8 K-Dramas + 2 J-Dramas You Need To Watch In September 2024!

Believe it or not, we’ve reached the end of August. I hope you’ve all survived this crazy heat >< With the worst of the summer over, the second semester of 2024 is here, bringing a whole new bunch of K-dramas (and even a couple of J-dramas) along for our utmost joy!

Are you ready for these 8 new K-drama releases in September? What about the 2 new J-dramas coming up? Shall we take a look at them together?

This September, in Korea…

Advertised as a “high-teen hyperrealist original series” and set in Jungang High School, Fragile follows a group of teenagers as they slowly become adults, exploring their youthful romances and the taboos that mark this stage of life.

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• Release date: September 11th, 2024
• Network: Disney+
• Episodes: 12
• Cast: Kim Dong-wook, Park Ji-hwan, Seo Hyun-woo, Park Se-wan, Lee Seung-woo
• Where have I seen these people before? Kim Dong-wook was the lead in Delightfully Deceitful, You Are My Spring and Find Me in Your Memory. You might remember Park Ji-hwan in Our Blues. Seo Hyun-woo was in Disney+’s Uncle Samsik.
• Writer: Lee Kwang Jae (this is his TV screenwriter credit) and Lee Young Chul (from KBS2’s Hit the Top)
• Director: Shin Jong-hoon (from SBS’s One Dollar Lawyer) and Ahn Jong-yun (from SBS’s Racket Boys)

Dongbang Yoo-bin (Kim Dong-wook) is the best homicide squad leader in the country. For one reason or another, he volunteers to join Korea’s lowest-ranking homicide squad and make them the best team in the nation.

Initially scheduled to be released in May 2024, Seoul Buster‘s first teaser was released at the 2023 SBS Drama Awards. However, earlier this year, Seoul Busters was sent to Disney+ due to programming issues and it’s finally being released as a Disney+ Original.

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• Release date: September 21st, 2024
• Network: SBS (internationally, you can watch it on Disney+)
• Episodes: 14
• Cast: Park Shin-hye and Kim Jae-young
• Where have I seen these people before? Park Shin-hye has such a long list of famous titles to her name that I wouldn’t even know where to start but I truly hope you’ve seen her latest show, the wonderful Doctor Slump (jTBC). Meanwhile, you might have recently seen Kim Jae-young in tvN’s Love in Contract.
• Writer: Jo Yi-soo (this is his first screenwriter credit)
• Director: Park Jin-pyo (a film director known for 2023’s Brave Citizen, this is his first K-drama)

Kang Bit-na (Park Shin-hye) is a devil who possessed the body of an intelligent, beautiful judge. She sends evil people who don’t repent of their crimes to hell. Her life changes when Bit-na meets Han Da-on (Kim Jae-young), a kind and bright detective who dedicates his life to catching criminals.

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• Release date: September 23rd, 2024
• Network: ENA/Genie TV (internationally, you can watch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 12
• Cast: Shin Hye-sun, Lee Jin-wook, Kang Hoon and Jo Hye-joo
• Where have I seen these people before? Shin Hye-sun’s acting range is so varied that you’ve probably seen her in all sorts of roles. Her latest show was jTBC’s Welcome to Samdal-ri. Lee Jin-wook was in Netflix’s Sweet Home while Kang Hoon played the second lead in Netflix’s A Time Called You. Jo Hye-joo’s last show was last year’s My Demon (SBS).
• Writer: Han Ga-ram (from jTBC’s When the Weather Is Fine)
• Director: Jung Ji-hyun (from tvN’s Twenty-Five Twenty-One) and Heo Seok-won (from ENA/Genie TV’s Lies Hidden in My Garden)

Joo Eun-ho (Shin Hye-sun) lives with dissociative identity disorder. One of her identities is an announcer who is struggling with her career while her second identity, Joo Hye-ri, works as a parking attendant. She used to date Jung Hyeon-o (Lee Jin-wook), a famous and successful announcer. When they reunite, they bring healing to each other’s lives.

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• Release date: September 25th, 2024
• Network: KBS2 (internationally, you can watch it on KOCOWA)
• Episodes: 12
• Cast: Lee Soon-jae, Kim Yong-gun, and Im Chae-moo
• Where have I seen these people before? Lee Soon-jae was part of the supporting cast of Disney+’s Family: The Unbreakable Bond and SBS’s Again My Life. Kim Yong-gun was part of the supporting cast of MBC’s Let’s Hold Hands Tightly and Watch The Sunset while Im Chae-moo is a soap opera veteran (his credits include SBS’s Want a Taste? and Gangnam Scandal).
• Writer: Byun Sook-kyung (this is her first screenwriting credit)
• Director: Kim Yoo-jin (from Disney+’s Revenge of Others)

Lee Soon-jae, Kim Yong-gun, and Im Chae-moo are three best friends in their seventies who help each other chase their dreams. Soon-jae, once a famous star, now uses his wisdom to help his neighbours. Im Chae-moo wants to become a YouTube while Kim Yong-gun helps the two of them with his wit. A comedy that reminds us that age is nothing but a number.

