Have you ever watched a great suspenseful, crime thriller Kdrama that was successful to send chills down your spine only to find that it is finished, completed, ended? And you find yourself with a magnifying glass searching high and low for the same thrill you experienced once but which has left you in a lurch? Tunnel is that kind of a Kdrama! Fasten your seatbelts as we take you on a ride through a world of fantasy, crime and mind blogging mysteries to cure your Tunnel withdrawals! We bring you 20+ Kdrama similar to Tunnel for you to binge-watch right this moment!
Story
Before we begin with our list, let’s revisit Tunnel’s storyline. Tunnel revolves around our lead and a very passionate, competent detective Park Gwang-ho of Hwayang police station in 1986. During a chase to catch the culprit of serial homicide, he ends up 30 years later in present-day 2016 through a mystic tunnel. Now, when similar kind of killings take place as in 1986, Gwang-ho with his new elite, eccentric partner and a criminal psychologist, tries to solve the mysteries of the murders which are probably committed by the same culprit!
Genres: Suspense, Thriller, Mystery, Psychological, Crime, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Detective, Investigation
Kdrama similar to Tunnel
20. He Is Psychometric (2019)
Synopsis
He Is Psychometric revolves around Lee Ahn, Yoon Jae in and Kang Sung mo, who are entwined together in a fateful and painful past. When they were young, there was a fire outbreak where Lee Ahn lost his parents and Jae in’s father was falsely accused of murdering the inhabitants of the building. After the incident, Lee Ahn developed the power of psychometry which helps him to read a person’s or an object’s past through touch. Years later, Lee Ahn, Jae in, Lee Ahn’s guardian and a prosecutor Sung mo with his colleague and investigator Eun Ji-soo try to solve the case from the past which still haunts them. Watch the trailer to He Is Psychometric here! Warning: You will be shocked.
Similarity with Tunnel
He Is Psychometric is yet another Kdrama similar to Tunnel. It shares a similar genre of a crime thriller, mystery and suspense. It also shares its strong female leads with Tunnel as well as a murder mystery. Although it does not have a time travel trope, it does depict supernatural elements in the form of Lee Ahn’s ability and just like in Tunnel everyone forms a team to expose the identity of the murderer.
19. Voice (2017)
Synopsis
Voice revolves around our main leads, Moo Jin-hyuk and Kang Kwon Joo. Moo Jin Hyuk is a detective whose wife is murdered while he was at work. Meanwhile, Kang Kwon Joo is a voice profiler whose father gets killed while investigating a ruthless murder case. Years later, both our leads form a team called the “Golden Time team” to solve cases and catch the culprit responsible for the death of their family members. Watch the trailer to Voice here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Voice is a Kdrama similar to Tunnel. Just like the cases revolve mainly around a serial killer in Tunnel, the same is true for Voice as well. Both the dramas have a strong female lead and a competent detective. Although Voice does not have any fantasy elements or time travel, it was so popular that it was extended till season 3! A must watch if you’re craving some intense crime thriller similar to Tunnel!
18. Tell Me What You Saw (2020)
Synopsis
Tell me what you saw revolves around a criminal profiler whose fiancé is murdered by a serial killer who resurfaces again after 5 years (quite similar to voice). Our main lead and criminal profiler in question is Oh Hyun Jae who starts living a secluded life after the death of his fiancé until he comes across Cha Soo Young. Cha Soo Young is a young rookie detective with a photographic memory who teams up with Hyun Jae in order to solve cases and reveal the truth behind the serial killer infamously known as the “peppermint killer” responsible for Hyun Jae’s fiancé’s murder. Watch the trailer to Tell Me What You Saw here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Tell me what you saw is a Kdrama similar to Tunnel because of its common genres of crime, thriller, mystery and suspense. Both dramas boast of a strong female lead who has a special ability or are an expert in their field. They have a similar trope of serial killings and a serial killer on the loose while both the main leads are in a fit to catch the “serial killer”.
