Thai Drama Recommendations For A New Watcher 

A few months ago after being bored during quarantine, I had found out about Thai dramas through my friends. I am an avid drama watcher, and I love finding new genres and dramas to watch with good plots, characterization, cinematography, and acting. Many may be familiar with watching Thai boys’ love, bl dramas, but not all are about homosexual couples. Rather, many dramas and genres are different from Chinese or Korean dramas.

Here are my 10 Thai drama recommendations for a new watcher. 

1. Until We Meet Again

A tale of fated lovers. 30 years ago, Korn and Intouch were deeply in love with each other, but it was during a time where same-sex lovers and homosexuality were looked down upon and unaccepted. Because of their circumstances, both Korn and Intouch decided to give up. 30 years later, Pharm and Dean meet in college again. Both of them feel close but distant, having an indiscernible close feeling with each other. This is one of my favorite series with the fated lovers’ trope. This drama uses the mythological element of the red thread of fate, if lovers tie red threads in a previous life, they will meet again in the next life. The relationship between Dean and Pharm had really good chemistry and I could emphasize the characters in many of the tearful scenes. I have a soft spot in my heart for soulmate stories. If you enjoy watching tear-jerking dramas, then I would recommend this drama for you. 

2. A Tale of Thousand Stars

After being at the edge of death, Tian decides to become a volunteer teacher at a rural village at the border of the country. At the village in the middle of nowhere, with minimal electricity and running water, he meets Chief forest officer Phupha. Tian grew up in luxury so a sudden change of lifestyle from having everything to nothing was a big shift for him, especially after his heart surgery. As a volunteer teacher at the rural village, Tian learns how to become more independent and grateful for his life. Phupha and Tian grow closer during the time of Tian’s teaching and something beyond a friendship develops between them. This was one of the first Thai series I watched and I was amazed at how beautiful the cinematography and scenery were. The actors who played Chief Phupha and Tian had really good chemistry together and even just a glance at each other was overflowing with chemistry. 

3. Friendzone 

Boyo, Earth, Stud, and Boom are university friends who stayed close friends after graduation and entered the workforce together. Boyo, Boom, and Stud live together until Stud gets kicked out and temporarily lives with Earth. Boyo and Boom find a new roommate, Good, a freelance artist with a cool personality. In the first season, the 4 friends solve their relationship problems with their friends and their lovers. Would they forgive each other for cheating, mistrust, and lies? However, in the second season, it tells the story of how the 4 friends met in college and their respective relationships. The second season goes in-depth more about the characters and their personalities. All the characters are flawed and complex, but there is evident growth and change through both seasons of the drama. This is one of the most complex and messiest dramas I have watched. All of the relationships were toxic, but in some sense, it is realistic in how relationships are like in real life. I loved and hated the main characters because of their flaws and personalities. It has also led me to question my friendships and what I expect from my relationships with people. 

4. I Told Sunset About You

Do you prefer watching dramas that have beautiful cinematography and beautiful scenery? Before I had watched this drama, I had known nothing about how stunning beach sunsets were in Thailand. Teh and Oh-aew were childhood best friends until an argument broke out and turned them into rivals. Years later, they meet again at a Chinese tutoring class preparing for college admissions into the field of Communication Arts. Their reunion brings back old memories and creates a different type of relationship for both Teh and Oh-aew. This drama has the plot of the typical enemies-to-lovers trope, but what makes it different from other coming-of-age dramas is that it explores the different feelings of Oh-aew and Teh, from their happiness, struggles, and heartbreaks. The first time I watched this drama, I thought that the pacing was very slow but each scene was shot beautifully and the editing and soundtracks were perfect. One of my favorite scenes is in the last episode where Oh-aew and Teh run to the end of the coastline and watch the sunset together. The sunset was amazing and the scene had such a deep meaning. 

