Tags
As You Stood By, Because There Is No Next Life, Dear X, Don't Call Me Ma'am, Dynamite Kiss, Heroes Next Door, Last Summer, LOVE.exe, Moon River, No Next Life, Taxi Driver 3, The 4th Love Revolution, The Manipulated
I can’t believe it is already November! This year especially went by so fast as I got really busy with work and I did not watch dramas for most part. I will try to finish at least some of the 2025 Korean dramas though. Fingers crossed!
This month offers a variety of intriguing shows—here’s a closer look at what’s coming up:
Last Summer
Premiere Date: November 1
Network: KBS
Stars: Lee Jae Wook (Dear Hongrang), Choi Sung Eun (The Sound of Magic), Kim Gun Woo (The Glory)
Slot: Saturday & Sunday
Number Of Episodes: 12
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Synopsis: It follows two childhood friends as they uncover the hidden truths behind their first love.
Thoughts: This one sounds cute! And friends to lovers is one of my absolute favorite tropes. Also, Lee Jae Wook looks so cute in those glasses (in the stills)!
Nice to Not Meet You
Premiere Date: November 3
Network: tvN
Stars: Lee Jung Jae (Squid Game), Im Ji Yeon (The Tale of Lady Ok), Kim Ji Hoon (The Haunted Palace), Seo Ji Hye (Red Balloon)
Slot: Monday & Tuesday
Number Of Episodes: 16
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Synopsis: Love story between a famous actor who wants to play a romantic lead but has been typecast into playing the same detective archetype repeatedly, and a righteous, award-winning political journalist who gets demoted to the entertainment desk.
Thoughts: I love it when an actor plays a role that is different from their last few/ most roles. This is actually the plot of the drama, LOL, where the hero is bored of playing similar roles and wants to try something new. I’m excited to see Lee Jung Jae in a rom-com and a comic role.
Moon River
Premiere Date: November 7
Network: MBC
Stars: Kang Tae Oh (The Potato Lab), Kim Se Jung (Business Proposal), Lee Shin Young (Captivating The King), Hong Soo Joo (The Impossible Heir), Jin Goo (The Auditors)
Slot: Friday & Saturday
Number Of Episodes: 14
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Fantasy
Synopsis: A Crown Prince, who has lost his joy, and a female merchant, who has lost her memory, must navigate life in each other’s bodies after a mysterious soul swap.
Thoughts: The dramaland is full of soul swap period dramas but I’m intrigued to know how the female lead would tackle the memory loss as well as a new body.
Dynamite Kiss
Premiere Date: November 12
Network: SBS
Stars: Jang Ki Yong (The Atypical Family), Ahn Eun Jin (My Dearest), Kim Mu Jun (Genie, Make a Wish), Woo Da Vi (Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born)
Slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Number Of Episodes: 14
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Synopsis: About a single woman who disguises as a married mother to land a job, and the team leader who unexpectedly falls for her.
Thoughts: Another drama that looks delightful and fun. I really like Ahn Eun Jin and I’m excited to see this pairing. The plot has been done several times in romcoms where male or female lead lies about relationship status/ economic status/ age etc, but is also exciting to watch.
Taxi Driver 3
Premiere Date: November 21
Network: SBS
Stars: Lee Je Hoon (The Art Of Negotiation), Pyo Ye Jin (Dreaming Of A Freaking Fairytale), Kim Eui Sung (Beyond The Bar), Jang Hyuk Jin (The Winning Try), Bae Yoo Ram (Tastefully Yours)
Slot: Friday & Saturday
Number Of Episodes: 16
Genre: Action, Thriller, Mystery
Synopsis: It is about a mysterious taxi service that delivers vengeance on behalf of victims who are unable to get justice through the law.
Thoughts: This show has been on my watch list for years and now there is a season 3 and I still haven’t watched the first two. Sigh.
Heroes Next Door
Premiere Date: November 17
Network: ENA
Stars: Yoon Kye Sang (The Kidnapping Day), Jin Sun Kyu (Through The Darkness), Kim Ji Hyun (Law And The City), Go Kyu Pil (Genie, Make a Wish), Lee Jung Ha (Moving)
Slot:
Number Of Episodes: 10
Genre: Action, Mystery, Comedy
Synopsis: About former special forces soldiers who reunite, not for national duty, but to protect their families and neighborhood.
Thoughts: This sounds funny and adventurous and the cast is full of such good actors too.
No Next Life/ Don’t Call Me Ma’am / Because There Is No Next Life
Premiere Date: November 10
Network: TV Chosun
Stars: Kim Hee Sun (Bitter Sweet Hell), Han Hye Jin (Divorce Attorney Shin), Jin Seo Yeon (One The Woman), Yoon Park (Doctor Slump)
Slot: Monday & Tuesday
Number Of Episodes: 12
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Synopsis: It follows three 41-year-old women who are exhausted by the demands of work and motherhood, as they take on new challenges.
