Five drama recommendations… without romance

by DB Staff

Let’s face it, sometimes you need a break from dramaland’s endless supply of fated lovers who knew each other from the past and have to deal with traumas or family problems or needy side characters before they can get together. Sometimes what you want instead is just a good old-fashioned drama — all the things you love about K-drama, but hold the romance. Here are some of our favorites.

Navillera (2021)

A poignant story about an elderly man finally pursuing his lifelong dream, Navillera has no room for romance because its main characters only have eyes for ballet. Shim Deok-chul (Park In-hwan) is at an age where death has begun to steadily claim his friends one by one, and as he faces his own mortality, Deok-chul realizes he has one regret — that he never learned how to dance ballet. The road to becoming a ballerino — especially at his age — is not an easy one for Deok-chul, and he faces a lot of opposition from family members, his own aging body, and from Lee Chae-rok (Song Kang), his reluctant instructor.

At the other end of the age spectrum, twenty-something Chae-rok has the potential to become a ballet star, but his dance career has plateaued. He’s reluctant to take time from his own training to teach a 70-year-old man how to dance, but with a little time — and Deok-chul’s endless persistence — the two men form an unlikely friendship, bonding over their shared love of ballet. Although parts of this story are shadowed by the reality of Deok-chul’s age and limitations, this drama is truly a celebration of life and a reminder that we’re never too old to follow our dreams. –@daebakgrits

The Fiery Priest (2019)

The Fiery Priest is another delightful watch, and what it lacks in romance, it makes up for with the interactions between its colorful and quirky characters. A drama catnip of mine is watching a diverse set of characters banding together to fight a common enemy. So when you give me an ex-NIS agent turned priest with anger issues, an ambitious prosecutor, a timid detective and his enthusiastic rookie partner coming together in an action/crime comedy, I’m sold! But I’m also a very simple person, so the sight of Kim Nam-gil swinging his long legs as he does a flying kick is enough reason for me to watch anything. Hehe.

After his spiritual father is framed and murdered by a group of gangsters and corrupt officials, our priest and the rest of his (initially very reluctant) Tsunami Squad go on a quest for justice. They team up with other fun side characters to sweep and rid the town of the bad guys, and they provide us with plenty of humor along the way. The Fiery Priest is one of those dramas that prove that you don’t need romance to sell a drama. All you need is an exciting and fast-paced story, and interesting characters (plus the right actors to play those characters), and you’ve got yourself a hard-to-pass-on drama. –@unit

Mother (2018)

Mother may not be a romance, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a love story. As the title suggests, this is a drama all about mothers – good, bad, and in-between. It’s a powerful exploration of what it means to be a mother and who gets to claim that title. Fair warning, this is not an easy drama to watch since it centers heavily around child abuse. But if you can handle that, it’s fantastic. Lee Bo-young is perfect as the substitute teacher who notices something off with her student – played by the impressive young actress Ha Yul – and decides to take matters into her own hands to save the little girl from her abusive home. The two have wonderful chemistry as chosen mother and daughter on the run trying to start their lives anew.

This is one of those dramas that really stuck with me. I’m the type to usually forget the details of a show after a while, but although I haven’t seen this drama since it aired in 2018, I remember it vividly. I felt so invested in these characters and their heartbreaking yet hopeful journey toward love and family. For anyone looking for a non-romantic, suspenseful drama all about love of a different sort, I can’t recommend Mother highly enough. –@quirkycase

Forest of Secrets (2017)

At the forefront of this densely-woven mystery are Shi-mok and Yeo-jin, an upright prosecutor and a headstrong police officer who work together to untangle the titular forest of secrets. The pair share a rapport that doesn’t need to be defined — it doesn’t matter whether their relationship is platonic, professional, or romantic. Above all, they’re partners, drawn together by shared ideals and a resolute determination to pursue the truth. They bring out the best in each other, always noticing if the other person falters and never hesitating to steer the other back onto the right path. It’s adorably endearing how Shi-mok often fails to (or simply doesn’t bother to) pick up on social cues, and how Yeo-jin never holds it against him. Instead, she learns his idiosyncrasies, and embraces him for who he is.

It’s a testament to Jo Seung-woo and Bae Doona’s riveting portrayals of our main duo that every intricate character detail is brought to life through such subtle expressions, captivating us and making us root for them. The two serve as such good foils to each other, with their opposite demeanors and contrasting ways of approaching a case. Despite their differences, they converge in their unwavering integrity and resolve; they inspire each other to grow and do better.

Their nuanced dynamic and stellar characterization serves to elevate a story that would be phenomenal even on its own. Through a realistic look at the slippery spiral of corruption, the drama tells a compelling and thought-provoking story, with a deftly-written script that never wasted a single line of dialogue. The drama raised several philosophical and societal questions but trusted its audience to formulate their own answers, exploring its central themes in a manner that never veered into becoming didactic or convoluted. There’s a reason Forest of Secrets received so much critical acclaim, and I would wholeheartedly give it more if I could. –@solstices

Chief Kim (2017)

I have to admit that when I watched the first episode of this drama, I took a pause because I’ve only ever seen Namgoong Min play evil and psychopathic characters. Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for his comedic timing as the titular character in Chief Kim! He was really natural and very impressive as the crooked accountant who joined a company to steal but ended up being a “righteous man” lol. Chief Kim is your typical workplace drama, but laced with humor which worked its way naturally into the story without being too over the top. For a 20-episode drama, it was engaging from beginning to end, and for an ensemble cast, all the characters were multi-dimensional, properly utilized, and had visible character growth (minus the bad guys though, these ones were unrepentant till the end).

And in the absence of romance, the drama provided us with one of the best bromances of all time between Namgoong Min and Lee Jun-ho a.k.a the TQ Psycho and the Gluttonous Sociopath – seriously, these two were one of the highlights of the show! Chief Kim also ticks off the boxes of workplace dramas such as: office fashion (Jun-ho’s suits), relatable characters, big bad chaebol bosses and their evil minions, tax evasion and shell companies, visits from the prosecution with their big blue boxes of doom, departmental rivalry, Subway PPL, and lots more. So, what’s not to love about this drama? –@unit

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Five drama recommendations… without romance