8 Heartfelt Family Kdramas in Celebration of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to show your appreciation for all the important people in your life. It’s a wonderfully cozy holiday spent with family, friends, and lots of food. This Thanksgiving, why not spend time as a family to indulge in some of the most heart-warming Korean dramas depicting the strong love, patience, and sacrifices for loved ones? Surely that’ll remind you to be more thankful for them. Here are some of our favorite family Kdramas from over the years.

Marriage Contract (2016)

Marriage Contract is about a single mom constantly being chased by loan sharks trying her best to raise her daughter on her own. As if things aren’t hard enough already, she becomes terminally ill with only a few months to live. She agrees to a fake marriage with a chaebol, so she can legally donate her organ to his mother in exchange for a large sum of money for her daughter’s future. This heart-wrenching drama is bound to break your heart with the mother’s despair, self-sacrifices, and unwavering love.

Please Come Back Mister (2016)

How often are you granted a second chance to revisit your family and loved ones after you die? Even if it’s in the form of a foreign body? This comedic yet heartwarming drama depicts how two ahjussis temporarily go back to mortal life to resolve their unfinished businesses with regards to their family and loved ones. Aside from all the funny scenarios of the ahjussis living as hot young stud and gal, the drama offered them a new perspective of what their families truly wanted from them. Not money, not gifts, just time spent together and sweet memories.

Reply 1988 (2016)

Set in a nostalgic era of the 1980s, Reply 1988 gave us an authentic look at the joys and hardships of five families that live in close quarters with each other. This slice of life drama is packed with loyal friendships, trivial family conflicts, budding teenage romance, and unexpected life crisis. It left deep impressions on many viewers because the topics of financial stability, parent-child relations, school grades, and community support are realistic scenarios that anyone can relate to. It will certainly strike a chord with you one way or another.

Angry Mom (2015)

Though Angry Mom has a seemingly far-fetched premise of a middle-aged mom disguising herself as a student at her daughter’s high school, it’s nonetheless a well-written story about a mother’s dedication to her daughter’s education and emotional well-being. When the mom finds her daughter suddenly turning recluse, she decides to take matters into her own hands and ends up uncovering ugly corruption at the school. The mother-daughter duo show us how their relationship strengthens through trust and love.

It’s Okay That’s Love (2014)

This is an aching story about the long lasting effects of physical abuse on all members of the family. From the temperamental and emotionally unstable elder brother, to the living in denial mother, to the unknowingly schizophrenic younger brother, it’s one tragedy after another. Yet, the drama teaches us important lessons about not passing stereotypical judgments on people with mental illness, and how to help them rebuild a normal life through patience and love. It’s Okay That’s Love is a rare gem among Kdramas that educate us about a delicate topic in an utterly emotional way.

God’s Gift: 14 Days (2014)

God’s Gift: 14 Days is a thrilling mystery drama of a mother’s constant journey back in time to save her daughter from being murdered. Yes there are lots of action-packed scenes and crimes to uncover. But the most memorable moments are that of the mother’s anxious jitters, fear-induced cries, desperate pleas, and most importantly, selfless courage to save her daughter. All of these weaved into an intense and tightly-written plot line, and you’ve got an emotional rollercoaster worthy of those with a strong heart.

That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)

Does sharing the same bloodline define family? Should morally gray decisions out of love be forgiven? That Winter, the Wind Blows tackles the topic of family from a rather unique angle. You’ve got a swindler pretending to be the long-lost brother of a blind heiress, and a secretary turned stepmother whose actions straddle the lines of right and wrong in the name of protecting the heiress. The love-hate, tug-of-war relationship between the heroine, her “stepmother”, and fake brother make for an interesting trio to watch in this cinematic drama.

Thank You (2007)

Thank You is Jang Hyuk’s comeback drama from military service and scandal. He gained much sympathy for playing the role of an arrogant doctor who’s life is completely changed and becomes humbled after meeting a single mom and her HIV-positive adorable eight-year-old daughter. This drama will keep your heart aching and tears flowing with the tough life that the Lee family lives in, their kindness and selflessness, the innocence of the little girl, and the ignorance of the townspeople in fear of HIV.

Got another favorite family drama that you’d like to share? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

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