Crash Landing on You has already cemented itself as a K-drama classic, but there are plenty of other K-dramas to watch that can give the same level of satisfaction. Though Crash Landing to You‘s rise to fame started modestly, it quickly became one of the best K-dramas of all time, as well as TVN’s most-watched K-drama at that time. Crash Landing on You‘s may no longer hold TVN’s record thanks to one of 2024’s best K-dramas, but its impact certainly hasn’t wavered.

Many factors have contributed to Crash Landing on You‘s overwhelming success. From beautiful cinematography to dark undertones of political unrest, Crash Landing on You is a melting pot of genres that comes with a gripping and unique storyline. However, the biggest draw is its romantic storyline. Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) and Ri Jeong-hyuk (Hyun Bin) have one of the best K-drama romances, which makes Crash Landing on You hard to forget. Though not all K-dramas can match the specific tone of Crash Landing on You, many have similar elements that make them a perfect next watch.

10

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

An Intense Love Story That Is Full of Personal Growth

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay is a beautifully crafted K-drama that uses animation to add darkness through fairytales. Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji) is an abrasive fairytale author with a traumatic past who becomes weaved in the world of Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) and his autistic older brother, Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se). Despite Moon-young’s unfavorable personality, she develops an intense relationship with Gang-tae which results in them both finding solace in their past traumas.

Like Crash Landing on You, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay does a great job of balancing its darker moments with humor. However, they are both K-dramas that are absolute tearjerkers and are at their absolute best when putting their characters through the worst. Like Crash Landing on You‘s Se-ri and Jeong-hyuk, Moon-young and Gang-tae’s journey of healing is anything but smooth, but the growth of their characters throughout the K-drama feels natural and well-earned.

9

Youth of May (2021)

The Lives of Young People In A Politically Difficult Time

Much like Crash Landing on You, Youth of May places love at the center of a time of political unrest. Although there is no sense of forbidden love, the show’s setting has a significant impact on Sweet Home‘s Go Min-si and Lee Do-hyun’s historical K-drama. The tone of Youth of May shifts from good to bad to worse very quickly, but it does so without feeling jarring and easily sweeps its narrative through the devastating real-life events that took place in 1980s Gwangju.

Go Min-si and Lee Do-hyun’s on-screen reunion is completely different from Sweet Home, as they portray lovers Kim Myung-hee and Hwang Hee-tae. Their connection is vital to Youth of May‘s story and makes the final impact of the series hit even harder, just as Crash Landing on You‘s final episodes do. Youth of May‘s focus on young people caught up in political crossfire is as beautiful as it is devastating, and it is a great watch for those who enjoyed Crash Landing on You.

8

Mr Sunshine (2018)

A Record-Breaking K-drama Full of Rich Characters

Mr. Sunshine brings Crash Landing on You‘s intensity to a new level through its historical setting. While Crash Landing on You focuses on the tense present-day relations between North and South Korea, Mr. Sunshine delves into foreign affairs during the Joseon Dynasty. Mr. Sunshine takes place during the late 1800s and early 1900s and focuses on the period before the Korean Empire and Japan’s annexation of South Korea in 1910.

Several elements contributed to Mr. Sunshine‘s incredible success. Firstly, the production value is impeccable. No expense is spared on the setting, and each shot feels carefully crafted to make this period easy to visualize. Along with this, the characters are well-rounded and make Mr. Sunshine‘s dark landscape come to life with ease. The addition of a love story may feel like overkill in such a show, but Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun) and Go Ae-shin’s (Kim Tae-ri) obstacle-ridden journey to romance adds another level of brilliance to an already amazing K-drama.

7

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) (2016)

A Fated Relationship With Great Comedy and Dramatic Elements

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, best known as Goblin, is another K-drama classic that is an essential watch for Crash Landing on You fans. Goblin follows the story of Kim Shin, a goblin cursed with immortality until he finds his bride, who can remove a sword from his chest and allow him to pass into the next life. He finds his bride almost a century later in 19-year-old Ji Eun-tak, whose optimism and intrigue in Kim Shin ebbs into something more magical.

Crash Landing on You‘s leading couple felt as if they were tied together by fate, and the same goes for Kim Shin and Ji Eun-tak’s budding relationship. Goblin plays a lot more into the idea of fate and destiny than Crash Landing on You, but it comes with a similarly beautiful story that feels timeless. However, what makes Goblin such a great watch is how it effortlessly blends comedy and drama to create a K-drama full of nuance and vibrant emotions that is hard not to fall in love with.

6

Healer (2014)

Love Despite Unconventional Circumstances

Healer is thriller K-drama that will have you hooked, and is led by Ji Chang-wook and Park Min-young, whose characters fall in love despite the unconventional circumstances in which they meet. Seo Jung-hoo (Ji Chang-wook), better known by the code name “Healer”, works as an illegal night courier who is ordered to protect internet reporter Chae Young-shin (Park Min-young) from those who want her dead. However, they fall in love, and the romance that ensues is passionate and cheeky, while also allowing the two characters to heal from the effects of the past.

