I choose On the Verge of Insanity because it had it all: Tight writing, no pacing issues, good acting and directing.

Every other drama I could nitpick in some area. Move to Heaven and D.P. were very strong, but I thought Lee Je-hoon's acting and storyline was the weakest part of Move to Heaven and it was like D.P. switched genres in the last two episodes, losing a lot of the realism as characters just walked away from car crashes and violent altercations.

Admittedly, I didn't watch a lot of the most critically acclaimed dramas of 2021 because they were heavy in traumatic feels and my real life already had enough of those, thank you very much. So, when I saw this question my first reaction answer was Vincenzo because it was a fun vigilante ride that understood you can't always redeem a vigilante just because he's charming and good looking, but you also don't need to kill him off. But you know what, I just finished Hello, Me! last week, and I think this one has my vote. Kudos to a drama that understood the real love story in this tale was FL's love for herself. And not only her, but everyone around her had a reckoning of their own with themselves and with their families, and it was just good. There were many points where the narrative could have easily slipped into the usual love triangle and/or corporate boringness tropefest, but it never let those shenanigans take over the main.

I started and wandered away from a lot of dramas in 2021, but I'm glad I turned back to Hello, Me!

The dramas that I consider perfect purely for how they made me feel:

My Roomate is a Gumiho - Perfection; this drama took me to kdrama basics and reminded me of why I fell in love with them.
Run On - Perfection; This one warms my ❤ and how I wish to have a relationship like our OTP
Taxi Driver - Perfect; I have a crush on LJH and he did not disappoint.
Mr Queen - Nearly Perfect - I could do without the last 30 or so mins of the drama's ending, other than that, it has some of my best LOL moments.

I am another one voting for ON THE VERGE OF INSANITY. It was so original, with so much subtle humour and the greatest douchebag of all times, played by Lee sang-Yeob. He deserved his award. There were other outstanding dramas, so the choice was not that easy, such as DP, Red Sleeve Cuff, Move to Heaven, Beyond Evil. I hope 2022 is going to be as good as 2021 in dramas.

Move To Heaven, Navillera, Youth Of May. Honorable mention: Bossam, Beyond Evil.

Wow. "Best" is... best in what way?

Best in a serious way, like best kdrama equivalent of "literature", might be D.P. or Youth of May. I liked both of those a lot, but...

Best entertainment (for me) was Vincenzo, with Inspector Koo a very close 2nd and the early parts of Mr. Queen and Zombie Detective also in the mix. Your mileage may vary.

Best performance Shin Hye-sun in Mr. Queen. Lee Re in Hello Me! was too good not to mention.

Best money-maker was probably Squid Games (?)

I also think Squid Game was quite good and deserved the fame (but I'm yet to complete it)
Mr. Queen for acting, dialogue, concept and comedy!
Surprisingly good/ underrated gem- Secret Royal Inspector

2021 was really a year of dramas I didn’t finish watching so my options are limited here. Vincenzo didn’t grab me and I haven’t finished it despite a couple of attempts. Maybe it’s just that Song Joong ki doesn’t do it for me? He looks like a mouse.

Speaking of mice (look at my expert segue lol) - I’m going to give best drama to Mouse. It was long (20 episodes + 2 spin-off episodes) but well plotted and kept your attention. There were some ridiculous elements 😅 but it was dished up to you in a way that made it seem feasible; for the most part the acting was great. It’s not for everyone for sure, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Honourable mentions to Run On, which I loved, and Mad For Each Other which was so nearly completely awesome but for the weird all over the place-ness of the end.

The only drama I looked forward to with total joy was Dali and Gamjatang. The couple sizzled, the clothes were fantastic and the humor kept me laughing. My runners up are Run On and Vincenzo. Run On had a female second lead that rivaled Veronica Park (please send more drama land). Vincenzo was a morally corrupt fast paced adventure from beginning to end and cemented gold lighters as the new Subway.

I can't possibly choose only one.

Best ensemble: Vincenzo
Best couple: Run on
Best direction: Red Sleeve Cuff
And the drama that's most memorable to me is Hospital Playlist 2.

I can’t name the best drama for me for last year tbh. It was a bleak year, and I don’t remember falling in love with any one of them. But these shows are among the faves.

- Dali and Gamjatang
- Nevertheless
- Sell Your Haunted House
- Nevillera
- Hospital Playlist 2

I didn’t like Run On at first. My panic mode sometimes kicked in when the ML was told to be “annoying” by the ones around him. I felt connected to him somehow. Anyway, the strange thing is that I felt like rewatching it so I started my rewatch yesterday. So far I’m enjoying it so much more than the first time watching. I guess everything is about timing and your mood.

Great idea, great question that has brought out the regulars plus lots of Beanies who don’t comment a lot 👍🏼

For me it was definitely On the Verge of Insanity - well written, with humour, great acting (and so many actors I was happy to see on my screen!), catchy music and it entertained me from the beginning TILL the end!

Honorable mention to Jang Nara and her Daebak Realty and to Shin Hyesun and her Mr.Queen.

