faces.
  49. (2) Saimdang
  50. (1) Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
  51. (1) Sweet Stranger and Me
  52. (1) Mystery Queen
  53. (2) Suspicious Partner
  54. (0) Lovely Love Lie aka The Liar and His Lover
  55. (0) Fight My Way
  56. (3) Yoona's Street
  57. (3) Age of Youth
  58. (2) My Sassy Girl
  59. (0) Tunnel
  60. (0) Bride of the Water God. Couldn't handle this one after 1 1/2 episodes.
  61. (2) The Best Hit. Watched 12 episodes before giving up.
  62. (0) Duel. Watched 1 episode
  63. (1) Revolutionary Love. Great actors. Hopelessly stupid plot. Watched 3 episodes.
  64. (2) While You Were Sleeping
  65. (0) Hwayugi. Ended with the words "I came to eat you."
  66. Go Go Waikiki
  67. 20th Century Boy and Girl. Watched one episode.
  68. Best Lover. Watched one episode on Netflix. (Some characters spoke in Korean, others in Chinese...)
  69. Wok of Love
  70. Rich Man, Poor Woman
  71. Prison Playbook
  72. Live
  73. My Husband Mr. Oh
  74. Queen of Office
  75. Your House Helper
  76. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?
  77. Partners for Justice. Too violent for my taste.
  78. Borg Mom
  79. You Are All Surrounded
  80. Mister Sunshine
  81. Quiz from God
  82. Ghost Detective
  83. Terius Behind Me (dropped when DramaFever was shut down)
  84. The Third Charm
  85. Devilish Joy
  86. Beauty Inside
  87. The Smile that Left Your Eyes
  88. Matrimonial Chaos
  89. Black
  90. Where Stars Land. (Gave up after 15 episodes on November 2, 2018. Incredibly poor screenwriting and plot.)
  91. Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter. (Watched 2/3 of first episode on November 5, 2018)
  92. Life.
  93. Love Alert. Very tiresome. Dumped after 4 episodes on 16 Nov 2018.
  94. Twelve Nights. We dumped this one after trying (very hard) to watch it for just over 5 episodes. It just never took off, unfortunately.
  95. Encounter. Starts out in Cuba. The male lead has a perpetual fake smile—he smiles too much. Dumped this after two episodes.
  96. My Strange Hero.
  97. Attic Cat
  98. Kingdom. Dumped after 2 episodes. (I hate zombies!)
  99. The Crowned Clown
  100. The Last Empress
  101. Radiant
  102. I Picked up a Celebrity on the Street. (No plot)
  103. I Hate You, Juliet
  104. Clean with Passion for Now
  105. The Great Queen Seondeok
  106. My First, First Love
  107. Queen of Mystery. Lost interest after 5-6 episodes.
  108. Absolute Boyfriend
  109. Doctor Prisoner
  110. Level Up
  111. Watcher
  112. Wanna Hear Your Song
  113. The Great Show
  114. Melting Me Softly (Boring)
  115. Vagabond (Plot falling apart. Watch only if you like action scenes.)
  116. Dr. Romantic 2. Watched first episode 28 Feb 2020. Not interesting at all. Can't stomach another drama of infighting between the main and branch hospitals. (Didn't they solve that at the end of the first series?) And—come on—allowing a surgeon to continue practice when she is addicted to drugs and falls asleep during operations is way over the top. If we're really hard up for a KDrama to watch sometime, maybe we'll watch a second episode of this one.
  117. (2) Meow, the Secret Boy. After sleeping through episodes 5–6 on 7 Apr 2020, and seeing no plot to speak of, decided to quit watching this one.
  118. Forest
  119. Prison Playlist
  120. When the Camellia Blooms
  121. Let's Eat 2. No plot. Good if you have insomnia. Watched first and only episode 25 May 2020.
  122. TWogether. Two real-life movie stars--one Korean, one Taiwanese--visit faraway places. Boring. Watched first episode 30 Jun 2020.
  123. It's OK Not to Be OK. The male lead from "You from a Star" works in a psych hospital. His older brother is autistic, and the female lead is from Addams Family—and has emotional problems. The autism and emotional problems drag the plot to slower than a standstill. Impossible to get on board with this KDrama. Gave up 21 Aug 2020.
  124. The Sound of the Heart. The father in a family is an over-the-top jerk. Impossible to even get close to climbing on board with this one. Gave up 21 Aug 2020.
