Extraordinary K-Dramas To Woo Over!
With Extraordinary Attorney Woo drawing to a close, you may be itching for another show to fill that gap. Well, we’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing.
To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have.
Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
Atypical
Similarities – Autism & Family Drama
Funny, thought provoking and brutally realistic, Atypical tells the story of a family living with their autistic son and the challenges each of them face. Narrated by their son Sam, Atypical’s script is filled with well-handled sub plots.
The story essentially revolves around Sam’s journey through adolescence, including the turbulent life of being a high school student. Only, the show goes much deeper than that, giving an equal emphasis to each of the different characters in the family too.
This finely crafted balance between comedy and drama is really what sets Atypical apart, especially with such an honest examination of autism.
You can read our thoughts on Atypical in our full season reviews here!
Move To Heaven
Similarities – Slice of Life Drama & Mental Health
Move to Heaven is a very special Korean drama. It’s a show that takes the taboo subject of death and lays it out across 10 episodes, complete with excellent acting, impressive storytelling and tear-jerking segments. I dare anyone to sit through Move to Heaven and not be moved to tears.
Suffering from Aspergers, Geu-Roo is our main protagonist and he’s looked after by his Father Jeong-U. These two live together, running a business called Move to Heaven.
Basically, when a loved one passes away, a team arrive and clear out the room, collecting up any valuables in a yellow box while getting rid of everything else. This team are the Move to Heaven crew.
When Geu-Roo suffers a devastating loss, he’s forced to question everything he once knew.
This poignant, beautiful K-drama is well worth watching.
You can read our thoughts on Move To Heaven in our full season review here!
Racket Boys
Similarities – Friendships & Life Lessons
Written by the same man responsible for Prison Playbook and Hospital Playlist, Racket Boys is a light, breezy drama that combines slice of life shenanigans with sport drama. It’s a delightful 16 episode drama, with lots of characters and a positive, uplifting message at its core.
In its simplest form, this is a show about underdogs finding their place in this world and doing so through comradeship and playing badminton. Our tale revolves around a middle school in Haenam.
However, the badminton team there is on the verge of disbandment. Three players remain – Yoon-Dam, Woo-Chan and Yong-Tae. When Hyun-Jong’s son, Hae-Kang, joins their ranks, they work together to try and make it big.
With separate female badminton players trying to succeed too, Racket Boys’ large ensemble is helped by a long run-time and plenty of romance, drama and comedy to boot.
You can read our thoughts on Racket Boys in our episode recaps here!
Good Doctor
Similarities – Slice of Life Drama & Autism
Good Doctor is another very intriguing show centering on an autistic protagonist. This time the spotlight shines on Park Shi-Oh, a man who graduates from medical school with distinction. His skills are exceptional but he struggles to deal with his superiors and patients due to his lack of interpersonal skills.
As he struggles to adapt, some of his fellow doctors befriend him, trying to help and support him through the most trying of times. Will Shi-oh become an amazing pediatrician? Or is the systemic bias and discrimination too much to bear?
This is a solid drama and for those who enjoyed watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo, they should find a lot of similarities here.
The Devil Judge
Similarities – Law Drama
The Devil Judge plays out like a satirical version of our current-world situation, with Korea gripped in a state of chaos. With a hierarchical group known as the Social Justice Foundation pulling the strings, they set up a live court system like a reality show.
Judge Yo-Han and fellow lawyer Ga-On are part of this show but don’t trust each other. A secret agenda from Yo-Han is revealed slowly over time while the Foundation continue to claw at power, doing their best to pervert the justice system any way they can.
In terms of unique law dramas, The Devil Judge is right up there, with a lot of thought provoking ideas about society and our attitude toward others.
Mad For Each Other
Similarities – Mental Health & Romance
Mad For Each Other is a simple, 30-minute-episode long drama that’s both enjoyable and well written.
The story centers on two people who have their own painful stories, going through a complicated process of hurting and healing whilst falling in love with each other.
