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The 25 best time travel k-dramas, ranked.

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20 steamy k-dramas you should watch today, 10 k-dramas with heartbreaking plot twists.

• Time travel in K-dramas elevates romantic, detective, and historical stories with sci-fi or fantasy twists.
• While some K-dramas overuse time travel, the best ones cleverly use the trope to tell captivating and unique stories.
• Shows like "A Time Called You" and "Twinkling Watermelon" explore time travel to unravel mysteries and change fates in heartwarming ways.

The idea of traveling through time is a powerful storytelling tool popularized by Hollywood movies, anime series, and the best time travel K-dramas . For K-dramas, the past often involves the Joseon era, riddled with political distress, turmoil, and drama . In some cases, K-dramas get creative and use time travel to solve crimes, like a heinous murder from the past, or with clues unraveling through time. In others, time travel is the narrative catalyst for an epic romance story of lovers separated by centuries.

Not surprisingly, many of the best K-dramas involving time travel use the concept to elevate romantic stories with a sci-fi or fantasy twist. In fact, this happens so much that K-drama audiences largely agree that it's become an overused plot device . That said, whether they are mainly romantic, detective, or historical K-dramas , there are dozens that cleverly use time travel to continue telling captivating stories, and the best time travel K-dramas use the trope to tell some of the most unique stories on the small screen.

25 A Time Called You

Released in 2023.

Not available

Based on the Taiwanese TV series Someday or One Day, A Time Called You is a South Korean romantic fantasy drama that centers around a young woman named Koo Yeon-jun, grieving her boyfriend's passing. Koo Yeon-jun's life is thrown for a loop when she wakes up in the 1990s - in an eighteen-year-old girl's body named Min-ju. As she tries to solve the mystery and return home to her original body, her life is complicated further when she meets a young man who looks identical to her former lover.

A Time Called You is actually a remake of a Taiwanese series called Someday or One Day , and it features more science fiction than just time travel. It also includes the characters jumping into the bodies of others and having their own doppelgangers. There is a lot going on, but it makes for a fascinating watch.

The series follows two sets of characters played by Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop who see both their pasts and futures controlled by an old cassette player. The song on the tape player helps to control aspects of their lives, but not everything, leading to a lot of moving parts in the story. There’s even a serial killer subplot for those who like their K-dramas with a little mystery.

The only reason the series isn’t truly the best time travel K-drama is that the finale of the series doesn’t offer a full measure of closure , leaving some things open-ended for the audience.

24 Again My Life

Released in 2022.

Again My Life (2022): Again My Life follows prosecutor Kim Hee Woo, who gets a second chance at life after being unjustly killed. He uses his revived existence to seek justice and take down the corrupt political figures that led to his demise. The series combines elements of legal drama and fantasy as Hee Woo navigates his new opportunities to correct the wrongs of his past.

Again My Life isn’t the typical time travel K-drama. Rather than feature someone traveling straight into another time, the person is actually murdered early in the series, but then, the main character comes back as a college student . This actually works in his favor since in his previous life, he was a prosecuting attorney, so he’s already extremely intelligent and excels in the academic program, allowing him to spend his free time figuring out who set out to kill him.

Because this is one time travel series that is more of a thriller, there’s also an action element to it. Lee Joon-gi, who stars as the lead, has a black belt in taekwondo, and he does many of his own action scenes in the show instead of a stunt double. He won an award for his work on the show at the SBS Drama Awards after the show’s release.

23 Twinkling Watermelon

Twinkling Watermelon is a South Korean television series that follows the lives of a group of high school friends who form a band. As they navigate the complexities of adolescence, they encounter challenges, build relationships, and discover their passions. Featuring a mix of music and drama, the show delves into themes of friendship, ambition, and self-discovery.

There are shades of Back to the Future in this time travel K-drama as a teenage boy (Ryeoun) ends up in his father’s high school years. The boy and his father (Choi Won-young as an adult and Choi Hyun-wook as a teenager) don’t see eye to eye when it comes to music. While he wants to pursue a career as a musician, his father doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Their fight is the catalyst for the time travel experience.

While in the past, he finds that his father is desperate to connect with another young woman, not one who becomes his mom. He also realizes that his father isn’t hearing impaired as he is as an adult . He decides to try to prevent the accident that causes the hearing loss as well as make sure his father ends up with his mother, even as he’s forming a band with him.

It’s a heartwarming story about getting to know one’s parents and understanding how one decision can change everything.

22 Lovely Runner

Released in 2024.

Lovely Runner is a TV series that follows the story of a young athlete who rises to fame in the world of track and field. As the protagonist navigates the highs and lows of competitive sports, the series explores themes of perseverance, sacrifice, and personal growth.

Those who enjoy K-Pop, athletics, and love stories will certainly enjoy Lovely Runner . The series sees a former superstar named Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok) lives a life of mostly isolation while his career explodes. Im-sol (Kim Hye-yoon) is a superfan who has been supporting his career. In their 30s, however, they both wonder what their lives would have been like if they had done things differently. Of course, they also have a past connection.

When one of them dies, the other gets a chance to travel to the past to change their future, and it's revealed that they have both been doing everything they can to protect one another, even if it means their own lives might never be the same. The theme of the show is self-sacrifice as it explores what lengths someone will go to for someone they care about.

Interestingly, Beyon Woo-seok is not a trained K-pop singer, even though there are many artists who have crossed over into the acting world. Despite that, the song “Sudden Shower,” which was recorded for use in the show, charted, demonstrating that he’s got what it takes to lead a boy band.

21 Reborn Rich

Reborn Rich is a South Korean drama series centered around a young man who, after being betrayed and murdered by his employers, finds himself reborn into the wealthy family he once served. Using his newfound position and knowledge of future events, he seeks to uncover the truth behind his death and exact revenge. Starring Song Joong-ki, Lee Sung-min, and Shin Hyun-bin, the series unfolds within the high-stakes world of corporate intrigue.

The last few years have produced a lot of hugely successful K-dramas that have reached an international audience. Reborn Rich , however, was hugely successful at home as well. It was the most-watched K-drama in South Korea in 2022.

Like Again My Life , this series sees someone who is murdered get a chance to start a new life in a new body, but with the awareness of their previous life. This time, it’s someone who is a hardworking employee at a chaebol - a sprawling family-owned business, the kind that truly runs the economy in South Korea. When he sees something wrong and tries to do the right thing, he is killed for it. He ends up returning to life as the youngest member of a chaebol family in an earlier time and starts putting his knowledge of the future to use.

While the bare bones of the two stories are similar as both characters want revenge on those who took their lives, the worlds they explore are very different. Reborn Rich was nominated for a slew of awards in South Korea and ended up winning for Best Miniseries at the Seoul International Drama Awards.

The Best K-Dramas Based On Webtoons, Ranked

These top K-dramas ranked were once all popular webtoons and either got their start on the webtoons.com site or other sites and platforms.

20 My Perfect Stranger

My Perfect Stranger is a 2023 TV series that follows the story of a woman who discovers a mysterious stranger may be the key to solving a tragedy from her past. As she uncovers the truth, she must navigate a complex web of secrets and lies to uncover the truth about her own life.

When the two cross paths, they find that maybe their time traveling, and their lives, are actually linked to one another.

While most Korean dramas involving time traveling only see one character do the actual time traveling, My Perfect Stranger takes a risk in making both of its main characters time travelers . One does so on purpose though, while the other does not, which is where much of the intrigue comes from.

Hae Jun (Kim Dong Wook) is a journalist investigating a serial murder case who discovers a time machine and uses it to follow his own investigation. Yoon Young (Jin Ki Joo) discovers her mother dead and is then struck by a car, waking up in the same time that Hae Jun traveled to. As is true for many time travelers, they become trapped instead of able to travel between times. When the two cross paths, they find that maybe their time traveling, and their lives, are actually linked to one another.

Released In 2017

Tunnel is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2017. The show follows a detective, Kwang-ho, who travels back in time from 1986 to 2016 and teams up with a detective in the present day to solve a series of cold cases. As they work together, they uncover hidden secrets and unravel the mysteries of the past.

Instead of traveling to the past, Tunnel is a time travel K-drama that takes the audience to the future - in a manner of speaking. The present-day of the story is actually 1985 in which a string of murders are being investigated. When the detective (Choi Jin Hyuk) pursuing a lead runs after a suspect through a tunnel, he’s hit in the head and ends up 30 years in the future.

The murder mystery element of the series is inspired by a real string of serial killings in Korea, but the story is very much fictional. While the show presents itself as a murder mystery with a time-travel element, there’s also a romantic subplot and a family at the center of the story that makes it a drama that really shines. Incredibly popular outside of South Korea as well, Tunnel has been adapted for Thai television and an Indonesian remake is in development.

Want to enjoy some new TV series from Korea but without all the love and sappy sentimentality of some K-dramas? Check out these 10 great options.

18 Familiar Wife

Released in 2018.

Familiar Wife is a South Korean television series that aired in 2018. The show revolves around Cha Joo-hyuk, a bank employee who travels back in time to when he was in his college days and alters the course of his life, resulting in a different reality where he is married to his first love, instead of his current wife.

A married man (Ji-Sung) with two kids is unhappy in his life. He’s depressed, hates his wife, and is unsatisfied at work. If he had only made different choices in his youth, he might have had a happier life. After traveling through a toll booth and losing control of his car, he winds up in the past and is able to change some of those decisions.

This is one time travel series that doesn't confine the protagonist to one time. Able to travel back and forth between the past and the present, he’s able to see how his different decisions have big outcomes later in life. It’s a similar concept to something like Sliding Doors but with many small changes to help someone understand their path in life. The music truly helps set the stage in the series as well with the soundtrack being nominated at the Korea Drama Awards.

Released In 2021

Times is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2021, following the story of Seo Jin-Woo, a man who discovers a way to communicate with his past self through a mysterious walkie-talkie. As he navigates this new power, he attempts to prevent a tragic event that occurred in his past.

Times isn’t a traditional time travel K-drama in which one character is transported to another time period completely. Instead, the time travel is a result of a phone line that is able to traverse timelines. Several series have used similar ideas, often with the use of radios instead of phones, with varying degrees of success.

Two journalists, one in 2015 and one in 2020, connect over the use of the same phone line. Initially, they work together to prevent the death of one of their fathers, but while investigating, they uncover a conspiracy that involves time travel and corrupt politicians. The series is definitely a unique take among the time travel shows created for Korean television, which usually focus on history and a romantic subplot instead of political intrigue. While the series didn't reach widespread acclaim, star Lee Joo-young was nominated for Best New Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

16 Tomorrow With You

Tomorrow With You is a fantasy romance television series that follows Yoo So-joon, a successful real estate CEO who has the ability to time-travel through a subway. He meets Song Ma-rin, a photographer, and falls in love with her, but their relationship is threatened when he discovers his ability to travel through time is linked to his fate with her.

While Tomorrow With You does use romance like most time travel K-dramas do, it also has a unique idea for the time travel itself. While most Korean time travel shows involve time traveling by accident, the main character in Tomorrow With You can decide to travel in time. It’s also done so while traveling the subway instead of falling through a portal or suffering a life-threatening injury in order to do it.

Yoo So-Joon (Lee Je-Hoon) takes on time-traveling adventures when he discovers that Ma-Rin (Shin Min-A) and he are linked by a tragic accident in the future. Intrigued by her, he decides to save both her and himself. He believes that he can change their fates thanks to his ability, but he has to figure out just how they are connected. He resolves to marry her in order to make sure, and they become truly linked as he falls in love.

15 The Best Hit

The Best Hit is a 2017 South Korean television series. The show revolves around the life of a K-pop idol, Lee Ji-hoon, who travels back to 1994 and meets his younger self and a young woman named Kim Hyun-jae. As Lee Ji-hoon navigates his past, he must confront his mistakes and learn valuable lessons about life, love, and friendship.

In The Best Hit, 1993 K-pop idol Yoo Hyun-Jae (Yoon Shi-yoon) gets accidentally transported to 2017, discovers that he is presumed dead after he disappeared in 1994, and investigates why he traveled through time. He does all this while struggling with living in the future, of course. Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae's biological son, Lee Ji-Hoon (Kim Min-jae), is secretly training to become an idol himself and is even enrolled in Star Punch Entertainment's program - while making his parents believe that he's studying for the civil service exams.

Also known as Hit the Top , and Best Punch , The Best Hit is an underrated gem in the world of the best time travel K-dramas. It's also an interesting way for the audience to get a look at what it takes to become a pop idol. Some of the stars of the series are also popular musicians. Kim Min-jae, for example, is also a rap artist and was nominated for the Best New Actor award at the Seoul Awards following the debut of the show.

14 Sisyphus: The Myth

Sisyphus: The Myth is a South Korean television series that follows the story of Han Tae-sul, a genius engineer who tries to uncover the truth behind his brother's death. As he delves deeper into the mystery, he discovers a conspiracy that threatens the entire nation.

The storyline introduces a character who travels from the future to his current time.

This 2021 Netflix K-drama has some serious Terminator vibes to it, but it's full of good laughs, color, and drama. Han Tae-Sul (Cho Seung-woo) is a talented engineer who is determined to uncover the real reason behind his older brother's murder. If that wasn't enough, the storyline introduces a character who travels from the future to his current time. In the future, the world is dominated by gangs and military cliques. Survival entails having serious combat skills, and Gang Seo-Hae (Park Shin-Hye) is just the right warrior.

She travels back in time to help Tae-Sul on his dangerous journey after learning key evidence about his brother's death. What's interesting is that the series doesn't focus solely on the one-way time travel trip, but insists that the two main characters are responsible for breaking a time loop. Some critics disliked that Sisyphus: The Myth breaks its own established rules about time traveling, but it certainly keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

13 Splash Splash Love

Released in 2015.

Splash Splash Love is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2015. The fantasy romance drama tells the story of Lee Do, a high school student who travels back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty and meets Kim Mu, a prince who becomes his ally and friend. As Do navigates the complexities of court politics, he finds himself falling for the prince's sister, Princess Wonseong.

Splash Splash Love is one of those K-dramas that combine time travel with romance . In the television series, a high-school student gets transported to 15th-century Korea. She soon meets the young king of the kingdom who wants to learn more about mathematics. Thankfully, the heroine of the show is a patient teacher who is more than willing to tutor the King.

Splash Splash Love is a quick and easy watch as it is one of the shortest K-dramas out there, with only two episodes. This is part of why the show has near-perfect pacing and ranks among the best time travel K-dramas. It was originally broadcast as a 10-part webseries on Naver TV Cast. Its popularity led to it being edited into two hour-long episodes, so binging it is really like watching a movie.

12 Rooftop Prince

Released in 2012.

Rooftop Prince is a South Korean television series that tells the story of Crown Prince Lee Gak, who travels from the Joseon Dynasty to modern-day Seoul in search of his missing bride. With the help of Park-ha, a young woman who resembles his lost love, he navigates the complexities of contemporary life while trying to uncover the truth behind his bride's disappearance.

Rooftop Prince has a lot of storylines to process, but they're well worth it. The titular protagonist is a prince who wakes up in present-day 2012, even though he's actually from the Korean Joseon dynasty/era . The crown prince and his two confidants find themselves on the rooftop of Park-ha's (Han Ji-min) home. After the prince realizes he's time-traveled 300 years into the future, he also sees the long-lost sister of Park-ha - who is the spitting image of his late wife who drowned.

The prince is convinced he will find the answers to his past in 2012 and poses as the grandson of a powerful CEO, who in reality was killed by another family member. Both the characters of the past and the characters of the present have intense backstories and the series leans into the soap-opera-like aspects of those. It works in the show's favor, as the series has become even more popular outside of Korea than in its home. It is most popular in Japan and China.

K-dramas like Love & Leashes are full of passion and romance, but what are some other similarly hot and steamy K-drama series?

11 The King: Eternal Monarch

Released in 2020.

The King: Eternal Monarch is a fantasy romance drama that tells the story of Emperor Lee Gon, who discovers a mysterious portal that leads him to a parallel universe. He meets a detective named Jung Tae-eul, and together, they navigate between their two worlds, uncovering secrets and conspiracies that threaten the stability of both kingdoms.

Not only does The King: Eternal Monarch have a phenomenal female lead in Jeong Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun), but it's also full of riveting action, features a unique story of parallel worlds, and is also one of the unique time travel K-Dramas available on Netflix. In the show, there are two co-existing realities: present-day South Korea and the Kingdom of Corea.

The current king of Corea witnessed his father's murder as a child at the hands of his uncle. When he discovers a doorway to the parallel world and present-day South Korea, he also discovers that his uncle has been traveling between the two worlds and trying to raise his own army. The king must stop his uncle, but along the way, he learns the truth about the mysterious figure who once saved his life and finds he must travel to a moment in the past. The series explores the idea of a single moment in time altering someone's whole reality.

10 Queen In-Hyun's Man

Queen In-Hyun's Man is a 2012 South Korean television series that tells the story of Kim Boong-do, a dignified and charismatic nobleman, who travels through time from the 17th century to the present day, where he meets and falls in love with actress Choi Hee-jin.

A Joseon Dynasty scholar meets an aspiring actress in the year 2012 in the political and romantic Korean drama , Queen In-Hyun's Man, one of the best time travel K-dramas. In 1694, a noble-born scholar is the only survivor after his family was murdered, but there's a bigger story at play while he supports the reinstatement of the deposed queen and there's a conspiracy involving a royal concubine. Due to a magical talisman, he time travels 300 years into the future and meets an actress who he has a connection with.

What makes the rom-com elements of the scholar from the past meeting the actress from the future is that the actress, so far, is not a household name. instead, her big break is about to be playing Queen In-Hyun, the very woman the scholar is a supporter of.

Faith is a South Korean television drama that aired in 2012, starring Lee Min-ho as Choi Young, a skilled warrior, and Kim Hee-sun as Yoo Eun-soo, a plastic surgeon who travels back in time to the Goryeo era. The story follows their love story amidst the political turmoil of the time.

The time travel K-drama Faith follows the story of a plastic surgeon who gets transported to 14th-century Goryeo. She soon learns that a royal guard warrior was the reason why she was brought back more than 600 years into the past. The royal guard begs the plastic surgeon to help their injured queen. However, the plastic surgeon has actually caught feelings for her kidnapper.