17. Witch’s Court (2017)
Synopsis
Witch’s court revolves around our female lead, Ma Yi Deum, a materialistic, non-empathetic, ace prosecutor who can go to any lengths to win her cases, is transferred to a special task force dealing with sex crimes. Meanwhile, young Jin Wook is a rookie prosecutor who joins the same task force as Ma Yi Deum. Together they strive to solve and catch the perpetrators of some serious sex crimes. Watch the trailer to Witch’s Court here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Unlike Tunnel, Witch’s Court revolves around the court and prosecutors and not police station and detectives. It has similar themes of crime investigation minus serial killings. The female lead has a strong character similar to the female lead in Tunnel.
16. The Good Detective (2020)
Synopsis
The Good Detective revolves around a fierce tussle between two sects of people, one fighting to reveal the truth and the other fighting to conceal and bury the truth. Watch the trailer to The Good Detective here!
Similarity with Tunnel
This kdrama is similar to Tunnel in terms of its similar themes of mystery and thriller. The male leads are detectives, just like in Tunnel, and struggle against injustice. Although The Good Detective does not revolve around a fantasy or supernatural plotline, it still has some similarities with Tunnel.
15. Alice (2020)
Synopsis
Alice is somewhat similar to the German Netflix series Dark. Alice is the name of an agency of time travellers in the year 2050, which helps its clients to travel back in time to see their loved ones who have passed away and to help them find some sort of closure. Enters “The Book of Prophecy”, a book that can predict the future and the fate of time travel. Our story begins when Alice agents Yoon Tae Yi and Yoo Min-hyuk travel to the year 1992 in search of the “The Book of Prophecy” and in the turn of events Tae Yi disappears with the book, changes her name and gives birth to her son. The rest is for you to discover! Watch the trailer to Alice here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Alice is another Kdrama similar to Tunnel. Just like the Tunnel, it deals with time travel, crime, murder, mystery and the quest to find the truth. To watch it and actually enjoy it, it’s required to leave your logic somewhere else because otherwise, you’ll be thoroughly disappointed. You have thus been warned.
14. Nine: Nine Times Time Travel (2013)
Synopsis
Nine: Nine Times Time Travel revolves around our male lead Park Sun Woo who is an anchor at a TV broadcasting station. When tragedy strikes his family, he is given limited chances to go back 20 years in the past, through nine incense items, to protect his family and change his current world. But alas, when you mess with time, time messes with your life too and that’s exactly what happens with Sun-woo. Watch the trailer to Nine: Nine Times Time Travel here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Nine: Nine Times Time Travel is another Kdrama similar to Tunnel. It has similar themes of suspense and time travel. Unlike Tunnel though, it does not revolve around detectives and serial killers.
13. Circle: Two Connected Worlds (2017)
Synopsis
Circle: Two Connected Worlds revolves around two parallel time periods, one in present-day 2017 and the other in the future 2037. This is the story of two brothers, Kim Woo-jin and Kim Bum Gyun, who struggle to find out about their father’s disappearance and an advance alien tech, which can either help humanity or destroy it. Circle: Two Connected Worlds is a mystery sci-fiction Kdrama, which has a very unique concept and setting. With just 12 episodes, it is divided into 3 parts, all connected together. It’s one of those brilliant and super under-rated Kdramas out there, so if you haven’t you must watch it asap! Watch the trailer to Circle: Two Connected Worlds here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Circle: Two Connected Worlds is another Kdrama similar to Tunnel despite being more on the science fiction genre. But it is equally mysterious and addictive especially with the alien and futuristic concept, which is quite a rare concept for Kdramas. It does have mysterious suicides which might actually be murders committed by an unknown person and also a detective trying to solve old cases. Instead of the detective travelling to the future, in Circle, the detective tries to solve cases of the past in the future.
12. Missing: The Other Side (2020)
Synopsis
Missing: The Other Side revolves around our male lead Kim Wook who is a swindler. He gets involved in an unfortunate event and arrives at Duon Village. The twist? This is no ordinary village but a village of the dead. The residents of the people are dead and their spirits still live in the village because their bodies were never found. Ordinarily, Duon Village in invisible to the mortal eye but Kim Wook is somehow able to see the spirits and decides to help them regarding the mystery of their death. Watch the trailer to Missing: The Other Side here!
