KBS Drama Special () is a South Korean anthology series created and broadcast by KBS2, with each episode having a different story, cast, director and scriptwriter. The format is based on its predecessor Drama City and MBC's Best Theater.
Drama City ended its run in 2008 after 14 years. Since then, television series adapted from comic books or online novels have been rising to the mainstream, leaving even less space for short series to make a comeback. However, on May 15, 2010, KBS Drama Special was introduced in the form of a single-episode anthology series, starting with "Red Candy" by veteran scriptwriter Noh Hee-kyung.
For the 2020 and 2021 editions, Monster Union, the drama production subsidiary of KBS, has been producing Drama Special.
In 2021, KBS introduced a film project 'TV Cinema' in Drama Special. It was aired for the first time in October and includes 10 works, including four 90-minute TV cinemas and six 70-minute single-act plays.
In 2022, 10 films were released in November and December, starting with the theatrical release of two films, and followed by eight single-act films. All of these were produced by for KBS.
Series overview Season Broadcasting period Airtime rowspan="2" colspan="2" March 9 – May 18, 1997 Sunday at 22:00 (KST) 14 May 25 – June 8, 1997 Sunday at 21:00 (KST) 1 May 15 – November 27, 2010 Saturday at 23:15 (KST) 24 2 June 5 – July 17, 2011 Sunday at 23:15 (KST) 23 July 24 – November 6, 2011 Sunday at 23:25 (KST) November 13–27, 2011 Sunday at 23:30 (KST) 3 June 3 – December 23, 2012 Sunday at 23:45 (KST) 24 4 June 12 – October 23, 2013 Wednesday at 23:10 (KST) 18 November 11 – December 8, 2013 Sunday at 23:55 (KST) 5 January 26 – February 2, 2014 27 February 23 – April 13, 2014 May 11 – June 8, 2014 September 14 – November 2, 2014 Sunday at 00:00 (KST) November 9 – December 7, 2014 Sunday at 00:10 (KST) 6 March 13 – April 3, 2015 Friday at 21:30 (KST)(Two consecutive episodes) 15 July 31 – August 28, 2015 Friday at 22:50 (KST) October 24 – November 28, 2015 Friday at 23:50 (KST) 7 September 25 – November 27, 2016 Sunday at 23:40 (KST) 10 8 September 3 – November 5, 2017 Sunday at 22:40 (KST) 10 9 September 14 – November 16, 2018 Friday at 22:00 to 23:10 (KST) 10 10 September 27 – November 29, 2019 Friday at 23:00 (KST) 1011 November 7 – December 24, 2020 Saturday at 22:30 (KST) 1012 October 22 – December 24, 2021 Saturday at 22:30 (KST) 1013 November 16 – December 28, 2022 Wednesday and Thursday at 21:50 (KST) 1014 October 14 – December 16, 2023 Saturday at 21:50 (KST) 10 15 November 5 – December 10, 2024 Tuesday at 22:45 (KST) 516 (Love : Track)December 14–28, 2025Wednesday at 21.50 (KST) and Sunday at 22.50 (KST)10 Total number of episodes (Seasons 1–15)230
Episodes Season 1 (2010)
Season 2 (2011)
Season 3 (2012)
Season 4 (2013)
Season 5 (2014)
Season 6 (2015)
Season 7 (2016)
Season 8 (2017)
Season 9 (2018)
Season 10 (2019)
Season 11 (2020)
Season 12 (2021)
Season 13 (2022)
Season 14 (2023)
2024 +Ep.TitleOriginal release date (2024)1The History of UsNovember 52Finding HandsomeNovember 123The Two WomenNovember 264The Road in BetweenDecember 35To My Lonely SisterDecember 10
2025 (Love : Track) Ep.TitleOriginal release date (2025)1Onion Soup After HoursDecember 142When We Were Wired3Love HotelDecember 174Finding Us5My Father's FuneralDecember 216Kimchi7More Than StarsDecember 248Minji Minji Minji9Love's Grace PeriodDecember 2810A Soundtrack Like No Other
