A new wave is upon us—the Thai wave. To get you acquainted, here are some of the best Thai dramas to watch
Last year, F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, the Thai counterpart of the Meteor Garden franchise took the world by storm and threw its cast Tontawan Tantivejakul (Tu), Vachirawit Chivaaree (Bright), Jirawat Sutivanichsak (Dew), Metawin Opas-iamkajorn (Win), and Hirunkit Changkham (Nani) into the limelight. While Thai films, series, and even TV commercials have always been popular with audiences in Southeast Asia, the proliferation of the internet and access to streaming platforms have made Thai content much more accessible to audiences globally.
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Dubbed the Thai invasion, the country’s productions have entered the massive Chinese market, allowing for plenty of eyeballs and gaining millions of new fans. F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers and the 2020 megahit 2gether stars Bright and Win have since amassed more than 10 million followers on Instagram each. In fact, the popularity of Thai entertainment and actors, which has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, is now said to be second to Korean entertainment.
To get you started on the Thai wave, here are some of the best Thai lakorn (which means "television drama" in Thai) to watch.
1. F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers
Based on the Japanese shōjo manga series Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio, F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers serves as the Thai counterpart of the franchise from Taiwan (Meteor Garden, 2001), Japan (Hana Yori Dango, 2005), South Korea, (Boys Over Flowers, 2009), and China (Meteor Garden, 2018).
Similar to the original, the drama centres on Gorya (Tu), a girl from a poor family who gets accepted into a prestigious and luxurious school attended by the wealthy. The school is ruled by an elite clique of four handsome and rich but spoiled boys, F4. She stands up to their bullying and ends up falling in love with Thyme (Bright).