Television series
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
A nine-hundred-year-old goblin cursed with immortality, the Grim Reaper he's stuck sharing a flat with, and the human bride only she can end his curse — Goblin is soapy, melancholic, gorgeously shot Korean fantasy-romance that treats death as tragedy, comedy, and love story all at once. Sixteen hour-plus episodes, unabashedly sentimental, built for a slow emotional wallow. Watch it if you want to cry on a Tuesday.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love a supernatural romance where the comedy and the melancholy share the same scenes, and the immortal leads banter like they have all the time in the world.
Skip it if you find a lot of weeping and slow, lingering shots hard to sit through, or you want a romance that moves briskly from one beat to the next.
What it asks of you: Sixteen episodes of roughly 76 minutes each, with long stretches that let mood and silence do the work, so set aside a few weekends rather than a single evening.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Hotel del Luna2019
A centuries-old hotelier trapped between life and death runs a hotel for ghosts passing through purgatory, mixing IU's star power with the same bittersweet blend of comedy, curse-lifting and doomed romance.
But The mystery-of-the-week structure can feel repetitive before the emotional payoff arrives in the back half.
Tale of the Nine Tailed2020
A gumiho living quietly in modern Seoul gets pulled back into old myths and an unfinished love, with the same ache of immortality colliding with a mortal woman's fate.
But Leans harder into horror and mythology lore than Goblin's softer, more melodramatic register.
Alchemy of Souls2022
A sprawling fantasy-romance about soul-shifting, cursed bodies and reincarnated love, with the same writers' knack for weaving grand mythology into intimate heartbreak.
But Two full seasons and a much denser plot — a bigger commitment than Goblin's single run.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Wings of Desire1987
Same core ache as Goblin — an immortal being who envies the very mortality that will eventually take the person he loves — but told as hushed European art cinema instead of glossy melodrama.
An angel who has watched over Berlin for centuries longs to feel mortal life instead of just observing it, and falls for a lonely trapeze artist — black-and-white poetry about immortality's loneliness.
But Slow, meditative and largely plotless; it asks for patience rather than plot momentum.
More like this (8)
W2016
A woman gets pulled into her father's webtoon and falls for its fictional hero, delivering the same vertiginous mix of fated love and reality-bending fantasy logic.
But The meta webtoon conceit is clever but occasionally confusing, and the romance moves fast.
The Master's Sun2013
A woman who sees ghosts everywhere finds relief only near one grumpy CEO, blending horror-tinged comedy with the same slow-build, opposites-attract romance.
But More episodic ghost stories, less mythological sweep than Goblin's overarching curse narrative.
My Love from the Star2013
An alien who's lived on Earth for four centuries falls for a vain actress, offering the same central ache of a near-immortal being who must eventually lose the person he loves.
But Tonally lighter and more rom-com than Goblin's fatalistic melancholy.
Descendants of the Sun2016
Same year, same melodrama muscle — a soldier and a doctor fall in love against constant threats of death, with the same swoony chemistry and gorgeous production.
But No fantasy element at all; if it's the mythology you loved, this won't scratch that itch.
The Legend of the Blue Sea2016
A mermaid navigates modern Seoul and falls for a conman, pairing Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun in a similarly fantastical, tragic-fated love story with reincarnation woven through.
But Sillier and more comedic in tone, with less of Goblin's grief-soaked atmosphere.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo2016
A modern woman is flung back into Goryeo-era palace intrigue and falls for a prince she can't save from history, delivering the same doomed, time-warped romantic tragedy.
But Heavier on political scheming and historical drama than on fantasy whimsy.
Death Note2006
Swaps Goblin's mournful Reaper-with-a-soul for anime's take on death-mythology bureaucracy: same fascination with who decides when someone dies, filtered through psychological thriller instead of melodrama.
A Grim Reaper's notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it kicks off a cat-and-mouse thriller about power, death and the rules governing who takes a life.
But Cold, cerebral and morally bleak — there's no romance and barely any warmth to hold onto.
Departures2008
Strips away Goblin's supernatural machinery entirely and asks the same question stripped bare — how do we make peace with death, and who tends to the dying — as a hushed, Oscar-winning drama instead of a fantasy romance.
A failed cellist stumbles into work preparing bodies for funerals in rural Japan, and finds unexpected grace and dignity in a job everyone else recoils from.
But Quiet, unhurried and genuinely about grief — no fantasy, no romance plot, just death handled with reverence.
People
Cast
Recommended by
Mr. Sunshine, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Memories of the Alhambra