Today is Mother’s Day, so I wanted to take a moment to list some of the best shows that explore the joys and pains of motherhood. Watch some of these with your own mother.
Mother-Daughter Dynamics
There is something special about the relationship between a mother and a daughter. It can be fraught, as sometimes, daughters are their mothers, taking on their mother’s best and most toxic traits. Sometimes, mothers and daughters grow to become each other’s best friends. All in all, a mother’s love for her child is life-sustaining. Below are shows that have strong mother-daughter dynamics
- Love Next Door
- Strong Girl Nam Soon
- When Life Gives You Tangerines
- Something in the Rain
- Match to Marry (this is a reality dating show where the mother helps her child find a possible spouse)
Working Mothers
First, all mothers are working mothers, but the difficult job of being a mother is compounded when you have to also meet the obligations of the workplace. A woman can’t be everything to everyone, but these shows give us mothers doing their best.
- Romance is a Bonus Book
- Familiar Wife
- A Virtuous Business
- When the Camellias Bloom
- Crash Course in Romance
Terrible Mother-in-Laws
What is Mother’s Day without mothers-in-law? While some mothers-in-law are saints, most make you want to run for the hills. Here is a list of shows if you want to see particularly terrible mothers-in-law.
- Marry My Husband
- Knight Flower
- One the Woman
- Golden Mask
Terrible /Absentee Mothers and Mothers Who Make Poor Decisions
Sometimes, you just get a terrible mother, and her life bleeds and reverberates into your life in a way you just don’t expect. While a good mother can send you to the moon, a poor or an absentee mother can create massive damage in your life.
- Mystic Pop-up Bar
- It’s Okay Not to Be Okay
- Little Women
- Miss Incognito
Tiger Moms
Now, I am not using this phrase because I am talking about Asian television shows, but the term “Tiger Mom” instantly brings to mind strict and demanding parenting styles to ensure successful children. That trope is a throughline in most K-dramas, but here are some that you should watch. You have probably already seen Sky Castle, but what would a Tiger Mom list be like without it?
- The Good Bad Mother
- Green Mother’s Club
- Penthouse: War in Life
- Sky Castle
Becoming a Mother
Not many modern K-dramas explore the pregnancy and postpartum aspects of motherhood, but I highly recommend Birthcare Center if you want to see South Korean perspectives on the postpartum experience.
