13 best Thai dramas to watch now

Based on the Japanese shōjo manga series Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio, F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers serves as the Thai counterpart of the franchise from Taiwan (Meteor Garden, 2001), Japan (Hana Yori Dango, 2005), South Korea, (Boys Over Flowers, 2009), and China (Meteor Garden, 2018).

Similar to the original, the drama centres on Gorya (Tu), a girl from a poor family who gets accepted into a prestigious and luxurious school attended by the wealthy. The school is ruled by an elite clique of four handsome and rich but spoiled boys, F4. She stands up to their bullying and ends up falling in love with Thyme (Bright).

Spanning two seasons, Girl from Nowhere is a Thai thriller series that's bound to keep you on the edge of your seat. The main antagonist Nanno (Chicha Amatayakul a.k.a Kitty) is a mysterious 11th-grader who enrols at different private schools in Thailand, where she works on relentlessly exposing the lies, hypocrisy, and wrongdoings of the students and the faculty.

A jaw-dropping show with unconventional storytelling from the beginning till the end, Girl from Nowhere scored incredibly high ratings in its first season, which spun a second season that was released globally on Netflix, earning it international fame.

Hua Jua Sila (Heart of Stone in English) is the perfect revenge drama to get your heart racing. It centres on Tor (Tor Thanapob Leeratanakachorn), the love child of a mistress and a wealthy man who is forced to live with the family after his birth mother dies. Unable to handle the cruel abuse from his family, he runs away from home and jumps into a river and is presumed dead—though he actually survives.

Years later, Sila grows up into a cold-hearted, notorious pimp. He takes on a new name and returns to infiltrate the family and inflict vengeance on all who have wronged him in the past.

Based on a novel written by Dhammarong Sermrittirong The Gifted follows ordinary Ritdha Wittayakom High School student Pawaret Sermrittirong a.k.a Pang (Korapat Kirdpan) who is mysteriously picked for the school's prestigious Gifted Program in which only a handful 'special' students are accepted.

As he goes through the program's sessions, he and his new friends start to sense something amiss about the class. He then makes it his duty to reveal a dark secret about the Gifted Program and break down a system that has been torturing students for generations.

Upon its release in 2018, The Gifted received the highest ratings among that year's teenage series in Thailand. Its sequel, The Gifted: Graduation, premiered in 2020.

Titled Because We Belong Together in Thai, 2gether is a rom-com series starring Bright and Win. The feel-good drama centres on a student named Tine Teepakorn (Win) who seeks a pretend boyfriend in order to shake off an unwanted admirer. Tine chases the campus' most popular guy Sarawat (Bright) and the latter, though reluctant at first, agrees. As time goes by, the two become close and their feelings start to turn into reality.

Due to its immense popularity, it became the most-viewed Thai series on Line TV and YouTube. Its success then spawned a sequel, Still 2gether, and a 2gether: The Movie.

Inspired by the 2004 K-drama of the same name which helped propel the hallyu, Full House centres on Aom Am (Sushar Manaying), a writer who gets swindled out of her house during her trip to Korea. Determined to get her possessions back, she meets the new owner, a popular actor named Mike (Mike Angelo). They both enter a one-year contract marriage. However, it's not all 'strictly business' as their relationship becomes personal and they begin to have feelings for each other.

While often compared to the Korean masterpiece, the Thai version refreshes the original in its own adorable, fluffy way, with fantastic lead characters that boast amazing chemistry.

The Judgment shines a light on the toxic culture—gossips, rumours, and in large part, social media—and takes the audience through a dark and emotional journey.

The young adult series opens with 20-year-old college student Lokkaew (Lapassalan Jiravechsoontornkul) who is standing before an assembly to address the school's toxic culture before pulling out a gun and aiming it at her own head. It then flashes back to a tragic incident at a party that made her the target of shame and cyberbullying and, like the drama's namesake, judgment.

Starring Urassaya Sperbund and Nadech Kugimiya, The Crown Princess follows Crown Princess Alice (Urassaya Sperbund a.k.a. Yaya) of a small, fictional kingdom of Hyross, and the next in line to the throne. She travels to Thailand for a diplomatic event and encounters danger. In order to protect her, she is sent into hiding and put under the protection of her bodyguard Lieutenant Commander Davin Samuthyakorn (Nadech Kugimiya).

Don't be swayed by the drama's title—the princess is no damsel in distress. She can hold her own and fight side by side with her bodyguard if need be.

Arguably one of the best Thai dramas of 2022, Rivalry (also known as Game Prattana) is a story about the battle between two rival families of legacy businesses in a highly competitive industry, with a plot that largely centres on family conflicts and relationships. The conflict, which began with the parent's generation, trickles down to the younger generation and becomes a problem when their children and inherent heirs to the businesses, Milin (Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich a.k.a. Nychaa) and Anawin (Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich a.k.a. Alek), fall for each other.

On top of an amazing cast and engaging storyline filled with twists and turns, Rivalry earned rave reviews for the chemistry between the leads, well-paced character development, production, and impeccable wardrobe.

What would you do if you chanced upon a shop that sells gifts for people that you hate? If you hated someone so much, would you give them a gift?

Based on the story The Gift Shop For Whom You Hate from the 2014 Thai horror comic book My Mania 2, A Gift to the People You Hate centres on police inspector Chut Pakdeethai (Tony Rakkaen) who delves into a series of mysterious incidents and deaths, all of which are linked to the elusive Gift Shop For Someone You Hate, which sells "gifts" for people who are the object of a customer's hatred. There are four levels of gifts: make the receiver ashamed, scare the receiver, hurt the receiver, or kill the receiver.

Supported by Sarunchana Apisamaimongkol, Napasorn Weerayuttvilai, Jirakit Thawornwong, Tipnaree Weerawatnodom, Chatchawit Techarukpong, Pattadon Janngeon, Santisuk Promsiri, and Rhatha Phongam, the thrilling drama earned praise for its spectacular ending message and its underlying theme—a metaphor of the deepest abysses of bad human behaviour.

After losing her parents, Wanfahmai Warawit/Paeng (Kao Supassara Thanachart) has no choice but to live with Arthit (Mark Prin Suparat). But her approach to staying with him–by trying to get him into bed–makes him upset. Arthit storms out of the house and gets into an accident, nearly costing him his life.

He ends up hating her and she’s exiled far, far away from him she returns six years later because of a promise that she made to his parents. But Arthit has not forgiven her. In fact, his hatred for her intensifies upon her return. Watch to find out how their story eventually unfolds.

A remake of 2013’s hit K-drama My Love from Another Star, the story replicates the original romantic comedy albeit with some changes. It follows an alien named Achira (Nadech Kugimiya) who’s on Earth for research and sees a woman in danger so he decides to save her. This left him stranded on Earth for 300 years as he returned to the spaceship late and it left without him.

With only three months left before his long-awaited departure, he meets a vain actress named Farada and realises she’s the woman he saved all those years ago, and he starts developing feelings for her. Will Achira choose to return to his planet or stay on Earth?

NOW READ

10 most stylish Thai actors to follow on Instagram

Netflix's 'Hunger' is a Thai film that triggers debate about food, class, and fine dining pretences

Interview: WayV's Ten on his first visit to Penang