HDC Historical Dramas: Round 1
This list is Round 1 of a series of voting lists for the HDC.
- First round will take up to 75 drama titles
- Second round will take up to 50
- Third round will be 25 and comprise the HALL OF FAME!
BEST OF ALL: YOU CAN ADD TITLES, BUT ONCE WE REACH 75, NO MORE CAN BE ADDED, SO ADD CAREFULLY :)
HISTORICAL DRAMAS:
Historical Dramas are considered to be those that reflect a historical event, person(s), and places. There may be liberties taken with the characters and story line.
Examples:
Deep Rooted Tree / Tree With Deep Roots
Sego-Don
The Disguiser
Based on comments we received for HDCers (thanks, all!), we will start broad and then work our way to more exact-ish lists, if we need / want to. And yes, there is a separate list for Period Dramas :)
I've added three titles to get us started :)
Nienna May 22, 2022
Top 100
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![Mr. Queen]()
Jang Bong Hwan is a South Korean chef who has risen up the ranks to cook for the country’s top politicians in the Blue House’s presidential residences. After a serious accident, he ...more -
![Mr. Sunshine]()
Mr. Sunshine centers on a young boy born into a house servant's family who travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo (U.S. expedition to Korea). He returns to his homeland ...more -
![Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo]()
When a total eclipse of the sun takes place, Go Ha Jin is transported back in time to the start of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea during King Taejo's rule. She wakes ...more -
![The Red Sleeve]()
In 18th-century Korea, Prince Yi San is a perfectionist haunted by his father's murder. He's set to inherit the throne once his cruel grandfather, the current king, passes away. Despite the emotional ...more -
![Empress Ki]()
Genghis Khan built an empire that spanned vast regions in East Asia and East Europe. And there was one woman who held immense power in the Yuan Dynasty, which Genghis Khan founded, ...more -
![100 Days My Prince]()
Lee Yul, Crown Prince of Joseon, is a perfectionist who disregards most royal palace nobles. His cold and demanding demeanor masks deeply-rooted loneliness. He comes to pass a law stating that Korean ...more -
![Six Flying Dragons]()
A fictional, historical drama about the ambition, rise and fall of real and fictional characters based around Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in ...more -
![The Crowned Clown]()
Joseon is in a state of disorder due to uprisings and a power struggle surrounding King Lee Hun. To avoid assassination, a clown named Ha Sun is brought to the palace to ...more -
![Hwarang]()
The names of just a few Hwarangs are recorded in history. Not many people these days truly know about Hwarangs. How did they start? How did beautiful looking young men become at ...more -
![Queen Seon Deok]()
The story of a beautiful queen, who has to give up her love to save the people. A biopic of Queen Seon Deok, who was born a princess and later became the ...more -
![Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung]()
The story takes place at the beginning of the 19th century. Goo Hae Ryung is an intern to become a palace historian. However, it was not acceptable for women to write historical ...more -
![The Hymn of Death]()
Kim Woo Jin is a stage drama writer while Korea is under Japanese occupation. He is married, but he falls in love with Yun Shim Deok. Shim Deok is the first Korean ...more -
![The Tale of Nokdu]()
Jeon Nok Du lives on an island with his father and older brother. He is smart and a good swordsman. Since he was little, his father did not let him study or ...more -
![The Story of Ming Lan]()
Set in the Northern Song dynasty, the story follows Sheng Ming Lan, an unfavored concubine-born 6th daughter of an official. After losing her mother at a young age, Ming Lan is raised ...more -
![The King's Affection]()
Set during the Joseon Dynasty, the story follows twins born to the Crown Princess Consort, who orders the death of the daughter due to superstition. To save her, the baby girl is ...more -
![Faith]()
A 21st-century plastic surgeon Eun Soo gets kidnapped and brought 700 years into the past for her healing powers. Goryeo era bodyguard to the king, General Choi Yeong is smart but a ...more -
![Youth of May]()