Healer‘s mix of romance, action, drama, and mystery aligns well with Crash Landing on You. It’s full of characters with great backstories and personalities that make each of their choices make sense, as well as amazing performances from Ji Chang-wook, Park Min-young, and their fellow cast members. Combined with a great storyline to supplement its well-balanced genres, Healer is a must-watch for Crash Landing on You fans.

5

Something In the Rain (2018)

A Slow-Moving Age Gap Romance With Deep Discussions

Before she starred in Crash Landing on You, Son Ye-jin was the leading actress in the romance K-drama Something in the Rain. Something in the Rain‘s story could not be more different from Crash Landing on You, yet its romantic core makes it a great match. In this K-drama, business executive Yoon Jin-ah (Son Ye-jin) reunites with her best friend’s younger brother, Seo Joon-hee, and begins to see him in a new light after he returns from studying abroad.

Something in the Rain is an age-gap romance that takes a much slower approach than Crash Landing on You. However, its steady build makes room for a beautifully complex love story that is captivating to watch despite its slower speed. Something in the Rain features many well-thought-out motifs and heavily focuses on traditional versus modern values, particularly towards the main couple’s relationship, which makes it a nice change of pace from Crash Landing on You.

4

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

A Beautiful Romance With An Air Of Fantasy

Another K-drama that delves deep into romance is While You Were Sleeping. While You Were Sleeping mixes elements of fantasy, comedy, and mystery to create a unique story that is enticing to watch. Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy) can see people’s deaths in her dreams and does her best to prevent them where she can. This leads her to become entangled with her neighbor and rookie prosecutor, Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk) as they both try to stop their dreams from becoming a reality.

While You Were Sleeping gives Crash Landing on You a run for its money in its cinematography department, which similarly highlights the emotional undertones of the series and gives it a much wider scope. Bae Suzy and Lee Jong-suk’s chemistry in the K-drama is electric, and their performances are a real highlight. Plus, While You Were Sleeping‘s storyline delivers just the right amount of intrigue to make things interesting without feeling repetitive, making it an overall great addition to any K-drama watchlist.

3

Descendants of the Sun (2016)

A Military K-drama Centering On Romance

Much like Crash Landing on You, Descendants of the Sun is a K-drama classic that should not be missed. Descendants of the Sun is a love story at heart that focuses on doctors and soldiers in an overseas military territory. The action-packed K-drama is at its best when it’s most dramatic, with some of its best moments often being recreated by idols and actors almost ten years later. These dramatic moments are often filled with romantic tension that really makes Descendants of the Sun such an iconic K-drama.

Like Crash Landing on You, Descendants of the Sun has two leading couples that are fraught with different obstacles in their relationships. Though Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki) and Kang Mo-yeon’s (Song Hye-kyo) relationship is a key draw for the military K-drama, it’s the forbidden love story of Yoon Myeong-ju (Kim Ji-won) and Seo Dae-young (Jin Goo) that sees Descendants of the Sun at its best. Plus, its mix of comedy, romance, and melodrama makes Descendants of the Sun an enticing next watch.

2

Snowdrop (2021)

A North & South Korean Love Story

Crash Landing on You is well known for depicting a love story between a North and South Korean, and Snowdrop is another K-drama that falls into this category. Snowdrop was Disney+’s first-ever original K-drama and featured an all-star cast including Jung Hae-in, Kim Hye-yoon, Yoo In-na, and Blackpink’s Jisoo, who made her acting debut in the series. In Snowdrop, Lim Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in) is hidden by Eun Young-ro (Jisoo) in her university’s dorm and is unaware of his true intentions.

Much like some of the other K-dramas mentioned on this list, Snowdrop is a historical K-drama, taking place in 1987 during South Korea’s June 1987 Democracy Movement. The cast gives many excellent performances as the tensions of Snowdrop begin to escalate, with Kim Hye-yoon and Yoo In-na being particular standouts alongside the main leading couple. Snowdrop’s story of love at first sight is far from simple, but this, along with an array of colorful characters and the anticipation of what happens next, makes Snowdrop stand out.

1

Queen of Tears (2024)

Crash Landing on You’s Record-Breaking Replacement

As writer Park Ji-eun’s next K-drama following Crash Landing on You, Queen of Tears shares many connections with the romance K-drama. For example, Kim Soo-hyun appeared in both Queen of Tears and Crash Landing on You, with the latter being a hysterical cameo appearance. However, what really connects Queen of Tears and Crash Landing on You is their devastatingly beautiful love stories that act as the reverse of each other.

While Crash Landing on You‘s main couple meet for the first time as Yoon Se-ri accidentally paraglides into North Korea, Queen of Tears‘ Hae-in and Hyun-woo are already married at the start of the series, but their relationship is in complete crisis. The K-dramas develop into a fierce crescendo as drama escalates and tensions seem inescapable. Both romances evolve in drastic fashion, which is incredible to watch, and seeing how Queen of Tears does what Crash Landing on You couldn’t makes it the perfect show to watch afterward.