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Among the several categories and genres in the South Korean entertainment industry, time-travel K-dramas come with their own fandom. While there's no doubt that K-dramas put forth some of the most mind-blowing and intriguing plot lines, the diversity of genres and narratives just under the concept of time travel has stunned and impressed many viewers.
Playing with and blending multiple genres like thriller, mystery, comedy, and romance, time-travel K-dramas have more or less become a staple in the monthly releases of the industry. While some clench your heart at the main leads' sorrow and sadness, like Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, others, like Chicago Typewriter, keep you at the edge of your seat with the mysterious plotlines.
From thriller to historical-fiction: 6 time-travel K-dramas that you should add to your watchlist
1) Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
One of the most popular and much-loved time-travel K-dramas of all time is Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, which was released in 2016. Starring the K-pop soloist IU, Lee Joon-gi, and multiple other significant actors in the K-drama industry, the show revolves around a woman who travels 1000 years back in time.
Landing in the Goryeon Dynasty as a member of a royal family, the woman comes in close contact with a prince who's marked in history as a ferocious King. As she tries to eliminate the events that present him as a bad ruler, the love that blossoms between the two also gets entangled in complications.
2) Life On Mars
Based on a British series with the same name, Life On Mars is among one of the most intriguing time-travel K-dramas, released in 2018. Starring Jung Kyung-ho, Park Sung-woong, and Go Ah-sung, the show narrates the life of a crime investigation officer who travels back to 1988 after meeting with an accident.
With his new life as a police officer working in a small town, he's put in a situation where resolving a murder case of that time will get him back to his present-day life. Filled with mystery, thriller, and action, the show naturally has every viewer at the edge of their seat.
3) The King: Eternal Monarch
A heart-wrenching romance story on the list of time-travel K-dramas is The King: Eternal Monarch, starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun. Released in 2020, the show narrates the life of a Korean emperor who travels into a parallel universe through a gate opened by demons.
In this brand-new universe where he stands as a nobody, he comes across a female detective, and their lives get inevitably entangled. However, as they spend more time together, he realizes that their fates were linked much before their first interaction in the parallel universe.
4) Mr. Queen
To add a comedic spice to the list of time-travel K-dramas is Mr. Queen, starring Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun. Released in 2020, the show narrates the life of a modern-day male chef who time-travels to the Joseon era as the queen. With several struggles, like the duties of a queen, marriage, and the ongoing gender crisis, he tries his best to find his way back to his original life.
However, during his time as the queen of the Joseon era, she gets married to a reigning monarch, and more chaos inevitably lands. As the two spend more time with each other and figure out their relationship as husband and wife, they learn much more than what a romantic sphere can encompass.
5) Chicago Typewriter
Another thrilling watch on the list of time-travel K-dramas is Chicago Typewriter, released in 2017. Starring Yoo Ah-in, Go Kyung-pyo, and Im Soo-jung, the show narrates the life of three fighters who lived during the 1930s in Korea during Japan's colonization.
As the three get reincarnated as modern-day citizens, one as a best-selling writer in a slump, a fan, and a ghostwriter, their relationship gets further complicated and entangled when they come together carrying all the baggage collected over the last 80 years. With events of their past affecting their present, the show reveals the progression of their relationship amidst it.
6) Signal
The last on the list of time-travel K-dramas is Signal, starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, and Choi Jin-woong. Released in 2016, the show narrates the life of two detectives from different timelines who get connected through a time-defying walkie-talkie. As they join hands to solve mysteries together, they also act to reshape the present and the future.
As more and more time-travel K-dramas surface on the internet, fans are not only endlessly surprised at the fresh and intriguing plots every time but also rush to get a glimpse of the same.
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