Television series

Six Flying Dragons

Name: Six Flying Dragons
Genre: Drama, Action, History
Released: 2015
Cast: Yoo Ah In, Byeon Yo Han, Kim Myung Min, Shin Se Kyung, Yun Gyun Sang

Period drama

A sweeping Korean historical epic following six ambitious figures navigating the founding of the Joseon Dynasty. Operatic in scope, it fuses court intrigue with visceral action sequences and explores how idealism corrodes under the weight of power. For anyone hungry for prestige television that treats its politics like chess and its violence like consequence.

TVMaze rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love sprawling historical politics powered by rival ambitions, where shifting alliances, bold strategy and sweeping battle scenes carry a story told across fifty episodes.

Skip it if you want something lean and fast, since its long stretches of courtly talk and slow-building scheming can feel heavy across fifty hour-long episodes.

What it asks of you: Expect a long haul of around fifty hour-long episodes, with pacing that lingers on councils and conspiracies, so patience matters more than speed.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Crown2016

Explores kingship through intimate family drama and brutal realpolitik. Like Six Flying Dragons, it shows how proximity to power corrupts even the idealistic, rendering personal relationships collateral damage.

But Slower pacing, no action sequences. Some find the focus on protocol tedious rather than illuminating.

Succession2018

Three sons circling power like sharks. It captures the same ruthless internal warfare and the way familial bonds snap under ambition that drives Six Flying Dragons' best moments.

But Contemporary corporate setting may feel small-scale compared to dynastic stakes. Heavy on dialogue, light on spectacle.

Nirvana in Fire2015

Chinese historical drama with the same DNA: a genius architect manipulating factions to reshape an empire. Gorgeous, intricate plotting and a protagonist whose victories hollow him out.

But Subtitled. Some find the chess-like precision exhausting rather than engaging.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Six Flying Dragons

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Andrei Rublev1966

Both ask whether founding a dynasty—or any human project—is worth the deaths required. Six Flying Dragons chooses the world; Rublev chooses the spirit. They're mirror arguments.

Tarkovsky's three-hour Russian masterpiece about an icon painter during medieval warring kingdoms. Like Six Flying Dragons, it's about whether art or transcendence survives when empires burn. A meditation on the cost of beauty in violent times.

But Glacially paced. Shot in long takes and philosophical language. Demands patience most TV watchers won't offer.

Vinland Saga2019

Animated Viking saga about warriors trying to build something beyond violence. Same meditation on whether idealists can survive in brutal worlds, with stunning action to match.

But Animation alienates some. The pacing is deliberate; it rewards patience but punishes impatience.

Kingdom2019

Korean period drama set during plague and political collapse. Visceral, claustrophobic, and driven by the same sense that the old order is dying and something worse might replace it.

But Horror elements—undead armies—shift the register entirely. Can feel exploitative rather than tragic.

Marco Polo2014

Epic about outsiders navigating Mongol empire politics. Rich production, genuine stakes, and the same question: how do you keep your soul when power demands you sell it?

But Cancelled after two seasons. Ending feels abrupt and the second season loses momentum.

The Last Kingdom2015

Anglo-Saxon founding myth told with grit and nuance. Balances intimate character work with large-scale conflict; shows how individual choices reshape history.

But Tonally uneven. Some episodes feel like prestige drama, others like historical action-adventure.

Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost2018

Chinese fantasy-historical hybrid. Lush production, ensemble cast navigating cosmic politics. Similar blend of romance, ambition, and the price of choosing power over love.

But Fantastical elements may undermine the historical stakes. Very long and repetitive in the middle season.