Similarities
Missing: The Other Side is a Kdrama similar to Tunnel since it shares a similar genre of mystery and thriller. Although the main lead is not an official detective over the course of the drama, he fulfils the role of a detective similar to Tunnel.
11. Come and Hug Me (2018)
Synopsis
Come and Hug me revolves around a tragic love story of our main leads, Yoon Na Moo and Gil Nak Won. Their blossoming first love, when they were young, comes to an end when Na Moo’s psychopath serial killer of a father murders Nak Won’s parents. Fast forward to the present, Yoon Na Moo is now a Chae Do Jin, an experienced detective trying to atone for the sins of his father, while Gil Nak Won becomes Han Jae Yi, a popular actress. What will happen when they meet again? Watch the trailer to Come and Hug Me here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Come and Hug Me is a bit more on the sad spectrum than Tunnel. It’s a Kdrama similar to Tunnel mainly due to its crime thriller genre along with suspense. It also has the serial killer trope in common with Tunnel though there’s a lot more of the romantic storyline. Ps: the serial killer’s character is terrifying (shudders).
10. God’s Gift: 14 Days (2014)
Synopsis
God’s Gift: 14 Days revolves around a mother, Kim Soo Hyun, whose daughter Han Saet Byul, gets kidnapped and murdered. In a turn of supernatural events, time turns back 14 days before the tragedy takes place and Kim Soo Hyun is given another chance to save her daughter. With the help of a cop turned private detective Ki Dong-chan, Soo Hyun races against time to prevent everything from happening all over again. What none of them anticipated is all the secrets that they come across in these 14 days. Will they able to prevent what already happened once and unravel the secrets in time? Watch the trailer to God’s Gift: 14 Days here!
Similarity with Tunnel
God’s Gift: 14 Days is yet another Kdrama similar to Tunnel as it shares a similar genre of crime thriller, mystery and suspense. It also shares the time-travel trope with Tunnel as well as a strong female lead and a detective-cum- investigator trying to fight for the truth, kidnapping and murder of a female victim.
09. 365: Repeat the Year (2020)
Synopsis
365: Repeat the Year revolves around the premise of 10 people going back a year in time to “reset” their lives. But of course, messing with the past and the natural course of time comes with many consequences. So, when mysterious events start to happen, the group is forced to rethink their decision. Watch the trailer to 365: Repeat the Year here!
Similarity with Tunnel
365: Repeat the Year is another Kdrama similar to Tunnel which revolves around similar themes of suspense, crime, thriller and fantasy. Similar to Tunnel, not one but ten characters undergo time travel in 365: Repeat the Year. The main lead is a detective, while the female lead character is strong, there are some mysterious deaths without a culprit in sight, similar to Tunnel.
08. The Guest (2018)
Synopsis
The Guest has an incredibly unique plotline and some really good actors. It revolves around Yoon Hwa Pyung, a psychic born in a shaman family who discovers a powerful demon named “son” who possess weak people. After being possessed, these people go crazy and kill their families before stabbing themselves in the eye (cree…py). Hwa Pyung then meets Choi Yoon, a young boy from a catholic family and Kang Kil-young who belongs to a detective family, after their families succumb to the demon. Years later, when the demon re-emerges, they meet again to stop the demon. Watch the trailer to The Guest here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Although The Guest doesn’t have any supernatural elements, the Guest is quite similar to it since it depicts a similar genre of thriller and mystery. It also has a common strong female lead who is a detective unlike the male leads in Tunnel.
07. Memorist (2020)
Synopsis
Memorist is a brilliant crime thriller Kdrama. It revolves around Dong Baek, a gifted detective with supernatural power which allows him to read a person’s memories when he touches them. And this ability is super useful when you’re a detective catching criminals every day. Meanwhile, our female lead, Han Su Mi, is equally distinguished being the youngest person to have passed the bar exam along with a doctorate in criminal psychology and having solved some super difficult cold cases. This makes her a genius criminal profiler. Our story begins when both these geniuses come across a serial killer, who is smarter than both their abilities combined. What will happen? Will they finally lose even when they are a team? Watch the trailer to Memorist here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Memorist is a Kdrama which is quite similar to Tunnel. Firstly, they both share similar themes of a crime thriller, suspense and mystery. Both the Kdrama revolve around catching a serial killer with the male lead being a detective and the female lead being excellent in criminal psychology and having a strong personality. Although Memorist does not have the time travel trope, it does have fantasy elements like Dong Baek’s supernatural ability so it ends up having similar vibes as that of Tunnel.