Faith is considered one of the better time travel and fantasy-themed romance K-dramas thanks to the stellar performances of the actors, as well as the detailed story that shines a light on Korean history and mythology. It's also got a multi-layered title. While the literal translation of the title is "faith" as in "belief in justice," the Hanja lettering (Chinese letters used to write Korean) actually means "divine doctor," allowing the audience to understand that both terms are important to the long-term storyline of the show.

8 Nine: Nine Time Travels

Released in 2013.

Nine: Nine Time Travels is a South Korean television series that follows the story of Park Sun-woo, a man who discovers a way to travel through time and sets out to prevent a family tragedy from occurring.

In the time travel K-drama Nine: Nine Time Travels , Park Sun-woo (Lee Jin-wook) discovers nine incense sticks that could take him back 20 years in time. He uses his time in the past to save his family, who have been victims of a terrible tragedy. However, he needs to be extra careful when he goes back in time, as he can only do it nine times - the twist that makes Nine: Nine one of the best time travel K-dramas. Park soon finds out that whatever he changes in the past also resonates and affects his present life.

The K-drama was nominated for several awards across Korea for its great cast and romantic storyline, including snagging nominations at the Korean Drama Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards. It also became popular outside of Korea, broadcast on television in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The Smile will definitely Leave Your Eyes with these shocking and heartbreaking K-Drama plot twists.

7 Go Back Couple

Go Back Couple is a South Korean television series that explores the lives of a married couple, Choi Ban-do and Ma Jin-joo, who are struggling to balance their careers and relationship. After 18 years of marriage, they are suddenly transported back in time to their college days, giving them a chance to re-evaluate their life choices and relationships.

Inspired by a webtoon called Do It One More Time , Go Back Couple (also simply called Go Back in some regions) is a Korean miniseries where a couple wishes that they never met each other. They have both become unhappy and exhausted with their marriage and wish they could have changed their unhappiness at the seeming source of all of their problems - meeting each other. The couple soon finds that they've reverted to their 20-year-old selves, faced with trying to make decisions that will make their future selves happy and satisfied.

The show features plenty of funny and heartwarming moments that will make viewers swoon — and an ending that will surely tug at the heartstrings of every long-time K-drama viewer. After its broadcast, the series was nominated for a slew of KBS Drama Awards, picking up two, one for Best Couple for the lead actors in Son Ho-jun and Jang Na-ra, and Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries for Jan Na-ra.

6 Chicago Typewriter

Chicago Typewriter follows the lives of three individuals: Han Se-joo, a talented writer; Jeon Seol, a passionate fan; and Yoo Jin-oh, a mysterious ghostwriter, who become entwined as they navigate their complex relationships and uncover the mysteries of their pasts.

Out of the most compelling and best time travel K-dramas (as well as general fantasy K-Dramas ), Chicago Typewriter is one of the few that's about reincarnation rather than strictly about traveling through time. Three resistance fighters from the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea find themselves in a new time period, but not because of mysterious scientific machines or magical objects. Instead, the three are reincarnated as a writer, a fan, and a ghostwriter.

Switching between the 1930s and the 21st century, these three characters start to see parallels between both time periods. As they start to uncover the truth behind their pasts, they worry about how it might affect their present. K-drama fans tired of the same old romantic comedy fare will love the truly unique story elements of Chicago Typewriter. The series was also filmed on location around Seoul, South Korea, so fans will enjoy picking out the real sites.

29 Binge-worthy Time Travel Kdramas

Looking for time travel kdramas you’ve come to the right place.

Time travel Korean dramas have become increasingly popular in Korean television, as viewers are drawn to the unique storylines and characters that come with this genre.

The use of time-traveling plots has allowed producers to explore different eras, cultures, and perspectives while also creating amazing stories that keep viewers hooked.

With a wide range of genres from fantasy, mystery, romance, and even horror available for exploration through time travel Kdramas, it’s no wonder why they’ve become so beloved by fans all over the world.

From classic hits like Queen In Hyun’s Man to recent fan favorites such as When I Was Most Beautiful , these shows have captivated audiences with their intriguing plotlines and captivating visuals.

Whether you’re looking for a thrilling adventure or an emotional journey through time, you’ll find something binge-worthy with these fascinating Korean dramas!

Let’s jump in!

Many time travel kdramas are easily accessible from anywhere in the world. But there may be certain platforms that will only work with a VPN (i.e. US Netflix or Singapore VIU).

Sign Up for a VPN: ExpressVPN

Time travel kdramas, 1. again my life (2022).

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Mystery, Drama, Law, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on Viu

Kim Hee Woo is a public prosecutor who has worked hard to get where he is. During the course of his investigations, he must conduct a probe into a politician suspected of corruption.

Suddenly, Kim Hee Woo finds himself killed by an unknown man. However, he soon comes back to life and discovers that he must return to university and complete his academic journey again in order to find out what happened to him.

With the help of Kim Hee Ah, an exceptionally intelligent young woman from a wealthy family, he embarks on his investigation. Will they be able to uncover the truth about what happened? Find out by watching Again My Life now!

2. Reborn Rich (2022)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Business, Drama, Political, Time Travel | Watch on Viki

Reborn Rich is a Korean drama that follows the story of Yoon Hyun Woo, a devoted and hard-working secretary to the Soonyang chaebol family.

When he is betrayed by an unknown member of the family and killed under their orders, he miraculously wakes up in the body of Jin Do Jun, the youngest member of the family.

Hyun Woo plots to use his new identity to take control of Soonyang Group from Jin Yang Cheol’s children, who are vying for power within it.

He must face off against Seo Min Young, nicknamed “Soonyang Group Grim Reaper,” as well as overcome other obstacles along his journey. Will he be able to wrest control from Jin Yang Cheol’s children or will his mission fail miserably?

3. Hello Me! (2021)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Life, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix , Watch on MyAsianTV

Hello Me! is a Korean drama that follows the story of Ban Ha Ni, a 37-year-old single woman who feels miserable and unsuccessful.

After her spunky 17-year-old self travels from the past to meet her current self, she realizes that she needs to make drastic changes to find happiness and security.

Through this journey, she must navigate through an unfamiliar world while uncovering clues about herself and getting her spark back.

4. Blue Birthday (2021)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Romance, Drama, Sports, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on KissKh

Blue Birthday is a Korean drama that follows the story of Oh Ha Rin, a woman who has been struggling with the pain and grief of her first love’s death for 10 years.

On the 10th anniversary of his death, she discovers mysterious photos left behind by him which take her back in time to moments before his sudden passing.

She must use these 8 chances to go back in time wisely as she tries to change their fate and save Ji Seo Jun from taking his own life while also finding out what he wanted to tell her all those years ago.

It is an emotional journey full of mystery and romance as Ha Rin attempts to rewrite history!

5. Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)

Quick facts:  20 episodes | Action, Thriller, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix

Sisyphus: The Myth is a Korean drama that follows the story of Han Tae Sul, a genius engineer and co-founder of Quantum and Time who has outstanding coding skills.

After his brother’s death ten years ago, he starts to cause fluctuations in the company’s stocks. One day, he witnesses something unbelievable and sets off on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth.

Along his way, he meets Kang Seo Hae ( Park Shin Hye ), a survivor from a future dystopian world who travels back in time to save him. Together they must navigate through this unfamiliar world while uncovering clues about their time period.

6. Mr. Queen (2020)

Quick facts:  20 episodes | Historical, Romance, Comedy, Fantasy, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix , Watch on Viki

Mr. Queen is a time travel Kdrama focused on the life of Jang Bong Hwan, a South Korean chef living in the present day. Jang Bong Hwan is a rising chef for top politicians in the Blue House’s presidential residences.

Jang Bong Hwan finds himself in an alternate past, inhabiting the body of Queen Kim So Yong after a serious accident.

This Kdrama takes viewers on a journey with Jang Bong Hwan as he navigates the dangerous political landscape of ancient Korea and discovers that his “husband” harbors secrets.

With comedy, romance, fantasy, and time travel all rolled into one, Mr. Queen is sure to have viewers hooked from start to finish!

7. Alice (2020)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Mystery, Melodrama, Sci-Fi, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on Viu , Watch on MyAsianTV

In the year 2050, a revolutionary organization called Alice was born to enable humans to traverse different periods in history and explore alternate universes.

Upon discovering a “Book of Prophecy” that predicts the fate of all travelers, Alice entrusts Yoo Min Hyuk and Yoon Tae Yi with an important mission: to venture back in time to 1992 and reclaim it from its last known keeper.

During their mission, Tae Yi discovers she is pregnant with Yoo Min Hyuk’s child and decides to stay in 1992 while hiding from him by changing her name.

Fast forward to 2020 when Park Jin Gyeom, son of Park Sun Young (formerly known as Yoon Tae Yi) is now a successful detective who crosses paths with his mother’s lookalike, another version of Yoon Tae Yi, who is now a physics professor specializing in quantum and temporal mechanics.

Together they embark on an adventure filled with mystery, melodrama, sci-fi elements, and time travel as they search for answers about the Book of Prophecy which could determine the fate of all travelers through time.

8. The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Mystery, Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix

The King follows the story of Lee Gon ( Lee Min Ho ), a king of the Korean Empire who would rather attend conferences than fulfill his duties.

While playing hooky one day, Lee Gon discovers a door that opens to a parallel world and the modern day. He meets Jeong Tae Eul, a police inspector who he teams up with to take out criminals. But they both also work towards closing the door between their 2 worlds.

This Kdrama is filled with mystery, romance, drama, sci-fi, and time travel elements that will keep you glued to your screen.

9. The Light in Your Eyes (2019)

Quick facts:  12 episodes | Romance, Life, Melodrama, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix , Watch on Viki

The Light in Your Eyes is a Korean drama that follows the story of Kim Hye Ja, a 26-year-old woman who uses a mysterious watch to rewind time in an attempt to save her father from an accident. However, she fails and ends up aging into a 70-year-old.

Lost and seeking answers, she embarks on a quest to restore order in her life. She encounters people from her past who don’t recognize her, including Lee Joon Ha, the man she loves, who remains devoted to her while confronting his demons.

When 70-year-old Kim Hye Ja and young Lee Joon Ha form an unlikely bond together, they discover the truth behind all of the time Kim has lost over the years as well as uncover secrets about their pasts that will change their lives forever.

10. Longing Heart / My First Love (2018)

Quick facts:  10 episodes | Romance, Mystery, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on KissAsian

Longing Heart is a Korean drama that follows the story of Shin Woo, a man who regrets letting his first love, Han Ji Soo, go ten years ago.

He gets a second chance when he travels back in time and finds out that she liked him too. With this knowledge, he tries to help his younger self win her heart.

However, things become complicated as Han Ji Soo starts to develop feelings for the older version of himself and he discovers the reason why they were separated in the first place.

Will he be able to win her heart or will it be an impossible mission for Shin Woo?

11. Familiar Wife (2018)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Comedy, Romance, Drama, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix , Watch on Viki

Familiar Wife is a Korean drama that follows the story of Cha Joo Hyuk, a banker who has been married to Seo Woo Jin for five years. When an unexpected incident occurs one day, Joo Hyuk makes a decision that changes his life and those around him in ways he never expected.

Suddenly, his relationship with Woo Jin and his best friend Yoon Joong Hoo is gone and he finds himself living an entirely different life.

As he adjusts to this new reality, Joo Hyuk must also contend with the reappearance of his first love Lee Hee Won as they all seek to find out if he can get back the life he once had.

With its mix of comedy, romance, drama, and time travel elements, Familiar Wife will make you think about the decisions we make every day and the “what ifs.”

12. Life on Mars (2018)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Action, Mystery, Psychological, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on KissAsian

Life on Mars is a Korean drama that follows the story of Han Tae Joo, a leader of a crime investigation team in the present day.

While investigating a serial murder case, he has an accident and wakes up to find himself in the winter of 1988.

In this unfamiliar time period, he is appointed as a detective at a police station in a small city and must solve the case to get back to his own time. Along his journey, he discovers new clues about his current situation while navigating through an unfamiliar world with its own set of rules.

13. Hit the Top / The Best Hit (2017)

Quick facts:  32 episodes | Comedy, Romance, Drama, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on AppleTV

Uncover the captivating story of Lee Ji Hoon and Choi Woo Seung in Hit The Top, a Korean drama that follows their journey as they strive to pass the civil service exam while Ji Hoon pursues his dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter.

Their lives change when they meet Yoo Hyun Jae, an idol from the ’90s who accidentally time-traveled to 2017. Together, they embark on an adventure filled with passion, love, and friendship as they explore their dreams in the entertainment industry.

With comedy, romance, drama, and time travel elements all rolled into one show, Hit The Top is sure to keep viewers hooked until the end!

14. Tomorrow With You (2017)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Romance, Drama, Life, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on AppleTV , Watch on KissAsian

Yoo So Joon, a prosperous CEO of an enterprise in the real estate sector, embarks on an unforgettable journey as he discovers his ability to time travel in Tomorrow With You. During his trips on the subway, he often glimpses a bleak future of himself living an unfulfilled life.

In a desperate attempt to resolve this dilemma, he decides to marry Song Ma Rin, an optimistic photographer whom he doesn’t love.

Can Ma Rin help So Joon change his unhappy future or will they be doomed by fate as well as time travel itself? Follow their journey of love, drama, and mystery as they attempt to rewrite their destiny together!

15. Live Up to Your Name (2017)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Historical, Romance, Medical, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix

Live Up to Your Name is a Korean drama following the story of Heo Im, a brilliant doctor born in a concubine family during the Joseon era. Despite his remarkable medical skills, his background prevents him from climbing up the ladder of success.

One day, he travels through time to present-day Seoul and meets Yeon Gyung, a modern-day doctor who doesn’t believe his claims.

When they travel back together to Joseon again, they embark on an adventure filled with romance and medical drama as Heo Im strives to live up to his name by proving himself despite all odds.

With its thrilling mix of historical elements and time travel themes, Live Up To Your Name is sure to keep viewers hooked!

16. Manhole (2017)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Thriller, Romance, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on KissAsian

Manhole is a Korean drama that tells the story of Bong Pil, an unemployed man who time travels into the past through a manhole to stop the wedding of his lifelong crush Soo Jin.

Every time he goes back in time, he becomes someone else and must find ways to get closer to Soo Jin while avoiding getting caught up in various situations. With an element of thrill, Manhole is different from other time travel Kdramas.

17. Tunnel (2017)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Thriller, Sci-Fi, Mystery Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on MyAsianTV

Tunnel is a thrilling Korean drama that follows the story of Park Gwang Ho, an excellent and enthusiastic detective in 1986 who gets transported to present-day Seoul after pursuing leads in a serial homicide case.

He meets Kim Sun Jae, an elite detective with eccentric tendencies but highly skilled investigating skills.

With help from psychology professor Shin Jae Yi, they embark on an adventure filled with mystery and suspense as they work together to solve cases while navigating through time portals.

18. Go Back Couple (2017)

Quick facts:  12 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on KissAsian

Choi Ban Do and Ma Jin Joo have been married for 38 years, but their romance hasn’t been the same in a long time.

When they said “I do,” Choi Ban Do and Ma Jin Joo were deeply in love; yet, now the couple are full of resentment for one another. While he has been bearing the weight of supporting his household, she is stuck in a housewife role with a waning sense of self-confidence.

Unhappily married at such an early age, both regret their impulsive decision to wed.

Through time travel, they find themselves as 20-year-old university students when they first met and must rekindle their relationship all over again if they want to stay together forever.

19. My Only Love Song (2017)

Quick facts:  20 episodes | Historical, Romance, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on Netflix

My Only Love Song is a Korean drama that follows the story of Song Soo Jung, a top star who is incredibly arrogant and classifies people by how much money they have.

Suddenly, she finds herself transported back in time to the Goguryeo era where she meets On Dal, an ambitious man who will do anything for money.

Song Soo Jung soon realizes that On Dal has a generous heart towards those less fortunate than him.

20. Moon Lovers: Scarlett Heart Ryeo (2016)

Quick facts:  20 episodes | Historical, Romance, Melodrama, Time Travel | Watch on KissAsian , Order on Amazon

Moon Lovers: Scarlett Heart Ryeo is a Korean drama that follows the story of Go Ha Jin, who finds herself transported back to the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea during King Taejo’s rule.

In this alternate past, she inhabits the body of Hae Soo and lives in the house of 8th Prince Wang Wook.

Along the way, she befriends the princes and the people during this time and experiences a passionate love story with the ostracized 4th Prince Wang So.

This drama has plenty of romance, melodrama, and time-travel elements that will keep you hooked until the end!

21. Splash Splash Love (2015)

Quick facts:  2 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Historical, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on KissAsian , Watch on Kocowa

In the romantic Korean drama, Splash Splash Love, we follow Dan Bi’s story, a high school senior who is determined to overcome her disappointment in math.

On the morning of her college entrance exam, a sudden rainstorm whisks her away to the ancient Joseon Kingdom. She is now at the height of its existence and must navigate how she will return home!

But she meets King Lee Do who yearns to learn advanced mathematics and she falls in love with him. As they come to know each other better, their romance transcends space and time as they face various obstacles together.

Will Dan Bi be able to help King Lee Do achieve his goals or will their mission fail miserably in this heart-warming drama full of adventure and romance?

22. God’s Gift: 14 Days (2014)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Time Travel | Watch on MyAsianTV , Watch on Kocowa ,

In the harrowing thriller, God’s Gift: 14 Days, Kim Soo Hyun plays a mother devastated when her beloved daughter Han Saet Byul is violently abducted and murdered.

A miraculous event sends time back 14 days, giving Soo Hyun a second chance to uncover the kidnapping conspiracy and rescue her daughter before it is too late.

Ki Dong Chan, a former police officer who has become a private investigator, is joining her on this task. It appears that he has his interest in the whole matter.

As time rapidly dwindles, the crimes become clearer, and far more treacherous secrets than Soo Hyun could ever have predicted are discovered.

Will they be able to save Saet Byul or will history repeat itself once more in God’s Gift: 14 Days?

23. Nine: Nine Times Time Travel (2013)

Quick facts: 20 episodes | Mystery, Romance, Time Travel | Watch on KissAsian

Nine: Nine Times Time Travel tells the captivating story of Park Sun Woo, a devoted anchorman at a TV broadcasting station, and his love for Joo Min Young, another news reporter.

