Don’t you deny it, we all get that feeling of thrill and excitement when we have found a good crime drama to watch. Sometimes, we get so involved in the plot and characters’ stories that we are unable to see we have been deceived all along by the writer.
Though the emotions are strong, the adrenaline kick and the truth behind the cases are generally so satisfying that we can’t help, but keep on watching.
So, without further ado, here is a list of thrillers that will get you hooked on the edge of your seat, sweat to know what’s next and mind-blown by the numerous plot twists.
Which of these dramas is your favorite? Do other thrillers deserve to be on this list?
17. Hello Monster
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A crime drama about brotherhood that makes you empathize even with the bad ones.
Cast: Seo In Guk, Jang Na Ra & Park Bo Gum
Plot: Lee Hyun (Seo In Guk) is a skilled profiler with a painful past. He is brought to work with detective Cha Ji An (Jang Na Ra). They develop feelings for each other, while investigating cases and Lee Hyun’s past.
Episodes: 16
16. Watcher
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: An intricate and complex storyline about people hiding their true colors and its consequences.
Cast: Han Suk Kyu, Seo Kang Joon & Kim Hyun Joo
Plot: Do Chi Gwang (Han Suk Kyu), Kim Young Koon (Seo Kang Joon) and Han Tae Joo’s (Kim Hyun Joo) lives changed after getting involved in a tragic incident. They now belong to an internal affairs investigation team in charge of uprooting corruption from the police force.
Episodes: 16
15. The Guest
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A supernatural drama that shows evil under all its forms (human or not).
Cast: Kim Dong Wook, Kim Jae Wook & Jung Eun Chae
Plot: Psychic Yoo Hwa Pyung (Kim Dong Wook), Catholic priest Choi Yoon (Kim Jae Wook) and detective Kang Kil Young (Jung Eun Chae) team up to fight crimes.
Episodes: 16
14. Tunnel
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: Two time periods connected by the same case based on real facts.
Cast: Choi Jin Hyuk, Lee Yoo Young & Yoon Hyun Min
Plot: In 1986, detective Park Gwang Ho (Choi Jin Hyuk) desperately tries to catch a serial killer. One day, he enters a tunnel that makes him travel to the year 2017. 30 years later, this same criminal has started killing again. So, Gwang Ho teams up with detective Kim Sun Jae (Yoon Hyun Min) and professor of criminal psychology Shin Jae Yi (Lee Yoo Young) to catch him.
Episodes: 16
13. Awaken
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: When mystery, fantasy and thriller come together.
Cast: Namgoong Min, Lee Chung Ah & Kim Seolhyun
Plot: Do Jung Woo (Namgoong Min) and Kong Hye Won (Kim Seolhyun) investigate current mysterious cases that are linked to others from 26 years ago. They try to uncover the truth.
Episodes: 16
12. Voice
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: Subtle and intense voice profiling that sticks with you for no less than 4 seasons of the show.
Cast: Lee Ha Na & Jang Hyuk
Plot: Moon Jin Hyuk (Jang Hyuk) was a popular detective, but his life changed after the murder of his wife by a serial killer. Kang Kwon Joo (Lee Ha Na) worked as an 112 emergency call responder when she heard her father being murdered over the phone. After that, she became a voice profiler. Both Jin Hyuk and Kwon Joo team up to solve the murders of their loved ones.
Episodes: 16
11. Stranger
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: An entangled web of relationships connected to a single case investigated by a perfect duo.
Cast: Bae Doo Na & Cho Seung Woo
Plot: Hwang Shi Mok (Cho Seung Woo) is a prosecutor who lacks emotions. He is cold and upright. One day, he meets detective Han Yeo Jin (Bae Doo Na). They partner up to uproot corruption in the police force and solve a serial murder case.
Episodes: 16
10. Nobody Knows
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: The story of an adult and a teenager amidst crime and trauma.
Cast: Kim Seo Hyung, Ryu Deok Hwan, Park Hoon & Ahn Ji Ho
Plot: Cha Young Jin (Kim Seo Hyung) lost her friend 19 years ago to a serial killer. Now detective, the killings resume. She chases after the killer. Meanwhile, she investigates the case of her young neighbor, who has fallen off of a roof and ended in a coma.
Episodes: 16
9. Tell Me What You Saw
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A suspenseful and psychological drama centered on revenge.
