The gripping nature ofMarry My Husband’s revenge tale makes the series easy to binge, and luckily, there are quite a few K-dramas with shared themes of time travel and betrayal to watch afterward.Marry My Husbandis one ofthe best K-dramas of 2024, and that’s becauseit effectively combines romance, comedy, time travel, and revenge into one fascinating narrative.Marry My Husbandis full of K-drama tropes, but manages to elevate its familiar tale with unexpected twists and entertaining characters.
StarringPark Min-young as the series' protagonist Kang Ji-won,Marry My Husbandtells the story of how Ji-won gets revenge on all who’ve wronged her after she is killed by her husband.Ji-won is given the chance to rewrite the most devastating parts of her life — dying from a terminal illness and discovering her husband is having an affair with her best friend — when she wakes up a decade earlier in 2013. LikeMarry My Husband, plenty of other K-dramas tell equally absorbing revenge stories, and utilize time travel to benefit their love plots.
Familiar Wife
Cast
Familiar Wife is a South Korean television series that aired in 2018. The show revolves around Cha Joo-hyuk, a bank employee who travels back in time to when he was in his college days and alters the course of his life, resulting in a different reality where he is married to his first love, instead of his current wife.
After the intense acts of disloyalty and scheming inMarry My Husband, a lighter fantasy series can be enjoyed as a follow-up. LikeMarry My Husband,Familiar Wifefocuses on a tumultuous marriage between its leads, Cha Joo-hyuk (Ji Sung) and Seo Woo-jin (Han Ji-min). After an accident brings Joo-hyuk back to the past, he must decide how to carry on with his life: reunite and make things right with Woo-jin, or move on and start a life with his first love, Lee Hye-won (Kang Han-na).
Park Min-young’s 2024 K-Drama Is A Great Callback To One Of Her Most Famous Rom-Com Roles
Park Min-young’s most recent K-drama adds a sci-fi twist to a story about revenge, and it’s a great callback to one of her most famous characters.
While Joo-hyuk and Woo-jin’s relationship is strained like Ji-won and Min-hwan’s inMarry My Husband, it’s a much more typical display of martial conflict, worsened by pressures and people outside their relationship.Familiar Wifeisn’t as gripping of a series but presents some interesting plot points as Joo-hyuk moves back and forth between the timelines and views the outcomes of his decisions.
The World of The Married
The World of the Married is a South Korean television series that premiered in March 2020. It follows Ji Sun Woo, a successful family clinic associate director, whose seemingly perfect life is shattered by her husband Lee Tae Oh’s betrayal, leading her into a tumultuous quest for revenge.
Despite what critics deemed to be controversial depictions of violence and stereotyped portrayals of women,The World of the Marriedstill managed to be a widely discussed and viewedrevenge K-drama.The World of the Marriedfollows Ji Seon-u (Kim Hee-ae), a respected family doctor with a seemingly perfect home life with her husband Lee Tae-oh (Park Hae-joon). However, likeMarry My Husband,The World of the Married’s Seon-u discovers her husband is having an affair and is determined to get revenge.
Separate from a good deal of other revenge K-dramas,The World of the Marriedhas a stronger focus on the psychology of its main characters.
The exploration of such intense and layered responses is handled well by the performances of the series' main cast.There is a positive takeaway from every performance inThe World of the Married, but Kim Hee-ae is a clear standout. The actress adeptly portrays the range of emotions felt by a betrayed and angered woman in a captivating and believable manner.
18 Again
18 Again (2020) is a South Korean television series that explores themes of family and life choices. The plot follows Hong Dae-young, a middle-aged man whose life changes dramatically when he miraculously reverts to his 18-year-old self. He adopts the identity of Go Woo-young and navigates the complexities of high school while striving to mend his fractured family relationships. The show stars Kim Ha-neul, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Lee Do-hyun.
In18 Again, Hong Dae-young (Yoon Sang-hyun) is struggling in life. His marriage is falling apart and his kids are becoming increasingly distant from him. When Dae-young wishes he could go back in time and get a redo in life, he wakes up as his 18-year-old self (played by Lee Do-hyun). Like Ji-won inMarry My Husband,Dae-young gets a somewhat similar chance to rewrite his life.
