Let’s play a little word association. When I say “K-Drama on Disney+,” what comes to mind?
Chances are, your brain immediately flashes to the epic, high-flying superheroes of Moving. Maybe it’s the visceral, bloody crime saga of The Worst of Evil, or the high-stakes legal thriller Big Mouth. These are the titans of the platform—the shows that dominated trending topics, racked up awards, and rightfully earned their place in the K-drama hall of fame.
But behind these blockbuster hits, Disney+’s library has been quietly growing into a treasure trove of exceptional dramas. These are the “hidden gems”—the series that might not have had the massive marketing budget or the explosive premiere, but possess incredible scripts, breathtaking performances, and unique stories that deserve just as much love. They are the shows your friend with impeccable taste recommends in a hushed, excited whisper, “You have to watch this.”
If you’ve already conquered the big titles and are scrolling through the endless grid looking for your next obsession, consider this your treasure map. We’ve dug deep to unearth seven brilliant K-dramas on Disney+ that you absolutely shouldn’t sleep on.
1. For the Lover of Slow-Burn, Healing Melodrama: Call It Love (2023)
The Gist: Shim Woo-joo’s (Lee Sung-kyung) life is a mess. After her father’s death, his mistress kicks Woo-joo and her siblings out of their family home. Consumed by a quiet, simmering rage, she decides to exact her revenge. Her plan is to get close to the mistress’s son, Han Dong-jin (Kim Young-kwang), a lonely workaholic suffering from his own deep-seated emotional wounds, and destroy his life from the inside. But as she gets to know this gentle, melancholic man, her quest for vengeance slowly, unexpectedly, transforms into a profound and healing connection.
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
In an era of fast-paced, high-concept dramas, Call It Love is a quiet rebellion. It’s a show that trusts its audience to sit in the silence, to appreciate the power of an unspoken glance, and to find beauty in the mundane. It was critically adored but flew under the radar for many international fans who might have been put off by its seemingly simple premise. This is a mistake. Call It Love is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling and emotional depth.
The show is shot in a beautiful, muted color palette that perfectly mirrors the subdued emotions of its characters. Lee Sung-kyung, typically known for brighter roles, is a revelation here, delivering a restrained and powerful performance as a woman weighed down by grief. Kim Young-kwang is her perfect match, embodying a kind of profound loneliness that feels achingly real. Their romance is not a whirlwind; it’s a slow thaw. It’s the story of two broken people finding a safe harbor in each other, a quiet space where they can finally breathe. If you’re looking for a drama that feels less like a TV show and more like a beautifully written novel, a warm blanket on a rainy day, this is it.
2. For the Fan of Gritty, Old-School Detective Stories: Shadow Detective (2022)
The Gist: Kim Taek-rok (the legendary Lee Sung-min) is a veteran homicide detective just weeks away from retirement. He’s weary, world-worn, and carries the ghosts of past cases with him. His quiet exit is shattered when he receives a mysterious phone call from someone calling himself “a friend.” This “friend” frames Taek-rok for the murder of his own partner and begins blackmailing him, forcing the old detective to revisit one of his most painful cold cases from the past to clear his name and uncover a sprawling conspiracy.
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
Shadow Detective isn’t flashy. It doesn’t have a high-concept romance or slick, stylized action sequences. What it has is grit, atmosphere, and one of the best performances of Lee Sung-min’s storied career (which is saying something). This show feels like a throwback to classic neo-noir thrillers. It’s a character-driven mystery that relies on taut plotting and phenomenal acting to build its suspense.
This drama was likely overlooked by viewers seeking the glossier, faster-paced thrillers that dominate the genre. But its strength lies in its patience and its realism. You can feel the weight of Taek-rok’s years on his shoulders. The mystery is complex and genuinely clever, with twists and turns that feel earned. It’s a show that respects the intelligence of its audience, weaving a dark and compelling web of corruption and long-buried secrets. If you love a good “one man against the system” story and appreciate a slow-burn investigation led by a grizzled, unforgettable protagonist, you will be absolutely riveted. (Bonus: Season 2 is just as good.)