He manages to earn 9 scented items that transport him 20 years back in time, granting him the capability to protect his family and alter the current world he inhabits.

Yet, his actions have consequences that ripple through time, affecting the lives of those around him in the future, including his crush.

Along this journey, Park Sun Woo must navigate through unfamiliar situations while uncovering clues about his own life and those around him.

24. Marry Him if You Dare (2013)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on MyAsianTV

Set within the world of TV broadcasting, Marry Him if You Dare features Na Mi Rae who embarks on a journey to the past to save her 32-year-old self from marrying news anchor Kim Shin.

This sends her past self down a different path and enables her to pursue the things she wanted in life. Along this journey, she discovers more about herself and those around her while striving to make a better future for herself and those close to her.

Will Na Mi Rae be able to find true happiness or will fate keep getting in the way of what she wants most in Marry Him if You Dare?

25. Faith (2012)

Quick facts:  24 episodes | Historical, Romance, Medical, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on MyAsianTV

Faith is a Korean drama that follows the story of 21st-century plastic surgeon Eun Soo, who gets kidnapped and brought 700 years into the past for her healing powers.

There she meets General Choi Yeong, bodyguard to the king in the Goryeo era. Despite their initial conflicts and his struggle with a female doctor, they soon feel attracted to each other as they face various obstacles together.

26. Queen In Hyun’s Man (2012)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Historical, Romance, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on Youtube , Watch on KissAsian , Order on Amazon

Queen In Hyun’s Man is a time travel Korean drama following Kim Boong Do, a scholar from the Joseon era who travels 300 years into the future.

He meets Choi Hee Jin, a no-name actress who is trying her best to get a role in a Queen In Hyun TV drama.

27. Rooftop Prince (2012)

Quick facts:  20 episodes | Historical, Romance, Comedy, Time Travel | Watch on Viki , Watch on MyAsianTV

Crown Prince Yi Gak finds himself transported from the Joseon Dynasty to modern-day Seoul.

After meeting Hong Se Na, who bears a striking resemblance to his dead wife, he assumes the identity of her company’s CEO’s grandson to stay close and investigate her mysterious 300-year death.

Along his journey, he must navigate through the unfamiliar world of a modern corporation while uncovering clues about his period.

28. Time Slip Dr. Jin (2012)

Quick facts:  22 episodes | Romance, Historical, Medical, Time Travel | Watch on Amazon Prime , Watch on KissAsian

Jin Hyuk is a talented neurosurgeon with an aloof and austere personality, driven by his longing for perfection. Unexpectedly he finds himself swept away to the Joseon Dynasty of 1860 through some mysterious power.

With no access to modern medical technology and knowledge, Jin Hyuk must find new ways of treating the sick while navigating through unfamiliar situations.

Along this journey, he discovers more about himself and those around him while striving to become an actual doctor in Time Slip Dr. Jin!

29. Operation Proposal (2012)

Quick facts:  16 episodes | Romance, Drama, Sports, Time Travel | Watch on MyAsianTV , Order on Amazon

Kang Baek Ho and Ham Yi Seul have been best friends since elementary school, but Baek Ho has never acknowledged his attraction to her. On the day of Yi Seul’s wedding to another man (Jin Won), Baek Ho regrets not confessing his love for her.

Suddenly, a mysterious conductor appears and gives him a second chance by allowing him to travel back in time to various events of their lives.

He hopes that he can use this opportunity to win over Yi Seul’s heart and change the outcome of their relationship. However, changing the future is not as easy as it seems.

Will Kang Baek Ho be able to convince Yi Seul that they are meant for each other or will his mission fail miserably in Operation Proposal?

Final Thoughts: Time Travel Kdramas

Korean dramas have been able to captivate viewers in many different genres, including time travel. The stories of these characters are unique and the journey that they embark on is often filled with love, comedy, suspense, and sometimes even tragedy.

These time travel Kdramas provide us with an escape from our own lives and allow us to experience the joys, sorrows, and excitement of different periods.

If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, then these time travel Kdram might be just what you need!

Looking for something different? Check out more Korean dramas !

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MY TOP PICK

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Pafoua is the author and creator of Her Wanderful World. Pafoua writes from her numerous excursions about all things travel, from fun itineraries to creating memorable experiences on the road. When she’s not traveling, Pafoua loves a fun board game night with her friends or is snuggled up reading a good book. You can find her on Instagram @herwanderfulworld.

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The 50+ Best Time Travel TV Shows, Ranked, Ranked

Are you ready to unravel the threads of time? This remarkable selection of the best time travel shows is filled with gripping narratives, memorable characters, and intriguing explorations of humanity's most complex enigma. These phenomenal series have not only captivated audiences but have also left an indelible mark on television history. Prepare to be taken on a thrilling ride through past, present, and future as these amazing tales challenge the limits of human imagination. 

The best time travel shows mesmerize viewers with their unique, thought-provoking explorations of temporal themes. With their gripping, groundbreaking, and original stories, these series immerse viewers in worlds where the rules of time are bent and broken. These exceptional shows have impacted the television industry at large, earning both pop culture prominence and critical acclaim for their unique takes on time-hopping adventures. 

Each offering in the best time travel TV shows selection offers a unique insight into the fascinating realm of temporal navigation. Embark on a mind-bending journey through different eras with Dark , where intricate storytelling keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. Delve into the heart-pounding mission to save humanity in 12 Monkeys , a show that blends compelling character arcs with stunning visuals and complex narrative. Experience the race against time in Timeless , a thrilling adventure filled with historical intrigue, unexpected twists, and powerful emotions. These remarkable shows are just a few of the outstanding lineup waiting to transport you through the ages. 

Time travel shows are popular and have had a profound impact on television culture because of the engaging narratives, dynamic characters, and thought-provoking themes. By providing riveting stories, unforgettable characters, and thought-provoking insights into the nature of time, these phenomenal series have solidified their places in the pantheon of the greatest time travel TV shows. So, sit back and prepare to lose track of time as audacious heroes take you on unforgettable voyages through the ages. 

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  For those who appreciate intricate storytelling, Dark is the perfect fit as it masterfully explores themes of time travel, human relationships, and existentialism. This German-language Netflix original gained immense popularity globally for its complexity and mind-bending narrative structure. Don't miss out on this modern sci-fi masterpiece that has been compared to Stranger Things  with a darker twist.

• Premiered : December 1, 2017
• Number of Episodes : 36

IS IT WATCHWORTHY?

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  A refreshing take on the time travel genre, Travelers introduces viewers to a compelling story about operatives sent back in time to prevent humanity's dystopian future. With standout performances from Eric McCormack and Mackenzie Porter, this Canadian-produced series delivers thrilling suspense while exploring themes of sacrifice and responsibility. Stream Travelers for an intelligent sci-fi experience that will leave you questioning your own reality.

• Premiered : October 17, 2016
• Number of Episodes : 35

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Inspired by Terry Gilliam's cult classic film, Syfy's 12 Monkeys raises the stakes in science fiction television by expertly weaving together elements of time travel, suspense, and character-driven drama. The show boasts an incredibly talented cast led by Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull, whose performances earned rave reviews from critics. Be prepared to be hooked on this intense yet thoughtfully crafted series that redefines the boundaries of traditional sci-fi storytelling.

• Premiered : January 16, 2015
• Number of Episodes : 47

Quantum Leap

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Quantum Leap is a beloved sci-fi classic well known for its unique premise and episodic adventures filled with heart and humor. Scott Bakula stars as Dr. Sam Beckett, who leaps through time to inhabit various lives while solving problems and altering history for the better. An essential watch for any fan of vintage television or science fiction, don't miss out on this entertaining journey through time.

• Premiered : March 26, 1989
• Number of Episodes : 103

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Drama meets adventure in Timeless as viewers follow a team of unlikely heroes tasked with chasing a dangerous fugitive through time. Tackling important historical events and figures, the show offers an enjoyable, educational, and thoughtfully presented fictional journey into America's past. Watch Timeless for its engaging pace, well-developed characters, and clever mix of history and science fiction.

• Premiered : October 3, 2016
• Number of Episodes : 30

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Based on Diana Gabaldon's best-selling novels, Outlander captivates viewers with its lush historical backdrop combined with elements of fantasy and romance. Set primarily in 18th century Scotland, the show seamlessly melds genres to create a visually stunning and emotionally poignant experience for fans of both history and fantasy alike. Tune in for the passionate love story between Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), but stay for the epic tale that unfolds across centuries.

• Premiered : August 9, 2014
• Number of Episodes : 108

The Twilight Zone

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  With its timeless blend of horror, fantasy, and science fiction storytelling, The Twilight Zone remains one of television's most influential series ever created. From the mind of Rod Serling, this anthology program invites viewers to explore strange new worlds filled with eerie twists and social commentary still relevant today. Step into The Twilight Zone for a classic dose of unpredictable entertainment that defies convention.

• Premiered : October 2, 1959
• Number of Episodes : 156

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Adapted from Stephen King's mesmerizing novel by J.J Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, 11.22.63 stars James Franco as a high school teacher tasked with preventing JFK's assassination via time travel in this limited series event from Hulu Originals. This thrilling eight-part drama combines high-stakes intrigue with poignant character development for both fans of King's work or those new to time-travel mysteries.

• Premiered : February 15, 2016
• Number of Episodes : 10

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This award-winning Canadian sci-fi series offers a fresh take on the time-travel genre by blending compelling crime drama with thought-provoking futuristic elements. Led by Rachel Nichols as a time-traveling cop from 2077, Continuum delves into themes of morality, power dynamics, and shifting allegiances—making it a must-watch for fans seeking intelligent science fiction grounded in human emotion.

• Premiered : May 27, 2012
• Number of Episodes : 44

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  A captivating medical drama wrapped in mystery, Bodies focuses on two doctors working in different eras who find themselves linked through their patients' inexplicable illnesses. With thoughtfully constructed storylines that focus on ethics within the medical profession and a riveting look at how past actions can impact present realities, Bodies offers an intense viewing experience well worth diving into.

• Premiered : October 19, 2023
• Number of Episodes : 8

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Featuring an ever-changing lineup of talented actors as the titular Doctor, this long-running British TV staple has captivated generations with its fantastical adventures through time and space. Doctor Who is beloved for its imaginative storytelling, eccentrically brilliant characters, and endearing camaraderie between the Doctor and their various companions—making it a must-watch institution in science fiction television history.

• Premiered : March 26, 2005
• Number of Episodes : 160

Time Bandits

• Premiered : July 24, 2024

Russian Doll

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Nominated for nine Emmy Awards including Outstanding Comedy Series , Russian Doll is an inventive blend of dark comedy and existential exploration set within a seemingly endless time loop premise. Starring Natasha Lyonne as Nadia Vulvokov, this critically acclaimed Netflix original showcases sharp writing, brilliant performances, and unexpected twists that will keep audiences guessing until the very end.

• Premiered : February 1, 2019
• Number of Episodes : 15

The Umbrella Academy

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Superheroes meet family dysfunction in Netflix's adaptation of Gerard Way's comic book series The Umbrella Academy —an enthralling mix of dark humor, action-packed sequences, and heartfelt character development set against a backdrop of impending apocalypse scenarios involving time travel elements. With a stellar ensemble cast led by Ellen Page and Robert Sheehan, this series stands out as an engaging alternative to traditional superhero fare.

• Premiered : February 15, 2019

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  From the creators of The Simpsons comes Futurama —an animated sci-fi/comedy series that has amassed a dedicated fanbase since its debut in 1999. Set in the year 3000, this hilarious show explores themes like fate versus free will while delivering biting social commentary and unpredictable storylines befitting any fan of adult animation or science fiction.

• Premiered : March 28, 1999
• Number of Episodes : 173

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Based on the 2000 film of the same name, Frequency follows NYPD detective Raimy Sullivan as she discovers an old ham radio that allows her to communicate with her deceased father in the past. This CW series digs deep into themes of family, redemption, and fate while providing viewers with a thrilling mystery and gripping emotional drama. Watch Frequency to explore the unbreakable bond between parent and child across both time and space.

• Premiered : October 5, 2016
• Number of Episodes : 13

Legends of Tomorrow

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  For viewers craving an action-packed adventure filled with superheroes and time travel shenanigans, look no further than DC's Legends of Tomorrow . This CW spin-off showcases fan-favorite characters from Arrow and The Flash as they embark on missions throughout history while grappling with their own personal demons along the way. Watch Legends of Tomorrow for its delightful blend of comedy, drama, and high-flying heroics.

• Premiered : January 21, 2016
• Number of Episodes : 113

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Lost remains one of the most influential television series in recent history thanks to its groundbreaking storytelling techniques, complex character development, and thrilling suspense. The show delves into themes of survival, morality, and the nature of human connection through a multi-layered narrative that keeps fans guessing from episode to episode—a must-watch for anyone seeking thoughtful entertainment with a touch of mystery.

• Premiered : September 22, 2004
• Number of Episodes : 139

Watch This Show If You Love :  Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Prepare for an awe-inspiring journey through time as Quantum Leap masterfully combines science fiction, drama, and adventure while addressing thought-provoking social issues. The series has been widely praised for its innovative concept, strong performances, and compelling storylines. Embrace the opportunity to watch this influential show that pushes the boundaries of television entertainment in today's era.

• Premiered : September 19, 2022
• Number of Episodes : 31

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  A sinkhole appears in Los Angeles, swallowing up numerous individuals who then find themselves transported back millions of years into a prehistoric world unknown to modern humanity. La Brea offers a thrilling mix of survival drama, action, and science fiction elements while delving into themes such as family bonds and human resilience—an ideal watch for those seeking high-stakes adventure with heart.

• Premiered : September 28, 2021
• Number of Episodes : 37

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Undone is an Amazon Prime original set apart by its unique rotoscope animation style and compelling exploration of mental illness within the framework of time travel-based storylines. Featuring Rosa Salazar's captivating performance as Alma Winograd-Diaz alongside Bob Odenkirk (star from Breaking Bad ), fans can expect thought-provoking content grounded in raw emotion with visually stunning visuals sure to draw them in.

• Premiered : September 13, 2019
• Number of Episodes : 23

Being Erica

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  With a unique blend of humor, drama, and time-traveling therapy sessions, Being Erica offers an entertaining yet introspective look at the life of Erica Strange (Erin Karpluk) as she revisits her past while grappling with the challenges of her present. The series skillfully tackles themes like personal growth, regret, and self-discovery—making it a must-watch for fans seeking relatable characters and thought-provoking stories.

• Premiered : January 5, 2009
• Number of Episodes : 49

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Picking up where the second film left off, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles expands upon the rich mythology established in James Cameron's iconic film franchise—offering fans a deep dive into the lives of Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) and her son John (Thomas Dekker) while introducing new characters alongside familiar faces from previous installments. Watch this gripping series for its well-executed blend of action-packed sequences and emotional character development that does justice to its cinematic predecessors.

• Premiered : January 13, 2008

The Outer Limits

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Often compared to The Twilight Zone for its anthology format and genre-defying narrative style, The Outer Limits explores themes like fear, identity, and what it means to be human through chilling tales that transcend space and time. Originally airing in 1963 before being revived in 1995, this cult classic continues to captivate fans with its unnerving storylines and unforgettable twists.

• Premiered : September 19, 1964
• Number of Episodes : 17

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Following the fan-favorite character's unexpected escape in Avengers: Endgame , Marvel's Loki delves into the God of Mischief's adventures through time and space under the watchful eye of the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA). Starring Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson alongside a strong supporting cast, this Disney+ original series does not disappoint with its clever writing, stunning visuals, and expert blend of humor and intrigue.

• Premiered : June 9, 2021
• Number of Episodes : 12

Paper Girls

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Based on the acclaimed graphic novel series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, Amazon Prime's Paper Girls follows a group of young girls in the 1980s who become entangled in a time-traveling war that spans across multiple eras. Fans can look forward to a thrilling adventure infused with nostalgic charm, heartfelt friendships, and thought-provoking themes about growing up amid extraordinary circumstances.

• Premiered : July 29, 2022

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This action-packed sci-fi comedy from Hulu follows the misadventures of Josh Futturman (Josh Hutcherson), an ordinary janitor enlisted by two warriors from 2162 to save humanity from extinction. With its winning combination of slapstick humor, thrilling action sequences, and compelling character development, Future Man is a can't-miss series for fans who crave lighthearted fun with a futuristic twist.

• Premiered : November 14, 2017
• Number of Episodes : 50

Time Tunnel

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This classic 1960s sci-fi series takes viewers on a spellbinding journey through time as two scientists become trapped within their experimental time-travel device known as "The Time Tunnel." With its combination of fascinating historical settings and adventurous storylines, this show is an essential watch for fans of vintage television or those interested in exploring early explorations of time travel onscreen.

• Premiered : 1966

Secrets of Sulphur Springs

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Aimed at younger audiences, Disney Channel's Secrets of Sulphur Springs combines mystery-solving adventures with time-traveling escapades as two friends work together to uncover the truth behind their town's haunted hotel legend. With its engaging storyline, diverse cast of characters, and family-friendly appeal, this series offers an entertaining entry point into the world of time travel for viewers of all ages.

• Premiered : January 15, 2021
• Number of Episodes : 27

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This NBC mystery-drama explores themes such as destiny and interconnectedness when passengers aboard Montego Air Flight 828 return home after a seemingly routine flight only to find that five years have passed. Manifest's intriguing premise, coupled with strong performances from Josh Dallas and Melissa Roxburgh, will keep viewers invested in the characters' journeys of self-discovery and unraveling the truth behind their miraculous return.

• Premiered : September 24, 2018
• Number of Episodes : 63

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Terra Nova transports viewers back in time to "prehistoric" Earth where humanity's last hope for survival lies within a groundbreaking new colony. This ambitious Fox series explores themes like environmentalism and family dynamics while delivering visually stunning visuals and suspenseful storytelling that will captivate both science fiction enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.

• Premiered : September 26, 2011

Life on Mars

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Taking its name from David Bowie's iconic song, Life on Mars is a UK crime drama infused with elements of science fiction that follows detective Sam Tyler (John Simm) as he mysteriously wakes up in 1973 after being struck by a car in present-day Manchester. The show tackles complex themes such as reality vs illusion while blending gripping police procedural storylines with subtle supernatural undertones—an essential watch for fans seeking unconventional narratives that defy genre boundaries.

