15 Shows Like Once Upon A Small Town That You Can Try!

K-dramas excel in making really great romantic comedies. They are emotional and touch everyone’s heart. The drama showcases love that is not easy to find in mainstream media. Most Hollywood movies and shows are bashed for showcasing toxic relationships but labeling them as real love, the couples are manipulative and toxic, but in the end, it labels that behavior as pure love. K-dramas talk about both of those aspects clearly, the toxic relationships in those shows are talked about, and the real love where the other person respects the other person’s boundaries is shown, which makes the experience great for everyone. One such great romantic comedy that tugs everyone’s heartstrings is Once Upon A Small Town. The relationship that Ja-young and Ji-yul have is developing episode by episode and making everyone skip a beat with the next scene in the series. Every time we watch a good show, we end up searching for more shows just like the one we just finished, and if you want to watch more shows like Once Upon A Small Town, we are here to help you, so let’s look at 15 shows like Once Upon A Small Town.

15. Hotel del Luna

Shows Like Once Upon A Small Town

Add dark fantasy and romantic comedy together, and you will get Hotel del Luna, the perfect amount of everything available in the show, ranging from romance and comedy to ghosts. Hotel del Luna is not a typical hotel, it is a special hotel that is not visible to humans, and they can only access this hotel under special circumstances. All the staff and clients are ghosts, and they live there because of some incomplete desire. Somehow a human has to work at Hotel del Luna, and that is where our protagonist meets and their story develops. Hotel del Luna is a refreshing show. The content is impeccable, both IU and Yeo Jin-goo are perfect in their roles, and the balance between comedy and romance is beautiful, so if you enjoyed Once Upon A Small Town for the character’s chemistry, Hotel del Luna could be a great watch.

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14. Extraordinary You

Have you ever read any romance novels and wondered if the characters had their own life? Well, I sure did, and Extraordinary You does that too. The world is set inside a comic book, and the way everything unfolds is hilarious; everyone ends up having a crush on Rowoon. One fine day Eun Dan-oh, played by Kim Hye-Yoon, realizes that she lives in a comic book world but is only just a secondary character. The moment Dan-oh sees Number 13, or as Dan-oh likes to call him, Ha-ru, played by Rowoon, she ends up developing a crush, but Ha-ru is just an extra in the comic; that’s why the interaction between Dan-oh and Ha-ru is less. Dan-oh and Ha-ru were part of another comic book that was a period drama. That’s why Dan-oh is more connected to Haru. The story gets emotional, funny, and romantic, and all the characters conclude their part perfectly. It is a great show if you enjoy romance and drama in one thing.

13. Love Alarm

Give me a Love Alarm as well, I mean, who would not like it when the alarm blows off when your soulmate is near you, it makes everything really easy and beautiful. The story is not simple, though. Viewers will end up having the second lead syndrome because of Jung Ga-ram. Cheon Duk-gu is the developer of the app Love Alarm, which helps users to find their soulmates. The story will make you cry and also will make you feel the love our characters share. There is a love triangle, a mean girl, and basically a must-see if you enjoy romantic dramas. 

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12. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is the most similar to Once Upon A Small Town, as they both have a story set in a village, where they meet someone and start developing feelings. Yoon Hye-jin, played by Shin Min-a, is a dentist in a big city and works at a famous dental clinic. Yoon Hye-jin is a determined woman who takes her work seriously. She does not compromise the health of her patients. When she accuses a doctor of overdosing on the patients for profit, she loses her job because that doctor is the head of the clinic where Yoon Hye-jin works. Yoon Hye-jin is heartbroken and confused, so she decides to take a trip to Gongjin to get out of her head. In Gongjin she meets Hong Du-sik, played by Kim Seon-ho, who is just like Hye-jin and does not shy away from his job. Somehow Hye-jin and Du-sik end up crossing paths, and the moment they see each other, they develop a liking. Their love story is beautiful and pure, and you will definitely like the show if you like Once Upon A Small Town. 

