By Jae-Ha Kim
TODAY.com (.pdf)
July 16, 2024
When you think of shows about time travel, what pops up in your mind? Maybe “Doctor Who,” “Outlander,” or “Quantum Leap”? But what about “Reborn Rich,” “A Time Called You,” and “Lovely Runner”?
If you haven’t heard of the latter three, you are not caught up on your K-dramas.
Many shows out of South Korea incorporate time travel elements, but they tend to do so in a way that prioritizes relationships and plot over science fiction elements. Even the offerings that are heavy on sci-fi and fantasy stress the relationships not just between the leads, but between their core group of friends and family.
This does beg the question: why is the time travel trope so popular in Korean series? Besides adding a relatively unique element that differentiates the storylines from other shows, there is also a very visceral component. K-drama story arcs excel at telling tales of love and revenge. And what better way is there to get these points across than depicting how love and revenge transcend all boundaries, including time?
Below, find 12 of the best K-dramas about time travel to watch next.
‘Lovely Runner’ (2024)
The sleeper hit of this year is “Lovely Runner,” which stars Kim Hye-yoon (“SKY Castle,” “Extraordinary You”) and Byeon Woo-seok (“Record of Youth,” “Strong Girl Nam-soon”) in his breakthrough starring role.
“Lovely Runner” is full of action and intrigue, but at its core, it’s a story of undying love and sacrifice. Sun-jae (played by Byeon) is an isolated superstar, and Im-sol (Kim) is an uber fan who would do anything to support him. Both are 34 and wishing their lives had played out differently. The plot reveals that the unlikely pair has a history together that is centered on doing whatever it takes to protect each other. This includes traveling through time, knowing they may not be able to return home, or even see each other again.
Unlike many K-pop idols who also act (IU, Bae Suzy, Rowoon, Yoona, Cha Eun-woo, D.O.), the male lead here is not a trained singer. But Byeon portrays the leader of the fictional boy band Eclipse well enough that “Sudden Shower,” the drama’s recurring OST song that he sings, charted on Billboard in real life.
Where to watch: Viki
‘Signal’ (2016)
In this time-traveling crime series, two police officers (played by Lee Je-Hoon and Choi Jin-woong) communicate with each other while living decades apart. With one in the past and the other in the future, they are able to prevent tragedies and close cold cases that had seemed unsolvable. Kudos to Kim Hye-soo (“Hyena”) for her portrayal of the first female police officer in the squad. Initially viewed as little more than the department’s coffee maker, she grows to become a fierce and effective leader.
Where to watch: Netflix, Paramount+
‘Reborn Rich’ (2022)
This was the most-watched K-drama of 2022 in South Korea, and with good reason. Song Joong-ki’s time travel and reincarnation series explores the world of chaebols, the family-owned businesses that dominate the country’s economy, from the point of view of a diligent employee who tries to do the right thing, but gets whacked for his troubles. Though he should be dead, he awakens in the past. He has the awareness of his former self, but is in the prepubescent body of the youngest member of a privileged chaebol family. As he grows into his role, he uses his knowledge of the future (investing in “Titanic” before it opens) to reinvent himself in the past. Each day he spends with his new “family,” he plots out revenge against them for orchestrating his previous self’s death. All of this is complicated by his relationship with his difficult “grandfather,” who he has grown to respect.
Where to watch: Viki
‘Go Back Couple’ (2017)
After 14 years of marriage, college sweethearts Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) and Ban-do (Son Ho-jun) bicker more than they talk. Through a series of misunderstandings, they wonder why they ever wed and decide to divorce. After tossing their rings aside, they wake up in their respective childhood bedrooms. At first, they are ecstatic being young and carefree again, seeing parents who haven’t yet died. But by reliving their youth, they realize that their college years weren’t as idyllic as they had remembered.
Where to watch: Viki, Kocowa, Prime Video
‘A Time Called You’ (2023)
This remake of the Taiwanese show “Someday or One Day” has it all — time travel, body jumping, doppelgangers! Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop each portray two sets of characters whose past and future are controlled by an old cassette player with a pop song on it, which allows them to have an input on what their lives are meant to be. There’s a lot going on, including a serial killer subplot. The ending was selfless and beautifully poetic. But be forewarned: viewers of happily-ever-after finales may be frustrated by the lack of finite closure.
Where to watch: Netflix
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