Awards and nominations KBS Drama Awards + Year presented, category, nominated work, recipient, and the result of the nomination Year Category Nominated work Recipient Result2010Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Red Candy" Lee Jae-ryong "Our Slightly Risque Relationship" Lee Sun-kyun "Rock, Rock, Rock" No Min-woo "Spy Trader Kim Chul-soo's Recent Condition" Oh Man-seok "Texas Hit" Son Hyun-joo Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Pianist" Han Ji-hye "Our Slightly Risque Relationship" Hwang Woo-seul-hye "The Great Gye Choon-bin" Jung Yu-mi "Red Candy" Park Si-yeon Best Young Actress "Last Flashman" Park Yoo-sun 2011Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "For My Son" Choi Soo-jong "Crossing the Yeongdo Bridge" Jung Jin-young "Perfect Spy" Lee Hee-joon "Yeongdeok Women's Wrestling Team" Lee Jong-hyuk "Perfect Spy" Son Hyun-joo Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Hair Show" Baek Jin-hee "Princess Hwapyung's Weight Loss" Eugene "400-year-old Dream" Han Eun-jung "For My Son" Hwang Soo-jung "Perfect Spy" Yoo In-young 2012Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Don't Worry, I'm a Ghost" Bong Tae-gyu "Do You Know Taekwondo?" Im Ji-kyu "Still Picture" Namkoong Min "Wetlands Ecology Report" Sung Joon "Just an Ordinary Love Story" Yeon Woo-jin "Missing Case of National Assembly Member Jung Chi-sung" Yu Oh-seong Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "My Prettiest Moments" and "Gate of Non-Duality" Jeon Ye-seo "A Corner" Kim Yong-rim "Still Picture" Moon Jeong-hee "Don't Worry, I'm a Ghost" Park Shin-hye "Culprit Among Friends" Shim Yi-young "Just an Ordinary Love Story" Yoo Da-in Best Young Actor "Gate of Non-Duality" Kim Woo-seok "A Corner" Yeon Joon-seok Best Young Actress "Girl Detective Park Hae-sol" Nam Ji-hyun "SOS: Save Our School" Seo Shin-ae 2013Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Yeon-woo's Summer" Han Joo-wan "Happy! Rose Day" Jung Woong-in "The Memory in My Old Wallet" Ryu Soo-young "Sirius" Seo Jun-young "The Devil Rider" and "Mother's Island" Yu Oh-seong Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Yeon-woo's Summer" Han Ye-ri "The Devil Rider" Lee Chae-young "Outlasting Happiness" Ryu Hyun-kyung "Their Perfect Day" Song Seon-mi "Chagall's Birthday" Ye Ji-won Best New Actor "Yeon-woo's Summer" Han Joo-wan Best New Actress "The Memory in My Old Wallet" Nam Bo-ra 2014Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Vengeful Spirit" Ahn Jae-mo "The Tale of the Bookworm" Han Joo-wan "Repulsive Love" Jo Dal-hwan "I'm Dying Soon" Oh Jung-se "The Dirge Singer" Seo Jun-young "Monster" Yeon Joon-seok Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "We All Cry Differently" Kim So-hyun "The Dirge Singer" Kim You-jung "Middle School Student A" Lee Yeol-eum "Vengeful Spirit" Park Eun-hye "Playing Games" Woo Hee-jin Best Supporting Actress "The Girl Who Became a Photo" Jin Kyung Best New Actress "I'm Dying Soon" Kim Seul-gi "Playing Games" Shin So-yul Best Young Actor "Middle School Student A" Kwak Dong-yeon Best Young Actress "Bomi's Room" Ahn Seo-hyun 2015Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Trains Don't Stop at Noryangjin Station" Bong Tae-gyu "Crimson Moon" Kim Dae-myung "The Wind Blows to the Hope" Kim Yeong-cheol "What Is the Ghost Up To?" Lee Joon "The Brothers' Summer" Yu Oh-seong Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "What Is the Ghost Up To?" Cho Soo-hyang "Contract Man" Choi Myung-gil "Fake Family" Lee Ha-na "Funny Woman" Moon Ji-in 2016Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Twenty Dollars to Pyeongyang" Han Joo-wan "The Red Teacher" Lee Dong-hwi "The Legendary Lackey" Lee