No Hwi-Oh is a hot-headed detective from the violent crimes division. He ends up experiencing extreme bouts of anger, labelled a “crazy person” and forced to attend therapy. Whilst there, he meets Lee Min-Kyung, a woman who’s paranoid and caught up in her own delusions and compulsions. A shocking incident causes her entire life to break down. When the pair join together, they simultaneously heal and hurt.
This one’s a great option for those looking for a slice of romance alongside a side of mental health we don’t always see on the small screen.
Do You Like Brahms?
Similarities – Park Eun-Bin & Romance
Set in a music university and following a group of aspiring (and seasoned) musicians, Do You Like Brahms revolves around two different characters from very different walks of life.
Song-A who finds herself hopeful to become a violin major amongst stiff competition. Thrown out of an early performance for being the least talented, Song-A struggles to be heard and seen. However, talented pianist Joon-Young is one such person who does see her.
He takes a fancy to this young player and tries to help her become better. Along the way there’s plenty of romance, drama and heartache between them as the pair find themselves caught up in a whirlwind will they/won’t they romance.
You can read our thoughts on Do You Like Brahms in our full season review here!
Special
Similarities – Autism & Drama
Semi-autobiographical Special feels like a breath of fresh air. With a tone very similar to that of Atypical, Special is a well written, charming little comedy, one as funny as it is heartwarming.
The story revolves around Ryan, a young, gay man with cerebral palsy. Nervous about his first day at work as an intern, Ryan does his best to hide his condition from everyone, including new friend Kim and boss Olivia.
As the episodes progress and more of Ryan’s life is revealed, his confliction over whether to tell everyone the truth begins to consume him. It contrasts beautifully with his tumultuous time at home too, as Ryan grows in confidence and decides to move out on his own.
With 8 episodes all clocking in at around 15 minutes or so, Special is a very easy and bingeable watch. The episodes are the perfect length too, making for a wholly satisfying watch.
You can read our thoughts on Special in our full season reviews here!
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
Similarities – Family & Mental Health
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay certainly doesn’t shy away from portraying important mental health issues and it does so in a very natural way. From emotional and physical abuse to learning difficulties, the drama tackles these perfectly with one message in mind. Just like the title itself, it is okay to not be okay and seek help, whether professionally or from the support of friends and family.
The story revolves around brothers Moon Kang-Tae and Moon Sang-Tae. They have lived alone since they were very young. After their mother passed away, Kang-Tae has been doing the best he can, protecting and looking after his older brother.
The series has an original and heartwarming premise with excellent character progression and interesting themes. It’s not easy to portray mental health issues but this drama does a great job depicting this in its rawest form, helped along by some impressive acting from the entire cast.
You can read our thoughts on It’s Okay To Not Be Okay in our full season review here!
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Similarities – Strong Females & Romance
A proper coming-of-age story, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo sprinkles some serious fairy dust across this lovable Korean drama.
With an uplifting narrative about a group of college athletes fighting for their dreams, the story starts slowly before evolving into a memorable feel-good narrative. There’s some great character work achieved here and across the season all the characters grow and evolve in a realistic way.
It helps too that the chemistry between the lead characters is excellent and backed up by an equally impressive supporting cast. It’s a great entry point for anyone looking to dive into Korean dramas and the effortless comedy emanating through the series is hard not to fall in love with.
So there we have it, our 10 TV show picks to keep you busy after watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
Hey Julia, I know that Mad For Each Other, Move To Heaven (get the tissues ready for that one!), Special, It’s Okay To Not Be Okay and Racket Boys are all definitely on Netflix. Weightlifting Fairy and Good Doctor are on the UK Netflix but not sure about the rest of the world as they can differ so it may be worth checking.
Devil Judge is definitely not, unfortunately, but it’s on Viki.
Thanks again for commenting, really appreciate it!
-Greg W
Hi Greg thank you so much for compiling this list! I have one question I’m hoping you can answer (without my having to google all of them): are these all streaming on Netflix? I know Atypical is one of theirs but not sure about the rest. And apologies if I overlooked that in your article! Thanks again!