Unlike Ji-won who is sent back in time along with everyone in her life, Dae-young is the only one living as a younger version of himself in18 Again.With his children unaware of his predicament, Dae-young becomes friends with them and learns about aspects of their life they hadn’t opened up about.18 Againaddresses themes about redefining oneself and does so with a balanced amount of humor and heartfelt moments.
Queen In-Hyun’s Man
Queen In-Hyun’s Man is a 2012 South Korean television series that tells the story of Kim Boong-do, a dignified and charismatic nobleman, who travels through time from the 17th century to the present day, where he meets and falls in love with actress Choi Hee-jin.
Theromantic fantasy K-dramaQueen and I, also known asQueen In-hyun’s Man, puts a unique twist on a love story.Queen and Istarts during the Joseon Dynasty and introduces Kim Bung-do (Ji Hyun-woo), a scholar who supports the reinstatement of Queen In-hyun. When a mysterious talisman sends Bung-do into the future, he wakes up in 2012 and meets an up-and-coming actress, Choi Hee-jin (Yoo In-na) — who happens to be playing Queen In-hyun in a TV series.
Queen and Ihas a great amount of humor and heartwarming scenes, but also includes a bit of social commentary and examines the ways in which society has changed over the decades.
Queen and Ishares the concept of time travel withMarry My Husband, but that’s about it. The former series is a more lighthearted watch that follows the growing connection between Bung-do and Hee-jin.Queen and Ihas a great amount of humor and heartwarming scenes, but also includes a bit of social commentary and examines the ways in which society has changed over the decades.
Graceful Family
Graceful Family (2019) is a South Korean television drama that explores the dark secrets and power struggles within the MC Group, a wealthy conglomerate. The story revolves around Mo Seok-hee (Im Soo-hyang), an heiress who seeks to uncover the truth behind her mother’s murder while navigating corporate intrigue and familial deception. She is assisted by Heo Yoon-do (Lee Jang-woo), a lawyer who becomes entangled in the family’s complex dynamics.
Graceful Familyisn’t as rooted in revenge asMarry My Husband, but the K-drama does include a heavy amount of mystery and drama following the death of Mo Seok-hee’s (Im Soo-hyang) mother.Seok-hee is the only daughter of the large MC Group and is being prevented from taking her rightful place in the company.Just asMarry My Husband’s Ji-won is skeptical of those around her, so is Seok-hee. The distrust Seok-hee feels towards her family leads her to team up with lawyer Heo Yoon-do (Lee Jang-woo).
Graceful Familydoesn’t have an entirely original concept, but it executes beloved aspects of K-dramas extremely well. The dysfunctional family dynamics, betrayal, murder mystery, and corporate corruption are fascinating to watch play out.The writing and performances inGraceful Familyallowed the series to become the highest-rated drama on the MBN network at the time, eventually giving up the spot toBossam: Steal the Fatea few years later.
Life on Mars
Life on Mars is a South Korean television series based on the British series of the same name. It follows a modern-day detective who is transported back in time to the 1980s, where he must navigate a different era of policing while trying to find a way to return to his own time.
Death and time travel are two big factors inMarry My Husbandand can also be found inLife on Mars. Based on a 2006 British TV series of the same name,Life on Marscenters on detective Han Tae-joo (Jung Kyung-Ho) who gets into an accident while working on a present-day murder case. When Tae-joo wakes up,he finds himself in 1988 and discovers the only way to return to the present day is by solving an ’80s murder case.
The murder inLife on Marsisn’t as dark or personal as it is inMarry My Husband, but the mystery throughout the series is still able to keep audiences invested. Adding to the attention-grabbing abilities ofLife on Marsis the series' group of entertaining characters, like the investigative team made up of distinct personalities which surround Tae-joo.Life on Mars' plot and script are both sharp and witty, making it impossible to not speed through the episodes.
Go Back Couple
Go Back Couple is a South Korean television series that explores the lives of a married couple, Choi Ban-do and Ma Jin-joo, who are struggling to balance their careers and relationship. After 18 years of marriage, they are suddenly transported back in time to their college days, giving them a chance to re-evaluate their life choices and relationships.