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• Release date: September 27th, 2024
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 7
• Cast: Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee
• Where have I seen these people before? Everybody knows Park Seo-joon from jTBC’s Itaewon Class, tvN’s What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, and KBS2’s Fight for My Way. Meanwhile, you might have seen Han So-hee in Disney+’s Soundtrack #1, Netflix’s My Name, or jTBC’s Nevertheless,.
• Writer: Kang Eun-kyung (same writer as the first season; also the writer of SBS’s renowned Dr. Romantic)
• Director: Jung Dong-yoon (same director as the first season; also the director of tvN’s It’s Okay to Not Be Okay)
• Sequel to last year’s Gyeongseong Creature.

After surviving the terrifying events of Season 1, Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee) is now in 2024, where she meets a man called Jang Ho-jae (Park Seo-joon) in Seoul. Ho-jae bears a striking resemblance to Jang Tae-sang and together, they need to put an end to the monstrous hell they find themselves in.

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• Release date: September 27th, 2024
• Network: Coupang TV (internationally, you can watch it on Viu and Viki)
• Episodes: 6
• Cast: Lee Se-young, Sakaguchi Kentaro, Hong Jong-hyun, and Nakamura Anne
• Where have I seen these people before? The super Lee Se-young was last seen in MBC’s The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract while you might have seen Hong Jong-hyun in Disney+’s Race. This is Sakaguchi Kentaro’s first role in a K-drama but if you’re a J-drama fan, I’m sure you recognise him from Fuji TV’s renowned Love That Makes You Cry or more recently, the Japanese adaptation of Signal (also Fuji TV). This is also Nakamura Anne’s first Korean credit — her last show was TV Asahi’s Aoshima-kun is Mean.
• Writer: Jung Hae-sim (a film screenwriter known for 2011’s Sector 7) and Moon Hyun-sung (who is also directing it)
• Director: Moon Hyun-sung (a film director known for 2022’s Seoul Vibe, this is his first K-drama)
• Adapted from Gong Ji-young and Tsuji Hitonari’s novel Sarang Hue Oneun Gotdeul.

While studying in Japan, Choi Hong (Lee Se-young) met Aoki Jungo (Sakaguchi Kentaro). They fall in love but their romance doesn’t last long. Five years later, they meet again in Korea.

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• Release date: September 28th, 2024
• Network: KBS2 (internationally, you can watch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 38
• Cast: Kim Jung-hyun, Geum Sae-rok, Choi Tae-joon, and Yang Hye-ji
• Where have I seen these people before? I’m sure you’ve seen Kim Jung-hyun in tvN’s Mr. Queen or Crash Landing on You. Geum Sae-rok led Disney+’s Soundtrack #2 while Choi Tae-joon’s last leading role was in Viki’s The Man’s Voice. Yang Hye-ji is now in MBN’s Bad-Memory Eraser.
• Writer: Seo Sook-hyang (from SBS’s Wok of Love)
• Director: Sung Joon Hae (from KBS1’s Bravo, My Life)

Seo Kang-joo (Kim Jung-hyun) and Lee Da-rim (Geum Sae-rok) went to university together. Once he enlisted in the military, he stopped seeing her and, years later, he became an unpredictable managing director at Jiseung Group. Meanwhile, Da-rim’s vision deteriorated and she hopes to get an injection that can give her sight back. Kang-joo and Da-rim meet once again and their life gets entangled.

Meanwhile, in Japan…

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• Release date: September 13th, 2024
• Network: Amazon Prime
• Episodes: 6
• Cast: Toyokawa Etsushi and Nakamura Tomoya
• Where have I seen these people before? Toyokawa Etsushi is one of the leads in Netflix’s Tokyo Swindlers and you might have seen Nakamura Tomoya in TBS’s Haneo and Ishiko.
• Sequel to No Activity (2021) — both seasons are a Japanese adaptation of the Australian original series, No Activity (2015, created by Trent O’Donnell and Patrick Brammall)

We’ll continue following veteran detective Tokita Shingo (Toyokawa Etsushi) and the rookie Shiina Asobu (Nakamura Tomoya). While Tokita’s personality might be likable, he’s a terrible professional and doesn’t contribute to the Metropolitan Police Department. His partner, the young Shiina, is a charming young fellow who gets on very well with Tokita.

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• Release date: Sept. 19th, 2024
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 5
• Cast: Yuriyan Retriever, Karata Erika, and Gouriki Ayame
• Where have I seen these people before? Yuriyan Retriever was part of the supporting cast of TV Tokyo’s Oshi Became the Boss, Karata Erika had a supporting role in Netflix’s Arthdal Chronicles Part 3: The Prelude to All Legends and TBS’s Nagi’s Long Vacation, and Gouriki Ayame’s most recent project was NTV/YTV’s Classmate no Joshi, Zenin Sukideshita.
• Writer: Ikegami Junya (from Fuji TV’s adaptation of Suits)
• Director: Shiraishi Kazuya (from Netflix’s Hibana: Spark)

The Queen of Villains is a dramatisation of Dump Matsumoto’s life, one of the greatest Japanese female wrestlers. When young, Matsumoto (Yuriyan Retriever) dreamed of becoming a pro wrestler. At first, she wanted to play a good character. The show explores her youth and her struggles as she fights to debut.

I’ve been waiting for What Comes After Love for so long that I’m thrilled September is finally here! But The Judge From Hell sounds very interesting and Dog Knows Everything is a different kind of K-drama so that’s very exciting too. What are you looking forward to watching next month? Share your favourites in the comments!