3. For Those Who Enjoy a Modern Fairy Tale with a Moral Bite: The Golden Spoon (2022)
The Gist: Lee Seung-cheon (Yook Sung-jae) is a brilliant high school student from a dirt-poor family. He’s relentlessly bullied for his poverty and despises his life, dreaming of a world where he doesn’t have to worry about money. One day, he buys a magical golden spoon from a mysterious old woman. The spoon comes with a strange promise: if he eats three meals at the house of a rich kid his age, he can swap lives with them. He sets his sights on his wealthy and kind-hearted classmate, Hwang Tae-yong (Lee Jong-won). But Seung-cheon soon discovers that trading families isn’t just about gaining wealth—it’s about inheriting a whole new set of problems, secrets, and moral dilemmas.
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
Based on a popular webtoon, The Golden Spoon has a fantastic “what if” premise that feels both classic and fresh. While it was moderately successful in Korea, it didn’t quite achieve the global buzz of other fantasy dramas. Perhaps the “body-swap” genre felt familiar, but the execution here is anything but. The show uses its fantastical premise to ask some surprisingly deep questions about nature vs. nurture, family, identity, and the true cost of ambition.
Yook Sung-jae is fantastic as the conflicted protagonist, torn between his deep love for his real parents and the intoxicating allure of a life without struggle. The drama excels at exploring the moral gray areas of his decision. Is it better to be a happy son in a poor family or a miserable son in a rich one? The show is a thrilling, often heartbreaking, and highly addictive watch that constantly keeps you guessing. It’s a high-concept fantasy with a real, beating, and very conflicted heart.
4. For the Adventurous Viewer Who Craves Something Truly Bizarre: Connect (2022)
The Gist: Ha Dong-soo (Jung Hae-in) is a “Connect,” a new breed of immortal human with the ability to instantly heal from any injury. He lives a quiet, solitary life, making a living by selling his original songs online. His world is turned upside down when he’s kidnapped by a ring of organ traffickers who harvest one of his eyes. Miraculously, he survives, but a bizarre connection forms between him and the man who received his eye—a seemingly polite office worker who is actually a sadistic serial killer (Go Kyung-pyo). Now, Dong-soo experiences horrifying visions of the killer’s atrocities through his stolen eye and must use this unwanted link to stop him.
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
Let’s be clear: Connect is weird. It’s gory, it’s strange, and it was directed by the legendary and notoriously provocative Japanese filmmaker, Takashi Miike. This alone might explain why it didn’t find a massive mainstream audience. It’s a show that fully commits to its bizarre, pulpy premise, and for the right viewer, it’s an absolute blast.
Jung Hae-in, the king of gentle romance roles, plays completely against type as the tortured, immortal loner, and it’s fascinating to watch. Go Kyung-pyo is chillingly effective as the dapper, art-loving psychopath. The show is a short, sharp, six-episode shot of pure, uncut adrenaline. It blends body horror, sci-fi, and a cat-and-mouse thriller into a unique and unforgettable package. If your K-drama taste veers towards the experimental and you’re not afraid of a little (or a lot of) blood, Connect is a dark, stylish, and highly bingeable experience unlike anything else on the platform.
5. For a Feel-Good Hit of Youth and Found Family: Rookie Cops (2022)
The Gist: Set at the elite Korean National Police University, this drama follows the lives, loves, and struggles of a new class of recruits. The ensemble cast is led by Wi Seung-hyun (Kang Daniel), the brilliant son of a high-ranking police commissioner who follows in his father’s footsteps, and the boisterous and justice-driven Go Eun-kang (Chae Soo-bin), who enrolled to follow a crush. Together with their classmates, they navigate grueling training, strict rules, personal anxieties, and their first forays into real-life cases.