BothGo Back CoupleandMarry My Husbandare based on webtoons and follow a struggling marriage sorted out by time travel.InGo Back Couple, simply referred to asGo Backin some regions, Choi Ban-do (Son Ho-jun) and Ma Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) are in their late 30s and are having difficulties in their marriage. The two are constantly bickering with one another and when their conflict reaches an all-time high, the couple wakes up as their 20-year-old selves. Sent back in time, Ban-do and Jin-joo are given the opportunity to alter their futures.
UnlikeMarry My Husband, both individuals in the crumbling marriage are transported to the past. This difference allows the two to set out on their own, making life-altering decisions that greatly impact those closest to them. LikeMarry My Husband,Go Back Couplehas elements of rediscovery, but without the inclusion of a revenge plot, the latter series has more emotional, heartfelt momentsthat are sure to hit close to home for audiences.
My Name
My Name is a South Korean television series starring Han So-hee as Ji-woo, a revenge-driven woman who infiltrates a drug cartel to avenge her father’s death. As she rises through the ranks, Ji-woo must navigate the dangerous underworld of organized crime and confront her own morality.
Led by one of the mostimpressive female leads in K-dramas,My Namehas a grittier take on a revenge tale thanMarry My Husband, but remains just as engaging.Yoon Ji-woo (Han So-hee) sets out to get revenge on her father’s killer. To accomplish her goals, Ji-woo infiltrates a gang as an undercover cop. ThroughoutMy Name’s eight episodes, Ji-woo takes on multiple identities and faces various threatening opponents.My Namehas a generous amount of nail-biting tension up until the very end.
As the protagonist, So-hee succeeds in portraying Ji-woo’s persistent behavior as she stops at nothing to uncover the identity of her father’s killer.
The stylish action scenes are impossible to look away from andthe frequent plot twists cleverly build up toMy Name’s shocking ending. As the protagonist, So-hee succeeds in portraying Ji-woo’s persistent behavior as she stops at nothing to uncover the identity of her father’s killer. Supporting So-hee is Ahn Bo-hyun and Park Hee-soon in equally impressive performances as Ji-woo’s detective partner and the leader of the drug ring, respectively.
Itaewon Class
Itaewon Class is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2020. The show revolves around Park Sae-ro-yi, a young entrepreneur who seeks revenge against the corrupt businessman who wronged him and his family. Alongside a group of misfits, Sae-ro-yi establishes a bar in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul, and together they navigate love, friendship, and ambition.
InItaewon Class, Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon) attempts to kill his classmate, heir to the Jangga Group, Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-hyun), who he believes is responsible for his father’s death.After Sae-ro-yi is released from prison, he seeks revenge on Geun-won in another way. Sae-ro-yi opens up a restaurant and hopes to defeat the Jangga Group food company. In addition to the themes of revenge inItaewon Class, there is also an emphasis on community building, as well as a love story involving Sae-ro-yi.
Each genre included inItaewon Classblends neatly and is well-executed as a result of the series' writing and performances.After being made available to stream on Netflix,Itaewon Classfound worldwide successand is seen as one ofthe best K-dramas of all time. Audiences connected withItaewon Class' characters and appreciated how the series addressed a plethora of issues, including discrimination against convicted criminals and the LGBTQ+ community.
The Glory (2022)
Years after being the victim of terrible acts of violence at school, a woman puts an elaborate revenge plan into action.
An immediate hit following its release,The Gloryearned praise from critics and audiences.The Gloryfollows Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) who experienced extreme bullying as a kid in school. Now, as an adult, Dong-eun plans to get revenge on her former tormentors by taking a job at the school their children attend. Hye-kyo gives a career-defining performance inThe Glory, showcasing a truly broken individual as a result of bullying. The long-lasting effects of bullying highlighted in the K-drama are just one of the many praised elements of the show.
The plot ofThe Gloryis inspired by real-lifeexamplesof bullying and abuse in South Korea and partially explains why the series captivated audiences.The Glorydoesn’t shy away from the gruesome nature of Dong-eun’s treatment and is equally emotional as it is disturbing. A few years after its release,The Glorynow sits at #5 among Netflix’s most-watched non-English TV series.
