It’s hard to overstate how stacked 2016 was for K-dramas. This was the year that turned casual viewers into lifelong fans, launched some of Hallyu’s biggest global stars, and produced shows that are still being recommended a decade later as essential starting points for anyone new to the genre. If you missed this era or just want to relive it, here are the OG 2016 K-dramas that still hold up.
1. Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God)
If you ask any longtime K-drama fan to name the show that hooked them, there’s a good chance it’s this one. Goblin follows Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), an immortal goblin cursed with eternal life, searching for the human bride who can end his suffering — and finding her in Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun), a high schooler who can see ghosts. Blending fantasy, romance, and a genuinely moving secondary love story involving the Grim Reaper, Goblin remains one of the most beloved K-dramas ever made, and it’s still one of the most-recommended entry points for newcomers to the genre.
2. Descendants of the Sun
A cultural phenomenon that turned Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo into global superstars, Descendants of the Sun follows a special forces captain and a doctor who fall in love while deployed to a crisis-hit fictional country. Big-budget, emotionally sweeping, and packed with genuinely iconic moments (the “loudspeaker confession” scene alone became a meme for years), this remains one of the most influential K-dramas of the decade — and arguably the show most responsible for K-dramas’ explosive growth in global popularity that followed.
3. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
A time-travel historical romance starring IU and Lee Joon-gi, following a modern woman transported back to the Goryeo Dynasty and thrust into a brutal power struggle among royal princes. Emotionally intense and famous for one of the most devastating endings in K-drama history, this remains a defining show for an entire generation of fans — imperfect, but unforgettable.
4. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo
A warm, funny coming-of-age sports romance following a college weightlifter navigating friendship, ambition, and first love. Less melodrama, more slice-of-life charm — this is the drama to watch when you want something sweet and low-stakes rather than high-stakes palace intrigue.
5. Love in the Moonlight
Set in the Joseon dynasty, this historical romance follows a quick-witted girl who disguises herself as a eunuch to survive palace life, only to catch the attention of the Crown Prince. Park Bo Gum had a genuinely massive year in 2016, leading two of the era’s biggest historical dramas — this is the other one.
6. Moonlight Drawn by Clouds
The second Park Bo Gum vehicle of 2016, and one of the year’s biggest hits in its own right. Another Joseon-era romance with a disguised-identity twist, it leans more into political intrigue than Love in the Moonlight while keeping the same charming central chemistry that made Park Bo Gum a breakout star this year.
7. W: Two Worlds
One of the most inventive premises of the year: a woman is pulled into the fictional webtoon world her father created, and falls for its main character — who slowly becomes aware he’s living inside a story someone else is writing. Genuinely unique, twisty, and unlike almost anything else in the genre before or since.
8. Legend of the Blue Sea
Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun star in this fantasy romance blending a modern-day love story with a past-life connection to a mermaid legend from the Joseon era. Big budget, big chemistry, and one of the most-watched dramas of the year — a great pick if you want spectacle alongside romance.
9. Signal
For a genre change of pace: a crime thriller following a modern-day profiler who’s able to communicate with a detective in the past through an old walkie-talkie, working together to solve cold cases across two timelines. Widely considered one of the best-written K-dramas of the decade, and a great pick if you want something gripping rather than romance-first.
10. The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop
A weekend family drama that doesn’t get talked about as often internationally, but was beloved for its warmth, humor, and genuinely heartfelt family dynamics. If you want something cozier and less internationally hyped than the rest of this list, it’s worth seeking out.
Bonus: Crash Landing on You (Not 2016, But Essential OG Viewing)
A quick correction for accuracy: Crash Landing on You actually aired December 2019 to February 2020, not 2016 — but it’s included here as a bonus because it belongs in the same “OG must-watch” conversation as everything above, and no classics list like this feels complete without it.
Starring Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, the show follows Yoon Se-ri, a South Korean heiress who accidentally paraglides across the border into North Korea, and Ri Jeong-hyeok, the North Korean special forces captain who helps hide and protect her. What starts as a forbidden, high-stakes situation slowly turns into one of the genre’s most beloved love stories.
The numbers back up the hype: its finale pulled a 21.7% average nationwide rating, breaking the record previously held by Goblin, and it went on to top Netflix’s charts in multiple countries — reportedly holding the #1 spot in Japan for 69 consecutive weeks. It’s also credited as a major driver of the broader K-drama boom that followed on Netflix internationally. And in a detail that made fans lose their minds: Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin actually got married in real life after filming wrapped.
Worth knowing before you dive in: some critics and rewatchers have noted the pacing can drag in the middle episodes, and its handling of North Korea as a setting drew some criticism for being overly romanticized. Still, if you want to understand why an entire wave of new fans discovered K-dramas in 2020, this is required viewing.
Where Do You Even Start?
If you only have time for one, start with Goblin — it’s the show most responsible for turning casual watchers into devoted K-drama fans, and it holds up remarkably well a decade later. If you want something outside the fantasy-romance mold, Signal is the strongest pick for anyone who wants plot and tension over romance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was 2016 such a big year for K-dramas? 2016 produced an unusually high concentration of globally influential hits — including Goblin, Descendants of the Sun, and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo — several of which are widely credited with significantly expanding K-dramas’ international audience in the years that followed.
Where can I watch 2016 K-dramas now? Most are available on Viki, with several (including Goblin) also available on Netflix, depending on your region.
What is the most popular K-drama from 2016? Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) and Descendants of the Sun are generally considered the two biggest and most influential K-dramas of the year, though which is “the best” is a genuinely divisive debate among fans.
Are 2016 K-dramas still worth watching today? Yes, though it’s worth knowing production values and pacing conventions have evolved since then — some viewers find certain 2016-era tropes and pacing choices dated compared to more recent dramas, while others consider them essential classics that still hold up.
What’s a good starting point for someone new to K-dramas from this era? Goblin is the most commonly recommended entry point for newcomers, thanks to its blend of accessible fantasy-romance storytelling and broad emotional appeal.
Is Crash Landing on You from 2016? No — it aired from December 2019 to February 2020. It’s included in this list as a bonus pick because it’s considered essential “OG” K-drama viewing alongside the true 2016 classics.
What viewership records did Crash Landing on You break? Its finale averaged a 21.7% nationwide rating, surpassing the previous tvN record held by Goblin — a record that stood until Queen of Tears broke it again in 2024.
Did the Crash Landing on You leads really get married? Yes — stars Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin got married in real life after the show wrapped, which only added to the drama’s lasting popularity among fans.