Taiwanese Dramas For Beginners

For anyone interested in watching Taiwanese dramas but doesn't know where to start, here is a list of dramas I recommend one to begin with.

It Started With A Kiss

Year: 2005-2006
Episodes: 20

As one of the most adapted dramas, probably second to only Boys Over Flowers, this is a well-recognized plot which makes it easy for readers to digest. This is also a fan favorite and often preferred over the Korean and even Japanese adaptions.

Synopsis:
Yuan Xiang Qin (Ariel Lin) has had a crush on Jiang Zhi Shu (Joe Cheng) for the longest time, but they are as different as day and night. Xiang Qin is a sweet girl who doesn't do very well academically while Zhi Shu is idolized at school for his looks, grades, and family background. After crushing on Zhi Shu for two years, Xiang Qin finally musters up the courage to confess only to be rejected before she even gets a word out. But fate is on her side.. kind of. Her new house collapses and she and her dad move in with her dad's best friend. The house just happens to belong to... you guessed it, Zhi Shu's house. Will living under the same roof do the charm and make Zhi Shu change his mind about her?

Comments:
This is hands down my favorite adaptation. This 20 episode drama took a full year to film. Every detail you see helps to make the story so believable. Everything from decorations in Zhi Shu's house to Xiang Qin's decked out locker. The two lead's acting and chemistry is no joke. Though their archetypes are two of the most common archetypes, they are actually very hard to master. Xiang Qin has to come off as dumb but likable, which Ariel Lin does an amazing job of showcasing. Xiang Qin is not very book smart, but she has a kind heart and you can feel her love towards those around her, especially Zhi Shu. Zhi Shu seemingly is a genius, but in reality, he finds it difficult to truly bond with anyone, as he can see through people's intentions. Seemingly two complete opposites actually understand each other better than anyone else and share similar values.

Autumn's Concerto

Year: 2009
Episodes: 21
This is a true Taiwanese gem. Packed with a suspenseful plot, great chemistry, and mature acting. Unlike many dramas on this list, this is not a rom-com or a romantic comedy.
Synopsis:
Liang Mu Cheng (Ady An) comes from a wealthy family whose fate was turned upside down when her father's company went bankrupt and suddenly died. She and her aunt are taken in by a man who is a pervert, always trying to peek when she is showering or changing. She has to protect herself from this man and save enough money to go to college. She works at a college's cafeteria and meets Ren Guang Xi (Vanness Wu), the principal's son. He is the demon of the school, bullying others and flirting with every other girl. Due to certain events, the two fall in love. Mu Cheng gains confidence while Guang Xi starts to feel loved and learns to protect and care for others. But good times never last. Guang Xi discovers that he has a tumor in his brain and the only cure is to undergo a surgery which will erase all his memories. His mother who is against their relationship tells Mu Cheng to leave Guang Xi so he can marry the "right" person. She reluctantly leaves him only to realize that she is pregnant with his son. She hides in a village and gives birth to an adorable boy named Xiao Le (Xiao Xiao Bing). But fate reunites the couple when Guang Xi has to volunteer as a lawyer in the village.
Comments:
This drama has the second highest viewer ratings in Taiwan. This drama is amazing. The plot is not realistic, but the acting, character development, and plotline really make up for it. I loved that they talked about abuse and perverts because this is an issue many people suffer from. Life is not all pretty and simple as many Taiwanese dramas portray it as. I loved every character, except the pervert of course. This drama has one of those disapproving, biased mothers, but Guang Xi's mother is so likable. She loves her grandchild and is way more understanding than most. Every character, except the stepfather, had their redeeming moment and qualities. Xiao Le is definitely a plus. Everyone fell head over heels for this cute and clever kid. The background music was also amazing. This is definitely a classic that everyone talks about.

