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[Beanie Recs] Mature romances


Ahoy, Beanies! It’s time to gather your collective genius for a recommendation series that features you and your drama knowledge. Each week we’ll drop a drama conundrum and leave it up to you to provide a drama rec, and the appropriate rationale behind it, be it long or short. Respond below!
 

Between watching Crash Course in Romance and looking forward to Divorce Attorney Shin, I’m pumped that dramaland is giving us more stories about “mature” people (a.k.a. not in their teens or 20s) living life and falling in love, etc. I’m looking for more dramas like this (dare I call them middle-aged romances?). Can you recommend anything?


Have a very particular drama itch that needs scratching? In need of a Beanie Rec? Email us at hello @ dramabeans.com and we’ll feature your topic in a future post.
 
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Marriage Contract is a very good one to start with.
Go Back Couple was very lovely.
Temperature of Love is a very good one with the mature romance.
Will You Have Dinner with Me is another good one.
Will I consider Kiss Sixth Sense a part of this too?

And I almost forgot You Are My Spring. It's the one I'll tell you to watch first before the listed above. The addition of their ages is 72. And I tell you, you'll enjoy it.

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On the Way to the Airport
I know a lot of people don't like to watch dramas with 'affairs'. But this was a very well done drama. It really did focus on characters, and how marriages fall apart over time and how people change. It really was a well done drama.
Her Private Life - Again, a drama with mature leads acting like adults! whats not to love.

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I'm not big on romance dramas, but "QUEEN IN-HYUN'S MAN" won me over. The chemistry was great, and I liked the story enough to overlook the imperfections.
I've always had a soft spot for the historical Queen Inhyun and how she died childless and unloved, so this drama gave her a happy ending.
Fangirling over Kim Bung-do made it a fun watch.

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QIHM is the best romance drama SK produced EVER #sorrynotsorry, but it doesn't quite meet the criteria of 30+ couple - if you're not talking about the actual King and Queen, whose ages I have no idea about. ML was mentioned to be 27 and FL... not sure but around his age probably, maybe a bit younger.

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I thought “I need romance 3” was good :)

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Agree! Light watch, and the relationships (romantic and not) were handled very maturely, including the side characters'.

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I haven't watched a lot in this category, so I'll definitely check back to consult these recommendations too!

The one that comes to mind immediately for me is Chocolate. It's a lovely slow-burn romance that has a lot of damaged people healing along the way. And such glorious sequences of food being prepared.

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Greatest Love
Bubblegum
Jealousy Incarnate
Nine
Miss Korea (the seconed love-line)

Most of my favorite shows feature thirty-something characters but most of them don't look distinctly different from late-twenty characters.

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Hyena - late 30s ML, early 40s FL. This one is a RIOT! Acting, chemistry, jokes are insane. Both leads are rather... questionable in many aspects, and imo drama should've been a bit longer to give a proper conclusion to all the issues between the OTP, but it's still a fantastic watch if you can stomach legal dramas. And kinda suspend your disbelief over ML still carrying the torch for FL after a certain truly dickish move she pulled on him. Personally I would've RUN if I were him, but some folks just love the pain and challenge)))

Hmm... in Another Oh Hae Young both leads were over 30, right? Very mature one indeed - nearly all adult problems are covered here one way or another.

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A big YES to Hyena! I thought they did a good job making it seem believable that the ML would still be attracted to the conniving FL. There was clearly chemistry there to begin with, and once they started working together, it wasn’t surprising to me that the torch relit. I also thought he became more sympathetic towards her after he learned her story and all the obstacles she had overcome.

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They had so much chemistry that it was enough to excuse her killing his whole family and burning his house, let alone what she actually did))) But I don't think it would've work with lesser actors. Like at all, despite all the writer's best attempts.

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Came here to suggest Hyena. I do love some moral ambiguity in my favorites, and these two are also sizzling.