Ji-hoon "My Happy Home" Lee Sang-yeob "The Legendary Lackey" Seo Ji-hoon Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Noodle House Girl" Jeon Hye-bin "The Red Teacher" Jung So-min "My Happy Home" Son Yeo-eun Best Young Actress "Summer Dream" Kim Bo-min 2017Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "The Reason We Can't Sleep" Im Ji-kyu "If We Were a Season" Jang Dong-yoon "Slow" Kwak Dong-yeon "Let Us Meet" Son Ho-jun "Dancing the Waltz Alone" Yeo Hoe-hyun Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "If We Were a Season" Chae Soo-bin "Let Us Meet" Jo Bo-ah "Kang Duk-soon's Love History" Kim So-hye "Dancing the Waltz Alone" Moon Ga-young "Madame Jung's One Last Week" Ra Mi-ran Best New Actor "The Love of a Buzz Cut" Kim Jung-hyun Best Supporting Actor "You Are Closer Than I Think" Dong Ha Best Young Actress "Madame Jung's One Last Week" Shin Rin-ah 2018Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Forgotten Season" Kim Mu-yeol "Review Notebook of My Embarrassing Days" Park Sung-hoon "The Tuna and the Dolphin" Yoon Park Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Too Bright for Romance" Choi Kang Hee "Review Notebook of My Embarrassing Days" Jeon So-min "Forgotten Season" Ko Bo-gyeol "My Mom's Third Marriage" Lee Il-hwa "Too Bright for Romance" Park Se-wan 2019Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Scouting Report" Choi Won-young "Live Like That" Jung Dong-hwan "Scouting Report" Lee Do-hyun "Wreck Car" Lee Tae-sun "Clean and Polish" Park Eun-seok "Rural Outcasts" Tae Hang-ho Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "Goodbye B1" Kim Ga-eun "Home Sweet Home" Lee Joo-young "Clean and Polish" Na Hye-mi "Hidden" Ryu Hyun-kyung "Socialization: Understanding of Dance" Shin Do-hyun Best New Actor "Goodbye B1" Jung Joon-won "Clean and Polish" Park Eun-seok Best Supporting Actor "Wreck Car" Jeon Bae-soo Best Supporting Actress "Socialization: Understanding of Dance" Kim Sun-young "Clean and Polish" Na Hye-mi Best Young Actress "Rural Outcasts" Kim Soo-in 2020Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama "My Lilac" Lee Han-wi "My Teacher" Kim Dae-geon "One Night" Kim Sung-cheol "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work" Oh Min-suk "Traces of Love" Lee Sang-yeob Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama Lee Yoo-young "A Jaunt" Son Sook "The Reason Why I Can't Tell You" Go Min-si "Modern Girl" Jin Ji-hee "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work" Go Won-hee "Crevasse" Yoon Se-ah Best Supporting Actor "Traces of Love" Kim Joo-hun Best New Actress "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work" Kang Mal-geum 2021Best Actor in Drama Special/TV Cinema"My Daughter" Park Sung-hoon Best Actress in Drama Special/TV Cinema Jeon So-min "The Palace" Kim Sae-ron 2022 Best Actor in Drama Special/TV Cinema "The Stain" Cha Hak-yeon Best Actress in Drama Special/TV Cinema "Like Otters" Shin Eun-soo 2023 Best Actor in Drama Special/TV Cinema "No Path BacK" Lee Jae-won Best Actress in Drama Special/TV Cinema "Love Attack" Chae Won-bin "Behind the Shadows" Hong Seung-hee Best Young Actor "Dog Days of Summer" Moon Woo-jin
Other awards
Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2021 Grimae Awards Best New Actor Lee Shin-ki in "Nap on the Desert" 2022 Stockholm Film & Television Festival Best Feature Film "Siren" APAN Star Awards Best Short Drama "My Daughter"
See also Drama City Drama Special Series Drama Stage
Notes
References
External links
KBS Drama Special 2022 at Naver KBS Drama Special 2023 at Naver