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Choi Sooyoung & Jin Seo Yeon
Plot: Oh Hyun Jae (Jang Hyuk) used to be a top detective. But he decided to live in seclusion after the death of his fiancée to a serial killer in an explosion. Cha Soo Young (Choi Sooyoung) is a police officer in a rural area, who has the ability to remember everything she sees. She is partnered up with Oh Hyun Jae.
Episodes: 16
8. Save Me
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A chilling drama that makes you hooked and fearful at the same time
Cast: Ok Taecyeon, Seo Ye Ji & Woo Do Hwan
Plot: Im Sang Mi’s (Seo Ye Ji) family is slowly sucked into a cult. One day, she asks four men, among which Han Sang Hwan (Ok Taecyeon) and Seok Dong Cheol (Woo Do Hwan), to save her from the religious group.
Episodes: 16
7. Signal
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A time-travel drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat and eager to know the end of the story.
Cast: Kim Hye Soo, Lee Je Hoon & Jo Jin Woong
Plot: Park Hae Young (Lee Je Hoon) works as a criminal profiler. When he was a kid, his schoolmate was kidnapped and killed. Hae Young witnessed the scene, yet no one paid attention to him at the police station. The murder turned into a cold case. Years later, he is mistakenly brought to that same police station by detective Cha Soo Hyun (Kim Hye Soo). There, Hae Young finds a walkie-talkie that enables him to communicate with detective Lee Jae Han (Jo Jin Woong), who lives in 2000. He investigates the case of Hae Young’s classmate.
Episodes: 16
6. Mouse
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A well-knitted plot, full of twists and unexpected events, that makes you wonder who the real bad guy is and why the drama has that name.
Cast: Lee Seung Gi, Lee Hee Jun, Park Ju Hyun & Kyung Soo Jin
Plot: Jung Ba Reum (Lee Seung Gi) is a rookie police officer. He is honest and kind. One day, he confronts the country’s greatest serial killer, but is wounded during the fight. When he wakes up, his life totally changes.
Episodes: 20
5. Beyond Evil
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A slow-paced thriller that takes place in a small town, where everyone is a suspect.
Cast: Shin Ha Kyun & Yeo Jin Goo
Plot: Lee Dong Shik (Shin Ha Kyun) used to be a top detective, but an incident changed his life. He now works in the small city of Manyang at the police substation. A series of murders have been happening there for 20 years. So, star detective Han Joo Won (Yeo Jin Goo) is sent to investigate.
Episodes: 16
4. Through the Darkness
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: An intense plot with heavy stories that make you want to become a criminal profiler yourself, despite the emotional weight.
Cast: Kim Nam Gil, Kim So Jin & Jin Seon Kyu
Plot: Song Ha Young (Kim Nam Gil) and Kook Young Soo (Jin Seon Kyu) are the first criminal profilers of the country. Together, they investigate cases and interrogate criminals to deduce patterns in their behaviors.
Episodes: 12
3. Big Mouth
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A fast-paced drama with an ambivalent dark hero who you are bound to love.
Cast: Lee Jong Suk & Im YoonA
Plot: Park Chang Ho (Lee Jong Suk) is a lawyer with a low winning rate. His colleagues call him Big Mouth, because he talks too much. One day, he gets involved in a case that changes his life. He is suspected to be Big Mouse, the country’s most notorious criminal. Meanwhile, his wife Ko Mi Ho (Im YoonA) tries to prove his innocence.
Episodes: 16
2. Memorist
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A drama full of mysteries and twists with a touch of fantasy and an unexpected ending.
Cast: Yoo Seung Ho & Lee Se Young
Plot: Dong Baek (Yoo Seung Ho) has a special ability that enables him to read someone’s memory whenever he touches that person. Using his gift to his advantage, he becomes a detective. He then gets involved in a mysterious serial murder case. He is partnered up with Han Sun Mi (Lee Se Young) to solve it.
Episodes: 16
1. Flower of Evil
Reasons to watch it in a sentence: A drama about love, trust and family, that proves that looks can be deceiving.
Cast: Lee Joon Gi & Moon Chae Won
Plot: Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won) is a detective. She is married to Baek Hee Sung (Lee Joon Gi), and together they have a child. One day, Cha Ji Won discovers that her husband may not be who he says he is. So, she decides to investigate his past and uncover his secrets.
Episodes: 16
Once Upon a Drama 