MANILA, Philippines — Nothing beats family bonding time, and among the many activities that you can do together is binge-watching dramas.
This is true whenever there is an occasion or celebration. With the Lunar New Year approaching and most are at home, there are dramas on Netflix that you and your family might want to check out.
These dramas feature family dynamics and relationships. So, they are perfect to watch with mom and dad and siblings as they are relatable and engaging. These dramas might bring back fond memories of heart-to-heart talks and fun, bickering episodes between you and your kuyas and ates.
'Reply' trilogy
The "Reply" trilogy is one of Korea's most popular drama anthology aired in tvN from 2012 to 2016. There's "Reply 1988," "Reply 1994" and "Reply 1997" and the order of watching to understand the series is 1997, 1994 and 1988.
"Reply 1997" tells about a high school girl and her friends "fangirling" over idol groups. Interestingly, it stars Eun Ji-won, a member of first generation idol group Sechs Kies.
The second season, "Reply 1994," shows six university students from the province who all come together in Seoul to go study. It starts at their reunion years after and goes back and forth between 1994 and 2003 where viewers are on a a guessing game on who the female lead ends up with at the end of the season.
"Reply 1988" focuses on five different families and their teenage children in a district in northern Seoul. It tells the parents' and their children's struggling years between surviving and coping with their turbulent years growing into young adults.
That's three different yet somewhat interconnected seasons of coming-of-age, family, romance and drama.
These star some of the biggest names in K-drama, notably, Park Bo-gum, Lee Hye-ri, Seo In-guk and Go Ara. An interesting fact: out of all the actors, Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa appeared in the three dramas playing interesting characters.
'My Golden Life'
Before she even began tickling everybody's funny bones as Queen Cheorin or So-young in the currently running hit historical romantic-comedy "Mr. Queen," Shin Hye-sun snagged her first leading role in "My Golden Life."
She plays the daughter who got switched at birth by her birth mother who thought she had the best interest of her child when she did the act. Hye-sun's character grows up believing to be the the daughter of a chaebol family but once truth comes out, her world, including her love, becomes complicated.
While birth secrets are a common trope, "My Golden Life" avoids being cliche by highlighting relevant social issues and focusing on personal happiness.
'My Father Is Strange'
This is among Korea's popular family weekend dramas.
"My Father Is Strange" tells about a family of four siblings. Patriarch Byun Han-soo (Kim Young-cheol) is a devoted husband and father so it comes as a shock to everyone when idol singer turned actor An Jung-hui (Lee Joon) claims to be Han-soo’s son. Fun fact: Before he took on more popular roles in "Abyss" and "Dr.Romantic S2," Ahn Hyo-seop appeared in "My Father Is Strange."
'Once Again'
Imagine four grown-up children coming home to their parents' house after going through a rough patch called divorce. "Once Again" tells the story of four siblings all going through divorce who decide to live again with their parents.
For sure, with different personalities all having their own baggages, it is but a matter of time before a comedy of sorts and realizations about their lives ensue. While divorce isn’t a pleasant experience, "Once Again" tells a warm story of family love and new beginnings.
'What Happens to My Family?'
It is said that parents are the most patient group of people in the world. They would bear anything and everything for the sake of their children. But what happens when they've had the last straw?
"What Happens To My Family?" centers around a sacrificial single father (Yoo Dong-kun) who is fed up with his selfish children and sues them in order to teach them a lesson on how they can be a true family. As the three siblings work on fulfilling their father’s conditions, they learn how to appreciate their father and their family.
The series stars some of today's favorite leading men in K-drama. They are Park Hyung-sik, Nam Ji-hyun and Seo Kang-jun.
'Marriage Contract'
The huge age gap between lead stars Uie and Lee Seo-jin is hardly noticeable, and even worked for them in "Marriage Contract."
The story focuses on a poor, widowed young mother (U-ie) who desperately needs to take care of her seven-year-old daughter and repay loan sharks. She meets a wealthy business executive (Lee Seo-jin) with a sick mother who needs a liver transplant.
The pair decide to sign a marriage contract so that his mother can get a liver transplant and she can have her substantial debt paid off. You know how it goes with fake marriages in K-drama — they fall in love!
'My Contracted Husband'
U-ie is so good at playing the fake marriage trope that she stars again in "My Contracted Husband."
This time, she is Han Seung-ju who is perfectly happy being single at 35 and having a fabulous career as a producer. A traumatic event, however, makes her reevaluate her marital status and she ends up in a contract marriage with Oh Jak-doo (Kim Kang-woo) so they can help each other out. This drama also highlights the differences between city life and life in the countryside, of which the latter tends to be underrepresented in dramas.
'My Only One'
If you haven’t noticed by now, U-ie has acted in many popular family dramas. In her most recent one, "My Only One," she portrays Kim Do-ran whose life turns upside down when her biological father (Choi Su-jong) appears after 28 years.
The characters go through a lot of difficult circumstances, but the family-oriented drama relays a message of rediscovering hope in life and having assurance that you have someone on your side. The theme of people making sacrifices for their beloved family members is also very relatable and heartwarming.
'Heaven's Garden'
"Heaven's Garden" centers on a father and daughter overcoming their previously estranged relationship.
Jung Jae-in (Yu Ho-jeong) takes her two daughters to live with her father (Choi Bul-am) after her husband goes to jail for bankruptcy. At first, the grandfather experiences some difficulty with treating his granddaughters equally because Eun-soo (Kim Sae-ron) is his step-granddaughter and not related to him by blood.
The family eventually heals wounds they have given each other and clears up misunderstandings.