Seriously, where did the year go? Time flies, and November is already here – which means officially welcoming back those colder days, cozy nights, and best of all, the perfect excuse to binge new K-dramas. This month’s lineup has everything you need, from swoon-worthy romance that will make your heart flutter to suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat thrillers. Trust us, you’ll want these on your watchlist!
Last Summer – Nov. 1
Episodes: 12
Last Summer is a heart-wrenching romance set in a quiet village near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It follows two childhood best friends, Baek Do-ha and Song Ha-gyeong, who could only spend 21 days of summer together each year. After an incident tore their 17-year friendship apart, fate pulls them back together two years later. Not for a sweet reunion, but for a tense legal dispute over the “Peanut House,” a shared space filled with memories of their youth.
Now, Do-ha is a successful architect and Ha-gyeong is a local civil servant overseeing village affairs. They are forced to confront their past as buried memories and long-suppressed first-love emotions resurface like a midsummer tide.
Look out for Lee Jae-wook pulling double duty as the twin brothers, Baek Do-ha and Baek Do-yeong, alongside the talented Choi Sung-eun as Song Ha-gyeong.
Nice to Not Meet You – Nov. 3
Episodes: 16
Nice to Not Meet You stars Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) as Lim Hyeon-jun and Lim Ji-yeon (The Glory) as Wi Jeong-sin in a romantic comedy about the love-hate relationship between an A-list actor who’s lost touch with his roots and a justice-driven journalist forced to cover entertainment news.
Hyeon-jun secretly dreams of ditching his typecast “Good Detective” image to become a romantic lead. Meanwhile, Jeong-sin, once a prestigious political reporter, is demoted to the entertainment desk after a corruption scandal. Their unfiltered honesty and star ego create immediate, hilarious combustion.
Adding to the fire are Kim Ji-hun as Lee Jae-hyung, warm-but-driven former baseball player turned CEO, and Seo Ji-hye as Yoon Hwa-young, his eloquent ex and Jeong-sin’s work rival.
The Manipulated – Nov. 5
Episodes: 12
The ordinary life of Park Tae-joong (Ji Chang-wook) shatters when he is falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Stripped of everything and thrown behind bars, he uncovers the truth and learns that the mastermind behind his downfall is none other than An Yo-han (Doh Kyung-soo), setting him on a relentless path of revenge.
This revenge thriller comes from the mind of Oh Sang-ho, the creator of Taxi Driver and The Roundup: Punishment! With Park Shin-woo (Revenant‘s co-director) at the helm, prepare for a fast-paced, intense emotional ride packed with action.
Dear X – Nov. 6
Episodes: 12
Don’t be fooled by a pretty face. If you thought this was a romance, think again. Dear X is a psychological thriller based on a popular webtoon, showcasing Kim Yoo-jung’s chilling transformation into a manipulative sociopathic villain – a sharp turn from her usual bright and lovable roles.
The story follows Baek Ah-jin (Kim Yoo-jung), a top actress who hides a cruel and calculating nature behind her glamour. Shaped by years of abuse and trauma by her father and stepmother, Ah-jin learns to survive by exploiting everyone she meets, climbing from rock bottom to the top of fame and fortune. The people she uses and discards? She calls them her “X.”
Her manipulation draws in her stepbrother, Yoon Jun-seo (Kim Young-dae), who believes love can save her, but ends up consumed by it; Kim Jae-oh (Kim Do-hoon), a loyal shadow supporter who shares her pain; Lena (Lee Yul-eum), an idol-turned-actress whose position is threatened by Ah-jin’s arrival.
Special Cameos: Look out for Hwang In-youp as Heo In-kang, one of the men Ah-jin manipulates. Kim Ji-hun as Choi Jung-ho, a former baseball player who now runs a café and becomes the first “true adult” figure in her life when she starts working part-time for him after high school.
As You Stood By – Nov. 7
Episodes: 8
Jo Eun-su (Jeon So-nee) and Jo Hui-su (Lee You-mi) are cornered by violence and a hellish reality, leaving them with one unthinkable option: murder. Adapted from Hideo Okuda’s acclaimed novel Naomi and Kanako, As You Stood By is directed by Lee Jung-rim, who previously worked on VIP and Revenant.
Eun-su, a luxury department store employee, carries deep trauma. When she sees her friend Hui-su suffering the same kind of abuse she once endured, she makes a life-changing decision to protect her. Hui-su, once a talented children’s book author, is trapped in a violent marriage with Noh Jin-pyo (Jang Seung-jo), a husband who hides his cruelty behind wealth and charm. Meanwhile, Jin So-baek (Lee Mu-saeng), the CEO of Jingang Trading, discovers their plan and becomes an unexpected ally.