• Premiered : October 9, 2008

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  In this critically acclaimed yet tragically short-lived NBC drama, Kevin McKidd stars as San Francisco journalist Dan Vasser who inexplicably begins jumping back and forth through time—affecting both his professional life and personal relationships in profound ways. Journeyman delves into themes like fate versus free will, love across time, and the consequences of altering history with emotional depth rarely seen in sci-fi television programming.

• Premiered : September 24, 2007

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This short-lived sci-fi gem from the 1980s follows Phineas Bogg (Jon-Erik Hexum) as he travels through time with his young companion, Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce), to ensure history unfolds as it should. Voyagers! offers viewers a charming mix of adventure, humor, and educational content that makes it well worth revisiting for fans of vintage television or those looking to discover hidden gems in the world of time-traveling entertainment.

• Premiered : October 3, 1982
• Number of Episodes : 20

Land of the Lost

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  A staple of Saturday morning television in the 1970s, Land of the Lost chronicles a family's journey through time to a prehistoric world inhabited by dinosaurs and other dangers unknown to modern civilization. This iconic children's show offers viewers nostalgic escapism combined with imaginative storytelling that has inspired generations since its debut over four decades ago.

• Premiered : September 7, 1974
• Number of Episodes : 43

The Lazarus Project

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Showcasing powerful performances from Paul Walker and Piper Perabo alongside a compelling narrative rooted in themes like redemption and second chances, The Lazarus Project is an intriguing exploration of what it means to rewrite your own story through time manipulation technology. With its unique take on the time-travel genre and emotionally charged storytelling, this film is well worth watching for fans seeking fresh perspectives within science fiction cinema.

• Premiered : June 16, 2022

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  In this captivating pilot-turned-feature film from writer/director Christopher Leone ( The Lost Room ), a group of friends stumbles upon an enigmatic building that transports them to alternate dimensions where their own lives have taken drastically different paths. With its thought-provoking exploration of "what if" scenarios and intelligent storytelling grounded in human emotion, Parallels provides an enthralling glimpse into parallel universe theories worth watching.

• Premiered : March 23, 2022
• Number of Episodes : 6

Samurai Jack

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Created by animation visionary Genndy Tartakovsky ( Dexter's Laboratory ), Samurai Jack is a visually stunning action-adventure series that transports viewers back to ancient Japan as our titular hero battles his nemesis Aku across space and time. Featuring striking animation style alongside immersive storytelling steeped in Eastern influences, this critically acclaimed show has secured its place among beloved animated classics for audience members young and old alike.

• Premiered : August 10, 2001
• Number of Episodes : 97

FlashForward

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Based on Robert J. Sawyer's award-winning sci-fi novel, FlashForward presents viewers with an intriguing premise as every person on Earth simultaneously experiences a glimpse of their future six months ahead—a phenomenon that sparks international panic as individuals struggle to comprehend the implications of their "flashes." This ABC series explores themes like fate versus free will while delivering nail-biting suspense that will keep audiences glued to their screens.

• Premiered : September 24, 2009

The Ministry of Time

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This Spanish sci-fi series delves into themes like history preservation and human connection through the adventures of three individuals selected by "The Ministry of Time" to ensure key moments remain unchanged throughout Spain's past. With its thrilling plots, well-developed characters, and fascinating historical settings, The Ministry of Time is ideal for viewers seeking an intelligent blend of education and entertainment.

• Premiered : February 24, 2015

• Premiered : November 25, 2023

• Premiered : December 15, 2017

Ashes to Ashes

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This British crime drama with a twist serves as a follow-up to the aforementioned Life on Mars and follows police officer Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) as she finds herself transported back to London in 1981 after being shot in present-day 2008. Ashes to Ashes offers viewers a unique mix of nostalgia, mystery-solving intrigue, and surreal time-travel elements that make it an essential watch for fans of unconventional storytelling.

• Premiered : February 7, 2008
• Number of Episodes : 24

The 7 lives Of Lea

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This intriguing French television series centers around Lea Mendiantz (Julia Piaton), who discovers she possesses the unusual ability to travel through her own memories—a powerful gift with potentially devastating consequences as dark forces conspire against her. Exploring themes like memory manipulation and self-identity within a complex narrative structure, The 7 Lives Of Lea offers viewers captivating storytelling unlike anything seen before within the realm of time-travel television.

• Premiered : April 28, 2022
• Number of Episodes : 7

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  In this classic '90s sci-fi series, Dale Midkiff stars as Darien Lambert—a futuristic law enforcement officer tasked with hunting down fugitives who have fled across time to evade justice back home. With its charmingly dated special effects and engaging episodic storylines reminiscent of vintage pulp fiction adventure serials, Time Trax remains a nostalgic favorite among fans who appreciate old-school science fiction entertainment.

• Premiered : January 17, 1993
• Number of Episodes : 45

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  In this thrilling ABC drama from creator Paul Zbyszewski (Lost), LAPD detective Brett Hopper (Taye Diggs) finds himself trapped in a time loop that forces him to relive the same day over and over again—a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues as he struggles to discover who is framing him for murder. With its action-packed pacing, intriguing premise, and engrossing character development, Day Break is undoubtedly a must-watch experience.

• Premiered : November 15, 2006

Power Rangers Time Force

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  A fan-favorite installment within the iconic Power Rangers franchise, Time Force offers viewers a unique blend of time-travel adventure and superhero action set against the backdrop of futuristic cities and dystopian wastelands alike. Featuring memorable characters, high-stakes battles, and engaging storylines that explore themes like responsibility, friendship, and destiny—don't miss this enthralling chapter in Power Rangers history.

• Premiered : February 3, 2001
• Number of Episodes : 40

Phil of the Future

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This light-hearted Disney Channel comedy series follows Phil Diffy (Ricky Ullman)—a teenager from the year 2121 who becomes stranded in present-day America with his family after their time machine malfunctions. As they navigate life in unfamiliar surroundings while trying to return home, Phil's everyday adventures offer humorous insights into generational differences along with plenty of heartwarming moments.

• Premiered : June 18, 2004

Find Me in Paris

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This charming teen drama combines elements of ballet, romance, and time travel as Lena Grisky (Jessica Lord), a young ballerina at the prestigious Opera de Paris dance school in 1905 finds herself transported to present-day Paris by accident—setting off on an emotional journey filled with new friendships, unexpected challenges, and true love. Find Me in Paris offers a delightful escape into the world of dance and time travel that will appeal to viewers young and old alike.

• Premiered : April 14, 2018

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  Also known as The Great Doctor ,  Faith is a South Korean drama that combines elements of historical fiction, fantasy, and romance as it follows Choi Young (Lee Min-ho), a 14th-century warrior who kidnaps modern-day surgeon Eun-soo (Kim Hee-sun) in order to save the life of his dying queen—a captivating journey through time ensues filled with action, intrigue, and emotional depth well worth exploring.

• Premiered : August 13, 2012

It's About Time

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  This 1966 sitcom from Sherwood Schwartz (creator of Gilligan's Island ) explores the comedic potential of time travel as two astronauts from the future find themselves stranded in prehistoric times alongside a family of cave-dwelling humans. Though short-lived, It's About Time remains an endearing snapshot of vintage television humor executed with a unique twist on the ever-popular sci-fi genre.

• Premiered : September 11, 1966
• Number of Episodes : 26

Nine: Nine Time Travels

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  From South Korea comes this romantic thriller that blends elements of mystery and suspense with themes like fate versus free will within a narrative structure involving multiple timelines. As Park Sun-woo (Lee Jin-wook), a news reporter embarks on a dangerous mission through time to save his family's legacy while navigating complicated relationships along the way— Nine: Nine Time Travels is sure to captivate international audiences seeking fresh perspectives on familiar storytelling tropes.

• Premiered : March 11, 2013

Crime Traveller

Watch This Show If You Love : Pineapple Express, Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, How High, Friday Why Should I Stream?  A cult classic among British TV enthusiasts, Crime Traveller follows detective Jeff Slade (Michael French) and forensic scientist Holly Turner (Chloë Annett) as they use their secret ability to travel back in time to solve baffling criminal cases. With intriguing mysteries steeped in historical context, this entertaining series offers an engaging blend of crime procedural drama and inventive science fiction storytelling.

• Premiered : March 1, 1997

• Premiered : May 26, 2012

Rooftop Prince

• Premiered : March 21, 2012

• Premiered : May 2, 2024

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract

• Premiered : November 24, 2023

• Premiered : February 25, 2022
• Number of Episodes : 18

Future-Worm!

• Premiered : June 1, 2015
• Number of Episodes : 21

• Premiered : February 27, 2023
• Entertainment
• Time Travel
• Watchworthy

As they say in well-written scripts, "You mean... like time travel?" + also a few bizarre stories about real people who have claimed, despite every law of physics, they have traveled through time.

The 10 Best Plot Twists From 'The Sopranos,' Ranked

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HBO's The Sopranos defied the basic formula of a drama and forever changed the television landscape. Even decades later, the series remains a beloved favorite among many and has inspired countless other significant dramas, such as Mad Men and Breaking Bad . The show features some of the most memorable characters and performances from an epic cast, including James Gandolfini , Edie Falco , and Lorraine Bracco . Still, the show's exceptional writing is considered to be some of the finest works in television history.

The Sopranos has a unique blend of violence and drama that cultivated some incredible storylines, but it also featured an array of unexpected and jaw-dropping plot twists , like Tony's mother being the mastermind behind his assassination attempt and the show's controversial cut-to-black finale. Out of the substantial number of surprises, such as Paulie learning who his biological mother is, and shocking deaths, including Christopher Moltisanti and Richie Aprile, these are the ten best plot twists in The Sopranos .

The Sopranos

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10 Isabella

"isabella" (season 1, episode 12).

In Season 1, episode 12, "Isabella," Tony meets a foreign exchange student, Isabella ( Maria Grazia Cucinotta ), who is staying at the Cusamano's home while they are away on vacation. Tony is immediately drawn to her, but not in a sexual way, and after running into each other, they decide to have lunch together. When Tony sees that the Cusamanos have returned home, he asks about Isabella and is met with a confused look from Dr. Cusamano ( Robert LuPone ). Tony soon realizes that Isabella was a figment of his imagination and a side effect of the lithium Dr. Melfi ( Lorrain Bracco ) had prescribed him.

The unexpected surprise of Isabella being a hallucination is one of the series' first and deepest plot twists, as it speaks to Tony's subconscious desire for an ideal maternal figure . Tony's mother is a constant topic in the series, especially the first season, and despite Melfi's best efforts, Tony has been in denial about his mother's true nature, but his experience with Isabella was vital in his ongoing process of admitting that his mother is not like other mothers.

9 Furio Leaving

"eloise" (season 4, episode 12).

For some time, Carmela (Edie Falco) and Furio ( Federico Castelluccio ) have developed an unspoken affection for one another that eventually reaches a point of romance. Considering the circumstances, it's dangerous territory for both of them to venture further into, but as Furio finds himself falling in love with Carmela, his emotions begin to get the best of him. In Season 4, episode 12, "Eloise," Furio reaches his breaking point when he's out with Tony, who is, as usual, arm-in-arm with a beautiful young woman. At one point, they're about to get into a helicopter and Furio almost shoves Tony into the active blades above them.

The intense moment has a severe impact on Furio, who abruptly leaves the next day and returns to Italy without saying goodbye to anyone. While audiences knew the romance between Furio and Carmela could never go significantly anywhere, the character's sudden departure was highly unexpected and had a major impact on Falco's character , who slips into a deep, inconsolable depression. Some felt that the storyline between Furio and Carmela was out of left field or unnecessary, but it spoke to Carmela's genuine unhappiness in her marriage and was a vital factor in the tipping point of her marriage.

8 Paulie Learning His Aunt is His Biological Mother

"the fleshy part of the thigh" (season 6, episode 4).

One of The Sopranos ' best characters , Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri ( Tony Sirico ) typically only looks out for himself, but when it comes to his mother, nothing is too good for her. Throughout the show, it is clear that Paulie considers his mother, Maria, or "Nucci" ( Frances Esemplare ), to be a top priority and bends over backward to ensure that she is happy and well taken of. Paulie's unwavering adoration for his mother comes crashing down in Season 6, episode 4, "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh," when he goes to see his Aunt Dottie ( Judith Malina ), who is dying and confesses that she is his biological mother.

Dottie goes on to tell Paulie that he was born out of wedlock and the reason why she chose to become a nun. Nucci had agreed to take Paulie and raise him as his own with no intention of ever revealing the truth to him. The shocking confession inevitably takes an emotional toll on Paulie and his relationship with Nucci. The plot twist is one of the show's best because it adds a bit of chaos to Paulie's storyline and also reveals an unusual vulnerable side of Paulie that audiences have never seen before, adding a bit of complexity and depth to the character.

7 Vin Makazian's Suicide

"nobody knows anything" (season 1, episode 11).

In the show's first season, Home Alone star John Heard appeared in several episodes as Detective Vin Makazian, who provided Tony with inside information in exchange for paying off his gambling debts. Heard's character dropped the show's first major bombshell when he informed Tony that his best friend, Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero ( Vincent Pastore ) had flipped and was wearing a wire. As Tony demands that Makazian show him actual proof of this, Tony's wishes are shattered when Makazian is pushed over the edge and decides to take his own life.

John Heard 's recurring guest appearance as Detective Vin Makazian is easily one of The Sopranos ' best guest star performances and even earned Heard an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 1999. Makazian's shocking choice to jump off the bridge in broad daylight is a plot twist no one saw coming , but the decision played a vital part in the circumstances surrounding Big Pussy being a potential rat, adding a sense of obsessive uncertainty for Tony as well as viewers.

6 Tony's First Kill

"college" (season 1, episode 5).

In Season 1, episode 5, "College," Tony Soprano gets his hands dirty for the first time when he and Meadow ( Jamie-Lynn Sigler ) travel to look at several potential schools for college. When Tony thinks he sees a former DiMeo associate, Febby Petrulio ( Tony Ray Rossi ) who flipped, he becomes distracted from the purpose of the trip with his daughter and spends the majority of the time trying to confirm the man's identity. Once he knows for sure that it's Petrulio, he decides to pay him a visit, resulting in Tony's first on-screen kill.

Audiences are obviously aware that Tony is going to whack this guy, but the shock and awe of this plot twist is the brutality and manner in which he does it . Rats are always going to suffer, but to witness Tony kill one for the first time in the show took audiences by surprise. According to Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos , HBO initially had an issue with Tony killing someone, believing it would turn viewers against him, but as creator David Chase pointed out, he's a gangster, and they would lose the audience if he never killed anyone. The move proved to be effective and is considered to be a key turning point for the character, unveiling the true sadistic nature Tony is capable of under the right circumstances.

5 Tony Killing Christopher

"kennedy and heidi" (season 6, episode 18).

For the last few seasons, Christopher Moltisanti ( Michael Imperioli ) was a struggling addict who was also trying to find himself in the world. After the murder of his fiancée, Adriana Le Cerva ( Drea de Matteo ), Chrissy appears to have moved on by getting married and having a daughter, but behind closed doors, he is still struggling and eventually relapses. In Season 6, episode 18, "Kennedy and Heidi," Tony realizes that his nephew is under the influence of drugs while the two are driving and when they get into an accident, Tony ensures that he doesn't survive.

After giving Chrissy several chances to get his act straight, Tony realizes at that moment that Chrissy will never stay clean and could become a serious liability in the future. Through Tony's own messed-up rationalization, he chooses to suffocate Chrissy , resulting in one of the most unforeseen plot twists in the entire series. Considering Chrissy was continuing on a path of destruction, it was inevitable that he would meet his demise one way or another, but no one could have predicted that Tony would be the one to kill him .

4 Janice Killing Richie Aprile

"the knight in white satin armor" (season 2, episode 12).

The toxic romance between Tony's sister, Janice ( Aida Turturro ), and her high school boyfriend, Richie Aprile ( David Proval ) was destined to go up in flames and when Tony learns that his future brother-in-law is planning to make a move against him, viewers expected Tony or one of the guys to take him out. Before anyone can get their hands on Richie, audiences are stunned in Season 2, episode 12, "The Knight in White Satin Armor," when Janice is the one who beats her brother to the punch.

As the couple are arguing about the upcoming wedding and Richie's son potentially being gay, Richie reacts by punching Janice in the mouth. While Richie sits down to enjoy his meal, Janice responds in a dramatic, highly unexpected way by shooting Richie twice in the chest without hesitation. Even though audiences knew Richie was on his way out, Janice being the one to pull the trigger is without a doubt one of the show's best plot twists .

3 Valery the Russian

"pine barrens" (season 3, episode 11).

When Silvio is sick and sent home, Tony has Paulie and Chrissy go pick up his envelope from Valery ( Vitali Baganov ), a member of the Russian mob and close friend of the boss, Slava Malevsky ( Frank Ciornei ). When Paulie antagonizes Valery to the point of the three men getting into a physical altercation, Paulie and Chrissy think they've killed Valery and decide to bury him out in the Pine Barrens. Once they arrive, they are shocked to see that Valery is still alive, and eventually, he manages to get away, resulting in one of the show's most talked about mysteries.

The unexpected escape from Valery is one of the funniest plot twists in the entire series and also ranks as one of the best. The idea that the "package" somehow survived leaves fans on pins and needles and wondering about the obvious question: if he did, would he seek revenge against Paulie and Chrissy? To this day, the fate of Valery remains unknown, but it has led to some interesting fan theories ranging from that he died from his injuries to he hid up in a tree and then made his getaway by stealing the guys' car.

2 Livia Trying to Have Tony Killed

Throughout the show's first season, Livia ( Nancy Marchand ) expresses her anger and distaste for Tony but it worsens when he forces her to live in the retirement community, Green Grove. The level of her hatred reaches an all-time high when she discloses to Uncle Junior ( Dominic Chianese ) that Tony has been meeting with some of the capos behind his back, forcing Junior to take lethal action against his nephew.

It's made clear that Livia is much smarter than she lets on and in Season 1, episode 11, "Nobody Knows Anything," she proves how vengeful and tactful she truly is after she throws Tony under the bus to Junior. The idea that a mother would want her own son dead, let alone because he put her in a nice retirement home, is the ultimate plot twist that left many fans shocked . When Tony finally confronts her, she reveals her true heartless nature by confirming Tony's accusations with a single, devilish grin that sends Tony into a rage. According to Chase, he originally had Tony suffocate Livia at the end of Season 1, but when Marchand was diagnosed with cancer, she asked him to let her keep working, which Chase generously agreed to do.