Hee Tae becomes the pride of Gwangju when he enters Seoul National University College of Medicine with top marks. His best friend Kyung Soo, an avid pro-democracy activist, insists that they open ...more -
![Jewel in the Palace]()
About 500 years ago during the time of Chosun Dynasty, Korea boasted a rigidly hierarchical and male dominated social structure. Based on a true story about a legendary girl, Jang Geum, who ...more -
![Story of Yanxi Palace]()
In 18th century Beijing, during the 6th year of Qianlong Emperor's reign, Wei Ying Luo enters the Forbidden City as an embroiderer to investigate the truth behind her older sister's rape and ...more -
![My Country: The New Age]()
Set during the transition from the Goryeo to the Joseon period, two friends become enemies due to differing views on "my country." Seo Hwi, a skilled warrior and son of a renowned ...more -
![Tree With Deep Roots]()
Early in his reign, King Se Jong accidentally causes the death of his in-laws and their slaves in an attempt to save them from his brutal father, King Tae Jong. Two young ...more -
![Splash Splash LOVE]()
Dan Bi is a high school senior who has given up on math. On the day she is about to take the KSAT for college, she is transported back into the past ...more -
![Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People]()
“The culprit who is posing as a royal official is not stealing wealth. He is stealing the hearts and minds of your people, Your Majesty.” There was a divisive figure in the ...more -
![The Longest Day in Chang'an]()
744 A.D., Chang’an, the cosmopolitan heart of the Tang Empire. The remnants of a vanquished Central Asian kingdom have infiltrated the world’s largest city for a planned attack during the Lantern Festival. ...more -
![Sungkyunkwan Scandal]()
Kim Yun Hee is a smart, responsible young woman with an independent drive. Since her father passed away, she has worked to support her family but has also managed to do well ...more -
![The Nokdu Flower]()
Set during the Donghak Peasant Revolution (1894-1895), two half-brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. Baek Yi Kang, the son of a wealthy but notorious local official and a woman ...more -
![Dong Yi]()
"Dong Yi" is a historical drama based on the life of Dong Yi later known as Choi Suk Bin. She worked in the royal palace as a lowly water maid. King Sok ...more -
![Jumong]()
Jumong was the founder of Goguryeo in 37 BC. He was the son of General Hae Mo Su and Lady Yoo Hwa and was raised by King Geum Wa, who took him ...more -
![Good Bye, My Princess]()
A love story revolves around the 9th Princess of Western Liang as she journeys to the Central Plains to fulfill a marriage alliance with the Crown Prince. Having received overwhelming love and ...more -
![Battle of Changsha]()
'Battle of Changsha' retells the turbulent events of the second Sino-Japanese War from the perspective of the Hu family, particularly through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl named Hu Xiang Xiang and ...more -
![Queen: Love and War]()
Kang Eun Bo is determined to avenge her twin sister’s murder in the ultra-conservative Joseon Dynasty. The only way to do so is to earn the royal title of Queen, which requires ...more -
![Jang Ok Jung]()
This drama tells the story of Jang Hee Bin, one of the most famous royal concubines in the Joseon Dynasty who was behind the deposition of King Sook Jong’s wife, Queen In ...more -
![Oshin]()
The 31st NHK Asadora Drama is Oshin. Oshin tells the story of a girl born in a very poor rural family in Japan, who through hard work and perseverance eventually triumphs over ...more -
![River Where the Moon Rises]()
Born a princess and raised a soldier, Pyeong Gang is a woman with big dreams and limitless ambition. Determined to become the first Empress of Goguryeo, Pyeong Gang will stop at nothing ...more -
![Queen for Seven Days]()
This drama is about the love story between King Jung Jong and his Queen Dan Kyung, who was crowned and deposed within the span of a week due to rival political factions ...more -
![The Princess Wei Young]()
The Northern Wei Dynasty was obliterated one night leaving behind the kindhearted Princess Feng Xin Er as an orphan. Although she escapes death, she accidentally enters her enemy's territory and she assumes ...more -
![The Slave Hunters]()
Chuno follows the story of Lee Dae Gil, a man of high birth, whose family was ruined when Won Ki Yoon, a slave, burnt down his house and escaped with his sister, ...more -