Moon River – Nov. 7
Episodes: 14
The royal court brims with tension as Yi Kang is convinced the powerful Left State Councilor, Kim Han-cheol (Jin Goo), orchestrated the death of his beloved mother and consort. Meanwhile, Dal-yi becomes an unexpected target in Han-cheol’s ruthless schemes.
No Next Life – Nov. 10
Episodes: 12
Three 41-year-old best friends of 20 years find themselves standing at life’s crossroads in No Next Life. Kim Hee-sun, Han Hye-jin and Jin Seo-yeon star as women juggling the chaos of career, family and self-identity, each taking on new challenges as they face the realities of midlife.
Kim Hee-sun plays Jo Na-jung, a former home shopping star who left her high-paying career to become a stay-at-home mom raising two sons. Han Hye-jin portrays Gu Joo-young, a perfectionist art center director who seems to have it all but struggles with fertility and a husband who avoids intimacy. Jin Seo-yeon takes on the role of Lee Il-li, a single magazine editor who insists she doesn’t want marriage but secretly dreams of it.
No Next Life stands out for its refreshing focus on women in their forties, a rare theme in K-dramas. The comedy series explores how these three women confront the pressures of aging, redefine success and rediscover what truly makes them happy.
Dynamite Kiss – Nov. 12
Episodes: 14
Dynamite Kiss sparks a whirlwind office romance between a single woman who pretends to be a married mom to land a job, only to fall for her stern, charismatic team leader after one unforgettable kiss.
This rom-com is a playful, modern Cinderella story! Go Da-rim (Ahn Eun-jin) lies about being a married mother just to get her foot in the door. Gong Ji-hyuk (Jang Ki-yong) is her stern team leader who doesn’t believe in love… until a sudden, intense kiss changes everything. When Da-rim disappears, Ji-hyuk is left conflicted, only to have his heart thrown into chaos again when she reappears at work under her fake identity.
Ahn Eun-jin brings a bright, witty performance as she does her best to survive the tough job market while unknowingly getting swept up in an unpredictable romance. As Da-rim and Ji-hyuk’s paths collide under false pretenses, sparks fly between their bickering and undeniable chemistry.
LOVE.exe – Nov. 13
Episodes: 16
An unlikely college romance blossoms between two people from completely different worlds. Kang Min-hak (Kim Yo-han) is a model and influencer with a million followers. Ju Yeon-san (Hwang Bo-reum Byeol) is a brilliant engineering student who excels in everything but love.
Their worlds collide when the modeling and computer engineering departments unexpectedly merge. Min-hak’s chaotic and easygoing nature constantly disrupts Yeon-san’s orderly life, creating a series of humorous “errors” that slowly turn into genuine affection.
Heroes Next Door – Nov. 17
Episodes: 10
They’re not your typical heroes, they’re our neighborhood heroes. In this action-comedy thriller, a group of former Republic of Korea Naval Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT) members – South Korea’s elite special forces – reunite, not to save the world, but to protect their families and community.
Yoon Kye-sang leads as Choi Kang, a former elite special operations soldier who now works as a humble insurance investigator, often mistaken as “the guy who never served.” Meanwhile, Jin Sun-kyu plays Kwak Byung-nam, a former counterterrorism agent who runs a hardware and stationery shop while leading the local youth association. This also marks Yoon Kye-sang and Jin Sun-kyu’s reunion after their iconic villain roles in The Outlaws (2017) as Jang Chen and Wi Seong-rak.
Also joining the lineup are Kim Ji-hyun as Jung Nam-yeon, the no-nonsense owner of Mammoth Mart; Go Kyu-pil as Lee Yong-hee, a martial arts instructor running the Yong Mu Special Martial Arts Center; and Lee Jung-ha as Park Jung-hwan, a gifted engineering student. Although they have all settled into ordinary lives, everything changes when danger hits their neighborhood. As threats close in, their old instincts resurface and together, they form an unlikely but unstoppable “special forces of the neighborhood.”
Taxi Driver 3 – Nov. 21
Episodes: 16
Ending the month with a banger, our favorite “Rainbow Five” returns for Taxi Driver 3! Based on the popular webtoon, the series follows the mysterious taxi service that delivers justice and revenge for victims failed by the law. In the new season, Lee Je-hoon is back as the elite driver Kim Do-gi. Kim Eui-sung returns as the dependable team leader Jang Sung-cheol, while Pyo Ye-jin as the expert hacker Ahn Go-eun. Jang Hyuk-jin and Bae Yoo-ram once again bring chemistry and comic relief as the engineering duo Choi Kyung-goo and Park Jin-uhn.
Season 3 also introduces new faces from beyond Korea, including Japanese actor Show Kasamatsu, recently seen in Netflix’s Good News, and Hong Kong idol Edan Lui (from MIRROR), proving that justice knows no borders!
Which of these November K-dramas are you most excited to watch first? Let us know on Instagram and Twitter/X!
Featured Image Credit: Disney+ / TVING / MBC / SBS