06. Train (2020)
Synopsis
Train revolves around the story of our main male lead Seo Do-won, who is known for his “get work done” attitude. His life takes a different turn when he discovers corpses buried in an old, abandoned train station. Amidst a dead victim suddenly coming back to life and the woman he loves becoming a victim of the serial murder case, Do-won makes a strange discovery. The train is actually a portal to a parallel universe wherein, the woman he loves is still alive! Do-won embarks on a journey to track her killer in one world while trying to protect her in the other. Will he be able to manage both? Watch the trailer to Train here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Train is another Kdrama which is quite similar to Tunnel since it has a fantastical concept along with it being a crime thriller. It shares some other elements with Tunnel, for instance, the male lead is a righteous detective, the cases revolve around one single serial killer on the loose, there are strong female leads, the main leads form a group and work together to solve the case and catch the killer, thrilling and mysterious events, suspense and a bit of romance.
05. Life on Mars (2018)
Synopsis
Life on Mars is a marvellous Kdrama which revolves around a successful and brilliant forensics scientist Han Tae Joo, who is in charge of leading a crime investigation team. He believes in scientific data, facts and evidence before anyone else. While working on a serial murder case, he gets transported to the past in the year 1988 due to an accident. Now, this person who has no trust in people and only believes in evidence has to work as a detective in a small city where he has to solve a serial murder case to get back to the present. Will he be able to solve the case without modern technology? Or will he be stuck in 1988 forever? Watch the trailer to Life on Mars here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Life on Mars is similar to Tunnel since it depicts the same time travel trope but this time the person time travelling to the past and not the future! The main leads are both detectives trying to solve a serial murder case. Both the Kdrama’s share a similar genre of crime thriller and suspense.
04. Kairos (2020)
Synopsis
Kairos revolves around some very interesting events. It revolves around our two protagonists, in the same world (thankfully) but a month apart in time. Han Ae Ri is our female lead whose mother goes missing in a hospital and around the same time she receives a call from an anonymous man who claims to be a month apart from her in the future. Our mysterious man, living in the future, is Kim Seo-jin, a very successful, workaholic man. His life suddenly takes a downward turn when his daughter is kidnapped and his wife commits suicide out of shock. Mysteriously, he dials a number and contacts Ae Ri, living a month in the past to help stop the disaster from happening in return for searching for Ae Ri’s missing mother. Watch the trailer to Kairos here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Kairos is a kdrama which is quite similar to Tunnel minus the police setting. It is based on the same lines of the past and the future, though nobody actually partakes in time-travel physically. From its synopsis itself, one can observe that it oozes mystery, crime, thriller and suspense, the genres which overlap with Tunnel. It’s an absolute must-watch for fantasy crime thriller junkies, so what are you waiting for?
03. Stranger (2017)
Synopsis
Stranger is a fantastic Kdrama which has not one but two seasons which is quite rare for a Kdrama and it also means that it must be excellent for it to get another season! It revolves around the life of a prosecutor, Hwang Shi Mok who lost his ability to express emotions due to brain surgery and who also happens to be the only prosecutor not involved in corruption. Things take a turn for the good when he meets Police Lieutenant Han YeoJin upon stumbling across a corpse at the murder site. Both of them try to solve the serial murder case while trying to put a stop to the corruption that has engulfed the prosecutor’s office. Watch the trailer to Stranger here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Stranger is another Kdrama similar to Tunnel which shares a similar genre of crime thriller and mystery. Instead of a police background, it revolves around the prosecutor’s office. Although it does not share any time travel trope, it does share the leads working to solve a serial murder case, a strong female lead and a just male lead similar to the characters in Tunnel.