1 The Ending

"made in america" (season 6, episode 21).

Years later, the series finale, Season 6, episode 21, "Made in America," remains to be one of the most controversial finales in television history , which fans continue to discuss today. Whatever your opinion may be, the abrupt cut-to-black is undoubtedly the show's best plot twist, leaving the ending up to the fans' own imagination. Initially, most viewers were outraged and criticized Chase's choice, but through the years, the reason behind Chase's unexpected choice has become clearer to fans.

In Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos , Chase specifically touches on the ending and describes how, in the final song, Don't Stop Believing by Journey , there is a line that says "the movie never ends, it goes on and on and on." This specific line kept playing in Chase's head and ultimately had him decide that he wanted the show to also go on and, in some way, it has. It's been over two decades and fans still talk about what exactly happened to Tony Soprano. Despite some fans' feelings about the ending, it is the ultimate plot twist in the show and serves as the cornerstone of The Sopranos ' timeless legacy .

NEXT: The Darkest Episodes of 'The Sopranos', Ranked

Article: Top 10 Time Travel K-Dramas

Get ready to escape and turn time with these top 10 time travelling kdramas.

1. A Time Called You

This thrilling drama takes you on a journey through time and second chances. Han Jun Hee's unintentional return to 1998 as Kwon Min Joo sets the stage for love and loss. There she meets Nam Si Heon, whose uncanny resemblance to her late boyfriend, Koo Yeon Jun, adds a twist to the story. The time travel element deepens the emotional stakes as their feelings develop, allowing for a fresh take on the beloved Taiwanese series, "Someday or One Day." The chemistry between the leads, as well as the captivating cinematography, make this drama a must watch for fans of time travel and second chances.

2. Mr. Queen

This time-traveling K-drama is a true gem, combining humor, stunning visuals , and exceptional acting. In Joseon dynasty Korea, Jang Bong Hwan's unexpected journey into the body of Queen Kim So Yong leads to hilarious situations and brilliant plot. Viewers are treated to a captivating blend of political intrigue and comedic chaos as he navigates the royal court. The series is a delightful and visually stunning exploration of time travel that stands out as one of the best in the genre. You will absolutely love this drama and long for more.

3. Life On Mars

This time-traveling drama with a humorous twist takes viewers on an exciting journey through time and crime-solving. Han Tae Joo's unintentionally lands up in 1988, where he transforms into a detective. Despite dealing with serious cases, a perfect balance of suspense and comedy exists. Unlike some dramas, this one maintains its momentum throughout, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats with well-thought-out cases and constant surprises. The time-travel aspect adds an intriguing layer to this outstanding series. You have to watch it asap.

4. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Hear Ryeo

IU shines as Hae Soo in this beloved time-travel K-drama (every kdrama fan knows it.) She brilliantly portrays the character's journey of adaptation and survival amidst palace intrigues when she is transported back to the Goryeo Dynasty during a solar eclipse. Her chemistry with the cast, particularly with Lee Junki and Kang Haneul, is truly remarkable. IU's portrayal of Hae Soo is flawless and adorable, making her a vital part of the series. Her performance in this time-travel drama is memorable, showcasing her acting talent.

5. 365: Repeat The Year

In this exceptional drama, ten people are given the opportunity to travel back in time one year. Ji Hyung Joo, a detective looking to change his life, is one of them. Initially excited by the opportunity to change his fate, he and the others quickly become caught in a web of mysterious and unsettling events. The relentless pace of this drama sets it apart, with nearly every episode revealing new and unexpected plot twists. The audience is kept guessing, making it a mind-bending journey through the complexities of time travel and suspense.

6. Reborn Rich

This mystery thriller drama combines time travel and revenge. During a power struggle, Yoon Hyun Woo, a secretary for the Soonyang chaebol family, is murdered. When he awakens in the body of Jin Do Jun, the family's youngest member, he is given a second chance. The drama explores themes of justice and redemption through a plan to stage a hostile takeover of the empire and seek vengeance on his assassins. Song Joong Ki's outstanding performance as Jin Do Jun enhances the appeal of the series, with his charisma and good looks.

7. Go Back Couple

This heartwarming drama takes a fresh look at the idea of a second chance in marriage. Choi Ban Do and Ma Jin Joo, a couple who used to love each other unconditionally, now hate their marriage. They are transported back in time to their younger selves. They have the opportunity to revisit their past as 20-year-old university students and understand what went wrong in their relationship. The drama delves into the painful realities of marriage and shows that it isn't always a fairy tale ending, shedding light on the challenges that couples face on their journey together. It is emotional and extremely realistic.

8. Queen In Hyun’s Man

A charming time-travel drama that combines romance and historical intrigue in a compelling plot. Kim Boong Do, a Joseon Dynasty scholar, travels 300 years in the future to meet Choi Hee Jin, an aspiring actress. Their love story unfolds against the backdrop of a TV drama about Queen In Hyun, which expertly explains the concept of time travel. The chemistry between Yoo In Na and Ji Hyun Woo is top notch and amazing. It keeps viewers engaged and invested in their journey through time with a perfect blend of romance and historical elements. It’s also very hilarious and emotional

9. The King: Eternal  Monarch

The King: Eternal Monarch is a popular drama that combines science fiction with cute romantic vibes. Lee Gon is a perfect king but, with a dark past. He accidentally enters a parallel world and teams up with detective Jeong Tae Eul. They're on a mission to defeat the villains and seal the gap between their worlds. You might be wondering, "What's going on?" at first, but as you keep watching, everything begins to make sense, and it's quite satisfying. It's like a sci-fi and romance rollercoaster, that will keep you glued. There’s bromance and hot leads.

Eun Soo, a 21st-century plastic surgeon, is kidnapped and transported 700 years back in time. She has incredible healing abilities, and General Choi Yeong, the king's former bodyguard, is intrigued. They begin by clashing, but soon sparks fly, and this epic love story unfolds. Their chemistry is off the charts. Keep “faith” in this drama to never disappoint you.

365: Repeat The Year A Time Called You Faith Go Back Couple Life On Mars Moon Lovers: Scarlet Hear Ryeo Mr. Queen Queen In Hyun's Man Reborn Rich The King: Eternal Monarch

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What to watch today: 7 fascinating and mind-blowing K-dramas about time travel; on Netflix, MX Player & more

These well-crafted gems are peppered with romance, history, and intrigue, keep the narrative going forward.

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Time travel is often used as a catalyst to bring about a dramatic change in the narrative. And, K dramas have time and again deployed the trope to keep the audiences hooked. These well-crafted gems are peppered with romance, history, and intrigue, keeping the narrative going forward. Over the years there have been cleverly made time travel K-dramas – Tomorrow With You, Tunnel, Signal, 18 Again, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo , to name a few. The year 2023 too has had its share of time travel K-dramas – The Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 , My Perfect Stranger , and A Time Called You . Let’s time travel through some of the best Korean dramas in this trope (sans Hermoine Granger’s time turner from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! ).  

7 fascinating and mind-blowing K-dramas about time travel; on Netflix, MX Player & more

1. a time called you – netflix.

This fascinating K-drama boasts a star-studded cast comprising Ahn Hyo-seop, Jeon Yeo-bin , Rowoon, and Kang Hoon, among several others. The K-drama, set in 2023, starts with Jun-hee mourning her boyfriend Yeon-jun’s death even a year after his passing. However, a baffling event transports her to 1998 and wakes as the 18-year-old Min-ju. While trying to adjust to the perplexing situation, Jun-hee crosses paths with Si-heon, who has a striking resemblance to her late boyfriend. As she navigates her new life, she stumbles upon secrets related to her boyfriend with Si-heon’s presence complicating her journey..

2. Mr Queen – Amazon Prime Video, Netflix

This historical time travel K-drama became an instant hit on its release three years ago and received critical acclaim for its engaging plot line. The plot starts in the present day and follows Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk), a popular chef. An unexpected twist of fate sends him back to the Joseon dynasty, but not as himself. Rather he’s trapped in the body of Queen Kim So-yong (Shin Hye-sun). The plot then focuses on his various hilarious misadventures as the queen, accepting the fact that he is married to enigmatic King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun) while trying to find his way back to the future. Amid the chaos, Bong-hwan and the king form an unexpected bond. They work together to navigate the treacherous royal politics, discover hidden truths and confront powerful adversaries. The series perfectly blends humour, romance, and intrigue, offering a twist on the time-travel genre.

3. Rooftop Prince – Netflix, Viki Rakuten

Playing on the historical time travel concept mixed with romance and comedy, this K-drama will have you hooked from the word go. The story centres around Crown Prince Lee Gak (Park Yoo-chun) of the Joseon Dynasty along with his loyal entourage – bodyguard Woo Yong-sool (Jung Suk-won), scholar Song Man-bo (Lee Tae-ri), and palace eunuch Do Chi-san (Choi Woo-shik) – find themselves in present-day Korea, on the rooftop of Park-ha (Han Ji-min). He poses as the long-lost grandson of a conglomerate’s president. His life takes an interesting turn when he meets Hong Se-na (Jeong Yu-mi), who has an uncanny resemblance to his dead wife. To uncover the mystery behind his wife’s death, he starts courting Se-na, breaking Park-ha’s heart. Slowly, the present and past collide as every person Lee Gak meets has a connection to the Joseon Dynasty.

4. Familiar Wife – MX Player

Cha Joo-hyuk (Ji Sung) works in a bank and is married to Seo Woo-jin (Han Ji-min). They have been married for several years, and though Joo-hyuk loves his wife, he has started to feel disenchanted with his monotonous life. He often wonders what his life would be if he had made a different choice in the past. One day, a mysterious person grants Joo-hyuk an opportunity to go back in time and make a crucial decision that he feels will change his life for the better in future. Joo-hyuk, without comprehending the consequences of his action, revisits his past to change his present. However, the tempering of his past has disastrous repercussions on his present. Joo-hyuk now faces the harder challenge of adapting to his new reality, altered relationships, and reappearance of his first love, Lee Hye-won (Kang Ha-na).

5. Queen and I – Viki Rakuten

Also known as Queen In-hyun’s Man in some countries, oscillates between two timelines: the Joseon dynasty in the year 1694 and modern Seoul in 2012. Kim Bung-do (Ji Hyun-woo), a scholar from the Joseon Dynasty, finds himself in modern Korea after getting entangled in a time-travelling phenomenon due to a mysterious talisman. He lands on the set of popular actress Choi Hee-jin (Yoo In-na), who is preparing to play Queen In-hyun in a historical drama of the Joseon dynasty. As the narrative progresses, we see Bung-do going to and fro in past and present, forming a deep connection with the real Queen and falling in love with Hee-jin. He faces a moral dilemma of either living during the conservative past or the modern present. 

6. My Perfect Stranger – Viki Rakuten

Yoon Hae-jun ( Kim Dong-wook ) is a cynical news anchor with a cold demeanour, a result of constant criticism from his grandfather. His life turns upside down when he stumbles across a time machine. Meanwhile, Baek Yoon-young (Jin Ki-joo), an editor at a publishing house, is struck by an invisible car at the same place where she found her mother’s body. She is transported back to 1987. The two cross paths and realise that their time travelling in the same year is not a coincidence and that their fate and goals are actually interlinked.    

7. Sisyphus: The Myth – Netflix  

Han Tae-sul (Cho Seung-woo) is a rude but highly intelligent engineer, quantum physicist, and co-founder of the company Quantum and Time . His life changes when he meets Kang Seo-hae (Park Shin-hye), a skilled warrior from the future. She has time travelled to save him and stop him from building a time machine called Upholder. It is this machine that leads to a tragic apocalypse leading to a grim future from where Seo-hee has come from. Together they embark on a perilous journey to stop the impending catastrophe and discover a mysterious organisation known as The Control Bureau. With unexpected twists, the K-drama takes us on a thrilling and action-packed journey through time. 

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20 Best Time-Travel Shows Ranked

If you could travel back and forth through time, where would you go? What would you do? Who would you talk to? Even better, if you were writing a book, making a movie, or working on a television show about time travel, what would you include? The best TV shows about time travel all feature characters who visit other eras for various compelling (or even life-threatening) reasons. Maybe it's to prevent a coming apocalypse, maybe it's just to save one person's life — but as many of these shows teach, small changes can have big effects, and many of these characters learn that their time-traveling can change the world.  

Now, there are some great time travel-adjacent shows that don't quite fit this list. A fun romp like "Early Edition," for example, utilizes a time-traveling newspaper and potentially a time-traveling cat, but doesn't in and of itself feature a lot of time travel. Likewise, something like "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" is rooted in a time travel premise, but stays mostly in one time. With all that said, here's a look at our choices for the 20 best time travel shows on TV.

Save the cheerleader, save the world. That's what future Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) tells present-day Hiro when he appears to him from the future, and that's what establishes "Heroes" as way more than just a superhero show.

The NBC series follows a group of regular people who develop special powers, not unlike mutants in the "X-Men" series, after a mysterious worldwide eclipse. Each character gains their own individual abilities. Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) develops the ability to heal from any injury. Senator Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) gains the ability to fly, while his brother Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) can temporarily absorb others' powers. Still, few of these characters have cooler abilities than Hiro, who can influence the space-time continuum. This means he can teleport, slow down time — and, of course, time travel.   

Understandably, Hiro's power set becomes a serious asset throughout the series, and his path to perfect his abilities is one of "Heroes'" strongest story arcs. The first few times he travels through time don't go as planned, and throughout the series, things can get in the way of him ending up where he wants to go or when he wants to be. While Hiro's time-traveling is just one part of the larger story, it's definitely one of the show's highlights – especially since Oka is so darn charming as the character.

19. 11.22.63

One of the best Stephen King TV series out there, the eight-episode "11.22.63" follows a man named Jake Epping (James Franco). He's a relatively normal guy who receives a chance to change history when his friend Al (Chris Cooper) tells him he's found a way to travel back in time. Al tells Jake that the portal he's discovered goes back to the year 1960 and that he's been working on a plan to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Al's age and advancing cancer diagnosis prevent him from following through on the plan, however, and he asks Jake to take over for him. Jake agrees, but soon his quest is met with pushback from a mysterious source. As it turns out, the past doesn't want to be changed, and every step Jake takes toward preventing JFK's assassination leads to more cracks in the timeline. 

A charming and exciting time travel drama, "11.22.63" is a well-executed, twisty tale that only ranks so low on this list because it's in such great company. If you're looking for a quick, self-contained time travel miniseries that revolves around one of modern America's most notable events, this show is well worth a watch. 

When Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crash lands on a deserted island, wacky and scary things start happening to the survivors. ABC's "Lost" deals with flashbacks, flash-forwards, mysterious groups that already have a presence on the island, a black smoke monster — and, as it turns out, an ancient battle between good and evil. One of the great appointment television shows before streaming broke through, "Lost" had fans talking about it and theorizing about its mysteries on a weekly basis.

The sci-fi drama captivated viewers for six seasons, and though time travel is referenced throughout the entire series run, it plays the biggest role in Season 4. As the island itself leaps from place to place and from time to time, the main group of characters jumps with it, encountering previous versions of themselves and island events that occurred in the past, and suffering from the effects of temporal displacement. The most beloved episode dealing with time travel is undoubtedly "The Constant," in which fan-favorite Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick) figures out a way to stop his consciousness from jumping through time by finding his constant — his true love, Penny (Sonya Walger).

Of course, "Lost" is not just a time travel show, and famously covers such a wide variety of mysteries and sci-fi concepts that viewers might find it hard to keep up. As such, it ends up with this relatively low ranking. 

Like "Lost", "Fringe" is considered one of the most binge-worthy sci-fi shows of all time  but the fact that it isn't exclusively about time travel means it lands near the tail end of this particular list. The ABC show revolves around a science-fiction conglomerate that dabbles with interdimensional travel, wormholes, and alternate realities. Anna Torv stars as FBI Agent Olivia Dunham, who heads up the bureau's Fringe Division. With the help of "mad scientist" Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), his estranged son Peter (Joshua Jackson), and their lab assistant Astrid Farnsworth (Jakisa Nicole), Dunham explores cases involving fringe science — be they about time travel, mind control, experiments gone wrong or any other strange and obscure criminal activity.

Time travel is more of a looming presence early in "Fringe," particularly present in the character of the Observer (Michael Cerveris), a bald, pale, genetically advanced human from the future. While Season 1 and Season 2 deal with the battle between two dimensions and realities, time travel really becomes an element in Season 3. Seasons 4 and 5 then deal with alternate timelines and the Observers that infiltrate the world from the future, intent on wiping out humanity. As you might expect, things can get a bit confusing, but the show sure is fun.

16. The Umbrella Academy

You have to respect a show that's so high-concept that time travel doesn't even get top billing. "The Umbrella Academy" boasts mysterious events, family drama, dance numbers, a talking chimpanzee, some of the cleverest superpowers in superhero shows, and a robot mom — and that's just scratching the surface. Based on "The Umbrella Academy" comics created by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance fame, the Netflix show is a saga that exploits everything from the butterfly effect to the grandfather paradox for emotional and comedic impact.

The central Hargreeves family consists of a group of kids all born on the same day, adopted by the same eccentric billionaire (Colm Feore). He has trained them to protect the world with their various superpowers, but they aren't particularly great at it, and their strict upbringing has left them with a wide array of issues and deep rifts between them. The dysfunctional bunch starts out fairly estranged, but slowly bonds to save humanity from an apocalyptic event ... only to cause another potential apocalyptic event by sprinkling themselves across time.

In between the tears in the space-time continuum, "The Umbrella Academy" is ultimately an ensemble story about found (and re-found) family, as well as a truly unique superhero show where personal failure and the side-effects of costumed crimefighter life play a huge role. However, since Season 1 largely approaches time travel through Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) and the Temps Aeternalis agency, and much of Season 3 focuses on a present-day alternate reality, only the 1960s-themed Season 2 goes truly all in on the concept of sending all main characters to a different era. 