11. Crash Landing On You

Shows Like Once Upon A Small Town

A literal crash landing is how our protagonists met, their meeting was accidental, but their feelings were not. Yoon Se-ri played by Son Ye-jin is a woman who masters in business; her father is the owner of a big company, but Se-ri does not want to work there and has an independent company of her own. When her father sees her skills of Se-ri he wants his daughter to run the company after him, but Se-ri’s brothers are not thrilled about it. As Se-ri is a businesswoman, she likes to test her products by herself. She starts a sportswear company and goes out to check the paragliding thing. Due to the bad weather, she somehow gets into the Korean Demilitarised Zone, where she meets Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok played by Hyun Bin. Their love blossoms there, but things are not easy because Se-ri needs to escape the zone before her brother and his wife take over the company. The way they both end up feeling something for each other is beautiful.

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10. Strong Girl Bong-soon

Add crime, fantasy, thriller, action, and romantic comedy, everything at once what more can you ask for? The show follows the life of Do Bong-soon, played by Park Bo-young, who comes from a family where the women of her family get some special powers. She wants to create a game where she will be the main character; due to her powers, she trains herself and gets the job as a bodyguard of Ahn Min-hyuk, played by Park Hyung-sik, who is the CEO of a gaming company, and they both start to get close to each other. In the district where Bong-soon lives, kidnapping starts to happen, and she is determined to save the victims by catching the culprit. You will find yourself rooting for the characters, and even getting excited with all the thrill and drama, the best thing to recommend to your friends.

9. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo

Coming-of-age shows are always relatable and make you feel good. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo is about determination and talent and finding a path when you are just growing day by day. Kim Bok Joo played by Lee Sung-Kyung, likes to do weightlifting, and she is determined to do so. Kim Bok-Joo ends up developing a crush on her friend Joon-Hyung’s older brother, Jung Jae-Yi, played by Lee Jae-Yoon. At the start, Joon-Hyung, played by Nam Joo-Hyuk, teases and makes fun of her but later realizes that he is in love with Bok-Joo. The simple thing ends up becoming a love triangle, where one person is going to hurt another. As Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo is a coming-of-age story, it will make you cry and laugh. All of them are figuring out things just like most of us. 

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8. Business proposal

A proposal was just for business between two people, one who needs money and one who needs a fake date so his grandfather can shut up about him not having a girlfriend. The love starts with fake identities and fake personalities, but even after feeling betrayed, the love does not seem to get any less. Shin Ha-ri, played by Kim Se-Jeong, has to go on a blind date because a friend, Kang Tae-moo, played by Ahn Hyo-seop is the date, the problem is he is the CEO where Shin Ha-ri works, and after countless attempts of hiding the real identity and Tae-moo offering 80,000 Won to be his date, they end up liking each other. The love that started with a lie somehow became the most important thing for both of them. If you enjoyed the banter Once Upon A Small Town’s character had, you will surely love the chemistry between Tae-moo and Ha-ri. 

7. More Than Friends

Two people who love each other and share a friendly bond can’t be with each other because of some misunderstandings. They love each other, but the misunderstandings cannot let them become anything but friends. But they are more than friends, and they both realize that. Even after ten years, their love has not become less and grew as time progressed. Both Kyung Woo Yeon, played by Shin Ye-Eun and played by Lee Soo Ong Seong-wu, can’t be far from each other because of the love they share, so they remain just friends, even though they both are in love. Because of that, they can’t confess, but now it is the limit of everything, and the only thing which will make them happy is each other. So, they try to confess, but what will be the outcome now? Will they come together, or is it not in their fate to become more than friends? 

