What to Watch When you Want to Watch Something Dark

Cruel City/Heartless City: A gritty noir about the dark corners of a shining city, Cruel City is a place where there is no black and white, only the shades in between. It places the good right next to the bad and makes us question where the line between good and bad rests, and more hauntingly, if there is such a line at all.  - u/myweithisway

Cruel City aka Heartless City - Dark, gritty noir full of crime, drugs, prostitution, murder, beat downs and shootings & stabbings galore plus some of the best written most deeply layered characters I've seen in any drama. - u/danuv

Angry Mom- It's like a strange mix of hilarity and tragedy, that goes surprisingly well with one another. The refreshing aspect of the drama is that you aren't exactly expecting for it to be as morbid as it is, and yet there it is being pretty damn morbid the majority of every episode. - u/silverbluefox

Ohgod. Angry Mom. I never expected it to be that intense that quickly. It touched on some effed up stuff. And while they used light and dark in a literal sense, there was really a dark film over the plot and writing. - u/life-finds-a-way

Angry Mom was like looking for a light comedy and getting hit with an emotional semi-truck. Great show and tackled the tough topics well while sparing nothing as it should be.  Dark it certainly was. - u/Treaya

Liar Game - I can't say outright if this would count to most people as a dark show, but it is definitely not a rainbows and butterflies drama. I enjoyed the concept of the game show and the psychological games involved, but most of all I liked the imperfect heroine. Well, she actually was kind of perfect and naive in every way, but the show actually used that and showed realistically she wouldn't stand a chance in that environment because humans are naturally selfish beings. - u/silverbluefox

Liar Game is a dark show.  Not your traditional lay everybody to waste kind of dark but psychologically and philosophically dark.  Comes to question human nature and society as a whole.  - u/Treaya

Killer Girl K was rather dark.  Pretty gritty and ruthless.  Atmosphere was definitely not sunshine. - u/Treaya

Vampire Prosecutor: A vampire prosecutor who uses his special abilities with blood to help solve crimes. Even with the shots of humor from the always trusty sidekick, this series leans toward the dark and graphic side.  - u/myweithisway

Vampire Prosecutor - The prosecutor leads a bunch of cops and they investigate murder and other crimes. Excellent drama. - u/FleetingPhoenix

I think Secret Door was a nice-but-dark drama. It's a historical one, and those can be very political and boring. I thought the politics were somewhat a character rather than the main point of the drama.

The whole selling point of this drama is "Who killed Prince Sado?" That hangs over everything like a cloud. I found myself not being able to trust anyone despite the triumphs and the happy moments. Then when you take into account the actual story of Sado, you're left with either a twisted whitewashing or a hopeful fantasy. And that's effed up. - u/life-finds-a-way

Secret Investigation Record is dark. Not only literally because of the shadows and light. But also the figurative shadows and light. What is good? What is evil? What is real? There is a larger political machine guiding the main character's actions (investigating the paranormal in historical Korea). And he's going into this blind. But we can see.  - u/life-finds-a-way

The Great Marriage is pretty dark for how the female lead is treated. The men in her life spend most of the drama thinking up ways to make her life miserable. - u/gatchaman_ken

Queen of Ambition, nuff said. If that isn't dark then i dont know what is - u/AizenRaj

Cheese in the Trap - Not your typical rom-com, in fact the male lead is downright scary at times. We have a paranoid college student as our narrator and it is interesting to watch a tentative relationship form. The drama touches upon a few darker themes such as being unbalanced mentally, psychopath tendencies, and similar unhinged type characters. - u/keroppi-pond

Cheese in the Trap - This was in my opinion very dark and twisted. - u/SunDoll813

Voice series. Voice 1-3 are about murder, and they are the darkest dramas I’ve seen so far. Voice 1 has one of the best (but frightening) villains I’ve seen so far.  - u/LoveRain20

Voice - serial murders, but the darkest series about them I have ever seen - u/MenthaAquatica

Multiple Seasons

My Mister - two individuals helping each other deal with the harsh realities of the universe. Supporting and helping one another and rooting for one another. Very dark, lots of cries and super emotional. It’s a super deep kdrama that shows that love doesn’t have to be expressed with kisses and physical affection, it could be shown through actions.  - u/Storythieves