5. Happy Birthday 

Do you want to watch ghost stories without the horror? I know this may sound very bizarre, but this drama will make you cry more than scream out with horror. Tonmai was born on the day his older sister, Thannam committed suicide. Seventeen years later on Tonmai’s birthday, his parents present him with a birthday gift for the first time, his sister’s old room. In the room, he meets his ghost sister for the first time and unravels the secrets that led to her death. But there’s a catch to it, only Tonmai can see and talk to his sister’s ghost. This drama approaches the topic of suicide differently, Thannam was led to her decision by many events in her life, her family, friends, relationships, and society. The drama follows Tonmai in unraveling the secrets and events from his sister’s life. The drama is written very well with many plot twists and mysteries and all the actors did a really good job in portraying their characters. 

6. Project S: SPIKE 

Are you a fan of sports dramas? It is not your typical youth drama where the leads have a smooth life, but Puen, the high school volleyball team captain, goes through challenges to bring his team to the finals and beat their rivals. Together with his coach and team, they practice and work together to bring home the championship of the high school volleyball tournament. One of the aspects of this drama that I appreciated the most is the depiction of teamwork and neverending practice to master a skill. Each character is not perfect, but with growth and training, they become better versions of themselves. This drama also gave me a better understanding of how volleyball is played. 

7. WHO ARE YOU

Twins, bullying, and mystery all in one series. This drama is a remake of the popular Korean drama, Who Are You: School 2015. I remember watching the Kdrama many years ago, but the Thai remake was a different experience for me. Many new elements were added to the story and there was a larger focus on the bullying segments. Mind, an orphan and constantly bullied at her school, decides to end her life to escape from her problems but is saved. She starts a new life as Meen, a girl and twin sister who lives completely different lives. Events happen and bring the twins to meet each other and their friends to solve a school mystery. Both Meen and Mild learn more about each other and themselves and grow in this process. This drama shows the realistic side of school bullying and the effects it has on the bullied. There was a lot of mystery and pieces of a puzzle to the bigger plot which I enjoyed. 

8. The Comments 

Have you been cyberbullied or seen someone being cyberbullied online? Bullying online on social media platforms and the internet hurts someone the same as physical bullying. There is a saying that words hurt more than actions. Papang, a perfect star student, suddenly commits suicide due to her classmates and friends being cyberbullied. After her death, the police and her brother investigate the reason behind Papang’s assassination. After more clues unravel, the suicide of Papang is not as simple as it may seem. This drama is a perfect depiction of the internet world that we are all familiar with. Cyberbullying is a big problem occurring as many people are not aware that their words and comments on the internet can hurt the feelings of the person it is directed towards. This is a short drama, with just 5 episodes, but it shows with depth how words can kill. It helped me to reflect and become more aware of my words on social media platforms. 

9.The Gifted

Have you ever thought about how corrupt the school system is? Why are talented students always favored more than those who are considered ‘normal? The Gifted tackles this problem by telling the story of a “Gifted Program,” a high school special class consisting of students with special abilities. Some special gifts students in the program have are mind control, technopathy (a gift that was one of the coolest in my opinion), psychometry, and many more other talents. Together, the gifted students unravel the secrets of the school's Gifted Program and tackle the unfairness of the school hierarchy. The first season of the story focuses on each student developing and discovering their gifts and the second season of the series focuses on unraveling more of the secrets and background of the Gifted Program. 

I enjoyed this series because of the realistic depiction of the school system set in a fantasy universe. Each character was developed and shown well. I appreciated that each character had one episode that presented the character in depth, their personalities, habits, and the development of their gift. The second season, The Gifted: Graduation focuses on the mysteries involving the Gifted Program so it was more of a mystery and thriller than the first season. The first season focused on the development of the characters and the teamwork and friendship of the Gifted class.

10. Theory of Love

This is not your stereotypical friends to lovers drama. Third is a film major along with his friends Two, Bone, and Khai. Third is secretly in love with Khai since their first year of college but has never dared to tell Khai because he knows that Khai is a player and has a “no dating friends” rule. Third try to see Khai just as a friend but his heart cannot stop loving Khai. This is one of the best dramas I’ve seen do the unrequited trope. Third knows his crush will not return his love, but keeps silently loving him without expecting in return. Both the main characters are flawed in their ways, but they grow and learn what is the true meaning of love and what it takes to be in a relationship. 

Here are my 10 personal favorite Thai dramas that are great for someone looking for a new genre of dramas to watch.