15. Sliders

"Sliders" is a 1990s sci-fi adventure series that features Jerry O'Connell and friends getting lost across the multiverse. O'Connell ("Stand By Me") plays boy genius Quinn Mallory, inventor of the Timer — a device that lets him and his friends "slide" through a wormhole vortex into different versions of Earth. The thing about wormhole vortexes, though, is that they like to misbehave, meaning Quinn and his buds never know where they're headed next on their adventures. This makes their quest to get back home to their own Earth a tricky one.

"Sliders" starts off fun and strong, and is at its best when having bonkers fun — like when Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) discovers a world where he could have been Elvis-level famous — and when it's exploring real-world issues in a high-concept dimension, like when the crew visits an Earth that treats men worse than women. Even if you've seen it before, it's definitely worth a re-watch, because "Sliders" is one  TV show that's better than you remember.

14. Continuum

On "Continuum," Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) is a Protector – think futuristic government agent from even more futuristic equipment — from the year 2077. She gets transported to the year 2012 along with a group of murderous terrorists, forcing Kiera to remain in the past as she chases them down. Fortunately, her gadgets and knowledge of the past soon come in handy and she finds loyal allies. Unfortunately, her enemies also know their history and plan on altering it for their own gain. 

"Continuum" milks the premise for all it's worth, while avoiding the pitfall of becoming a run-in-the-mill procedural with an unchanging status quo. While Kiera does handle her share of case-of-the-week story arcs, they're often connected to the group she pursues, and she never lets go of her primary target of stopping the terrorists. In order to avoid disrupting the timeline, she also has to go to great lengths to avoid revealing that either she or her targets are time travelers — and when their actions inevitably end up changing the future, she has to deal with the consequences. 

13. Timeless

If ever there was a time travel show that was canceled too soon, it's Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan's "Timeless." The NBC sci-fi series stars Abigail Spencer as the historian Lucy, Matt Lanter as the soldier Wyatt, and Malcolm Barrett as Rufus, a scientist who makes up a team trying to prevent a mysterious organization from altering the courses of history through time travel. They're up againsts Garcia Flynn (Goran Višnjić), who travels throughout history intending to influence major events like the Hindenburg disaster. However, the team soon realizes that the villain they thought they were fighting is much larger and infiltrates the historical timeline in ways they never imagined. 

Instead of focusing on the usual historical suspects, "Timeless" often highlights forgotten people of color, women, and lesser-known historical figures, giving them their due and celebrating their contributions to society. This element of the show can be seen in the way Rufus, for instance, is reluctant to join the team because he knows how Black people are treated in the eras they visit. 

Despite its intriguing concept, the show was canceled after Season 1, but fans caused such an uproar that NBC reversed the decision of canceling "Timeless"  and renewed it for another season. After Season 2, NBC pulled the plug once more, and again, the fans cried foul. In a kind of compromise, NBC greenlit a special two-hour series finale that ties up loose ends and gives much-needed closure to the story. 

12. 12 Monkeys

The "12 Monkeys" SyFy series is based on the 1995 film of the same name that stars Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt — though the series makes a fair few changes to stretch the plot into a four-season sci-fi drama. The series stars Aaron Sanford as James Cole, a scavenger from the year 2024 who's tasked with traveling to 2015 in order to stop the release of a biological weapon. In the movie, James is helped by a psychologist named Kathryn Railly played by Madeleine Stowe, but here, he befriends a virologist named Dr. Cassandra "Cassie" Railly (Amanda Schull). Pitt's character, Jeffrey Goines, is also gender-swapped here, with Emily Hampshire playing Jennifer Goines.

Like the movie, the series deals with the Cassandra Complex, the idea that we have a hard time believing concerns about the future, no matter how likely and provable they are. It also deals with circular time and the idea that past events can be affected by future ones. If those aspects of the film lift your time travel antennae, the four-season show dives even deeper.

11. Paper Girls

"Paper Girls" is a brilliant time travel show that was canceled way ahead of its time. Based on the comics by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, this Amazon series tells the story of a group of 1990s tween girls who get attacked by futuristic invaders. They manage to escape into the future, where one of the girls, Erin (Riley Lai Nelet ), meets her adult self (Ali Wong).

The show dispenses with grandfather paradox hand-wringing and instead uses the concept of the girls confronting their past and future selves, to brutally honest and hilarious effect. Young Erin is horrified to find out how much of herself she's abandoned by the time she turns into Old Erin, and refuses to let life work out that way. It motivates Erin to want to return to her home time even more — this kid has a clock to beat. However, there are two sides to the coin, and Old Erin is also able to care for her young self in ways she never felt able to when she was younger. It's a beautiful and potent visual metaphor that other characters also make good on. 

All in all, "Paper Girls" is a feast for the eyes as much as its ensemble cast is a feast for the soul. Plus, Jason Mantzoukas playfully chewing scenery as the ominous Grand Father? This show could have lasted until the end of time — or at least until Season 2.

10. Timewasters

"Timewasters" is a time travel comedy about a Black British jazz band that accidentally time-slips back to 1920s London, among other timelines. The quartet stumbles into an earlier time perod via a disgusting elevator that, yes, doubles as a time machine. Once the crew shows up in the past, they're treated like freaks, but they gain some measure of success as musicians. While the crew eventually tries to return to the present, they also have a "Back to the Future" moment when they seemingly get stuck in the 1950s.

"Timewasters" is full of funny jokes and great music, and it's a groundbreaking show in a number of ways. "People like us never get to time travel — it's what white people do, like skiing or brunch," creator Daniel Lawrence Taylor told the Royal Television Society . "For me, race is so important." Taylor also stars in "Timewasters," along with Kadiff Kirwan ("Slow Horses"), Adelayo Adedayo ("Some Girls"), and Samson Kayo ("Our Flag Means Death"). The show is also an excellent destination if you're into spotting a variety of British actors and comedians ... including Joseph Quinn, who went on to rise to fame as Eddie Munson on "Stranger Things."

9. Outlander

Based on the series of novels by Diana Gabaldon, Starz's "Outlander" follows the story of a World War II nurse named Claire (Caitriona Balfe) who finds herself thrown back in time after visiting a circle of mysterious Druid stones. She arrives in 18th Century Scotland and, after being taken in by a band of gruff Scots, she marries the dashing young Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) in order to avoid being taken prisoner by her real husband's (Tobias Menzies) apparent evil ancestor, Black Jack Randall (Menzies). Claire lives through a time of great upheaval in Scotland when tensions with British control are rising and history-making battles loom in the near future. Despite being initially reluctant to stay, she and Jamie fall deeply in love, and their romance remains the backbone of the series.

The entire "Outlander" timeline  takes some time to explain, what with several 20th-century characters taking the trip to the 18th century and the show covering versions of notable real-world historical events. Without further spoilers, all there is to say is that if you enjoy time travel shows that lean heavily toward historical drama, "Outlander" is where it's at. Also, if you view Tobias Menzies as an incorrigible dweeb due to his performance as Edmure Tully on "Game of Thrones," his monstrous "Outlander" villain is guaranteed to erase that image.

8. Quantum Leap

"Quantum Leap" stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physicist who invents a way to travel through time. When the corporation funding his project threatens to shut it down, Sam uses himself as a guinea pig to test out the method. He finds himself thrown back in time, but in another person's body. The only other entity aware of his 'leap" is a hologram of his colleague and best friend, Admiral Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell). Al tells Sam that he must correct things that went wrong in the past before being allowed to leap back to his own time and body, and can only use the resources of the project's supercomputer, Ziggy.

With Sam leaping back and forth into different bodies at different times, the show uses a variant of the traditional procedural set up. New characters turn up to guest star and Sam gets to save the day, have a fling, and learn something new before leaping to the next destination, which just might be home one of these days.  

The series ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993, but its combination of time travel and case-of-the-week antics has proved enduring enough that "Quantum Leap" even gets a shout-out in "Avengers: Endgame." Despite being over three decades old, it remains a cool time travel series worth checking out.

7. The 4400

In the opening scenes of "The 4400," an enormous ball of light drops 4,400 people at the foot of Mount Rainier in Washington. They soon realize that they were all taken from some other point in time and deposited into the year 2004, unaged and without any memories of where they'd been. At first, everyone assumes that these people have been abducted by aliens. However, it soon turns out that the truth is far more time travel-related.

The returned people soon start developing "Heroes"-style powers that range from telekinesis to telepathy and super-strength, which people from the future have entrusted with to prevent various catastrophic events that they want to avoid in their timeline. Unfortunately, the 2004 government considers the powered folks a threat, and inhibits their powers with a neurological drug. 

The stories that unfold from this setup are exactly as complex and entertaining as you'd imagine, with various members of the titular group treating their powers in different ways and society having a hard time dealing with them. Unfortunately, "The 4400" ended abruptly after four seasons on a somewhat ambiguous note, but even so, it's a fun show to revisit.

6. Travelers

In Netflix's "Travelers," time-traveling operatives from a post-apocalyptic future are tasked with preventing certain events that have led to the downfall of society in their own present day of 2018. The travelers' consciousness takes over a person in the desired time who's just about to die, and the operative then lives out the rest of that person's days though with the mission in mind ... and a strict set of rules they must follow. Apart from a list of ways they're not allowed to interact with the past, they're also strictly forbidden from communicating with other known travelers outside their team, save for special circumstances dictated by the Director, who communicates by temporarily taking over children. 

It's a unique and complex premise, and the way the travelers scope out potential targets for takeover and learn to live as them is as timely as it comes — they use social media, GPS locations, and other readily available online information for their time-travel tricks. This adds a layer of present-day dread to the show's fascinating take on time travel. 

Loki Laufeyson (Tom Hiddleston) meets his match when he comes up against the Time Variance Authority in one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most ambitious Disney+ shows, "Loki." The TVA is so dedicated to maintaining a particular sacred timeline that they purge all alternate realities where someone made a choice they deem wrong, which might not always make sense, but precision isn't the point here. It's the idea of playfulness versus control. 

The Loki we see here is an alternate-timeline variant of the one the audiences are familiar with, and thus starts the show in full "The Avengers" villain mode before life — and time — starts grinding him down. Working with TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson), he starts redeeming himself by tracking down an apparently evil version of himself, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) ... and ultimately tackling the biggest challenges time can offer.  

The God of Mischief's surprisingly human path of reckoning is the heart of a show that's deliciously stylish, silly, and sometimes scary. "Loki" takes a cops-and-robbers crime caper into time travel territory and explores hefty themes with a light touch, from mindless compliance to self-serving overseers to criminalizing anyone deemed different. "Loki" isn't just a time travel show — it's a show about everything time can offer and more, with characters dancing between eras as you might step from room to room. Also, it has Alligator Loki, who's objectively the best Loki of all. 

If "Loki" is too light-hearted for you, Netflix's "Dark" might be your jam ... provided you can make sense of its incredibly convoluted time travel storyline. Four families weave a tangled web of time travel in this German-language psychological thriller about missing kids, a rotten town, and how almost all of our secrets come out in time. In other words, it's a good time travel show, but it's definitely not a feel-good time travel show. 

"Dark" follows its many characters over the course of their lifetimes and, at one point, has three timelines going at once. Part of the intrigue and challenge of watching the show is trying to understand how (and when) each timeline threads into the other. If you decide to watch it, it's best to have an evidence board and plenty of red yarn ready to chart the relationships and betrayals the town of Winden sees over the years.

While "Dark" is as much a show about human connection and how frayed it can become as it is about time travel, it's also the MVP of using as many time travel paradoxes as possible during its three-season run. "Dark" is also an innovator in the field of wormhole placement. Wormholes are already not to be trusted, but a wormhole underneath a nuclear power plant? No, thank you.

3. Beforeigners

What happens when a bunch of Viking-era warriors, 19th-century figures, and Stone Age people pop up in modern-day Oslo? "Beforeigners" attempts to answer that question while navigating twisty murder mysteries with such efficiency that the Norwegian series may be best described as "crime travel." Adding to the intrigue is the way it focuses more on the present-day relationship between the time refugees and their modern counterparts than on how they showed up in the first place.

"Beforeigners" centers around the odd-couple partnership between hardened police detective Lars Haaland (Nicolai Cleve Broch) and eager new Viking police recruit Alfhildr Enginnsdóttir (Krista Kosonen), who investigate things like the murder of a Stone Age victim and even look into crimes with possible ties to Jack the Ripper.

The metaphor of time migration is an apt one for immigration, and this sci-fi show explores tricky real-life issues with plenty of scope. Creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin got their start in comedy writing, and their commitment to the bit is evident in the show, including the language used. "Early on, I contacted researchers, professors who helped us. We also constructed the language that Stone Age people spoke, and even with the language from the 19th century: We worked on it to make it sound right," Bjørnstad told Variety . "Why not invest in language, which is such a big part of a person's identity?"

2. Russian Doll

"Russian Doll" could be pitched as "Natasha Lyonne's 'Groundhog Day,'" but that still wouldn't hint at half of the show's charm and emotion. This Netflix offering is a mind-bending time loop dramedy that's a stylish and surreal exploration of life, death, and all the trauma in between. Season 1 of "Russian Doll" features Nadia (Lyonne) stuck reliving her 36th birthday until she inevitably dies and resets back to her friend's bathroom. Later in the season, she discovers a fellow time traveler (Charlie Barnett). They quickly realize that the way out of their dead ends and into a new life is through helping each other.

Season 2 takes some departures from the recursive reality set up in the first season, bending viewers' minds even more thoroughly. "Russian Doll" goes deep, but keeps a sense of humor even as it twists the knife in its characters' hearts — and their timelines. The show keeps audiences just oriented enough by linking its time loops to recognizable spaces and sound cues. You will never look at the subway the same way again, and you will probably never get Harry Nilsson's "Gotta Get Up" out of your head.

1. Doctor Who

Really, could any other show top a list like this?  The untold history of "Doctor Who"  goes all the way back to 1963, when the show premiered on the BBC. The series follows the adventures of a Time Lord who calls themselves the Doctor — an alien being from the planet Gallifrey who travels through space and time on a craft called the TARDIS, which is charmingly disguised as an old-fashioned British police call box and is famously bigger on the inside.  Every Doctor has their own companions  – humans who follow the Doctor throughout space and time, helping people, battling new and recurring villains, and dealing with the assorted wibbly-wobbly stuff on the Doctor's timeline .

The original series ran from 1963 through 1989 and established the neat trick of recasting the Doctor every few years or so, thanks to the premise that the character has multiple lives and can reincarnate himself into different physical bodies. The modern series was revived in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, and talented actors like David Tennant (twice), Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whitaker, and Ncuti Gatwa have followed in his footsteps. Even without the fact that no other show has time travel quite as integrated into its very premise as "Doctor Who," the show's sheer longevity and cultural impact are more than enough to make it the king of the time travel hill. 

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19 Time-Travel Dramas You Really Should Be Watching

A detective from 2000 and a cold case criminal profiler from 2015 solve old cases, as well as prevent new ones, by communicating through a mysterious walkie-talkie.

A man finds 9 magical incense sticks that allow him to travel 20 years back in time. He attempts to change the current world by saving his family from dangers 20 years ago, but the consequences are bigger than he can handle.

A detective accidentally travels to the future while chasing a serial killer through a mysterious tunnel. He discovers that the serial killer was never caught and continues to kill. With the help of the detectives in the future, he sets out to catch him once and for all.

4. Moon Lovers

An ordinary 21st-century woman gets transported back in time to year 941. She encounters royal princes of the Goryeo Dynasty and falls in love with the 8th prince.

5. Tomorrow, With You

A time traveling man foresees into the future to find himself living a miserable life. In order to change his fate, he marries a woman who ultimately teaches him how to love.

6. Saimdang, Light’s Diary

A Korean art history lecturer finds the mysterious diary of a historical figure named Saimdang. Through the diary, he tries to discover the truth behind her history.

7. Confession Couple

A divorced couple in their late-30s gets sent back in time to their college days. They try to change their life around by meeting new people, but destiny has its own plans.

8. Hit The Top

A famous idol travels to the future and meets his son, who is training to be an idol.

9. Live Up To Your Name

An oriental doctor from the past travels to the future and meets a doctor who firmly believes in modern medicine.

10. Splash Splash Love

A high school girl who has the ability to transport anywhere on a rainy day travels back to the Joseon dynasty, where she meets the young king.

11. Queen In Hyun’s Man

A noble-born scholar, who is the last remaining member of his family after a massacre, travels to the future and falls in love with an actress who stars in the drama about the massacre.

12. Rooftop Prince

A prince from the Joseon dynasty is sent to the future after he loses his lover. In the 21st century Seoul, he finds the reincarnation of his lost love who tries to help him back home.

13. Dr. Jin

A successful doctor travels back in time to the Joseon dynasty and meets a girl who looks exactly like his lover.

14. Somehow 18

A man travels back in time to try to save his first love who died when she was 18.

15. God’s Gift: 14 Days

A child gets kidnapped and is found dead. The mother of the child child travels back in time to save her child and catch the kidnapper.

16. Run Toward Tomorrow

A troublemaking high school student accidentally travels to the future, where he learns that his father was severely injured while looking for him. He tries to go back in time to change the future.

17. Manhole

A man travels between present and past in order to stop his ideal girlfriend from getting married.

18. Marry Him, If You Dare

A woman who regrets the choices she made in life travels back to her 32-year-old self, and tries to guide her away from making the same mistakes. One of the main mistakes being that she married the wrong person!

19. Bing Goo

A man from 1979 travels to the year 2016 and falls in love with a girl from the future.

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Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist

The best time travel K-dramas — and why there are so many of them

By Jae-Ha Kim TODAY.com  ( .pdf ) July 16, 2024

When you think of shows about time travel, what pops up in your mind? Maybe “Doctor Who,” “Outlander,” or “Quantum Leap”? But what about “Reborn Rich,” “A Time Called You,” and “Lovely Runner”?

If you haven’t heard of the latter three,  you are not caught up on your K-dramas .

Many shows out of South Korea incorporate time travel elements, but they tend to do so in a way that prioritizes relationships and plot over science fiction elements. Even the offerings that are heavy on sci-fi and fantasy stress the relationships not just between the leads, but between their core group of friends and family.

This does beg the question: why is the time travel trope so popular in Korean series? Besides adding a relatively unique element that differentiates the storylines from other shows, there is also a very visceral component. K-drama story arcs excel at telling tales of love and revenge. And what better way is there to get these points across than depicting how love and revenge transcend all boundaries, including time?

Below, find 12 of the best K-dramas about time travel to watch next.