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Amen to moral ambiguity! Another show to which it added complexity and a certain frisson was Secret Love Affair.

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My favorite one is "Love Affairs in the Afternoon". And I second jerry with You Are My Spring and Go Back Couple.

But I also enjoyed:
18 Again
When My Love Blooms
Flower of Evil
It's Okay That's Love
Once Again (weekender)
Be My Dream Family (daily drama)
Cunning Single Lady
20th Century Boy and Girl
My Liberation Notes
Matrimonial Chaos

There's also "Tomorrow With You". The show is... but the couple is great. They were adorable.

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I propose the name “aju” romance (ajumma-ajusshi) and select The Man who Didn’t Want to Marry/He Who Can’t Marry. All the zaniness of hate-to-love at any age but with the lovely mature actors Ji Jin Hee and Uhm Jong Hwa.

Also, Marriage Not Dating although they were a bit on the young side.

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I love ‘Aju’ romance being the shorthand label ❤️

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Speaking of Ji Jin Hee, any rom(com) he's been part of in the last 10 year. I've watched Second To Last last year and it left a good impression. Opposite Kim Hee Ae, which is also a great source of good dramas with Aju romance. ❤

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A topic near and dear to my heart! As a rule, I am bored by romcoms featuring teens and 20-somethings. I find relationships between people who’ve “been around the block” at least a few times so much more interesting. Among my favorites (some of which have already been mentioned):

Because This Is My First Life
Fated to Love You
Hyena
Search: WWW
Crash Landing on You
Kill Me, Heal Me
The Master’s Sun
Oh My Venus
A Piece of Your Mind
Greasy Melo
You Are My Spring
When the Camellia Blooms (Not sure…is the ML in his 30s?)

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I was thinking all the Hospital Playlist friends. Dear my friends as I think the daughter is in her 30’s and I am sure there is a budding romance amongst her mum’s friends.

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Lee Chung-ah and her persistent office colleague Jung Joon-won in VIP. One of the few romance subplots in a serious drama that I don't FF through. My favorite mature relationship stories are about romance lost -- adultery dramas -- so I guess they don't qualify.

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The main romance in Five Children was nice.

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Alone In Love

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I'm noting all these recommendations. But while I do agree 30-somethings are more mature than teen/20s, I would have defined middle-age as 40-60, esp. given how long people live now. Of course, everyone's definition of middle-age varies. But I think romances in that age range are even fewer. Many of the recommendations here are for 30-somethings.

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Yeah, 30 is a bit young to be called middle-aged. I once told me dad he was middle-aged because he was over 30, but I was maybe six years old at the time. Wikipedia has it between 40-60 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_age

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And romances with people in their 30s are very standard in dramaland, as evidenced by the myriad of dramas in this post lol and there are a lot missing. This is especially true lately now that dramaland is having trouble creating true stars among the younger actors. Like, a majority of the most popular actors are 30+ because they were the same actors who were popular a decade ago.

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Romance dramas about and starring people 40+ are much more rare. Also I honestly think the leads in CCIR are supposed to be late 30s in-show despite the actors’ ages lmao.

When a character in their 40s has a romance, a very good chance it’s an affair. Having a true romance story for someone in their 40s is super rare, let alone someone who is a single/divorced parent.

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Hmm, now that you said it, many of the middle-aged romances do touch upon infidelity. Maybe not surprising as many folks are in relationships at that age, and it happens.
But it'd also be nice to have a drama with someone who's loved, lost, made a clean break and ready to love again.

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The Beauty Inside
My Unfamiliar Family
Oh My Baby!

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All good! I love Oh My Baby!

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I was coming to suggest My unfamiliar family too :)

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I agree with @babylilo! I too wish there were more mature dramas! There’s usually an interesting backstory for folks who have been around the block. There’s depth.
Probably because it’s a recent watch, but I really enjoyed LOVE TO HATE YOU. The leads are 36 and 41, and even the subject matter is mature. I read somewhere that many people complained that the leads were too old. Whatever. First of all, I don’t think 41 is old. Secondly, while there’s no denying the beauty of youth, older folks know how to take care of business.