Thoughts: Another addition to ‘three friends and their lives’ dramas, which are mostly fun than dull. Hopefully, this will be a good one.
Dear X
Premiere Date: November 6
Network: TVING
Stars: Kim Yoo Jung (My Demon), Kim Young Dae (No Gain, No Love), Kim Do Hoon (Love Scout), Lee Yeol Eum (Nevertheless)
Slot: Thursday
Number Of Episodes: 12
Genre: Romance, Melodrama, Thriller
Synopsis: About a top actress who rose to top from rock bottom and who manipulated her way to stardom, disguising her cruelty behind a perfect façade.
Thoughts: This drama looks so intriguing. Definitely watching it!
The Manipulated
Premiere Date: November 5
Network: Disney+
Stars: Ji Chang Wook (Welcome to Samdal-ri), D.O. (Bad Prosecutor), Lee Kwang Soo (The Divorce Insurance), Jo Yoon Soo (The Tyrant)
Slot: Wednesday
Number Of Episodes: 12
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Synopsis: A revenge story about an ordinary man framed for a terrible crime, who seeks vengeance after uncovering that his downfall was masterminded by a mysterious figure named Yo Han.
Thoughts: This looks dark and gritty. Maybe I’ll give it a try.
As You Stood By
Premiere Date: November 7
Network: Netflix
Stars: Jeon So Nee (Melo Movie), Lee Yoo Mi (Mental Coach Jegal), Jang Seung Jo (Nothing Uncovered), Lee Moo Saeng (Blood Free)
Slot: All episodes released together
Number Of Episodes: 8
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Synopsis: It follows two best friends whose bond is like that of sisters. One friend endures a loveless and abusive marriage, reaching a breaking point with no way out, while the other devises a daring plan to save her—leading them, with the help of a third accomplice, to plot murder.
Thoughts: I’m always up for reading or watching a psychological mystery thriller.
The 4th Love Revolution / LOVE.exe
Premiere Date: November 13
Network: Wavve
Stars: Kim Yo Han (The Winning Try), Hwang Bo Reum Byul (Maestra: Strings of Truth)
Slot: Thursday
Number Of Episodes: 8
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Synopsis: The love story between a popular influencer and model with over a million followers and a top engineering student who’s brilliant in academics but clumsy in love.
Thoughts: Sounds like an opposites attract story, and I love academically brilliant/nerdy female leads.
The Drama Corner 
Yup, it’s November already. Time seems to flow faster the older I get.
I’ve only watched one kdrama so far this year. 😛 None of the others have really grabbed my fancy and I didn’t have access to the sites to watcht the few I was more interested in. I did try out few but they ended up in the discard pile. I am currently watching Spirit Fingers, which is a cute little drama. It’s been pretty good so far, so it might end up being my 2nd finished kdrama for the year. We’ll see. Of the new shows I’m tentatively interested in Nice not to Meet You.
This year has been full of Chinese costume dramas for me, ha. “Historical” fantasy has always been my fave, even in book format. But I do like “historical” shows in general. Cdrmas offer much more action and adventure than sageuks, which tend to be locked in the court and it’s politics. They also have a wider variety of lead characters and not just the royals. Unless it’s a palace drama, which I generally find quite boring.
Oh Spirit Fingers seems like a drama I did not think you would watch…but thanks for the recommendation, it did sound cute when I read about it.
Sageuks can be very repetitive (and boring) in their politics tracks. I have not seen any cdrama yet but I might try something someday.
I’m currently watching Typhoon Family and I like it. I also started Would You Marry Me and found it cute.
“Time seems to flow faster the older I get.” – this is so true lol.
I no longer feel like I need to watch a kdrama just because everyone is watching it or I need to watch it so that I can have something to talk about. Currently, I’m just watching things depending on my mood: movie or series from other countries or dramas.
Oh, I do watch the more fluffy stuff occasionally. 😊 Spirit Fingers has been quite fun and I like the rather quirky characters. The young main pair is adorable.
Since I got past the drama noob phase, I’ve tended to go my own way with the dramas I pick up. I find that majority of the more popular crowd pleaser shows are not to my taste at all. Actually, they never really were.
Cdramas need a bit of getting used to and may feel a bit overwhelming at first. There’s also a very clear difference in excecution and style between the period dramas and modern ones. Modern cdramas don’t generally work for me, but there are exceptions of course. If you need recs, just holler. 🙃 Or go through my cdrama list, ha.