7 Crime & Mystery K-Dramas That Keep Us On The Edge Of Our Seats
Crime and mystery K-dramas are often underrated in favor of their romantic counterparts. While there’s nothing more satisfying to watch than an epic romance unfold, sometimes you want to put the fluttering feelings of love to the side and watch something more thrilling. From murder mysteries to conspiracies, to delving into the paranormal, there are so many good, thrilling crime and mystery dramas to watch. Here are a few favorites.
Warning: mentions of violence, sexual assault, and death below.
“Witch’s Court”
“Witch’s Court” is a woman-led prosecution drama that delves into crimes around sexual violence. The story begins when Ma Yi Deum (Jung Ryeo Won) testifies against one of her coworkers for harassment, and as punishment from her superiors, she gets placed into the sex crimes unit. Although she’s not necessarily fond of the transfer, she quickly begins to give each case her all. Along the way, she also starts to uncover the truth about her mother’s disappearance from when she was young.
What makes this drama so addicting is how Ma Yi Deum and her team stop at nothing to get justice for the victims. Sexual violence is a crime that is often trivialized, and victims don’t always get the justice they rightfully deserve. Although it can seem rather grotesque and heavy at times — especially when it seems like the perpetrator is winning — ‘Witch’s Court” does a great job at tackling such delicate cases and creating a satisfying ending that provides justice and calls attention to the problems that create and enable these crimes.
Catch the first episode below:
“He is Psychometric”
Combining crime with the supernatural, tvN’s “He is Psychometric” follows the story of Lee Ahn (GOT7’s Jinyoung) who has the ability to sense people’s secrets through touch. He gains this ability after losing his parents in a fire and being saved by his friend (and now prosecutor) Kang Sung Mo (Kim Kwon). He’s also fiercely connected with a police officer named Yoon Jae In (Shin Ye Eun) who harbors a dark secret she doesn’t want to be revealed: that her father is in jail for the fire that killed Ahn’s parents. Once Yoon Jae and Ahn discover each other’s secrets, they work together to solve the arson that destroyed their families.
This drama switches between the past and present, which of course amps up the suspense in thrill. Like most shows that delve into the cases and minds of killers, this drama poses the question of nature vs. nurture. Are killers born or are they made? Although the events of the fire and the other crimes that come up along the way are quite gruesome and tragic, Ahn’s bright personality drives the show forward as well as his relationship with Yoon Jae In to create a perfect balance of romance and mystery.
Catch the first episode below:
“Tell Me What You Saw”
“Tell Me What You Saw” is a thriller drama that follows the story of a famous criminal profiler, Oh Hyun Jae (Jang Hyuk) who goes into seclusion after a serial killer known as the Mint Killer murders his fiancée. Five years after the tragedy, a rookie police officer named Cha Soo Young (Girl’s Generation’s Sooyoung), who has a photographic memory, is paired with Oh Hyun Jae and elite detective Hwang Hwa Young (Jin Seo Yeon) to solve the case when the Mint Killer resurfaces.
“Tell Me What You Saw” does not shy away from showing the victim’s final moments. Between the deaths and the chase scenes, this drama is action-packed and gives the viewers little time to breathe. Instead, you’re constantly trying to piece together all the clues and figure out how the team of detectives will solve their current case, as well as the Mint Killer case. Another detail that this drama does well is showcasing the intricacies of trauma after such major events. Aside from Hyun Jae’s seclusion, Hwa Young suffers from panic attacks as she struggles to finally reclaim and resolve her previous trauma. Soo Young’s trauma, on the other hand, drives her to be more empathetic and fight 110 percent for the victims of any case. They make quite an impeccable team, and it’s a joy to watch.
Catch the first episode below:
“Nobody Knows”
This list wouldn’t be complete without SBS’s “Nobody Knows.” The story follows the detective Cha Young Jin (Kim Seo Hyung) who is determined to solve her best friend Choi Soo Jung’s (Kim Shi Eun) murder. 19 years pass and the case remains unsolved until the serial killer begins to kill again. Around this time, her downstairs neighbor Go Eun Ho (Ahn Jin Ho) — who she tends to look out for — gets gravely injured and becomes comatose. As the drama progresses, the two cases blend together as Young Jin fights to uncover the truth and keep history from repeating itself.
