A myriad of K-content romantic comedies are released over a year, but sometimes the mind desires a pause form all the mushy content at hand, and hopes to jump into more thrilling storylines. In today’s article, we’ve curated a watchlist of gritty Kdramas of 2023 that will get both your mind and heart racing. Nevertheless, not all of these show promise to be fast-paced. Some of them take on a more slow-burn approach, but are high on intense drama all the same.
While only a handful of names have been included in the list below, some of which have already premiered and others that will be releasing in the near future, a few more names that could be included here are shows that are expected to release this year. Among those titles, Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2, Parasyte: The Grey, Choi Woo-sik’s Murder DIEary, All of Us Are Dead Season 2, Zombieverse and more would make fitting examples of such hard-hitting shows. However, since their release dates haven’t been confirmed yet, I’m not mentioning them below.
Gritty Kdramas of 2023 to Watch Out For
Bloodhounds
With all 8 episodes now streaming on Netflix, Bloodhounds starring Wo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi in the leading roles is a sensational action-packed K-series of 2023. Packing a mighty punch, the show is well aware of how its strikingly major protagonist is action itself, that too, especially, when helmed by the titular bromance of Do-hwan and Sang-yi.
Following their heart-wrenching tussle with illegally based loan sharks, two young boxers join forces with a compassionate moneylender on his way to take the other side down. The series is set during the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, and its initial premise centres around small business that were on the brink of going out business during this period, leading their owners to be desperate enough to find financial remedies as soon as possible.
The beginning plot line deals with how these middle class families ere severely hit by all this, but the richer section of society stayed aloof and untouched, and corrupts forces like the SMILE Capital preyed upon the former lot to exact big cash. Wo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi’s characters then emerge as neighbourhood watch vigilantes, who despite not having any superpowers stepped up to protect the down-trodden population of people, no matter what the cost.
Read our review of the K-drama here.
Queenmaker
Kim Hee-ae and Moon So-ri lead the ranks of this 2023 political K-drama series having 11 episodes. Releasing in April 2023, the South Korean original Netflix drama series immerses itself in the political scene of the upcoming mayoral elections in Seoul, making way for a strong-headed rivalry between the many candidates contesting for them. Meanwhile, the dark, cut-throat and corrupt reality governing those in power is also revealed through the series in the most realistic way possible.
The show has nothing to do with romance, rather it completely revolves around the leading women of the show forging an unlikely alliance to initiate a new chain of power that is miles apart from dishonest and criminal ways needed to reach the top. With hefty conglomerates and hard power politics having taken over the South Korean worldview, So-ri and Hee-ae’s team-up makes for a case that pushes the audience to root for their team, mapping out a successful underdog story. It makes for one of the most serious Kdramas of the year despite being released so early on.
Read our review of the K-drama here.
Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch
All set to premiere on July 29, 2023, at 9:20PM KST, Uncanny Counter 2 marks the return of the much-loved Counters who won our hearts in Season 1, in addition to some newcomers this time around. The fantasy thriller series is based on the webtoon by Jang Yi, and is bringing back its OG squad of demon hunters played by Jo Byung-gyu, Kim Se-jeong, Yeom Hye-ran, Yoo Jun-sang, and joining them as a rookie Counter will be Yoo In-soo.
The original premier season focussed on the Counters recruiting the high school student So-mun (Byung-gyu) as he harnesses the the powers of physical strength to drive the evil forces away. His backstory left him as the sole survivor of a car accident that led to his parents’ death and his leg injury.
The first season primarily centred around the Counters training him and learning to accept him as a new member of the team. Since the show’s plot requires the leading lot to hunt down evil spirits using their respective abilities, (while leading a double life for cover) all former 16 episodes fleshed out an enthralling, action-driven and heart-pounding storyline, and the same can be expected of the new season.
The Glory Part 2
The Song Hye-kyo, Lim Ji-yeon, Lee Do-hyun starrer K-drama of 2022, found its sequel coming back in early 2023. Built from the ground up as a noir revenge drama series, it charts out as a psychological thriller that often switched between being a melodrama to a murder mystery and even horror. Song Hye-kyo’s layered portrayal of the grey main character marred by school violence during her youthful year, leaves the viewer speechless.
Openly shedding light on real life events based on instances of school bullying in South Korea, the show get way too visual with what its trying to convey at times, so trigger warnings for the same are in order if you plan on watching this title on Netflix.
Also read: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi and Others From the Bloodhounds Cast: Here’s Where We’ve Seen Them Before!
