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10 Korean shows like Kingdom to binge-watch next: All of Us Are Dead, Happiness, Parasyte: The Grey, and more
Discover 10 Korean shows like Kingdom that will send shivers down your spine with their gripping narrative and terrifying monsters.
Kingdom, the zombie series is one of the best shows to come out of the Korean TV industry, which perfectly marries intricate genres like thriller and mystery. Fans worldwide waited over a year for the series to return with the new season while searching for more shows like Kingdom. Though their global audience has already witnessed a handful of zombie shows over the years, Kingdom piqued the viewers’ interest for its fresh take on the trope, which is explored in the backdrop of a historical setting.
In Kingdom, Ju Ji Hoon stars as the crown prince of a dystopian Joseon era. When he learns about his kingdom slowly getting devoured by ghoulish zombie creatures, he sets out to annihilate them.
The show was first released on January 25, 2019, and returned with new episodes on March 13, 2020. With intense storytelling, meticulous acting by the cast, and a terrifying portrayal of the zombie outbreak, Kingdom is dubbed as a cinematic brilliance in a nutshell, garnering massive viewership across the globe.
If you are also a fan of the historical zombie series, here are some shows like Kingdom, you should definitely not miss out.
List of 10 Korean shows like Kingdom
1. All of Us Are Dead
- Cast: Lee Yoo Mi, Park Solomon, Choi Yi Hyun, Yoon Chan Young, Park Ji Hu
- Director: Lee Jae Kyoo
- Runtime: 60 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: January 28, 2022
All of Us Are Dead is considered one of the best zombie shows of all time. This acclaimed series explores the famous genre in a high school setting that has been affected by a massive zombie outbreak. The frantic students grapple with their survival, while also fighting off flesh-eating monsters, some of whom were their classmates a moment ago.
The jolting series single-handedly elucidates the zombie genre through an electrifying portrayal. The refreshing cast consisting of Lee Yoo Mi, Park Solomon, Choi Yi Hun, and more adds to the brilliance of All of Us Are Dead.
Good news for the fans as the show has been renewed for a second season, which is on its way soon.
2. Parasyte: The Grey
- Cast: Jeon So Nee, Masaki Suda, Lee Jung Hyun, Koo Kyo Hwan
- Director: Yeon Sang Ho
- Runtime: 50 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: April 5, 2024
Parastye: The Grey is the latest addition to shows like Kingdom on Netflix. Adapted from the popular manga Parasyte by Iwaaki Hitoshi, this spine-chilling series doesn’t disappoint the viewers who already watched the anime version.
This live-action follows the story of a dystopian world infected by parasite organisms who have descended to earth to feed on human bodies. However, when one of them fails to fully take over a woman, the two cohabit with a gaol to stop the invaders.
As the monsters star devouring the human world, a new investigation agency named The Grey emerges to wipe out the parasites for once and all to save mankind.
3. Sweet Home
- Cast: Song Kang, Go Min Si, Lee Do Hyun, Park Gyu Young, Go Youn Jung, Lee Jin Wook, Kim Sung Cheol, Lee Si Young
- Director: Lee Eung Bok
- Runtime: 70 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 2
- Release Date: December 18, 2020
This star-studded monster series, Sweet Home makes your hair stand out with its dark twists and brutal visuals. A normal world suddenly witnesses a massive fall when monsters born from humans’ inner demons emerge and feed on others, much like a zombie outbreak in the Kingdom series. Amidst the terrifying chaos, an introverted teenager and the neighbors of his residence try to hold onto their humanity and therefore life, while fighting deadly beings.
4. Happiness
- Cast: Han Hyo Joo, Park Hyung Sik, Ye Won Mun, Jo Woo Jin
- Director: Ahn Gil Ho
- Runtime: 60 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: November 5, 2021
Happiness eschews the usual style of portraying zombies. In this gripping thriller, it is more like an infected disease with some zombie-like symptoms. Han Hyo Joo stars as Yoon Sae Bom, an investigating officer who has been longing for a new apartment.
When the construction of a brand new high-rise building is finished, she moves in, determined to find happiness alongside her longtime friend Detective Jung Yi Hyun (played by Park Hyung Sik).
But her world soon turns upside down when a city-wide panic rises from an infectious disease, objecting the residents to the terror as they hang on to the last chance of survival.
5. Gyeongseong Creature
- Cast: Park Seo Joon, Han So Hee, Claudia Kim, Wi Ha Joon
- Director: Kang Eun Kyung
- Runtime: 70 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: December 22, 2023
Set in the chaotic backdrop of World War 2, Gyeongseong Creature revolves around Jang Tae Sang (Park Seo Joon) a rag-to-rich man in a Japan colonized Korea, and Yoon Chae Ok (Han So Hee), who tracks down missing people.
When the two join forces to search for a missing woman, they come across a horrifying monster created by the Japanese army. But the human identity before it was turned into the demon presents some inevitable options in front of them, as they struggle to find the truth.
6. Zombie Detective
- Cast: Choi Jin Hyuk, Park Ju Hyun, Kwon Hwa Woon
- Director: Shim Jae Hyun
- Runtime: 60 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: October 27, 2020
A man named Kim Moo Young ( Choi Jin Hyuk) returns as a zombie after getting killed. However, with his memory gone, he struggles between finding his murderer or continuing his duties as a detective.
When he accepts reality and tries to morph into a human being, he stumbles upon an erstwhile TV Show writer named Seon Ji (Park Ju Hyun). While she part times at Moo Young’s agency, she lends a hand to help him retrace his memories. However, soon she realizes his connection to one of her previous cases, adding intrigue to the narrative.
7. Hellbound
- Cast: Yoo Ah In, Kim Hyun Joo, Kim Sung Cheol, Woo Jin Ah
- Director: Yeon Sang Ho
- Runtime: 50 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: November 19, 2021
A brilliant thriller series from the Train to Busan director, Hellbound is adapted from a Naver webtoon named Hell. When some angels descend to the earth to punish the sinners by taking them to hell, a religious group takes notice and makes it about a higher purpose and divine justice. Hellbound portrays the raw and brutal side of humanity in the face of otherworldly threats.
8. The Uncanny Counter
- Cast: Kim Sejeong, Jo Byeong Kyu,Yeom Hye Ran,Yoo Jun Sang, Kang Ki Young, Kim Hieora
- Director: You Sun Dong
- Runtime: 60 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 2
- Release Date: November 28, 2020
The Uncanny Counter delivers spine-chilling insights into the world of demon hunters, who pose as noodle shop owners in the day and trace the human-born-evils at night to wipe them out.
9. The School Nurse Flies
- Cast: Jung Yu Mi, Nam Joo Hyuk
- Director: Lee Kyoung Mi
- Runtime: 50 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: September 25, 2020
When a school nurse is gifted with a special power to see unseen monsters, she takes on a responsibility to protect the students from the demons. To annihilate them, she begins welding an illuminating sword through the dark corners of the school grounds.
10. Dark Hole
- Cast: Kim Ok Vin, Oh Yoo Jin, Lee Joon Hyuk
- Director: Kim Bong Joo
- Runtime: 60 minutes average (per episode)
- Seasons: 1
- Release Date: April 30, 2021
Dark Hole explores a horror world that is affected by mysterious black smoke coming out of the inky depths of a petrochemical company’s sinkhole. When the citizens mutate into disfigured beings, barely can be called human, a detective takes it upon herself to save the city.
The above list is not enough to sum up all the brilliant Korean shows like Kingdom. However, if the Ju Ji Hoon starrer show is your go-to thriller series, then you must binge on the above shows.
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