TOPFIVE Best Kdramas From The First Half Of 2020

For the past two years, I used to literally count down to June 30th because I'd be so excited to write this annual post and talk about the brilliant dramas released during the first half of the year. In 2020, however, I've been stressing myself out instead because I wasn't even sure whether I could come up with five dramas that were good enough for me to discuss. Offhand, there were only two I loved and wanted to discuss, but I thought a top two list would be rather sad, so I've done some digging through my watch history and miraculously came up with five that I genuinely appreciate. Some of these dramas are in fact better than others, so I'll list them loosely from most amazing to least amazing (but still good enough to make the list).

Hospital Playlist

Without a doubt, this is my absolute favorite drama to come out this year. I hadn't actually planned on watching it originally, but the draw of the Reply series writer and Jo Jung-suk were enough to pull me in after about two weeks of it airing. Of course, the plan was to watch it casually, which I did for a few episodes, but soon enough each episode became the highlight of my week, an event I looked forward to every Thursday after work. It physically hurt me that this drama only aired once a week (but considering each episode is one and a half hours long, perhaps that was actually a good thing). The main and supporting characters in this drama are brilliant, and I love how they interact together, as well as how the writer really brings out the joys and sorrows of humanity through these doctors, nurses, and residents who are more than just their jobs. I adore everyone in this drama and I hope they're happy forever.

There are only twelve episodes in the season, and unexpectedly, not everything wrapped up in episode twelve — apparently I was unaware of the fact that a second season was basically guaranteed before this drama even began, so I'm happy to say we'll be seeing this beloved cast again in 2021!

Hyena

This drama was such an unexpectedly delightful surprise. My friends and I were ooh-ing and aah-ing over the sexy poster before this drama even aired, but episode one veritably blew me away with its bold lead characters and the arc of glorious betrayal depicted right off the bat in episode one. Hyena is a legal drama with a heavy side of one of a kind hate-to-love romance (extra steam please). The plot is rather simple if you stop and think about it, but what you're watching this for is the comedy as well as the clash of wills between the lead characters, one a successful, high-powered lawyer, the other a more gangster-like lawyer (I say this with the greatest admiration) who will stop at nothing to get her way in court. This isn't a drama I'll be forgetting anytime soon.

I grew to love this odd duo so much throughout the course of the drama. [Hyena]

Mystic Pop-up Bar

If you told me a couple weeks ago that Mystic Pop-up Bar would be third on this list (or even make this list at all), I would've laughed and barred you from my blog. I watched the first episode on a whim because it was on Netflix, and wow that was boring — I dropped it almost immediately. But after all twelve episodes aired, everyone I knew was raving about it, so I watched the second episode, only to be bored out of my mind once more. It just reminded me too much of Hotel del Luna - a drama I despise - and nothing about Mystic Pop-up Bar seemed promising enough for me to continue watching. However, come Independence Day weekend, I gave it one last try...and loved it. The characters grew on me and I wanted them to all have happily ever afters, the backstory really started coming into play in interesting ways, and lo and behold, I became invested (something that's becoming more rare nowadays). This isn't a fast paced drama, but if you're willing to sit in there and watch a truly beautiful story unfold - featuring a delightful and heart hurting pair of star-crossed lovers - then you're in for a treat.

My Unfamiliar Family

This is definitely not the sort of drama that I usually watch, and yet I am impressed. I randomly decided to watch this because Kim Ji-seok was wonderful in I Need Romance 2 and Top Star Yoo-baek and I was excited to see more of him, and also of course because Han Ye-ri is an amazing actress. My Unfamiliar Family is a really well done drama dealing with mature topics regarding a single family. This is another drama with an amazing cast, and it deals with topics like cheating, sibling relationships, infertility, homophobia and coming out, and so many other things that may make one's familiar family seem unfamiliar. There's a lot of love throughout this drama, and it's beautiful to watch, but it's certainly not something to pick up if you're looking for something cute and fluffy, because this gets deep (although yes, just like every other drama on this list, there is romance).

Friends who feel like more than friends. [My Unfamiliar Family]

Dinner Mate

Now, if you are in the mood for something cute and fluffy, then Dinner Mate is the drama for you. I was psyched for this solely because I am a huge Song Seung-heon fan (plus the drama poster was ridiculously cute and fancy), and thankfully it didn't disappoint! This drama was adorable right from the beginning, and though we're nearing the end, the leads are still so precious that I absolutely want to pinch both their cheeks. This is a drama about getting over painful first loves and opening yourself up to love again, while also dealing with some mental health issues since the male lead is a psychiatrist. Dinner Mate is a primarily soft drama with just enough of an antagonist to keep things interesting — some of the highlights are the Kim Jung-hyun cameo in episode one (which is exciting if you've watched Crash Landing on You) as well as a particularly funny reference to CLOY in a later episode.