Fated To Love You

Autumn's Concerto holds the record for the drama with the second highest viewer ratings in Taiwan. Fated To Love You is the first.
Year: 2008
Episodes: 24
Synopsis:
Chen Xin Yi (Joe Chen) is an extremely average girl. From the way she dresses to even her name; she is just average. When she meets her boyfriend, she thought to herself, "this is the one." She books a cruise ship only to find her boyfriend cheating on her and ultimately dumps her. On the cruise, she meets Ji Cun Xi (Ethan Juan), the CEO of a soap company, who is about to propose to his longtime ballerina girlfriend, Anna (Bianca Bai). Xin Yi and Cun Xi were both drugged and had sex on the cruise. Later, Xin Yi realizes that she is pregnant. Forced by his grandmother to take responsibility, Cun Xi unwillingly marries Xin Yi. As the two spend time with one another, they start to develop feelings for each other. But what happens when Anna returns from New York with no knowledge of the two's marriage and another love rival pops into their lives?
Comments:
I enjoy their relationship. Two people learn to work with each other and ultimately fall for each other. Their family members and friends are so funny and supportive. Cun Xi has the cutest grandma, so do not worry about evil family members. I never really loved Anna but I understand her.

Devil Beside You

Year: 2005
Episodes: 20
Synopsis:
Qi Yue (Rainie Yang) tries to confess to basketball captain, Yuan Yi (Kingone Wang), but accidentally confesses to Jiang Meng (Mike He), the "devil" of the school. He bullies students but behind his facade is a lonely, broken heart. As Qi Yue and Jiang Meng get to know each other, they start to fall in love. The only problem is that their parents are about to get married and they will be siblings.
Comments:
This is definitely a Taiwanese classic with many diehard fans. This drama shot both Rainie and Mike into stardom and they were the OTP for many people. Rainie's acting is super exaggerated here, which bugged me for so long. Mike He's acting really saved the drama for me.

My Queen

Year: 2009
Episodes: 21
Synopsis:
Shan Wu Shuang (Cheryl Yang) is a single 33-year-old woman. She is called a leftover woman and is judged by everyone. She is a hardworking person who tries her very best at her job as a reporter. She yearns for love but tries to act like she doesn't care if she is single. Her coworkers, who despise her, try to prank her by hiring a guy to flirt with her and then make a fool out of her. The guy's friend learns about this and tries to make things right by saving her from the embarrassing situation. Wu Shuang falls for him and they soon make out, only to learn that this guy, or Lucas (Ethan Juan), is only 25 years old! She tells him to leave, but he soon comes back into his life when he is hired to be her bodyguard and assistant.
Comments:
I first fell for this drama because I thought Lucas was super cute and this drama has a nice theme song. As I watched this drama, I really fell in love with the romance. This drama really teaches you that age should not come in between a relationship and that we should not be biased against people because of a person's age. Both leads try really hard to work make this relationship work and I loved Lucas's sacrifices for her. Lucas treats her right. Definitely one of the more mature dramas but still has its funny and cute moments.

Brown Sugar Macchiato

Year: 2007
Episodes: 13
Synopsis:
One day, six very different boys were gathered to learn that they share the same father and they have the chance to inherit their father's money. In order to qualify for inheritance, they must all live together and go to school together. They are all hostile towards one another until they decide to band together to fight the girls of their class. The female students in their class hate guys and bully them at school. But what happens to the groups when members of the groups start to fall in love?
Comments:
This drama is all exaggeration. I think everything is funny so I enjoyed this drama but I know many who cannot stand the dumb comedy. I do like the friendship here. This drama also stars the two Taiwanese bands, Lollipop and Hey Girls. They appear in many dramas and shows so this is a great introduction to them.

Bull Fighting

Year: 2007-2008
Episodes: 17
Synopsis:
Every year, two rival schools compete for the basketball court on the 13th street. When the school Yi Sheng Xue (Hebe Tian) supports loses the competition, she enrolls in that school to take revenge on their player, Shen Ruo He (Mike He), who lost the winning point. The two soon fall in love but in their way are too many obstacles. One of which is her childhood best friend and bodyguard, Jin Zi Cong (Lee Wei).
Comments:
 Once again, our male lead is played by Mike He. He was definitely the king of rom-coms and romance dramas. You will definitely see him again on this list. I feel like he would be perfect for the lead role of Boys Over Flowers. Before this becomes an article of Mike He, let's talk about this drama. This drama is not complicated and is a pretty light drama. There is some conflict between the two leads' relationship, but it was resolved pretty easily. The acting is decent here. There is also a nice second female lead. I actually like her more than the female lead. I had a serious case of second male lead syndrome. He is a true man: protective, a man of his words, and unafraid of anything. Also, just because this drama has basketball in it, the sport is not the focus. It is just how our leads met. P.S. this drama has some good background music.