02. Flower of evil
Synopsis
Flower of Evil is an excellent Kdrama about a man named Do Hyun Soo, the son of a serial killer and suspect for a murder. While on a run from the police, he is able to assume a new identity of Baek Hee-sung and marries a detective, Cha Ji Won. Things take an ugly turn when Cha Ji Won gets assigned a serial murder case to catch Hyun Soo and Baek Hee Sung’s identity is threatened. Is he really the culprit? How did he manage to fool everyone? Watch the trailer to Flower of evil here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Although Flower of evil does not share any fantasy traits with Tunnel, it is quite similar to Tunnel. Both the Kdrama portray a cat and mouse chase. Unlike Tunnel, the female lead is a strong character and also a detective. The setting revolves around the police station in both dramas. Both the dramas also revolve around solving a serial murder case from the past which re-emerges in the present. Both share a similar genre of crime, thriller, mystery and suspense.
01. Signal
Synopsis
Signal revolves around Park Hae Young, a criminal profiler with a difficult past. One day, he comes across an old, broken walkie talkie, ready to be discarded until it suddenly starts working. On the other end is Detective Lee Jae Han from the year 1989. With the help of Jae Han, Hae Young, with his cold cases unit, embarks on the journey to not only solve these long-forgotten cases but also changing the past in a way that deters these cases from ever taking place! But is changing the past always the right answer? And what happens to Jae Ha, why is he missing in the real world? Find out yourself! Watch the trailer to Signal here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Signal is probably one Kdrama that has the closest resemblance with Tunnel. Both the Kdramas deal with crime committed in the past. Both of them take place around two specific time periods, one in the past and the other in the present. However, unlike Tunnel in which the detective himself travels to the future, in Signal the detectives in the past and the present are connected through an old walkie talkie. Signal and Tunnel, both, deal with serial killers, serial killings and have a strong female lead with a passionate, just detective. Both the shows have brilliant, addictive cases; some great storyline and characterisation.
Special Mentions
Tunnel (2019)
Tunnel (2019) is a Thai remake of our Kdrama Tunnel. If you’re someone you’re still not over Tunnel and would like to explore the same story in a remake, then this is for you! The story is more or less similar with similar characters but instead of a Korean setting, the director did a good job of giving justice to the original. Watch the trailer to Tunnel (2019) here!
Memories of Murder (2003)
Synopsis
Memories of Murder is directed by Bong Joon Ho, directed by the globally famous movie Parasite. Memories of Murder is loosely based on a true story of South Korea’s first serial murder case in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The movie takes place in 1986 when the second victim of a serial murder case is found but because of incompetent detectives, the case does not take any positive turn until Detective Seo Tae Yoon from Seoul volunteers to assist them and terms the case as a serial murder case. When a third victim is found, with the help of Seo Tae Yoon, the detectives are able to find leads to catch the killer. Watch the trailer to Memories of Murder here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Although Memories of Murder does not portray the trope of time travel, it does shares similarities with Tunnel. In both the kdrama, the main leads are detectives who are trying to catch a serial killer in 1980’s South Korea where the victims are young women. Both share a similar genre of mystery, crime thriller and suspense.
Time Renegades (2016)
Synopsis
Time Renegades revolves around two male leads separated by 30 years, Ji Hwan in the past and Geon Wooin in the present. Both of them undergo a life-threatening event on the same day but in different time periods. Due to this, Ji Hwan and Geon Woo are able to see each other’s daily life through their dreams. Geon Woo and Ji Hwan come across the tragic fate of their common love interest, Yun Jung who is bound to be murdered in the past. To stop the murder, they begin working – two men, in different time periods with the same goal, to protect Yun Jung. Will they be successful or are there more problems coming their way? Watch the trailer to Time Renegades here!
Similarity with Tunnel
Time Renegades is a Korean movie similar to Tunnel. It has similar themes of being a crime thriller, suspense and mystery. Both male leads in Tunnel and Time Renegades are detectives trying to solve a case from the past.
So, that’s it from our side! Let us know which Kdrama similar to Tunnel are you planning to watch first in the comments! If you would like to read more such articles visit our Korean TV section for more!
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