Taxi Driver 2
Based on a webcomic, the Le Je-hoon starrer drama of 2023 features the titular actor in a revenge-driven plot. The out-of-the-box storyline of the series founds its premise and establishes the gritty content on the basis of the Rainbow Taxi company, which doesn’t simply offer rides to passengers but also lets the clients discreetly hire revenge service. Je-hoon’s Kim Do-ki leads the enterprise Owner Jang Sung-Chul. Their services becomes a channel of aid for all those people who’ve not been able to exact justice from the conventional means. And that’s where Do-ki’s team steps in to grant them their much-awaited justice.
In Season 2, most of the team finds employment elsewhere, but Do-ki takes on the case of a missing boy in Vietnam. And as always, once this calls for the team’s reunion, because when they put their heads together, they become an indomitable force. The drama was particularly fixated on its thrilling storyline, that the viewers vocalised their thoughts about how the writers themselves possibly forego the underlying romantic track.
Shadow Detective 2
Resuming the run of one of the most intense Kdramas of last year, Lee Sung-min’s persona as the veteran detective Kim Taek-rok, awaiting his retirement that never comes and only brings on more action and racing chase sequences, returns on July 5, 2023, on Disney+ Hotstar. With 8 episodes in the new season like the previous one, the show is likely to pick up from where it left off. Season 1 had Taek-rok cornered by a hooded figure in the shadows, calling himself the old detective’s self-proclaimed friend.
Along the way Taek-rok got falsely accused of having murdered his colleague, and the murder mystery kick starts the series of anonymous calls from the “friend”. Throughout the entirety of the series, the veteran figure unravels some of his old cases gone cold, while also attempting to save his name from being dragged through the dirt for a crime he didn’t commit. The dark-coded series leads with a solemn and grim plot line that serves the high of solving one mystery after the other, while a bigger picture unfolds in the background.
Sweet Home 2
With more bloody battles and ruthless action awaiting us in the next season, the residents of Green Home will have to engage in a tussle with their personal human desires and the survival battle at hand. Based on the webtoon by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, the apocalyptic horror series based its premise following atradgey that strikes Cha Hyun-soo. Upon moving into an apartment, he finds the place being invaded by monsters, giving way to a dystopian set up wherein everyone including him is trapped inside while having to avert the horrors lurking in their proximity.
Despite having received mixed views, with many critics claiming it to be a seen-before zombie apocalypse riff-off storyline, the show was eventually picked up for two more seasons, and so, the third instalment is also in production. Regardless of the negative claims, many viewers accepted it as worth binge watch that offered them a heart-racing experience throughout due to its dynamic action.
The Devil or Revenant
And there you have it, a dark-themed horror thriller of the year. Starring Kim Tae-ri as the centre piece of the show, she plays Gu San-yeong, a possessed young student who’s struggling to make ends meet. This calls for an exorcist, and so enters Oh Jung-se’s Yeom Hae-sang, a professor of folklore, whose foresight allows him to connect with demons. Once they team up, they not only help each other, but also work together to unravel the mysteries behind the puzzling suicides all over the city. Revenant takes it slow to complete its world-building, which makes for a slow-burn watch that doesn’t initially catch the viewers, so you need to stick around for more to unfold.
D.P. 2 or D.P. Season 2
Premiering on Netflix on July 28, 2023, Deserter Pursuit makes for a compelling watch centred around the South Korean military. As per the title, the series offers a unique concept revolving around the Korean military police who’re on the run to catch deserters. Addressing severe tones and topics like issues of bullying and hazing in the military, the show magnifies the harsh reality that’s barley spoken of in the South Korean context.
While Private Ahn Joon-ho and Corporal Han Ho-yul embarked on several adventures last season to find the deserters who’d abandoned their posts, it all ended on a suspenseful note ridden by major cliff-hangers. The new instalment is likely to pick up all those notes and again make room for an enlightening story.
Special Mention
Siren Survive the Island
Though not precisely a K-drama, but actually a reality TV series, this Korean title really turned the wheels on how to perceive Netflix’s reality shows. While the platform’s pool is overflowing with many titles concerned with romance, dating, gossip and all the hot tea that comes along with such frivolous themes, Siren: Survive the Island brings on an all-women contestant roster with each of them professionally employed as either a police officer, firefighter, bodyguard, solider, athlete or stuntwoman. Together, they fight it out for survival against the harsh forces of a remote island to make it to the endline.
Which of these thriller Kdramas are on your watchlist? Drop your personal suggestions in the comments section below.