Smiling Pasta

Year: 2006
Episodes: 27
Synopsis:
As Chen Xiao Shi (Cyndi Wang) walks home sadly after being rejected for the 17th time, she bumps into He Qun (Nicholas Teo), a superstar, and the two accidentally kiss on the streets. This moment was captured by the paparazzi. In order to explain how this came to be, He Qun's management company asked Xiao Shi to pretend to be He Qun's secret fiancee in order to not make him seem like a womanizer and a jerk. Xiao Shi agrees to be in this contract relationship because she does not want her family to be sad because of her break up.
Comments:
The acting here is not the best but it definitely improves over time. One plus is Xiao Shi's crazily supportive parents and the two leads' cute competition. The two are definitely a great match and they understand each other very well. There are some great songs and sweet scenes, but there is an equal amount of cringy scenes. P.S.: Both leads are singers so there are songs from both of them. My personal favorite is Tears From Polaris.

Romantic Princess

Year: 2007
Episodes: 13
Synopsis:
Xiao Mai's (Angela Zhang) greatest dream is to live in a castle instead of her tiny apartment. Unbeknownst to her, she is actually the granddaughter of the richest man in China and her dreams will soon become reality when she returns to her real family. However, she refuses to leave her parents. Her grandfather, eager for Xiao Mai's return, does everything he can to pry her away from them. They form an agreement with each other. If Xiao Mai can pay back her parents' debt, then she can return to them, but if not, she will have to marry his successor, Nan Feng Jin (Wu Chun). As Xiao Mai is forced to live with Jin, will the close proximity make the two fall in love or drive them further apart?
Comments:
The beginning might drive many away. The acting is exaggerated and dramatic for our female lead and pretty emotionless for our male lead. The romance is pretty sweet and you get to meet two of the members of Fahrenheit, my favorite Taiwanese boy band. This is a light drama and a Taiwanese drama classic, so it is a nice drama to start with.

X-Family

Year: 2007
 Episodes: 55
Synopsis:
There are twelve dimensions and a Mojie, or a world full of dark forces. Most dimensions have fallen into the control of evil powers except the Gold Dimension and the Iron Dimension. In order to help Da Dong (Jiro Wang), Ya Se (Calvin Chen), and Ding Xiao Yu (Aaron Yan) recover their Yi Neng powers (this is a continuation of KO One), Xiu (Chen De Xiu) of the band Dong Cheng Wei, the protectors of the Iron Dimension, goes to the Iron Dimension in search for their alternate selves to transfer them Yi Neng. Da Dong's alternate self is the first to be found. He is called Xia Tian (Jiro Wang), but his full name is Xia Lan Xing De Tian and he possesses Yi Neng. However, he cannot control his powers so he wears a bandage that suppresses his powers for him. Xiu finds out that he actually has the ability to become the Zhong Ji Tie Ke Ren, or the ultimate defender of the dimensions. As Xia Tian trains to save the world, he and others with Yi Neng try their best to fend off evil in their dimension.
Comments:
This is my favorite Taiwanese series until they started to mass produce dramas for the series and switched the original cast and the humor became overused. This drama is great if you can look past its exaggerated humor which they describe as kuso humor. Behind its outrageous humor is a drama full of friendship and a great family story. This is a great starter if you are ok with a bit of uniqueness. This drama stars lots of popular Taiwanese stars, from the boys of Fahrenheit, who act in countless Taiwanese drama classics; Chen Bo Zheng, who plays nearly every grandfather, father, or any role with a higher age; Pauline Lan, a respected host; Danson Tang, another popular actor, and many more.

