7 K-Dramas That Take Things To The Extreme Like Perfect Marriage Revenge
The perfect list for your guilty pleasure makjang fest.
Makjang K-dramas are a special genre of shows that take the most polarizing and unrealistic drama and romantic clichés like switched identities, revenge, power struggles, incest, amnesia, blackmail, etc. and push them to the extreme, which eventually becomes entertaining.
No matter how ridiculous the stories of these shows are, you can't help but get hooked on their melodramatic vibe. A good example of such a K-drama is Perfect Marriage Revenge, which aired its finale last week. It takes a contract marriage trope and makes it surprisingly entertaining, despite some predictability.
If you crave something like Perfect Marriage Revenge, here are seven shows that are the best in the genre.
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) (2021-2022)
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Where to stream: Netflix
The drama follows three marriages of professionals in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. As you might expect from the title, the main makjang element of the drama is the theme of cheating, which leads to all sorts of twists and turns, from unplanned pregnancy to divorce.
The Last Empress (2018-2019)
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Where to stream: Prime Video, Viki
The show is set in the alternate Korea, which is a monarchy. A common musician marries the emperor and must face palace life filled with power games, jealousy, revenge, blackmail, and mystery.
Temptation of Wife (2008-2009)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Where to stream: Prime Video, Viki
A classic melodramatic story about the family travails of a makeup artist. The makjang elements at the heart of this show are tragic miscarriage and death, questionable moral decisions, faked suicide, betrayal, revenge, and emotions flying high.
Jang Bo Ri Is Here (2014)
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Where to stream: Prime Video, Viki
This long, darkly comic melodrama explores many classic makjang tropes, such as competition for a family heirloom, toxic relationships, family secrets, and a lost child, and it does so with fanfare. There are some frustrating and slow parts, but the convoluted plot actually comes together and makes sense in the end.
The Penthouse: War In Life (2020-2021)
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Where to stream: Prime Video, Viki
The characters in this drama, wealthy people living in an elite building, have no moral compass whatsoever, and that leads to all sorts of drama, from murder to multiple identities, place-swapping, and lots of onscreen screaming.
The World of the Married (2020)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Where to stream: Prime Video, Netflix
A woman learns that her husband is cheating on her. What does she do? Well, in a makjang drama, she plots a violent revenge that includes double-crossing and stabbing him with scissors.
Princess Aurora (2013)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Where to stream: Viki
The story of the youngest daughter in a wealthy family of conglomerate owners is not for the faint of heart. In addition to other classic clichés like cheating, dark secrets, false pregnancies, and sudden deaths, it features a deadly disease and very frustrating characters whose motivations you'll find yourself questioning throughout the entire 168-episode run.