Asian TV series have become very popular in recent years. It is no longer about the awesome martial arts movies of the 70s and 80s.
The rise of K-dramas has drawn more attention to Asian TV and created a new market for animation and live-action TV shows.
Now, we have a huge selection of Asian TV shows you can binge-watch over the weekend or share with your friends for evenings spent indoors.
Most of these are available on streaming sites, so you can watch them even if you do not have cable TV.
If you want to find the perfect place to start watching Asian TV series, here are the 10 Best Asian TV series of all time.
1. Halka
- Number of episodes: 19
- Stars: Serkan Çayoglu Hande Erçel Kaan Yildirim
Halka is a Turkish drama that follows the lives of Cihangir and Kaan as they fight a criminal organization called “The Circle.” Cihangir’s father is an important member of this organization, which has been in operation for four decades.
The two young men must use their wits to stay alive and defeat the terrible organization. It is important to note that the main villain in the show is the boys’ mother, which creates even more dramatic plot lines.
2. My Mister
- Number of episodes: 16
- Stars: Lee Sun-kyun, IU, Lee Ji-an
Most people who watch My Mister say it is very sad but heartwarming. The show follows Ji-an, who is very poor. She has a temporary job to make enough money to pay off her mother’s debts and take care of her deaf and disease-stricken grandmother.
Ji-an develops a relationship with her supervisor, who has just as many problems, and they try to help each other. The TV series, produced by Chorokbaem Media, was created by Park Hae-young and directed by Kim Won-seok.
My Mister received a Best Drama Award at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards. If you love realistic stories, this is a great show for you.
3. Panchayat
- Number of episodes: 32
- Stars: Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Chandan Roy
Panchayat is a TV series that follows Abishek Tripathi, a young man who gets a job in the village. Abishek is a city-born young man who finds it hard to move to a village in Uttar Pradesh.
His salary is very low, and the village has many problems that complicate his stay. The show is a comedy-drama, and you will find many hilarious events.
Panchayat was produced by The Viral Fever and written and directed by Chandan Kumar and Deepak Kumar. It is available on Amazon Prime.
4. Persona
- Number of episodes: 22
- Stars: Haluk Bilginer, Sebnem Bozoklu, Recep Usta
Viewers have rated Persona highly as a great show exploring the human psyche. The show follows Agah, a retired older man diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Sadly, it is very hard for him to deal with the diagnosis, and he realizes that he needs to fight injustice before he loses his memory. He knows of a village with a criminal organization and teams up with a detective to fight the criminals.
Persona was created by Hakan Gunday and directed by Ornur Sayluk. It was nominated and won an International Emmy Award.
5. Death Note
- Number of episodes: 37
- Stars: Mamoru Miyano, Brad Swaile, Vincent Tong
No list of Asian series would be complete without anime TV series, and that is where Death Note comes in. It is based on the Death Note Manga written by Tsugumi Ohba.
Death Note follows the experience of Light Yagami, who finds a book dropped by Ryuk. He learns that if he writes someone’s name in it, they will die.
As the show progresses, Light struggles with a god complex as he now has the power of life and death. Death Note, the anime, was directed by Tetsurō Araki.
It is available to stream on Netflix.
6. Alchemy of Souls
- Number of episodes: 30
- Stars: Lee Jae-wook, Hwang Min-hyun, Yoo Joon-sang
Alchemy of Souls is an excellent TV show for fans of fantasy series. It is set in a fictional country where some people practice forbidden magic that allows souls to switch bodies.
In The show, Nak-su, a warrior, gets trapped in the weak body of a servant. The show follows him as he struggles to accept the change and learns to live as a woman.
The show was created by Hong Min Ran and Jeong-eun Hong and produced by Studio Dragon. In addition, Alchemy of Souls has won several awards, including the Korea Drama Award and the Asia Drama Award.
You can watch it on Netflix.
7. Shōgun
- Number of episodes: 12
- Stars: Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano
Shōgun is based on the novel by James Clavell. It follows two men from different worlds and cultures thrown together by fate.
John Blackthorne is a sailor who takes risks and gets shipwrecked in Japan, where he meets Lord Toranaga. Toranaga has enemies around him, and Blackthorne’s presence increases his problems.
Shogun has received positive reviews and won several awards, including a Primetime Emmy. Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks created Shōgun, and you can stream the episodes on Hulu.
8. The Starry Love
- Number of episodes: 40
- Stars: Xingxu Chen, Landi Li, Chen Muchi
The series, The Starry Love, follows a flower born of the Qi, who the world’s rulers wish to destroy. To protect itself, it hides in the womb of an empress, and twins are born after nine months.
It is decided that they are to marry into different realms. Unfortunately, are switched on the day of the ceremony, resulting in intrigue and drama.
The series is based on a story by the online author “Once Upon a Time Junhua.” The Starry Love was directed by Shu Rui Bin and produced by Perfect World Pictures.
It is available to stream on Viki and Apple TV.
9. All of Us are Dead
- Number of episodes: 13
- Stars: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun
In the series All of Us Are Dead, a teacher starts a zombie outbreak in a high school. A student gets bitten by the teacher’s mouse and is infected. She starts attacking other students, causing the virus to spread.
The uninfected must work together to protect themselves as they wait for help. Unfortunately, local authorities must also consider preventing the infection from spreading.
It is an interesting take on the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse, and All of Us Are Dead has been nominated for several awards. It is available to stream on Netflix.
10. The Great White Tower
- Number of episodes: 21
- Stars: Toshiaki Kurasawa, Yasuke Eguchi, Hitomi Kuroki
The Great White Tower follows Goro Zaizen, who wants to become a professor. Although talented and famous, most people do not like him because he is arrogant.
In the series, he is tired of being an associate professor and wants to be a professor. However, his personality and relationship with the people at the university are a stumbling block.
The series was directed by Yasuo Tsurahashi and written by Daisuke Habara. It is based on a book by Totoko Tamasaki.
You can stream it on MUBI or Plex.
Wrapping Up
Asian TV series have become favorites for many viewers because they have intricate storylines, amazing actors, and excellent sets.
While most mainstream TV has become a little repetitive, you will find unique Asian dramas entertaining you for hours.
The best part is that although most are filmed in Asia, they are available on streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV.