K-Dramas on Hulu, or more specifically Disney, have taken off since the streamers got into the licensing rights game. While K-dramas are being housed on Disney+ in South Korea, you just have to head to Hulu for US viewers. So, I wanted to take the time to round up some of my favorites on Hulu.
Netflix has been investing heavily in South Korean content. From partnerships with South Korean studios to buying licensing rights and producing their own originals, the streaming platform has had a large share of K-dramas easily accessible to viewers in the U.S. This isn’t to leave out platforms like Viki, a streaming service explicitly made to provide Asian content overseas, but rather to point out the way the South Korean content has made its way onto platforms for people who may not be searching out K-dramas.
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Some titles are branded as Hulu Exclusives, and others are fan favorites with histories that lay well outside the streaming platform. From comedy to thriller and a bit of cop drama in between, it looks like K-dramas on Hulu are only going to get more robust, and I can’t wait for that to happen.
Encounter
An absolute favorite of mine, I was excited to see that Encounter was on Hulu. Filled with intrigue and politics as much as romance, there is something beautiful at the way the series weighs following your heart against familial duty, and how to navigate it all. It also showcases the beauty of love after divorce and the emotional acting from the entire cast is phenomenal.
“Cha Soo Hyun (Song Hye Kyo) is the daughter of a powerful, political family. She recently divorced her wealthy husband from an arranged marriage. Tired of living life guided by others, she decides to travel overseas. She meets Kim Jin Hyuk (Park Bo Gum), a free-spirited young soul on the way. Despite their differences, they are undeniably drawn to each other. Will the two find true love amongst their differences?”
Big Mouth
A mild-mannered attorney winds up in prison and transforming into a notorious genius con man is the perfect dramatic premise and Big Mouth delivers. One of the K-Dramas recently licensed on Hulu, Big Mouth is propelled by two amazing leads, Lee Jong-Suk and Im Yoon-ah. Both have thrilling roles with enough mystery to make every episode worth the runtime.
“A lawyer with a ten-percent winning rate is caught up in a murder case and becomes the notorious and genius con artist, Big Mouse, overnight. In order to survive and protect his family, he tries to reveal the true colors of the privileged people involved in a huge conspiracy.”
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?
Based on a webtoon of the same name, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? is the best office romance I’ve seen in a long time. Embracing the eccentricities of the source material while delivering jaw-dropping fashion moments and sexy romantic moments between its leads, this is one tsundere melting romantic drama that I try to get everyone to watch.
“Can you be so self-absorbed that you have no idea what’s truly going on around you? Lee Young Joon (Park Seo Joon) is vice president of his family-owned company, Yoomyung Group. He is so narcissistic that he doesn’t pay attention to what his trusty secretary, Kim Mi So (Park Min Young), is trying to tell him most of the time.
After nine years of making Young Joon look good and stroking his very large ego, Min So decides to quit her job. Young Joon’s older brother, Lee Sung Yeon (Lee Tae Hwan), is a famous author who is in love with Mi So. Can Young Joon accept the fact that Mi So no longer wants to work for him or will he get the wrong idea?”
Shadow Detective
The darkest on this list, Shadow Detective is a crime thriller that centers on an older lead. It’s weaving narrative whodunnit, and the constant tension our lead detective finds himself in makes each episode fly by. This one is best left entered with as little info as possible.
“Taekrok gets a threatening call and is falsely charged with murder. He desperately recalls the past.”
While You Were Sleeping
A little bit of fantasy mixed in with romance and a legal drama, While You Were Sleeping is my gold standard for genre-blending romance. With a tight narrative that effortlessly pulls together every piece laid from episode one to the finale, mystery meets romance perfectly here.
“Nam Hong Joo (Suzy) lives with her mother, Yoon Moon Sun (Hwang Young Hee), a widow who runs a small restaurant. Jung Jae Chan (Lee Jong Suk), a rookie prosecutor, and his younger brother, Seung Won (Shin Jae Ha), move in across the street. Since she was young, Hong Joo has had the ability to see bad events before they happen, but she is often unable to do anything about it.
One day, Jae Chan has a strange premonition dream about an accident involving Hong Joo and Lee Yoo Beom (Lee Sang Yeob), a ruthless attorney who used to be Jae Chan’s tutor. Jae Chan decides to interfere in the course of events and ends up saving the lives of Hong Joo and Han Woo Tak (Jung Hae In), a young police officer. When Jae Chan, Hong Joo and Woo Tak then start having dreams about one another, they realize that their lives are now somehow entwined.”
May it Please the Court
Another of the K-Dramas exclusive to Hulu to come out this year, May It Please The Court is near perfect. An ace legal drama with a murder mystery tied in, it’s a series that is pushed by a female lead that is equal parts strong and vulnerable.
“Noh Chakhee, the ace lawyer with the highest winning rate in the big law firm, Jangsan, becomes a public defender of Jeongha overnight. She becomes involved with a unique and eccentric public defender, Jwa Sibaek, and takes on a serial murder case of wealthy men. Can she defend the criminal who killed her loved one in this legal mystery drama that aims to get to the bottom of a very old case?”
Legend of the Blue Sea
Lee Min-ho is always a star on film and in Legend of The Blue Sea it’s no different. Extremely charismatic and thoughtful, this series it romantic and thrilling in equal measure as it tells a parallel story across time periods, about a man and a mermaid.
“Shim Cheong (Jun Ji Hyun) is a mermaid who follows her one true love, a nobleman’s son named Kim Moon from the Joseon Dynasty, to modern-day Seoul. Moon’s modern doppelgänger is Heo Joon Jae (Lee Min Ho), a highly skilled scam artist who first becomes interested in Shim Cheong because of a jade bracelet worth $6 million that Shim Cheong wears.
With nowhere to go, Shim Cheong is taken in by Joon Jae, who also finds his con partners, Jo Nam Doo (Lee Hee Joon) and Tae Oh (Shin Won Ho), hiding out in his home from a vengeful past victim of their scams. Shim Cheong discovers a rival for Joon Jae’s heart in Cha Shi Ah (Shin Hye Sun), a researcher at KAIST who deals with ancient artifacts.”