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And then there's the criticism of the FL's age in Crash Course in Romance...

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For me, her age is not the issue in CCIR but rather the fact that the drama is trying to convince us the leads are the same age when she is clearly older than him. It would make much more sense for the character to be closer to the actress' actual age. And then there's also her consistent characterization as a mother/caretaker and the drama's (so far) lack of showing her in any other light, which makes it hard to cheer for her as one half of a romantic pair.

I also agree @indyfan that most of these I wouldn't classify as "middle-aged" romances, but the prompt just asked to keep things out of the teens/20s, so I think they still work. There is a lot of variation in 30-somethings romances, and some of them I would call much more "mature" than others!

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That's fair. The OP said middle-aged romances, and also beyond teen/20s so 30-something dramas also fit the bill. And if there were more middle-aged romances I'm sure folks would have cited them. There just aren't many.
I have a fair bit of thoughts on ageism/beauty standards towards the FL in CCIR by some other folks (and honestly in dramas/pop culture in general) but not at your comments so will save them for another discussion.

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Oh yes, I have so much to say on this topic, but just for now I'll comment that I've been watching the show 1923 (one of the Yellowstone series) and the most romantic scenes are between Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

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It's sad but the characters who are around 35-4 years old often are in either family dramas either majkang dramas.

39 could have been so good with romance between adults and friendship >_<

Oh My Baby was really good until the writer fell in the usual clichés.

One Spring Night was interesting with the ML being a single parent.

I didn't watch Love Affairs In The Afternoon but I liked the Japanese version.

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35-45*

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It is sad, because love does not have an age limit.

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I've been waiting for a post like this and I'm DEFINITELY writing down suggestions. High school and young love dramas certainly have their places in my heart, but I'm all for love among the *older* crowd.

I see this post as one addressing couples in the 30+ age range. IMHO, the 30s are not truly considered middle age, but I get the gist of what you're saying and I approve!

The drama that immediately came to my mind was When My Love Blooms. It was a good story about an older couple's second chance at love, but had flashbacks of their younger years as well. (This, to me, is the best of both worlds!)

I also enjoyed Hometown Cha Cha Cha. It had a great storyline as well (Du Sik's backstory broke my heart!). To be honest though, if Kim Seon Ho is starring in a drama, I'm definitely watching.

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These have characters who are at least in their 30s, so more mature if not middle-aged:

A Gentleman's Dignity
Bossam: Steal the Fate
I Do, I Do
Secret Love Affair

Not the greatest dramas, but still...

Love in Contract
Now, We Are Breaking Up
Thirty-Nine
The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry
Where Stars Land

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Adding some that haven't been mentioned:
City Hall - an oldie but goodie
Live Up To Your Name
Mystic Pop-up Bar

With the following dramas, I'm not sure of the characters' ages, but they're definitely not teens/early 20's:
My Name Is Kim Sam Soon
She Was Pretty
Touch Your Heart
What's Wrong With Secretary Kim

If you're up for a Chinese drama, then You Are My Glory fits the bill :)

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A Witch’s Love is pretty good at showing a middle aged woman’s POV in romance, and I like that it did so unabashedly. The writer really presented FL with a sense of pathos. The last minute of Love to Hate You really ruined the show for me, by turning FL into a joke. She wasn’t tough in that last scene, but a harpy. Badly done!

Not a perfect series, but I liked the concept and the acting is good.

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Love Rain
When My love blooms
Recipe for Farewell
20th century Boy and girl

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Recipe for Farewell is so preocious <3 Absolutely beautiful drama <3

I'm also thinking of Matrimonial Chaos but they are probably in their late 30s. And Lost (human disqualification)... I think the FL is 40.

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