Best Korean thriller and crime dramas to watch: Signal, Stranger, Beyond Evil and more
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Korean dramas are known abroad for romance, but some of the best writing in the industry has gone into thrillers and crime series. They tend to be tightly plotted, morally grey, and willing to take their time building tension. Here is a list to start with, without spoilers. Availability varies by country and changes as licences come and go, so check the streaming services where you live.
Crime and police procedurals
- Signal (2016): a profiler in the present day finds an old walkie-talkie that lets him talk to a detective in the past, and together they reopen cold cases. Inspired in part by real unsolved cases, and often named as the best Korean crime drama of all.
- Stranger (2017): a prosecutor who cannot feel emotion and a determined police detective investigate a murder that leads into corruption in the prosecution service. A slow, intelligent legal thriller; a second season followed.
- Beyond Evil (2021): two police officers in a small town, each suspecting the other, are drawn back into a series of murders from twenty years earlier. Superb lead performances and an atmosphere that stays with you.
- Mouse (2021): a rookie police officer and a detective with a tragic past hunt a serial killer, in a story built around the question of whether psychopathy can be predicted. Twisty and dark.
Revenge stories
- The Glory (2022–2023): a woman who was brutally bullied at school spends years planning her revenge on the people responsible. Cold, precise and very hard to stop watching; released in two parts.
- Taxi Driver (2021–): a secretive taxi company takes on revenge jobs for victims the legal system has failed. Episodic cases with an action-hero lead, and it has returned for further seasons.
- Flower of Evil (2020): a man hiding his past lives with his wife, a detective, until a murder investigation starts to bring his secret closer to home. A thriller and a love story at the same time.
Genre-bending picks
- Vincenzo (2021): a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer returns to Seoul and ends up fighting a corrupt conglomerate with his own methods. A dark comedy with crime and courtroom plots, and a hugely likeable ensemble cast.
- Moving (2023): teenagers with hidden superpowers and parents who are trying to protect them from the people hunting them. Action and fantasy built on family drama and espionage, with a slow start that pays off.
- Squid Game (2021–2025): people deep in debt are invited to play children's games for a huge prize, with deadly rules. The global hit that brought many viewers to Korean drama; the story was told across three seasons.
How to choose
- If you want classic detective work, start with Signal or Stranger.
- If you want atmosphere and character, Beyond Evil.
- If you want catharsis, The Glory or Taxi Driver.
- If you want something lighter around the edges, Vincenzo.
A few things to know
- Many of these have violent scenes and deal with abuse, so check the age rating before watching with family.
- Korean series often run 12 to 16 episodes and finish in one season, though more crime shows now return for sequels.
- Watching with Korean subtitles on a second viewing is a good way to pick up legal and police vocabulary, if you are learning.
What would you add to the list, and which ending surprised you most? Share your picks in the comments, but please keep spoilers out of the first line.