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6. Yumi’s Cells

Imagine a life without love, where you can’t feel those butterflies in your stomach or some empathy towards anyone, and it will make everything a bit less for the person and everyone around that person. Failed relationships are a part of everyone’s journey of growth but losing the cells which make you feel love sounds extreme. Yumi’s Cells is a psychological and romantic drama, beautifully written and beautifully acted. Yumi, played by Kim Go-Eun, ended up losing her love cells because of a failed relationship. The love cells are present in the brain but have fallen into a coma. Goo Woong, played by Ahn Bo-Hyun who is a game developer, is not emotional himself but tries to help Yumi so that her love cells can wake up. Yumi grows and breaks in the series; she transforms and tries to be a different woman, but how successful will her journey be? The series has had two seasons so far, and both of them are really interesting to watch. It is a unique concept that is done beautifully. 

5. Boys Over Flowers

Here comes the classics of the classic Boys Over Flowers. Almost every k-drama fan knows about Boys Over Flowers because it is an iconic show, everything in the show will tell you the fact that it is an old drama, from hairstyles, clothes basically everything, but the drama is not old for anyone, those characters will make you feel things that many shows fail to do so. The story is set in Shinhwa High School, which is a prestigious school in Korea led by the Shinhwa group. In that school, F4 is a famous group of boys who are popular in school. They all have almost celebrity status. The group includes Gu Jun-Pyo, played by Lee Min-ho, Yoon Ji-hu, played by Kim Hyun-Joong, So Yi-Jung played by Kim Bum, and Song Woo-bin, played by Kim Joon, who are all best friends and come from elite families. Geum Jan-di, played by Ku Hye-sun, ends up saving a boy from suicide. That boy was on the verge of dying because of bullying by F4. To save its reputation, the Shinhwa group decides to give a scholarship to Jan-di in their school. Jan-di comes from a middle-class family, and the day she goes into that school, she ends up disliking everyone because of their attitude, as all the people there are rich. But the love grows, there are love triangles and expected to pair. Boys Over Flowers will take you on a journey that many shows fail to do. 

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4. True beauty

We all may have felt an inferiority complex because of our looks. That is the same case with Lim Ju-Kyung, played by Moon Ga-young, she thinks of herself as ugly and tries to transform herself before going to a new school. Her makeup skills end up transforming her, and everyone in school sees her as a beautiful goddess. Then we have Lee Su-ho played by Cha Eun-woo, who is a popular guy but does not like being popular. He is the only person who sees Ju-Kyung despite her beauty and even recognizes her without makeup. Ju-Kyung is worried that people will not like her without makeup; as the story progresses, we see a bond between Su-ho and Ju-Kyung and also a lot of lessons for everyone.

3. Start-up

Start-up is a show about people who are passionate about business and technology. They all are part of some start-ups and dream of having success in that aspect. In the show, they fall and grow, learn about different things, and even get betrayed by people. Seo Dal-mi, played by Bae Suzy, comes from a middle-class family but is highly intelligent. You will be able to see her growth and determination in the show. There is romance, drama, comedy, and pure satisfaction when you watch the show. Startup is not just some other romantic show, there is more going on in the show, and as the show progresses, you will feel that you are falling in love with the story and character. It is surely a must-watch.

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2. Run on

Two people who have different ideas about the world are friends with each other now. Ki Seon-gyeom played by Im Si-wan, grew up in an environment where his parents were busy and could not spend time with him, even his brother and sister were not that friendly with him because of less social interaction at home, and because he was busy in sports training, Seon-gyeom grew up without friends. Oh Mi-Joo played by Shin Se-Kyung is his only and first friend. Seon-gyeom sees the world as friendly because he was able to get every privilege and does not spend much time in the real world. Oh Mi-Joo sees the world as harsh because she grew up as an orphan and was always let down by the people. The way their story grows is impeccable and a cute drama that you will surely love. 

1. Our Beloved Summer

As we mentioned above, k-dramas excel in making shows that will make everyone feel things. Our Beloved Summer proves that. Kook Yeon-soo played by Kim Da-mi, and Choi Ung played by Choi Woo-Shik are ex-lovers now, but when they were together, they filmed a documentary that has suddenly become popular. They swear that they will not see each other again, but fate is letting them come together. Our Beloved Summer depicts the growth and transformation and shows how much they have changed. It is an interesting show that you will absolutely love, and it is truly unique and pure.

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