The 6 Korean TV Shows You Should Be Watching After Squid Game

You’ve finished watching Squid Game, now what?

If Squid Game was your first and only foray into Korean TV, if you’ve got a hankering to continue consuming outstanding Korean entertainment, then let me be the first to welcome you and provide you outstanding suggestions, for more great Korean shows to consume. You’re in for a treat.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

I’ll be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about Korean TV when I first decided to give it a chance, on a Netflix preview. I was expecting a low-quality, low production show when I first clicked “watch” on The Strongest Deliveryman. By the end of the final episode, I was thoroughly convinced that Korean TV was the superior entertainment medium to Western TV, because they cut down on a lot of tired Western “clichés,” don’t drag their series past one season, have longer episodes to get more of the plot in, and they do romance “right,” meaning, it’s more than tired tropes of meaningless sex scenes, and more so focused on emotional/humane connections.

So without further ado, here are the 6 Korean shows, in the order I watch them, that you should be watching, after Squid game:

1. The Strongest Deliveryman — You never forget your first. This was my first-ever foray into Korean TV, and let me tell you, what an introduction it was. A high-quality production centred around mobile delivery services, similar to that of Uber Eats. The show focuses on doing the right thing, standing up for what you believe in, and not giving up when things get tough. As per standard Korean TV, expect good drama, romance, sadness, and overall, a damn good introduction to the world of Korean TV.
2. Reply 1997 — The first valiant introduction into what has become a quite popular series, not only in Korea, but I would assume worldwide, as well, as I’m sitting here talking about it. You follow a group of friends in the future who are approaching a school reunion, allowing them to reminisce about their youth together. The show starts off in the present and cuts into the past, where it spends most of it’s time. You can expect to find romance, reliving of youth, friendship, heartache, & nostalgia.
3. Reply 1994 — The second iteration of the series sees the creators and producers continuing the same formula as the first, even bringing back the same sets of parents from the first series. Set in 1994, you follow the lives of a family deciding to open a boarding house. Soon enough, you’re entangled and enchanted by the lives of each border, as they too slowly become closer with each other, leading to romance, heartache, and the choices presented to us, in youth.
4. Reply 1988 — Ask anyone who has seen all 3 of the Reply series, and they will all comprehensively agree, that this is the best Reply series. You follow a friend group living daily life, in late 80s Korea. You’re taken on a journey of love, heartbreak, tragedy, and a longing for both youth and a time, lost to history. Considering that it’s the 3rd and thus far, the final iteration of the series, the directors learned everything good and bad from the previous two series, and thus you’re left with a damn good series, that will make you nostalgic for a time period you weren’t even around for, as in my case. If you’re going to watch only one Reply series, this would be it. But if you’re planning on watching all 3, it’s better to watch them in order, starting from Reply 1997.
5. Law School — This show is proof that Korean TV is more than just “boy loves girl” romance, youthful reminiscing, and Squid Game. Law School can be described as Korean TV bringing a dose of justice (see what I did there) to the “murder-mystery” genre. Law School is a show that is quite similar in structure to “How to Get Away with Murder,” where studious law school students, are forced to put their learning into action when a mysterious murder takes place, on campus. If you like a show that keeps you guessing, without all the fluff and clichés, then this show is for you.
6. Record of Youth — You follow the life of a struggling Korean actor, trying to make it in Korean show-business while also trying to navigate the worlds of family, friends, and love life. This is a Korean TV “staple,” where swoon-worthy romantic “boy loves girl” drama meets at the intersection of a compelling story.