The Best Vertical Dramas to Fuel Your Next Obsession
If you’re looking for the best vertical dramas to begin your journey into this exciting new form of media, look no further.
Vertical dramas, also known as miniseries or micro-dramas, have taken many social media platforms, like TikTok, by storm. There are even dedicated apps like ReelShort and Dramabox, which work similarly to Netflix and HBO Max, except all their content consists of short audiovisual stories meant to entertain people quickly.
These stories are sweeping the global market and capturing billions of viewers, who see them as soap operas or telenovelas. The format began in China and became a billion-dollar industry, and the US market has adopted it. That’s why you need to check this mixed list of the best vertical dramas.
5. It’s Meant to Be
One of the best vertical dramas is “It’s Meant to Be”. Starring Emily Gateley as April and Nic Westaway as Jason, this story is about a poor woman who lives with her reckless mother and brother. They often take what little money she’s able to save. April also has an enemy, Beatrice, who manages to embarrass her at every point.
While searching for a new job to pay for her ballet lessons, she encounters Leo, played by Kaydin Gibson, who is Jason’s assistant and best friend. He wants his billionaire boss to be happy and offers April $5,000 to seduce him.
After spending the night with a tipsy Jason, April asks for more money, and Jason discovers this, writing her off as a gold-digger and opportunist. Soon enough, she discovers she’s pregnant with his twin babies, something that threatens to derail her plans to be a ballerina.
And when her mother and brother find out, they start berating and later Beatrice and her friends start beating her. Luckily, Jason rushes in to save her. Upon learning of her pregnancy, he asks for a DNA test, and once it proves the babies are his, they have to come to a compromise, as he needs to become a father for his inheritance.
4. The Year in His Chains
“The Year in His Chains” is another great option on this best vertical dramas list. Starring Dasha Tvoronovich as Anna and Pierre Longer as Jeremy, this story centers on a woman who must become a mafia boss’s property for a year to settle her husband’s debts.
Although at first it looks like Jeremy might be the villain of this story, there’s more than meets the eye. Anna will soon get more tangled up with him, starting a steamy affair, while also dealing with more of her husband’s wrongdoings. As if that weren’t enough, Jeremy’s father is another antagonist set on getting rid of her.
3. Every Step of the Way
This list of the best vertical dramas wouldn’t be complete without a few Chinese options, some of which can be found easily online with English subtitles.
“Every Step of the Way” is also known as “Falling Into Your Plan,” and stars Lan Lan as the female lead, Jiang Li, and Yu Hang Liu as Xie Yan, the main male lead.
The story begins when Jiang Li discovers that her boyfriend has had an intimate encounter with another woman and breaks up with him. She then encounters Xie Yan, an old friend who always had a crush on her in college.
Once he learns that she’s single, he proposes, and she agrees to marry him to please her family. Her ex tries to come back into her life after the wedding, but soon Jiang Li realizes that the man she married was the best for her.
2. The Return of My Drama Queen
Starring Monroe Cline and Jake Hobbs, “The Return of My Drama Queen” is one of the best vertical dramas out there, or at least it’s one of the most popular. Unlike simpler romance and mafia stories, this micro-drama features a historical figure.
The story opens with Maria Antoinette being sentenced to death by guillotine, and as she asks for a second chance to be with her lover, she reincarnates in the year 2024 as an influencer, Antonia. In the modern era, she and her lover are married, and she tries her best to make their relationship work.
1. Evening Star for You
“Evening Star for You” is considered one of the best vertical dramas, and that’s why it’s topping this list. It’s Chinese, but it can be found online with English subtitles. Also known as “Dr. Jin’s Long-Planned Scheme,” this miniseries stars Haozhen Wang as Jin Ze, the main male lead, and Yutong Han as Wan Xing Song, the main female lead.
Jin Ze is a surgeon who is getting heavily pressured by his mother to get married. Meanwhile, Wan Xing Song, a teacher, is going through a hard time after being cheated on and having to deal with a terrible stepfather and a neglectful mother. They are set up on a blind date and end up married. It’s a great story about love after marriage
Which one are you watching first?