Hot Shot

I wanted to include a sports drama for those interested in sports. I will also feel bad if I do not include a drama with Jerry Yan and Show Luo.
Year: 2008
Episodes: 16
Synopsis:
In order to revive the once legendary college basketball team, Pi Li University's new coach, Li Ying (Coco Chiang), the principal's daughter and an NBA coach, tries to recruit new members. Her first recruit is Yuan Da Ying (Show Luo), a country boy who is passionate about basketball and can jump very high but has no knowledge about basketball and can barely dribble a ball. The basketball team also tries to recruit Dong Fang Xiang (Jerry Yan), a talented basketball player who transferred to their school. Can the Pi Li University's basketball team be saved even with the addition of talented people like Li Ying and Dong Fang Xiang?
Comments:
Warning; this drama has bad effects and exaggerated humor and actions. Everything is over the top: from the athletes who jump as high as the basketball hoop to dozens of basketballs spinning in the air. Despite all this, I have come enjoy this drama. During serious scenes, the acting is pretty good. There is a lot of bromance and brotherhood. The romance is not the focal point of the drama, the bromance is. There is a lot of good music. This drama is suspenseful and the team does not always win. They lose a lot but they learn from every loss which makes the drama more realistic. Unlike Bull Fighting, this drama is all about basketball. With that being said, even if you like basketball you may not enjoy this drama because of how exaggerated it is. This drama has a star studded cast, from Jerry Yan (Taiwanese F4's leader) to Show Luo (popular singer and actor) to Wu Chun (member of Fahrenheit) to George Hu (popular Taiwanese actor).

In Time With You

Year: 2011
Episodes: 13
Synopsis:
On Chen You Qing's (Ariel Lin) 30th birthday, she and her best friend, Li Da Ren (Chen Bo Lin), make a bet: whoever gets married first before they turn 35 will receive a large amount of money for their wedding from the loser. As she searches for a potential husband, she discovers that she is surrounded by guys like gay assistants or cheating ex-boyfriends. The only man who could put up with her ill temper and stubbornness is Li Da Ren, but he once told her that he could never love her. Da Ren, on the other hand, is very popular with the ladies, but every one of his relationships just does not feel quite right.
Comments:
This is a more mature drama yet still is a bit like an idol drama. Both characters are very mature and live very mature lives. Being romantic becomes less of a priority for them. Instead, chemistry and understanding are more of a priority. This is definitely one of my favorite Taiwanese dramas.

In A Good Way

Year: 2013-2014
Episodes: 26
Synopsis:
Rejected by all her colleges, Lin Jia En (Lorene Jen) becomes directionless and decides to follow Zheng Ren Wei (Jay Shih) to Taipei. At Taipei, she is introduced to a whole new world and also meets lots of new people. One of the people she meets is Liu Chuan (Lego Li), a popular, respected junior who is double majoring in law and history. He changes her view on everything by introducing her to history and treasure hunting. He also helps her realize her own dreams and goals. Together, Jia En, Liu Chuan, Ren Wei, and their classmates all learn invaluable lessons and form invaluable friendships in college.
Comments:
This is truly an underrated gem. I often compare it to the Reply series, a Korean series also set in the 80s and 90s. This is just a simple drama about college students and college life in the 90s. There are barely any crazy events or plot twists or conflicts. The romances are relatable, realistic, slow-paced, and beautiful. The characters create this entire drama. There are no evil characters, just realistic, flawed ones. There is an amazing friend group full of very different people that just seem to work as a group. They probably will never become friends on their own but as a group, they have a great time. Many of the characters are also very knowledgeable so their conversations are actually logical, unlike the many dumb arguments we often have to sit through in other dramas. The character growth in this drama is some of the best that I have ever seen. The acting is great and this drama introduces you to a lot of new or rarely seen faces. The music is amazing and really adds to the 90s vibe. This is just a really simple drama that many people who have lived through the 90s can relate to. The only issue I have is the ending. The ending is not sad but definitely not a fan favorite.