![Warrior Baek Dong Soo]()
Set in the Joseon Dynasty during King Jeong Jo's reign, this martial-arts fusion sageuk is centered around the events involving Crown Prince Sa Do's conspiracy. Warrior Baek Dong Soo was a real-life ...more -
![Gou - Himetachi no Sengoku]()
The 50th NHK Taiga drama is Gou. The story focuses on the life of Gou, the wife of the second Tokugawa shogun Hidetada. Gou was the third daughter of the daimyo Azai ...more -
![Fall in Love]()
In the year of 1926, Mu Wan Qing brings her mom's ashes back to China for burial. Using the pretense of surrendering to her father, Mu Wan Qing's actual motive is finding ...more -
![Bossam: Steal the Fate]()
A story of life and love that touches upon the oppression experienced by women and the impoverished. Ba U is a degenerate man who gambles, steals, fights and hides his real identity. ...more -
![The Bridal Mask]()
Lee Kang To is an ambitious and callous Korean officer employed by the Japanese colonists. Despite his mother's disapproval of his work and his own brother's antagonistic history with the Japanese, Kang ...more -
![The Princess's Man]()
Princess Se Ryung is the headstrong and forward-thinking daughter of Grand Prince Su Yang, who is determined to be King. She falls in love with the son of his mortal enemy, and ...more -
![Killer and Healer]()
A story that follows two men who are polar opposites; one kills while the other heals. One is a violent cop, and the other is a compassionate doctor. Together, they support and ...more -
![Prince of Lan Ling]()
A prophecy foretold that victory goes to the one who has the priestess' blessing. Yang Xue Wu, the last priestess of her clan, unwittingly embroiled in a war between Northern Qi and ...more -
![Sparrow]()
This drama is set during the revolutionary time in Shanghai. During the republican revolution, Chen Shen is a secret agent under Special Operations Executive Director Bi Zhong Liang, among the agents called ...more -
![Rak Nakara]()
Jao Noi Sukkawaong, a nobleman, falls in love with Man Muang at first sight. Man Muang has a half-sister called Ming La. Ming La's mother doesn't want Man Muang to be more ...more -
![Ka Badin]()
Ka Badin, which takes place in the era of King Nang Klao, the third reign (after King Rama II). The story sets around the period when England (known as Wilat at the ...more -
![Arsenal Military Academy]()
In the early years of the 20th century, Chinese military forces find themselves locked in a drawn-out, bloody conflict as they fight back again the Imperial Japanese army. The government drafts young ...more -
![The Disguiser]()
Focusing on a story of betrayal, romance, friendship, and familial ties behind the Sino-Japanese war. Ming Tai is a man from a wealthy family who was trained as a spy and then ...more -
![The Long Ballad]()
In the year 626 C.E., the Tang Dynasty faces upheaval following the successful Xuanwu Gate Incident, a coup orchestrated by a cunning prince. During the chaos, Li Chang Ge's family is slaughtered, ...more -
![The Qin Empire Season 2]()
It romanticizes the events in China during the Warring States period primarily from the perspective of the Qin state during the reigns of King Huiwen and King Wu. During the Warring States ...more -
![The Legend]()
This drama portrays the life of the 19th king of Goguryeo, Hwanwoong, who was sent from the heavens to make the world a better place. He falls in love with Saeoh and ...more -
![The Painter of the Wind]()
Shin Yoon Bok is a talented painter who disguises herself as a boy to search for her father's murderer and meets a master painter who guides her into being a great painter. ...more -
![Rookie Agent Rouge]()
Lan Yan Zhi is a privileged banker's daughter. She is a genius and has excellent observation and analytical skills along with a very sharp memory. She is not an average person and ...more -
![Queen Insoo]()
Queen Insu (1437~1504) was the wife of king Deok Jong and a daughter of Hanh Wak, the second state councilor. Since the 2nd year of Sung Jong's reign, she was called Queen ...more -
![The King in Love]()
Wang Won’s father is the king of Goryeo while his mother is the Yuan emperor’s daughter. He was born with many gifts as he has good looks, the wisdom of a snake, ...more
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