‘Lovely Runner’ (2024)

The sleeper hit of this year is “Lovely Runner,” which stars Kim Hye-yoon (“SKY Castle,” “Extraordinary You”) and Byeon Woo-seok (“Record of Youth,” “Strong Girl Nam-soon”) in his breakthrough starring role.

“Lovely Runner” is full of action and intrigue, but at its core, it’s a story of undying love and sacrifice. Sun-jae (played by Byeon) is an isolated superstar, and Im-sol (Kim) is an uber fan who would do anything to support him. Both are 34 and wishing their lives had played out differently. The plot reveals that the unlikely pair has a history together that is centered on doing whatever it takes to protect each other. This includes traveling through time, knowing they may not be able to return home, or even see each other again.

Unlike many K-pop idols who also act (IU, Bae Suzy, Rowoon, Yoona, Cha Eun-woo, D.O.), the male lead here is not a trained singer. But Byeon portrays the leader of the fictional boy band Eclipse well enough that  “Sudden Shower ,” the drama’s recurring OST song that he sings, charted on Billboard in real life. Where to watch:  Viki

‘Signal’ (2016)

In this time-traveling crime series, two police officers (played by Lee Je-Hoon and Choi Jin-woong) communicate with each other while living decades apart. With one in the past and the other in the future, they are able to prevent tragedies and close cold cases that had seemed unsolvable. Kudos to Kim Hye-soo (“Hyena”) for her portrayal of the first female police officer in the squad. Initially viewed as little more than the department’s coffee maker, she grows to become a fierce and effective leader. Where to watch:  Netflix, Paramount+

‘Reborn Rich’ (2022)

This was the most-watched K-drama of 2022 in South Korea, and with good reason. Song Joong-ki’s time travel and reincarnation series explores the world of chaebols, the  family-owned businesses  that dominate the country’s economy, from the point of view of a diligent employee who tries to do the right thing, but gets whacked for his troubles. Though he should be dead, he awakens in the past. He has the awareness of his former self, but is in the prepubescent body of the youngest member of a privileged chaebol family. As he grows into his role, he uses his knowledge of the future (investing in “Titanic” before it opens) to reinvent himself in the past. Each day he spends with his new “family,” he plots out revenge against them for orchestrating his previous self’s death. All of this is complicated by his relationship with his difficult “grandfather,” who he has grown to respect. Where to watch:  Viki

‘Go Back Couple’ (2017)

After 14 years of marriage, college sweethearts Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) and Ban-do (Son Ho-jun) bicker more than they talk. Through a series of misunderstandings, they wonder why they ever wed and decide to divorce. After tossing their rings aside, they wake up in their respective childhood bedrooms. At first, they are ecstatic being young and carefree again, seeing parents who haven’t yet died. But by reliving their youth, they realize that their college years weren’t as idyllic as they had remembered. Where to watch:  Viki, Kocowa, Prime Video

‘A Time Called You’ (2023)

This remake of the Taiwanese show “Someday or One Day” has it all —  time travel, body jumping, doppelgangers! Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop each portray two sets of characters whose past and future are controlled by an old cassette player with a pop song on it, which allows them to have an input on what their lives are meant to be. There’s a lot going on, including a serial killer subplot. The ending was selfless and beautifully poetic. But be forewarned: viewers of happily-ever-after finales may be frustrated by the lack of finite closure. Where to watch:  Netflix

‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ (2020)

‘Tomorrow With You’ (2017)

‘Again My Life’ (2022)

‘Sisyphus’ (2021)

‘Twinkling Watermelon’ (2023)

‘Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938’ (2023)

‘Marry My Husband’ (2024)

EXTRA, EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT:

2 thoughts on “The best time travel K-dramas — and why there are so many of them”

K-dramas like #LovelyRunner excel at storytelling. And what better way is there to express how love & revenge transcend boundaries than to add in a time traveling element? My latest for @TODAYshow takes a look at some of our fave #KDramas in that genre. https://t.co/U69PcRpuCR — Jae-Ha Kim 김재하 (@GoAwayWithJae) July 16, 2024

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Soompi & Viki Staff Talk: What Is Your Favorite Time Travel K-Drama?

When it comes to fantasy dramas, time travel has been a much-loved theme among the years. For the next edition of the Soompi & Viki Staff Talk series, our team members discuss our favorite K-dramas that feature time traveling.

Here are our picks!

Warning: minor spoilers ahead

Sala: “ Alice ”

Although I haven’t watched many K-dramas about time travel, I remember “Alice” because of its talented cast. “Alice” is about Park Jin Gyeom ( Joo Won ), an emotionless detective searching for his mother’s killer who ends up investigating time traveling assassins who use a mysterious device called “Alice.” In the process, he meets Yoon Tae Yi ( Kim Hee Sun ), a genius physicist who looks exactly like his mother. I can’t give away much without delving into spoilers, but the element of time travel and mystery in this drama will have you on the edge of your seat the entire ride, and if you’re a fan of sci-fi, this is the drama for you! Although the story does take some unexpected twists and turns in an effort to weave an intricate story, the convincing acting delivered by the talented leads Joo Won and Kim Hee Sun will keep you immersed until the end. There are also jaw-dropping plot twists incorporating time travel, tying together a mindblowing story of the past, present, and not-so-distant future.

Watch “Alice” below:

Ginny: “ Go Back Couple ”

In “Go Back Couple,” Choi Ban Do ( Son Ho Jun ) and Ma Jin Joo ( Jang Nara ) are unhappily married and struggle through their daily lives of making a living and raising a child. Just when they feel like their marriage is coming to an end, they wake up and find themselves as 20-year-old college students, getting the chance to enjoy campus life again. Back in college, ROTC student Jung Nam Gil ( Jang Ki Yong ) actively pursues Jin Joo, while Ban Do works to develop his relationship with his first love Min Seo Young ( Go Bo Gyeol ). Given a second chance on life, will they make different decisions this time, or will they overcome their difficulties together? It’s a must-watch time travel drama that will bring you plenty of smiles and tears!

Watch “Go Back Couple” below:

Sehee: “ Reborn Rich ”

Imagine getting the chance to rise to the top to take revenge on those who did you and your family wrong. “Reborn Rich” takes you on a rollercoaster ride as Yoon Hyun Woo ( Song Joong Ki ) dies after being framed by the chaebol family he faithfully served as secretary and is reborn as the family’s youngest son Jin Do Joon. In his new life, he patiently pursues a strategy of massive retaliation against the family. The drama is filled with tension, action, and thrill with a sprinkle of romance. If you enjoy dramas that keep you at the edge of your seat like I do, this is the one for you!

Watch “Reborn Rich” below:

Natalie: “ Mr. Queen ”

One of the most dramatic K-dramas about time traveling has to be “Mr. Queen,” adventuring back and forth not mere years but centuries! Due to mysterious fate, modern-day male chef Jang Bong Hwan ( Choi Jin Hyuk ) wakes up in the body of Joseon queen Kim So Yong ( Shin Hye Sun ), forcing him to cope with not only change of sex, but more significantly, his duties as the people’s queen and the king’s wife. Clueless of who and where she (or he?) is, Kim So Yong’s strange demeanor is more than enough to raise countless eyebrows in the royal court of Joseon. Nevertheless, she finds her way through Joseon’s old-timey ways, bravely adjusting to the sudden changes that surround her (or him… still confused). “Mr. Queen” is a pleasant fusion of mystery, fantasy, comedy, and even romance, so it’s safe to say it has a bit of everything you want in a K-Drama. One of my personal favorites was when Queen So Yong finds out that she is pregnant with the baby of King Cheol Jong ( Kim Jung Hyun ). What’s supposed to be a merry and blissful moment turns hilarious as the originally male queen copes with the fact that he has a literal human growing inside of his womb! There’s really no reason to waste time not watching this drama—10/10 would recommend!

Watch “Mr. Queen” below:

JJin: “ Blue Birthday ”

In “Blue Birthday,” Oh Ha Rin ( Yeri ) burns photos taken 10 years ago in high school in order to save her first love Ji Seo Jun ( Hongseok ), who died on her 18th birthday. Although the plot sounds tragic, this drama is filled with many heart-fluttering moments and close friendship among the main characters. Additionally, the time-traveling narrative unquestionably highlights and deepens the romance between the leads. You won’t get bored watching the drama not only because Oh Ha Rin constantly keeps finding undiscovered stories but also because of plot twists surrounding Ji Seo Jun’s sudden death. If you love the fantasy genre and believe that dramas shouldn’t be too realistic like I do, “Blue Birthday” is definitely worth a watch.

Watch “Blue Birthday” below:

Winnie: “ Again My Life ”

Even if you think you’ve seen enough of dramas about time traveling, the addition of terrific action scenes, a lawless lawyer, and revenge makes “Again My Life” a fresh experience worth watching. In this series, Lee Joon Gi plays the role of Kim Hee Woo, who was unjustly killed while investigating a corrupt politician. Luckily, he unexpectedly travels back 15 years into the past after getting a second chance at life, and he decides to live a bit differently this time. What really enhances this drama is Lee Joon Gi’s impressive acting, as he interpreted the roles before and after the reincarnation very delicately.

Watch “Again My Life” below:

Somni: “ Familiar Wife ”

Starring Ji Sung and Han Ji Min, “Familiar Wife” is a fantasy romance drama that teaches a very important life lesson to not be deceived by familiarity and to not lose the precious one next to you. Cha Joo Hyuk ( Ji Sung ), who married Seo Woo Jin ( Han Ji Min ), gets tired of his wife’s temper as she always yells at him for not doing the housework. One day, Joo Hyuk happens to attain two magical coins that can take him back to the past, and he decides to use them to change his life by marrying his first love Lee Hye Won ( Kang Han Na ) instead of Woo Jin. Although Joon Hyuk is happy living a prosperous life with Hye Won, he keeps getting entangled with Woo Jin and finds himself being attracted to her. If you are feeling that the person next to you is less important now, “Familiar Wife” is a drama that can enlighten you that it may not be the people around you that changed but your attitude toward them. Although we cannot go back in time and change our lives even if we wanted to, let’s not forget the precious time and memories we spent with the people who have always been there for us!

Watch “Familiar Wife” below:

Yeon: “ Tomorrow With You ”

Although I am usually not fond of time travel dramas, there is one time travel drama that I never get tired of watching. “Tomorrow With You” tells the story of time traveler Yoo So Joon ( Lee Je Hoon ) who ends up marrying the bubbly Song Ma Rin ( Shin Min Ah ) to prevent an unfortunate event he sees in the future. Although the marriage begins with this purpose, they gradually fall in love and work to protect their love and each other from darkness ahead. Yoo So Joon travels through time by riding a subway, and this is portrayed in a quite realistic way that can even attract viewers like me who tend to shy away from the fantasy genre. More than anything, Lee Je Hoon and Shin Min Ah’s chemistry really adds spark to this drama and is what hooked me immediately. They portray an incredibly lovable couple that is impossible not to fall for!

Watch “Tomorrow With You” below:

What is your favorite K-drama that features time traveling? Vote in the poll above, and also let us know other favorites in the comments below!

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Best Time Travelling K-Dramas You Shouldn’t Miss

Time traveling or time slip K-dramas is something I will always look forward to because I’m such a huge fan of the sci-fi genre. It’s impressive how K-dramas can come up with various stories that involve time travel, so let’s talk about the best of the best!

“ My Perfect Stranger “

Before we dive into the list, let me introduce you to a recent time-traveling K-drama that I’m absolutely obsessed with! It’s called “ My Perfect Stranger ” and stars Kim Dong Wook and Jin Ki Joo.

This drama has a mix of genres, including sci-fi, mystery, and drama. It revolves around a journalist who has the ability to travel through time in order to solve a murder case that will eventually be connected to his own death one year later in the present timeline. Alongside him is an editor who wishes to change her mother’s life by preventing her from meeting her alcoholic husband, hoping to provide her with a better life even without her current existence.

I’ve already watched all the episodes released so far, and I can’t get enough of it! Kim Dong Wook and Jin Ki Joo are perfectly cast in their respective roles, and I’m particularly enjoying the dynamic between Jin Ki Joo’s character and Seo Ji Hye, who portrays her younger mother in the year 1987. The interactions between these characters are truly captivating!

Best Time Travelling K-Dramas

“ go back couple “.

“ Go Back Couple ” takes us on a nostalgic journey as we follow the married couple who unexpectedly find themselves transported back to their college days, a time when their love story first began. As they navigate through their past, they rekindle the spark that brought them together and gain valuable insights about sacrifice, marriage, dreams, and happiness.

This drama captivates us with its compelling plot, relatable characters, and theme that makes us ponder life’s choices. The perfect blend of comedy and heartfelt storytelling adds to its charm, making “ Go Back Couple ” truly stand out as one of the best time-traveling dramas ever created.

“Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”

When we talk about time-traveling K-dramas, “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” instantly comes to mind for many. This extraordinary Korean drama seamlessly combines romance, historical intrigue, and emotional depth, leaving a lasting impression. What sets it apart is the unique premise of a present-day woman being transported back to the Goryeo Dynasty.

Not only does the drama boast an incredible concept, but it also features a stellar cast, stunning cinematography, and a mesmerizing portrayal of love and sacrifice that transcends time. The reason why this drama continues to hold a special place in our hearts is the deep connection we formed with the characters, yearning for their well-deserved happy endings. It’s an unforgettable journey that lingers long after the final episode.

“ Rooftop Prince “

“ Rooftop Prince ” is a beloved and timeless K-drama that we all cherish! It’s an incredible Korean drama that effortlessly combines humor, romance, and mystery, creating an unforgettable narrative. The story revolves around a Crown Prince and his faithful companions who are transported from the Joseon era to modern-day Seoul. There, they encounter a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the prince’s deceased wife.

The drama delights us with the amusing and fascinating journey of a Crown Prince adapting to the unfamiliar world of the 21st century. It features a captivating plot filled with unexpected twists and turns as they unravel the mysteries surrounding the prince’s tragic past.

“Tomorrow With You”

“Tomorrow with You” is a remarkable Korean drama that skillfully weaves together elements of romance, suspense, and fantasy, resulting in a captivating and thought-provoking storyline. The drama centers around a wealthy CEO who possesses the unique ability to travel through time using the subway.

In a desperate bid to alter his predetermined fate of death, he makes the courageous decision to marry a woman. Their relationship becomes the centerpiece of one of the most beautiful romances ever portrayed in a K-Drama. Together, they navigate the intricacies of their connection, unearthing long-held secrets from the past and confronting the far-reaching consequences of changing the future.

“ Best Punch “

“ Best Punch ” is a delightful and entertaining Korean drama that takes us on a heartwarming journey through time. The story revolves around Yoo Hyun-Jae, a pop idol who finds himself magically transported from the 1990s to the present day.

“ Best Punch ” knows how to create a light-hearted and feel-good atmosphere. The drama effortlessly combines humor and nostalgia, evoking fond memories of the 1990s music scene. It cleverly incorporates witty references to pop culture, making it a treat for fans of that era!

“ The Great Doctor “

“ The Great Doctor ” is a captivating and adrenaline-pumping Korean drama that takes us on a time-traveling adventure. The story follows a skilled modern-day plastic surgeon who unexpectedly finds herself transported back to the Goryeo Dynasty.

“ The Great Doctor ” stands out for its impressive production values, thrilling action scenes, and sweeping romance. The portrayal of historical figures, along with the authentic costumes and settings, creates an immersive and visually stunning experience, transporting us to ancient Korea.

“ 365: Repeat The Year “

One of the most exciting K-dramas I’ve watched is “ 365: Repeat The Year ,” which is a thrilling and suspenseful time-traveling series that will leave you on the edge of your seat. The show features a group of people who get the chance to go back in time exactly one year and start their lives anew.

What makes “ 365: Repeat the Year ” stand out is its gripping and unpredictable storyline. The drama combines elements of mystery, suspense, and psychological thriller to keep you captivated throughout every episode. With each twist and turn, you’ll be left guessing and eagerly waiting to see what happens next.

Honestly, the list of enjoyable time-traveling K-dramas could go on and on. If you’re still unsure about which one to watch from the list, why not join me in watching “ My Perfect Stranger ” on KOCOWA+? Let’s embark on this drama journey together and discover the magic of time travel!

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The best K-dramas about time travel

July 18, 2024, 5:26 p.m. 1 How

Among the series that deal with time travel, which come to mind? Maybe “Doctor Who”, “Outlander” or “Quantum Leap”? But what about “Reborn Rich,” “A Time Called You” and “Lovely Runner”? If you haven't heard of these last three, you're not up to date when it comes to K-dramas. Many South Korean series incorporate time travel elements, but they tend to do so in a way that emphasizes relationships and intrigue over sci-fi elements. Indeed, even series that focus on science fiction and fantasy emphasize the relationships not only between the protagonists, but also between their group of friends and their family.

So one might wonder why the theme of time travel is so popular in Korean series. In addition to adding a relatively unique element that differentiates the plots from other series, there is also a very visceral component and K-drama storylines shine in their ability to tell stories of love and revenge. There is no better way to convey these ideas than to show how love and revenge transcend all boundaries, even time. So, below we bring you 12 of the best time travel K-dramas.

Lovely Runner (2024)

Starring Kim Hye-yoon (“SKY Castle,” “Extraordinary You”) and Byeon Woo-seok (“Record of Youth,” “Strong Girl Nam-soon”) in her debut role, “Lovely Runner” is the unexpected success of this year. Despite its action-packed side and intrigue, “Lovely Runner” is above all a story of eternal love and sacrifice.

While Sun-jae (played by Byeon) is an isolated superstar, Im-sol (Kim) is a die-hard fan who would do anything to support him and both are 34 years old and wish their lives had turned out differently. We discover throughout the plot that this unlikely couple has a shared history of doing whatever it takes to protect each other, including traveling through time knowing that they cannot - not be able to return home, or even see each other again.

What sets him apart from many K-pop idols who are also actors such as IU, Bae Suzy, Rowoon, Yoona, Cha Eun-woo, DO is that the male lead is not a trained singer, on the contrary ; Byeon plays the leader of the fictional boy band Eclipse well enough that "Sudden Shower", a recurring song from the drama's OST that he performs, charted on the Billboard in real life. This k-drama is available on Viki.

signals (2016)

This time travel crime series features two police officers (played by Lee Je-Hoon and Choi Jin-woong) who communicate with each other while living decades apart. With one in the past and the other in the future, they are able to prevent tragedies and close cases that seemed unsolvable. Kim Hye-soo ("Hyena") is to be commended for her portrayal of the squad's first female police officer, as although she was initially seen as just the department's cafe waitress, she grew into a fierce leader and efficient.