  125. Familiar Wife. Dumped 15 Oct 2020
  126. Do You Like Brahms? Dumped 15 Oct 2020
  127. The School Nurse Files. Dumped 15 Oct 2020
  128. Tale of the Nine-Tailed. Dumped 16 Oct 2020. Way too freaky.
  129. Mr. Queen. A modern-day man jumps into a lake and ends up as a Joseon Queen. Dumped 22 Dec 2020.
  130. The Uncanny Counter. Violent Dumped 30 Dec 2020 after two episodes.
  131. The Best Hit
  132. Kairos
  133. The Spies Who Loved Me
  134. Royal Secret Agent
  135. Sisyphus. Dumped after 4 episodes on 27 Feb 2021. Anything with zombies is worthless.
  136. Vincenzo. Boring after 3 episodes. Dumped on 28 Feb 2021. Tried again, and dumped in May 2021.
  137. Scripting Your Destiny. Abandoned after one episode on 29 May 2021.
  138. Racquet Boys. Slept through episode 1 on 23 June 202. Boring.
  139. The Rebel. Watched only one episode on 25 Jun 2021.
  140. Yumi's Cells. Watched only one episode on 11 Oct 2021.
  141. Secret Royal Inspector and Joy. Gave up after watching episode 5 on 2 Dec 2021. Pretty stupid.
  142. The Silent Sea. About travel to the moon's Sea of Tranquility. Quit after watching first two episodes on 26 Dec 2021.
  143. Would You Like a Cup of Coffee. Dumped on 2 Jan 2022 after 4 episodes. Boring.
  144. Our Beloved Summer. Dumped on 5 Jan 2022 after 10 episodes. Boring.
  145. Doctor Romantic 2. Dumped this one after 3 episodes on 28 Jan 2022. I thought we resolved this in season 1. But, no, the same jerk is running the big-city hospital and is pulling the same shenanigans as he did in season 1. I HATED this one. On Viki.
  146. Forecasting Love and Weather. Not only did the two main couples jump into bed together in the first two episodes, but they are constantly fighting all the time. Not fun at all. Watched episode 2 on 15 Feb 2022 on Netflix.
  147. Chocolate. Too much crying and sadness. Dumped after 6 episodes on 22 Apr 2022.
  148. My Liberation Notes.
  149. The King's Affection. Kept sleeping through this one. Dumped on 7th episode 5 Aug 2022
  150. Today's Webtoon. Good for insomnia
  151. If You Wish upon Me. Boring. Watched second episode on 12 Aug 2022
  152. Dear M. Dumped after half an episode (or less)
  153. Cafe Minamdang. Watched half an episode on 10 Aug 2022.
  154. Sh**ting Stars. Dumped on 19 Aug 2022 after two episodes
  155. Once Upon a Small Town
  156. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
  157. Sell Your Haunted House
  158. Gaus Electronics. Nearly every subtitle had the "F" word
  159. Strangers Again. Viewed first episode 22 Jan 2023 on Vicki.
  160. Forbidden Marriage. Viewed first episoide 23 Jan 2023 on Viki.
  161. True to Love. Fabulous main actress. Unfortunately, the drama itself had too much crying and drunkenness. After watching the hopelessly stupid 5th episode, dumped this one on 28 Apr 2023. On Amazon Prime Video.
  162. See You in My 19th Life (Netflix). Dumped on 8/12/2023 after hearing it had a sad ending.
  163. Heartbeat (Amazon). Vampire movie. We heard he committed suicide at the end. Gave up on this one on 8/12/2023.
  164. My Lovely Liar. About a woman who can identify liars. Watched only one episode, on 13 Aug 2023.
  165. A Good Day to Be a Dog. Abandoned after two episodes, on 26 Oct 2023.
  166. Not Others. Abandoned after 10 minutes of episode 1 on 8 Nov 2023.
  167. The Love Cafe. Abandoned 27 Apr 2024 during episode 5. Nonstop shouting; not funny at all.
  168. Good Job. Abandoned during episode 5 on 8 May 2024.
  169. You're All Surrounded. Gave up after 2nd episode 9 May 2024.
  170. No Gain No Love. Abandoned after 6 episodes on 20 Sep 2024.
  171. Miss Lee. Watched three episodes on YouTube; unable to find more. Gave up on 3 Oct 2024.
  172. Racket Boys. Watched 4 1/2 episodes. Abandoned on 8 Nov 2024.
  173. Welcome to Samdal-Ri. Watched second episode on 9 Nov 2024.
  174. Good Partner. Watched episode 1 on 9 Nov 2024.
  175. Dog Knows Everything.  Dropped after 3 episodes on 16 Nov 2024.
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