Let’s be honest, we all press play on a K-drama for the romance. The longing stares, the dramatic wrist-grabs, the confession that finally happens in a downpour—it’s pure, addictive magic. But sometimes, a different kind of love story completely hijacks the show and our hearts. I’m talking about the squads. The ride-or-die crews, the found families built from misfits, the besties who bicker endlessly but would shield each other from anything. These are the relationships that feel deeply real and stick with you long after the credits roll.
If you’re craving a show where the friendship is the true soulmate, you’ve come to the right place. Here are eight K-dramas that are the absolute pinnacle of squad goals.
1. Reply 1988
Let’s just start with the undisputed heavyweight champion of friendship dramas. The Ssangmun-dong squad is not just a group of friends; they are a cultural touchstone. Following five kids growing up on the same street in the late 80s, this drama is less of a show and more of a core memory. The way they are constantly crammed into one tiny bedroom, stealing snacks and sharing their deepest fears, feels so authentic it’s like watching a home movie. It’s a beautiful, aching portrait of that time in your life when your friends were your entire universe.
2. Hospital Playlist
What happens when five brilliant surgeons in their forties, who have been best friends since med school, also have a weekly band practice? You get one of the coziest, most life-affirming dramas ever made. The ’99ers have a bond that feels completely lived-in. There’s no big villain or manufactured drama, just five people navigating the chaos of the hospital, family life, and love. Their support system runs on sarcastic jokes, shared meals, and the simple promise to show up for each other. Watching them is like wrapping yourself in the warmest blanket on a cold day.
3. Twenty Five Twenty One
Get ready for one of the most powerful female friendship arcs in recent memory. The journey of fencer Na Hee-do and her rival-turned-idol Ko Yu-rim is simply everything. They start off with a bitter rivalry fueled by jealousy and misunderstanding, but they slowly realize they are two sides of the same coin, sharing the same pressures and dreams. Throw in the charming class clown Moon Ji-ung and the sharp-witted Ji Seung-wan, and you have a foursome that perfectly captures the electric, lightning-in-a-bottle feeling of youth. Just make sure you have tissues handy. Trust me on this one.
4. Itaewon Class
This is the ultimate story of a found family forged in the fires of rebellion. After being released from prison, the determined Park Sae-ro-yi opens a small pub, and the team he assembles is a collection of society’s outcasts: a genius with sociopathic tendencies, a transgender chef, an ex-gangster, and Sae-ro-yi himself, an ex-convict. They aren’t just employees; they are soldiers in his war against injustice. The fierce, unwavering loyalty they show for their little pub and for each other will have you pumping your fist in the air.
5. Fight for My Way
Forget glamorous CEOs and fairytale endings. The “Fantastic Four” of this drama are refreshingly, painfully normal. They’re broke, their childhood dreams feel impossibly far away, and they’re stumbling through adulthood together. Having grown up together, Ko Dong-man, Choi Ae-ra, and their friends have zero filter. They mock each other relentlessly and know exactly which buttons to push, but they are also the first ones to show up when life knocks one of them down. Their bond is so raw, real, and hilarious it almost hurts.
6. Hello, My Twenties! (Age of Youth)
Put five completely different college-aged women under one roof in a shared house called “Belle Epoque,” and you get a beautifully messy look at female friendship. They begin as strangers who find each other odd and annoying. But as they navigate part-time job hell, disastrous dates, and genuinely heavy personal traumas, they become an unlikely, dysfunctional, and absolutely essential support system. This show doesn’t shy away from the jealousy and conflict that can exist between friends, but it proves that sometimes, the only people who can save you are the ones who see you at your worst.
7. Because This Is My First Life
While the central “contract marriage” plot gets the headlines, the beating heart of this drama is the bond between its three female leads: Ji-ho, Soo-ji, and Ho-rang. Each is navigating a different path in her thirties—one is testing the waters of a new, strange relationship, one is a career-driven woman who shuns romance, and one is struggling in a long-term relationship. Their brutally honest conversations over beer about work, love, and societal pressures are some of the most realistic portrayals of modern female friendship you’ll find on screen.
8. Twinkling Watermelon
A CODA (Child of a Deaf Adult) musician accidentally time-travels to 1995 and meets the teenage version of his own father? Yes, the premise is wild, and the result is spectacular. To get back to his own time, Eun-gyeol must form a band with his hot-headed young dad, I-chan, and help him win the heart of his future mom. The friendship that blossoms between the band members is pure, energetic joy, but the bond between Eun-gyeol and his unknowing father is the show’s brilliant, emotional core. It’s a vibrant, heartfelt, and utterly unique take on friendship and family.
Now it’s your turn. Which K-drama squad lives rent-free in your head? Was it the doctors from Hospital Playlist or the underdogs from Itaewon Class? Now Wavies, drop your all-time favorites in the comments—I’m always looking to add to my watchlist