This is quite possibly my favorite drama on this list. Unlike dramas that show most of the episodes before revealing the murderer, this one technically reveals theirs in the premiere episodes. However, it’s so intricately written and woven together that the mystery actually begins when Young Jin apprehends the initial suspect. It’s creepy, riveting, and has you wondering who is going to die and who is going to survive. But what really drives this show is Cha Young Jin’s relationship with Go Eun Ho. Cha Young Jin takes quite the motherly role for Eun Ho, and the pair supports and helps each other, even though they are apart. It’s a drama that will have your heart pounding in your chest and sobbing all at the same time.
Catch the first episode below:
“The Good Detective”
“The Good Detective” is a drama that races against time. After a few calls reporting a missing girl and murders, detectives Gang Do Chang (Son Hyun Joo) and Oh Ji Hyuk (Jang Seung Jo) begin to look for Lee Eun Hye (Lee Ha Eun), the daughter of a convicted serial killer. As the case unfolds, it becomes clear that her father, Lee Dae Chul (Jo Jae Yoon), was wrongly convicted. Unfortunately, Lee Dae Chul’s execution date is set, so the time frame for them to uncover the truth is already ticking away. From faking vacations to investigate to getting framed for other crimes, these two will stop at nothing to try and right the wrong that Gang Do Chang let happen all those years ago.
Lee Dae Chul’s case displays a deep-rooted corruption of the police force as well as the prosecution. It’s addicting to see everything unfold as the pair of detectives do their best to dig up the ugly truth and expose it to the world. As a plus, unlike other crime dramas where the tone is quite serious, this drama masters comedy pretty well. Do Chang and Ji Hyuk bicker a lot, but it’s their camaraderie that drives the show.
“Flower of Evil”
When it comes to crime and romance, usually the two don’t mix. Or, more commonly, there are just subtle hints since romance isn’t the main plotline of the show. However, tvN’s “Flower of Evil” takes the plunge of intricately tying a marriage into a cold case that’s over a decade old. The story follows detective Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won) who discovers that her husband, Baek Hee Sung (Lee Joon Gi) may actually be a murderer. It feels like an understatement to say that these two go through hell as they both try to solve the case and reveal the true events that happened.
The romance absolutely drives this drama forward. With every episode, you truly have no idea if their marriage will fall apart or become stronger than ever. The drama toys with Hee Sung’s innocence quite a bit in the beginning, but by the end, you can’t help but hope for their happy ending. Each character is deeply connected, and those connections plus the drama’s insane attention to detail make the murder mystery so addicting to figure out. Once you start this drama, you’ll have to keep watching until you finish.
Catch the first episode below:
“Beyond Evil”
“Beyond Evil” is a new psychological thriller that follows the story of two detectives. Lee Dong Shik (Shin Ha Kyun) is haunted by the disappearance of his sister while Han Joo Won (Yeo Jin Goo) is a promising detective who strives to follow the rules. After losing an informant in a sting operation gone wrong and trying to investigate what he believed to be unsolved serial murders, Joo Won transfers himself to the Manyang police station to solve the case. Although he first suspects Lee Dong Shik, the pair eventually work together to unravel the mysteries that have been embedded into Manyang for the past 20 years.
This drama is extremely well-written and each episode ends with a new cliffhanger to keep the suspense going. Much like some of the other dramas on this list, “Beyond Evil” catalogs great attention to detail as its characters begin to bend rules in order to solve the case. It fulfills the show’s ultimate question: “Who is the real monster? Is it you? Is it me? Is it us?”
Hey Soompiers! What are your favorite crime/mystery dramas? Let us know in the comments below!
kaityv spends most of her time watching K-dramas even though she should be writing. If she’s not watching a drama then she’s for sure dying over BTS’s and Red Velvet’s music and videos.
Currently watching: “Beyond Evil”
All-time favorite: “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon,” “Do You Like Brahms?”
Looking forward to: “So I Married an Anti-Fan,” “Double Patty”
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