This k-drama is available on Netflix, Paramount+

Reborn Rich (2022)

It is not for nothing that this series was the most watched of the year 2022 in South Korea. In this series about time travel and reincarnation, Song Joong-ki explores the world of chaebols, the family businesses that dominate the country's economy, through the perspective of a diligent employee trying to to do what is necessary, but who finds himself at the door for his misfortune. When he should be dead, he wakes up in the past realizing his former identity, while in the prepubescent body of the youngest member of a privileged chaebol family.

As he grows into his role, he uses his knowledge of the future (by investing in "Titanic" before its release) to reinvent himself in the past while plotting revenge against his new family who orchestrated the death of his former Me. What complicates all of this is the relationship he has with his "grandfather", a difficult man whom he has learned to respect.

This k-drama is available on Viki

Go Back Couple (2017)

After 14 years of marriage, Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) and Ban-do (Son Ho-jun), two college sweethearts, bicker more than they talk and what happens next from a series of misunderstandings that they wonder why they got married to the point of deciding to divorce. However, after throwing away their rings, they wake up in their respective childhood bedrooms which initially delights them because they are young and carefree again, seeing parents who are not yet dead.

It is then by reliving their youth that they realize that their years of study were not as idyllic as they had imagined.

This k-drama is available on Viki, Kocowa, Prime Video

A Time Called You (2023)

It's a remake of the Taiwanese series "Someday or One Day" which has everything to please, whether it's time travel, body changes or even lookalikes! Actors Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop each play two characters whose past and future are controlled by an old cassette player with a pop song on it that allows them to have a say in what their life is meant to be.

It's also a film full of twists and turns, including a serial killer plot, and a selfless and beautifully poetic ending. However, viewers who like happy endings may be frustrated by the lack of a definitive ending.

This k-drama is available on Netflix

The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

Taking place in parallel universes, this K-drama marks the return of Lee Min-ho after completing his mandatory military service in 2019. He plays the monarch of the Kingdom of Corea, a unified country whose capital is in Busan, while the other universe takes place in Seoul, where Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun) works as a detective. It is after discovering a portal that allows him to travel between the two cosmos that the king sets out to discover who saved him from death by a traitor, which leads us to wonder if it is Tae Who traveled in time? Or someone else who is not what they seem?

Tomorrow With You (2017)

After nearly dying in an accident, So-joon (Le Je-hoon) discovers that he has the ability to project himself into the future and return home in the past thanks to a subway ride, which allows him to invest in safe stocks and real estate transactions that will allow him to become a very rich man. It is then that he meets Ma-rin (Shin Min-a), whose childhood stardom did not do him much good, and that he falls in love with her. He foresees her imminent death and therefore uses his time traveling abilities to protect her, but the problem is that a life saved results in the death of one of the characters in the series.

This k-drama is available on Tubi, Roku

Again My Life (2022)

In this action k-drama, we find Lee Joon-gi who brilliantly plays the role of Hee-woo, a fearless prosecutor who is murdered early on. He takes his trouble patiently when an omnipotent being brings him back to life in the form of a student and he is obviously the smartest in the school thanks to the time he has already spent as a lawyer seasoned. His memory also allows him to make decisions based on what he already knows about the future. Although Hee-woo still has years before he can put all of his knowledge into practice, he uses his new connections to bring down the man who orchestrated his destruction when he ascends to a position of power.

Martial arts fans will appreciate the fact that Lee, a black belt in taekwondo, performs most of his fights himself.

Sisyphus (2021)

While Tae-sul (Cho Seung-woo) is a brilliant inventor, Park Shin-hye is a warrior from the future whose mission is to stop him from creating a time machine that will ultimately destroy South Korea . These two characters go back and forth to find allies but also enemies, however a problem awaits them because each of them exists in all eras and cannot be in the same place. Indeed, getting too close to their past or present can make them disappear from reality.

Twinkling Watermelon (2023)

This is an exciting series that addresses the question every teenager asks, were my parents always this boring? For Eun-gyeol (Ryeoun), the answer is both yes and no, because after arguing with his father Yi-chan (played as an adult by Choi Won-young and as a teenager by Choi Hyun -wook), who does not want him to pursue a career in music, the young boy finds himself taken back to the time when his hearing-impaired father was a high school student.

Dismayed to see his father desperate to date another girl (who is not his mother!), Eun-gyeol comes up with a scheme to push him towards the right girl, while making it his mission to prevent his father from have an accident that leaves him hard of hearing.

This k-drama is available Viki

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 (2023)

In this sequel to 2020's "Tale of the Nine Tailed," our charismatic gumiho, a mythological nine-tailed fox with superpowers, is transported to 1938, when Imperial Japan occupied Korea. Eager to return home, he joins the freedom fighters who are desperately trying to free their country.

What makes this K-drama intriguing is the action, namely the backstabbing and sword slashing, but above all it is the peaceful relationship between the alpha guimho Lee Yeon (Lee Dong- wook) and his half-human brother Lee Rang (Kim Bum) who makes this K-drama a film in its own right.

This k-drama is available Prime Video

Marry My Husband (2024)

It is in the role of a shy woman mistreated by her unfaithful husband (Lee Yi-kyung) and gassed by her best friend (Song Ha-yoon), that Park Min-young, the queen of K-drama, plays in this film. After his death, she mysteriously wakes up ten years earlier and quickly realizes that she can change her destiny by passing on her misery to someone else, leading her to convince another woman to marry her husband.

There is also a subplot involving a rich and attractive man (Na In-woo), who has secrets of his own, but the best part of the series is seeing our heroine use what she knows about the future to rectify her past and thus create a life worth living.

This k-drama is available on Prime Video.

So among the k-dramas on this list, which one is your favorite?

I've already looked at a few (or maybe half the list) ^^'.

I should cover “Again My Life” and give “The Time Call You” a chance! I really enjoyed the original version and I admit to having some reservations about this Korean remake. I'm still adding it to my watch-list :>

Meet the cast of the Thai version of the K-drama “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”

Byeon Woo Seok's Fans Flood Gong Seung Yeon's Post With Complaints

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• Entertainment
• How <i>Lovely Runner</i> Nailed Its Finale to Become the Year’s Best K-Drama (So Far)

How Lovely Runner Nailed Its Finale to Become the Year’s Best K-Drama (So Far)

Warning: This article contains spoilers for all of Lovely Runner .

We’re only halfway through 2024, but any upcoming Korean drama that is looking to steal the title of year’s best from Lovely Runner (선재 업고 튀어) is going to have to pull out all the stops. This week, the time-travel romance wrapped up its 16-episode tale on Viki, sticking its landing by prioritizing heart over plot mechanics. In a year that has seen some less-than-stellar K-drama conclusions , Lovely Runner defied the odds. It’s not that other K-dramas—from Queen of Tears to Sweet Home ’s continuing story to Marry My Husband —haven’t been enjoyable; it’s that Lovely Runner has mixed nostalgia, romance, a murder subplot, and the emotional agonies of slipping back and forth through time to become something greater than the sum of its tropes. So let’s discuss how the series used familiar genres to craft a thrillingly unexpected, continuously moving story experience, becoming one of the spring’s most compelling streaming watches in the process.

What is Lovely Runner about?

At first glance, Lovely Runner seems like a relatively straightforward fan-idol romance , albeit with a time-travel twist. In the first episode, we meet Im Sol ( Extraordinary You ’s Kim Hye-yoon), a 34-year-old fan of K-pop star Ryu Sun-jae ( 20th Century Girl ’s Byeon Woo-seok). The bulk of Lovely Runner ’s first episode is set in 2023, and follows Sol in her normal life. A wheelchair user who aspires to make her own films, she has a steady job and a supportive family and is mostly happy. However, when superstar Sun-jae unexpectedly dies, seemingly by suicide, Sol is devastated. Sun-jae gave Sol personal advice at a time when she didn’t want to go on, and she has found immense comfort in their parasocial relationship ever since. That very night, Sol had even had the chance to meet Sun-jae, when he stopped his car on a snowy bridge to make sure she was OK after her wheelchair ran out of power.

In her despair and confusion, Sol falls into Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream while wearing Sun-jae’s old watch, previously purchased in a fan auction. When she presses one of its buttons, the digital watch sends her back in time 15 years to the life she was living as a 19-year-old high school student in 2008. She vows to save Sun-jae from his future untimely death—whatever it takes.

The first time-slip

This goal may seem unrealistic, but Sol has a head start given that as a teenager, she happened to be neighbors with teenage swim star Sun-jae, a detail she somehow never put together. By the end of Episode 2, it’s further revealed that, while Teen Im Sol may have been ignorant of Teen Ryu Sun-jae’s existence, Teen Sun-jae has had a crush on Teen Sol. He’s been betsotted since he first saw Sol, yellow umbrella in hand, running through the rain. One of his most popular K-pop songs, “Sudden Shower,” was even inspired by the event.

This reveal recontextualizes their entire relationship, past and present: This isn’t just the story of a fan who travels back in time to save her bias ; it’s the story of two people tied together by fate. “We live our lives as we miss out on many things,” muses Sol in Episode 5. “To me, Sun-jae was like a star in the sky, unreachable and a universe away … Only when I faced my past again, did I realize how many moments of connection I had missed.”

Unfortunately, Sol and Sun-jae’s unfurling destiny is not all sunshine and rainbows. Unbeknownst to the Sol who first slipped back in time, Sun-jae was the person who saved her from drowning in the accident that left her paralyzed—an incident caused by Kim Young-soo (Heo Hyung-kyu), a taxi driver with a penchant for serial kidnapping and murder. Kim Young-soo is tangled up in Sol and Sun-jae’s web of fate, bringing recurring tragedy into their love story. 

After spending months as her teenage self, getting to know Sun-jae, and discovering he has always had feelings for her, Sol travels back to 2023 in Episode 7, leaving Sun-jae behind with her ignorant past self. Upon Sol’s initial return to 2023, she finds things somewhat changed. She has the use of her legs, having used her knowledge as a time traveler to escape Kim Young-soo’s clutches, and is working for a production company. When she reconnects with Sun-jae, who is still a star in this revised timeline, they finally confess their mutual feelings for one another. It seems like a happy ending, until Kim Young-soo pops back up again, stabbing Sun-jae and leaving him critically injured in the hospital. Desperate to save the love of her life, Sol activates Sun-jae’s watch—this time, with specific intention— and travels back to 2009, 10 days after she previously left. 

The second time-slip

In this era, Sun-jae and Sol are enrolled at the same college. Though Sol initially tries to stay away from Sun-jae, convinced that it is their relationship that puts him in mortal danger, they eventually get together. “Stop running away from me. Just pursue your feelings for me,” Sun-jae tells Sol, when he figures out the truth of her time travel. “If I end up dying to save you, I’ll be fine with that. That doesn’t matter.” However, their happy ending is once again thwarted by Kim Young-soo, who comes after Sol. While trying to keep Sol safe, Sun-jae is stabbed and falls off a cliff into the ocean below, dying. 

The third time-slip

Sol uses the watch for a third and final time to travel back to the first day Sun-jae noticed her: yellow umbrella in hand, running through the rain. Sol avoids Sun-jae altogether, erasing her existence from his life completely. 

When Sol travels back to 2023, she is a hardworking film producer; she is happy, but when she gets drunk, she still cries about having to let Sun-jae go. But fate once again brings Sol and Sun-jae together. While Sun-jae has no memory of the time they shared together in the other versions of their lives, he is still drawn to Sol. When he reads a script she has written, a fictionalized version of their love story, he is moved to tears, and wants to star in the film. 

Sol does everything she can to keep it from happening, but fate keeps bringing them together in echoes of the lost past. When the two get stuck in a ferris wheel car, a metaphor for the seemingly inescapable cycle they’re stuck in, Sun-jae wonders if they can’t change the ending of Sol’s script: “By the way, is that how it really ends? Is the man stuck in life without any memories of the woman he loved?” 

Do Sol and Sun-jae have a happy ending?

Sol and Sun-jae get a happy ending, avoiding their tragic fate once and for all through the power of love and the impressive driving skills of Sol’s high school friend, Kim Tae-sung (Song Geon-hee). Tae-sung, who was characterized as a bit of a scoundrel in the initial timeline, has become a detective like his father in the revised version of the timeline—presumably, at least partially, because of Im Sol’s positive influence and support. When Kim Young-soo gets out of jail and starts stalking teenage girls again, Tae-sung is able to track him down. 

A high-speed chase across a snowy Seoul seems poised to end in tragedy for Sun-jaen. Sun-jae has begun to remember his other lives with Sol, and stumbles out onto the street in front of Kim Young-soo’s car in his distress and confusion. It seems that Sol’s worst fear (that her presence always brings death into Sun-jae’s life) is about to be realized once again. However, Tae-sung manages to careen into Young-soo’s car first, stopping him from hitting Sun-jae. 

Tae-sung pursues Young-soo on foot across Seoul, chasing him into a busy highway where the story’s villain is struck by a car and falls into the water below. It is an echo of Im Sol’s original fate at the hands of Young-soo. This time, however, Young-soo dies, leaving Sol and Sun-jae to their happy ending.

How did Sol’s grandmother end up with the watch?

Some sticklers for traditional time-travel plot mechanics may find Sol and Sun-jae’s ending unsatisfying. Sun-jae recovers his memories of Sol, despite never having lived them in this timeline. The recovery is somewhat explained through the musings of Sol’s grandmother, Jung Mal-ja (Seong Byeong-sook), who is living with dementia in 2023. Because of her condition, she herself often does not remember who Sol is, but she has moments of clarity about Sol’s time travel and her romance with Sun-jae that suggest she understands things that other characters do not. “Memories don’t disappear,” she tells Sol in one of these moments. “Where do you think all the countless memories of what you see, listen, and feel in your life go? They’re all seared onto my soul. Even if my brain forgot them, my soul hasn’t. It’s been keeping every piece of it.” 

In the final episode, Mal-ja is also revealed to have the watch that allowed Sol to travel through time. She throws it into Cheonggyecheon Stream, ending the cycle of time travel and ensuring that Sol will stay in this timeline, with Sun-jae. When Sun-jae proposes to Sol and they embrace under the falling cherry blossoms, they both see a flash of their future wedding, suggesting it is a memory that they have not yet experienced. Still, like their multiple pasts, it is very much real. 

While the impetus of the time travel is never fully revealed, it should be noted that, the first time we see Sun-jae’s watch— before Sun-jae’s initial death and before Sol first travels back in time—she is looking for Sun-jae’s watch so she can wear it to his concert. It is revealed to be on the wrist of Mal-ja, who has stolen it from Sol’s things while she was sleeping. Did Mal-ja do something to initiate the time-slips and, if so, how did she even know that they would be necessary? (This was before Sun-jae’s first untimely death.) We may never know, unless writer Lee Si Eun chooses to reveal further insight. Personally, I like to imagine that Mal-ja had her own experiences as a time traveler in her youth, but that is solely head canon.

Why the Lovely Runner ending (mostly) works

In its ending, Lovely Runner prioritizes emotional logic over plot logic—a trademark of Korean romantic melodrama that has been integral to the success of Hallyu , or the Korean Wave. Time-travel plots are notoriously hard to pull off because time travel doesn’t, you know, actually exist. Enforcing the burden of “realism” upon time-travel stories is a fool’s errand. However, like all stories, time-travel tales must have an internal logic and consistency to work. For Lovely Runner , that logic came in the central theme of a seemingly unavoidable fate and the many kinds of love (self, familial, platonic, and romantic) that led to a defiance of it. Using this logic, Lovely Runner was able to give viewers an incredibly satisfying story of love that transcends not only time, but fate. In the process, it was able to use a genre’s structure to give us three mini-stories in one—a high school romance, a college romance, and a workplace romance—tied together by incredible central performances from Kim and Byeon.

It is also noteworthy that Sol’s happy ending came not only in her relationship with Sun-jae, but in the opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming a film director. With the support of boyfriend Sun-jae, Sol writes and directs her first short film, which is seemingly a version of her love story with Sun-jae. For Sun-jae, who is initially portrayed as an unhappy idol, the realization of his career stays somewhat consistent throughout the timelines. While he enjoys being on stage, it is rather his love for Sol that truly brings about his happy ending, as he is finally given the chance to fully love and support her. This is consistent with the romantic K-drama format’s prioritization of the female gaze: In Lovely Runner , Sol is truly about to “have it all,” both professionally and in her domestic life. Meanwhile, Sun-jae is able to find fulfillment not through professional or interpersonal dominance, as the male gaze often dictates, but rather by supporting the woman he loves. 

One notable way in which Lovely Runner fumbles its ending, however, comes in its ultimate depiction of disability as an obstacle to be “overcome” or “cured” in pursuit of the ultimate happy ending. In its first episode, Lovely Runner does a good job not depicting Sol’s disability as a tragedy, but rather as just one aspect of her character. As a wheelchair user, she is impacted by ableist systems, but that is framed as society’s inadequacy, not her own. This positive representation is undermined, however, by how quickly the show drops this aspect of her character as soon as she travels back in time. It would have been groundbreaking to see Sol’s happy ending include disability.  

Lovely Runner ’s (mostly) satisfying ending is further tied to its success as a series . Within fan culture, Lovely Runner has been seen as The Little K-Drama That Could: The production was reportedly stuck in development hell for three years before being greenlit. Despite having Lee Si Eun ( True Beauty ) on board as a writer and being based on a pre-existing web novel/ webtoon called Tomorrow’s Best , casting was difficult. For 32-year-old Byeon, who was eventually cast as Ryu Sun-jae, it was his first role as a K-drama lead. Furthermore, the show streamed internationally on niche platform Viki rather than global powerhouse Netflix. The success of a show that was never supposed to be a big hit, and the attention it has brought both Byeon and Kim, feels like a kind of destiny. Happy endings are not guaranteed in the real world, but, if watching 선재 업고 튀어 has reminded us of anything this spring , isn’t it lovely to sometimes imagine we have the power to will them into existence?

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