14 of the best new K-dramas to watch in August 2024, including Disney+’s The Tyrant
Those looking to beat the August heat by staying indoors will have plenty to choose from during a particularly stacked month of K-drama releases.
We preview 14 of the best Korean drama series debuting in the course of the month.
1. Bad Memory Eraser
Lead cast: Kim Jae-joong, Jin Se-yeon
In this romantic drama, Kim Jae-joong (Manhole) plays Lee Goon, a tennis prospect who has been sidelined by an injury. He uses a “memory eraser” to boost his self-esteem.
His first love, Kyeong Joo-yeon (Jin Se-yeon, Born Again), works as a psychiatrist at the brain research centre that has developed the memory eraser. (MBN, August 2)
2. Love Andante
Lead cast: Kwon Hyun-bin, Song Ji-woo
In a “peace village” erected between the two Koreas, talented South Korean pianist Im Joo-hyung (Kwon Hyun-bin, Pandora: Beneath the Paradise) is forced to shack up with Ha Na-kyung (Song Ji-woo, Doctor Slump), the daughter of a North Korean military officer, in this cross-cultural romantic comedy. (Lifetime, August 7)
3. Romance in the House
Lead cast: Ji Jin-hee, Kim Ji-soo, Son Na-eun
Last seen in the second season of D.P., Ji Jin-hee plays Byron Mu-jin, a man who appears in front of his ex-wife Geum Ye-yeon (Kim Ji-soo, High Class) and daughter Byeon Mi-rae (Son Na-eun, Agency) 14 years after going bankrupt and getting a divorce.
When he returns, he does so as a billionaire – to everyone’s shock. (JTBC, August 10)
4. Your Honour
Lead cast: Son Hyun-joo, Kim Myung-min
In this legal thriller, respected judge Song Pan-ho (Son Hyun-joo, Itaewon Class) and crime boss Kim Gang-heon (Kim Myung-min, Law School) go head to head in a vicious tug of war following a car accident involving their children. (ENA, August 12)
5. Perfect Family
Lead cast: Park Ju-hyun, Yoon Se-ah, Kim Byung-chul, Kim Young-dae
A seemingly perfect family falls apart in this drama as father Choi Jin-hyuk (Kim Byung-chul, Doctor Cha), mother Ha Eun-joo (Yoon Se-ah, Snowdrop) and daughter Choi Seon-hee (Park Ju-hyun, Mouse) come into conflict following the murder of Seon-hee’s friend Park Kyung-ho (Kim Young-dae, The Penthouse). (KBS2, August 14)
6. The Tyrant
Lead cast: Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho, Kim Kang-woo, Jo Yoon-soo
Former agent Im Sang (Cha Seung-won, Our Blues), government agency bureau director Choi (Kim Seon-ho, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) and foreign intelligence agency operative Paul (Kim Kang-woo, The Childe) race to find a missing bioweapon before it is too late.
The Tyrant, from New World director Park Hoon-jung, was shot as a feature film but will now debut as a limited series. (Disney+, August 14)
7. Black Out
Lead cast: Byun Yo-han, Ko Jun
From filmmaker Byun Young-joo (Helpless), this adaptation of a Japanese novel tells the story of Ko Jung-woo (Byun Yo-han, Uncle Samsik) who, after serving 10 years in jail for a murder he does not remember committing, teams up with a detective to discover the truth. (MBC, August 16)
8. Love Next Door
Lead cast: Jung Hae-in, Jung So-min
In this romcom, Jung Hae-in (Connect) plays dashing young architect Choi Seung-hyo, a man who reconnects with Bae Seok-kyu (Jung So-min, Alchemy of Souls) – the daughter of his mum’s friend – who has fallen on hard times. (tvN, August 17)
9. DNA Lover
Lead cast: Choi Siwon, Jung In-sun
Shim Yeon-woo (Choi Siwon, Bloodhounds) is a doctor who has no shortage of admirers and plenty of emotional attachment issues. Han So-jin (Jung In-sun, Let Me Be Your Knight) is a DNA researcher obsessed with finding her perfect genetic love match. Hilarity, it is assumed, ensues. (TV Chosun, August 17)
10. Pachinko season two
Lead cast: Kim Min-ha, Lee Min-ho, Youn Yuh-jung
Pachinko, the adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s acclaimed novel about the lives of a family of Koreans in Japan, returns for a highly anticipated second season.
The show’s first season, featuring Kim Min-ha, Lee Min-ho (City Hunter) and Youn Yuh-jung (Minari), was a critical darling. (Apple TV+, August 23)
11. The Frog
Lead cast: Kim Yun-seok, Yoon Kye-sang, Go Min-si
The owner of a holiday rental, Jeon Young-ha (Kim Yun-seok, The Thieves), welcomes the mysterious Yoo Sung-a (Go Min-si, Sweet Home) into his cottage in the woods.
Twenty years earlier, Koo Sang-joon (Yoon Kye-sang, The Kidnapping Day) ran the same cottage as a holiday home and lived there with his family – but something terrible happened. How are the two stories, and times, connected? (Netflix, August 23)
12. Cinderella at 2 AM
Lead cast: Shin Hyun-bin, Moon Sang-min
Office worker Ha Yoon-seo (Shin Hyun-bin, Hospital Playlist) has turned her life around after escaping her abusive family, and is dating her younger colleague Seo Joo-won (Moon Sang-min, Wedding Impossible). Everything changes when she learns that he is the heir to the company – she does not believe in fairy tales. (Channel A/Coupang Play, August 24)
13. No Gain, No Love
Lead cast: Shin Min-a, Kim Young-dae
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha actress Shin Min-a plays the penny-pinching Son Hae-young, who falsely claims she is married to get a promotion at work. The man she has chosen as her fake husband is part-time cashier Kim Ji-wook (Kim Young-dae). (tvN, August 26)
14. Queen Woo
Lead cast: Jeon Jong-seo
Woo Hee (Jeon Jong-seo, The Call) is the empress of Goguryeo, an ancient Korean kingdom, in this historical drama. After the death of her husband, she becomes a target for the tribes and princes who want to wrest control of the kingdom from her. (TVing, August 29)