My Mister is a masterpiece. It is dark, gloomy, and depressing but also inspiring. It starts off a little boring but the characters begin to grow on you as the story progresses.  - u/LoveRain20

My Mister - It's a slice of life drama for the most part but I categorize it in the dark genre as it has a very gloomy and tragic vibe to it. The characters are all imperfect but their growth is what makes this drama a masterpiece. It's all about second chances and I highly recommend this drama if you like dark stuff but they're also slice of life-ish. - u/Fatooz

Children of Nobody: This drama is a stark reminder that childhoods are not always wonderful memories. Filled with stories about children that live in the shadows, barely hanging on, it shows some of the world's worst moments when innocent children suffer at the hands of adults who should be protecting them. Trigger warnings for child abuse and child death.  - u/myweithisway

Children of Nobody - Cinematography can be best described as cold and depressing.  Deals with subjects which are traumatic and uncomfortable for some people. - u/BarefootWanderer

Save Me: A family down on its luck moves to a rural town and receives lots of help from a local church. Before they realize that the local church is actually a cult, they are too enmeshed to leave. Luckily, the daughter of the family receives help from her classmates and thus begins her desperate escape from and their destruction of the cult. Trigger warnings for cult practices, sexual assault, child abuse, etc.  - u/myweithisway

Save Me - i mean, a religious cult? If that's not dark, idk anymore - u/koalalarabbit

I don’t watch dark dramas that much so I don’t know the threshold here but to me Psychometric Guy was really dark despite the romantic elements in it. First of all it revolves around murders which ruined bunch of people’s life and there are really twisted characters with mental issues and abuse background so it is pretty depressive. - u/barbarakg

He is Psychometric - It's a sci-fi crime thriller with minimal romance. It has a very scary and gloomy vibe, it's about serial killings that are taking place which is also connected to the main leads' past. It's quite a gripping drama though it starts slow it picks up pace after a few episodes. Would definitely recommend if you love watching serial killer dramas.  - u/Fatooz

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - it’s kinda complicated but a short summary is that a detective is against his sister dating a guy who he finds suspicious. This one is deeep, dark and also made me cry a lot. - u/Storythieves

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - it's one of the few dramas out there that really wrenches your guts and leaves you thinking "wtf". It's a crime show with loads of dark secrets that will keep surprising you. - u/Turquoise-Turmoil

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes: It's a romantic crime thriller but it also is quite slow and tragic. Throughout the drama you'll see the colors used and the music to be very ominous. It's indeed a dark drama mainly because of the ML who has a very complex and dark character.  - u/Fatooz

Because This is my First Life - I'd say I considered it dark because it shows loneliness and how people deal with it...it shows how some people deal with this and how parents can affect their children as adults...The main lead male seems like he doesn't have a good relationship with his father because of how he controls his son's life...But as I said it definitely shows loneliness there and the meaning of the OST "marriage" Is pretty sad. It shows that some people are afraid of committment and responsibility... it shows how in marriage you can lose your freedom and etc. It really opened my eyes about marriage and etc. But of course you might not find it dark but a lot do, including me. Maybe because I relate to the main male lead? But of course i wouldn't say it's a really dark drama but it's a bit sad and dark. - u/Winter-Mix

Come and Hug Me The leads are connected through a brutal murder that defines their childhood and they spend their adult lives trying to escape the repercussions and reconnect with each other despite their shared trauma.  - u/GSV_Zero_Gravitas

Priest - definitely here - exorcisms, action, drama - u/MenthaAquatica

Bad Guys - when the police has to ask criminals for help to solve cases, you know things are going to get dark. From episode one we just keep descending deeper and deeper, reaching the point where contract killers and drug lords suddenly seem innocent. An oppressing atmosphere, gaslighting and psychological warfare are the true name of the game. It's fascinating much you'll come to care about people who are supposed to be monsters. Just remember: in the blackest filth, no one can stay clean. - u/AlohaAlex

Bad Guys - How far can a "good" person fall to exercise revenge? How far can the life of a victim be destroyed? Violence, action, murders. - u/MenthaAquatica