As for the new feature self.. I don't know, -What was the best drama of 2021- sounds a bit... too unoriginal? 😁

Perhaps sprinkle it with humour and add a twist next time? For example for the current topic you could use instead what you use in the DBstaff introduction: the unholy reunion of the best and the worst drama of 2021? 🙂

(I still appreciate your effort ❤ ...just generating some ideas)

The best drama(s) of 2021 for me are - because in different genres:
- MR QUEEN, in the crazy fantasy sageuk genre
- RED SLEEVE CUFF - in the classical sageuk genre / and I normally hate those (too much boring politics) : I loved everything, the storyline, its pace, filming, editing, lights, OST, casting in it … I found the ending equally perfect yet heart-breaking : the fact that he enclosed his memories in a box in order to try & endure a life without her - his forever one and only - and reunited with her in dream on his death bed - asking her to please love him…
(some people here disliked the secret society part, but it has always existed … the ruler is not always the one we get t9 see but the ones pulling the strings from 5)3 shadows)
- RUN ON - cutest romance with great meaningful dialogs you almost never get in Dramas, and ISw ;)
- YUMI’s CELLS - true life romance with a very innovative way of showing our internal conflicts - and I thought I would dislike the cartoon inclusion when I lived it, not too long, really smart - I didn’t mind that they didn’t stay together in the end, it wasn’t too dramatic and I knew before watching that Yoo Bobby would be the next, and hey, who can resist LjY (curious as to which actor will be chosen to play her husband …)
- DALI and GAMJATANG - loved this romantic COMEDY - loved loved the male character, so candidly refreshing, not an ounce of bad in him, so uncomplicated, a pure heart like the one in When the Camellia blooms, played by Kim Ha-neul …, And loved the way he loved her, unconditional all-in, and loved loved Kim Min Jae in it ❤️
I enjoyed Move to heaven very much, but frustrated by the ending…too short format - as if they had cut the drama in half (as they did with love alarm)…
And quite a few others :)

There are a bunch of 2021 shows I haven't watched, but of the ones that I did, Beyond Evil was the standout for me. While it's a solid thriller, it's even better as a deep dive into the long-term effects of trauma. Great acting, writing and directing, and it lands its emotional payoffs with a vengeance.

Good job, @db-staff!

I don't know if 2021 was a year of best dramas, but there are some that I enjoyed and learned a thing or two.
BOSSAM - love Yuri so much.
BEYOND EVIL - reminds me a lot of "Memories of Murder." I still prefer MoM to PARASITE.
VINCENZO - fun watch.
LOST- Jeon Do-Yeon sells it every time.

Despite a disappointing ending, hands down Mr. Queen was my favorite. I loved the pace, the music, the witty lines. Shin Hye Sun is on her own level as an actress. Kim Jung Hyun conveys so much emotion with his eyes, but he is at his best when he acts befuddled. Because I cannot find anything of interest that is currently airing, I’m rewatching episodes of Mr. Queen and it still cracks me up.

Don't know who was the best but really enjoyed Vincenzo,Run On,Dali and Gamjatang ,Mouse and The King's Affection the most...
But if i must choose just one it will be Vincenzo because it was my happy pill!

I always thought of writing about my favourite dramas in the year end feature on the beanie wall but I somehow missed it. So thanks dbstaff for doing this.
My favourite trio for 2021 are :RUN ON, VINCENZO amd YUMI'S CELLS. These were the dramas which I eagerly waited for watching, missed them when the shows ended, was constantly listening to the sound tracks and are always at the back of my mind. Honorable mentions to HUMAN DISQUALIFICATION and YOUTH OF MAY.

That kind of questions make me think of all my favorite dramas of the year, so my brain starts screaming "You Are My Spring! no Mr Queen, no, no Happiness... but Mad For Each Other... Run On!" but You Are My Spring had that weird psycho killer subplot, Mad had a really messy ending, and no one cared about the politics in Mr Queen. So I'll pick Yu Mi's Cells.

Yu Mi's Cells was a real and sincere drama. I don't think any mistake a character made or any decision that I didn't like was bad writting, all of those things felt right, they felt natural.

Every little thing that happend in the show made sense acording with the story and the characters. For me it was more like watching a documentary about this girl called Yu Mi and not some slice of life/romcom that's just supposed to entertain or heal me. For once I didn't make the show about me and I stopped judging the characters (except for the SFL of course), I just wanted them to be happy. I don't know, I just think everything about this show felt right.

But I also would like to give credit to Be My Dream Family. I think it could've been the best drama of the year if it wasn't for a few things. This show had a deep (and realistic) view in family dynamics. The characters/relationships had a really nice development also.
This drama was so healing and sweet, I just loved it with all my heart even if it wasn't the best.

Mr Queen, Bossam, Our Beloved Summer and Dali and Gamjatang for me. If I were to rank them, Our Beloved Summer will be first (right now) then Dali and Gamjatang, Bossam and Mr Queen on my overall satisfaction with the drama.