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
As one of the very first Disney+ Korean originals, Rookie Cops got a little lost in the shuffle as bigger titles began to roll out. It’s a shame, because this show is a delightful, easy-to-watch drama that’s pure comfort food. It’s a youth ensemble series in the vein of the classic Reply series or Hospital Playlist, focusing more on the daily lives and relationships of its characters than on a single overarching plot.
This isn’t a dark, gritty police procedural. It’s a bright, optimistic, and often hilarious look at the journey to becoming a police officer. The cast has fantastic chemistry, and the found-family dynamic that develops among the recruits is the show’s biggest strength. You’ll root for their friendships, swoon over the budding romances, and feel their triumphs and failures as if they were your own. It’s a refreshing, low-stakes watch that’s full of heart and charm, perfect for when you need a break from heavy, intense dramas.
6. For a Quick, Concentrated Dose of Romantic Feels: Soundtrack #1 (2022)
The Gist: Han Sun-woo (Park Hyung-sik) is a quiet, kind-hearted rookie photographer. Lee Eun-soo (Han So-hee) is a lively, pragmatic, and outspoken lyricist. They have been best friends for 20 years. When Eun-soo gets a big songwriting gig but is struggling with writer’s block about unrequited love, she asks Sun-woo to move in with her for two weeks to help her understand the emotion. Forced into close proximity, the two must confront the fine line between their long-standing friendship and the romantic feelings that have been simmering just beneath the surface for years.
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
At only four episodes, Soundtrack #1 is a “micro-drama” that might have been easily missed by viewers accustomed to the standard 16-episode format. But its brevity is its superpower. There is no filler here. Not a single scene is wasted. It’s a concentrated, beautifully crafted story that gets straight to the heart of the beloved “friends-to-lovers” trope.
The chemistry between Park Hyung-sik and Han So-hee is absolutely electric. They perfectly capture the comfortable intimacy and painful longing of a friendship teetering on the edge of something more. The show is visually stunning, with a cozy, artistic aesthetic, and the soundtrack is, as the title suggests, gorgeous. It’s the perfect drama for a single evening binge. It will make you smile, make your heart ache in the best way, and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. It’s proof that a story doesn’t need to be long to be deeply affecting.
7. For Fans of Quirky, Genre-Bending Mysteries: Link: Eat, Love, Kill (2022)
The Gist: Eun Gye-hoon (Yeo Jin-goo) is a renowned chef who experiences a bizarre phenomenon: he suddenly begins to feel the emotions of a complete stranger, Noh Da-hyun (Moon Ga-young). Laughter, sorrow, terror—her feelings hit him without warning. He realizes this is the same “link” he once shared with his twin sister, who went missing 18 years ago. Believing this connection will lead him to answers about his sister’s disappearance, Gye-hoon opens a restaurant in the neighborhood where she vanished, the same neighborhood where Da-hyun now lives, and gets entangled in her life and the dark secrets the town has been hiding.
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
Link is a drama that bravely juggles multiple genres—it’s a fantasy-romance, a suspense-thriller, and a foodie drama all at once. This ambitious blend might have made it difficult to market, leaving some potential viewers unsure of what to expect. But for those who take the plunge, it’s a uniquely satisfying ride. The central “empathy” concept is a fantastic hook for a romance, creating a level of forced intimacy and understanding between the leads that is both hilarious and deeply poignant.
Yeo Jin-goo and Moon Ga-young are wonderful together, navigating the strange connection with comedic flair and emotional depth. The underlying mystery of Gye-hoon’s sister is genuinely compelling and adds a layer of dark tension that keeps the stakes high. It’s a quirky, charming, and surprisingly thrilling drama that isn’t quite like anything you’ve seen before. If you enjoy stories that aren’t afraid to mix and match genres, Link is a creative and captivating feast.
So, the next time you find yourself endlessly scrolling, give one of these gems a try. You might just discover your new favorite show hiding in plain sight.
Happy watching