Mother - Teacher kidnaps student in order to save student from their horrible living conditions and the struggle of their journey to stay together. It’s super dark and made me cry a lot. - u/Storythieves

Just Between Lovers - The two leads survive a terrible accident, are coping and run into each other and deal with future obstacles. I cried loads for this as well, the drama was dark but also cute at points, I did cry a lot though. - u/Storythieves

Cross - a boy whose father is brutally killed grows up with one thought: revenge. So, he becomes a prison doctor in order to destroy the life of his father's murderer. Don't expect romance nor friendship while witnessing this conspiracy unravel. This is a medical thriller from start to finish. - u/AlohaAlex

Mask - poses as a typical rom-com in the beginning: there's a single and aloof chaebol, a down-on-her-luck heroine and the tropey doppelganger plot in which the heroine is contractually obliged to pretend she's the chaebol's fiancee. But oh, how the tables turn. It's a dark, emotional ride that doesn't let you relax even for a second. The copious, sickening gaslighting will mess up your plot perception completely; everything that was once shiny and beautiful slowly becomes terrifying and ugly. It's an intense study of human character as hope for a happy ending very quickly gets extinguished. The monsters are hiding in plain sight and nothing is as it seems. - u/AlohaAlex

Kingdom is a very dark take on the zombie genre. There's no intentional (or even unintentional) humour in it. The zombies are fast and frightening and the humans are completely unbalanced by them. It's all life and death in an historic context that is already incredibly basic and difficult. - u/elbenne

The Lies Within - The daughter of an influential politician is left reeling when her father is murdered and her husband is abducted. She and the police are working against time and several shadowy power players as body parts keep arriving to manipulate their efforts. - u/elbenne

The World of the Married - dark in terms of adult life and well..just explores the life of people who cheat and it's ramifications. Very good acting.  - u/_fantasia

The Veil - This drama focuses on revenge and it has a lot of cool action scenes. The drama is not censored and shows all the gory details, specially on the first episodes. This is a great watch if you like fast paced flow of story.  - u/More_Decision1416  

Black  - it's a fantasy crime mystery show and especially at the start it can feel a little shallow: there is some forced humour and darkness that is fantastical. But just under half way through, it pulls you in real good and IMO the darkness is darker than most shows, something that fantasy can rarely touch (because you know it's not real). It is also a work of art and meticulous in detail. - u/NaheemSays

Beyond Evil - It's a crime thriller, the vibe of the drama is definitely dark. Starting from the colors, to the cinematography to the writing to the acting, it perfectly fits into the dark description. It's a drama that'll keep you hooked for the entirety and is something that rather depicts than explains through dialogues. The acting is brilliant and it's a must watch if you're into crime thrillers.  - u/Fatooz

Flower of Evil - It's a dark crime romance thriller. It involves serial killing but the suspense build from the very first episode is great. The chemistry between the main leads was great and there are some scenes that will win you over. It will definitely give you the chills especially in the second half where things get quite intense. - u/Fatooz

Happiness - It's a apocalyptic thriller drama where main leads get trapped in an apartment building where a new deadly virus is increasing. I'm not one who likes watching this genre a lot but this drama had me hooked from the very first episode. The character growth is also great and so is the world building. It definitely fits in the dark aspect as it gives you the scare and ominous vibe. - u/Fatooz

Mine - It's a makjang lite but has a scary and ominous vibe to it, it shows the life of two women - one is ambitious while the other is emotional, both strong opinionated who eventually join hands when a series of events unravel. Great acting by the main cast and the fashion is just amazing in this drama!  - u/Fatooz

Mr. Sunshine - It's a historic drama based in the late 1800s and early 1900s before the Japanese Occupation. It has an extreme tragic vibe to it, every episode feels so heavy as you just can't bring yourself to watch more than one episode. I personally had to watch a light drama along with this drama as it felt too much sometimes with something or the other happening every episode. Must watch for the excellent writing, cinematography, soundtrack, direction and acting. - u/Fatooz

Strangers from Hell - It's a psychological thriller, it is scary, very graphic, ominous and tragic/gloomy. The characters are so complex and if you're into gore then this is just the right drama for you. The acting by each and every actor was so EXCELLENT that I would highly recommend it for it's actors! - u/Fatooz