As agents of the Hallyu wave, Korean dramas have paved the way for several Asian storytellers to attract a global audience through their previously unheard voices, cinematic culture, and society. What was once caged within the framework of Orientalism has found its wings, making rounds in the digital universe and gradually winning hearts. Having established an indomitable fanbase amongst marginalized communities, dramas and movies from Thailand now depict social issues, and diversity in fantasy. Netflix, too, now knows better that Thailand has more to offer than its otherworldly landscapes. Starting from humble beginnings, taking a cue from Japanese and South Korean dramas, Thai entertainment is gradually reaching a new peak. 

Thai dramas, today, have mastered dark, suspenseful horrors to heart-tugging queer romances, making streaming platforms stop in their tracks and wonder if it will herald the next wave in pop culture.

The storytellers of Thailand are crafting locally sourced tales that taste fresh, flavorful, and profoundly universal. Netflix debuted its Thai-based content in 2019 with The Stranded, resulting in 20 films and series, and employment of 13,500 cast and crew between 2021 and 2024, according to Variety. Last year, Netflix's Thai content amassed over 750 million hours in viewership. An insatiable hunger for Thai horror and romantic comedy brought a further pull to Netflix's roster, with 15 Thai originals landing on the Global Top 10 Non-English list. What has fueled the boom? A potent combination of a targeted drive for diverse genuine Southeast Asian narratives and viewers' appetite for new cultural authenticity. 

Even though Thai horror stories first turned heads, looking back to 2020, the 2gether series launched a BL boom in Thailand and overseas, 2024's Thame - Po Heart That Skips a Beat capturing hearts on Netflix. In 2022, KinnPorsche shattered trending records, and cut to 2025, a GL, Gap: The Series, gained over 900 million views on YouTube. Boys Love and Girls Love tales have resonance because they delve into the universal wants of love, identity, strife through genuine, authentic characters and reflective narratives, while offering an escapist LGBTQ+ fairy-tale world-building. Just like China's wuxia genre has mastered the willing suspension of disbelief in terms of fantasy, Thai BL and GL stories evoke similar feelings in a real world ridden with atrocities against the subverted. 

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Fueled by high production quality, English subtitles, active overseas marketing, social media, free content, and sputtering chemistry between the leads, these stories have been key to normalizing queer on-screen romance to a great extent.

Netflix's top K-dramas have traditionally ruled with high-gloss production, creative scripts, and sweeping rom-com tropes. But Thailand's upswing is not just unique but also grounded in serious social causes. BL and GL genres present stories that many yearned for but did not often get. Though K-entertainment also experiences minimal tides of queer content, no country serves LGBTQ+ romances better than Thailand. The Economist reports that approximately half of Thai TV dramas are today either BL or GL, a significant boost from only five in 2018. However, plot holes and inconsistencies have been a concern for older Thai dramas, but Netflix's latest launch of GMMTV's GL, Whale Store xoxo, begs to differ with a well-structured slice of life romance. Similarly, unique stories like Reverse 4 U, Ready, Set, Love, Girl From Nowhere, The Underclass, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, ManSuang, Mad Unicorn, and more embellish the Thai panache with exquisite cinematography, cultural, and emotional flair. 

Additionally, Thai media heavily tilts into fans' shipping culture, meetups, sightseeing pilgrimages, and merch that resonate but localizes the K-drama fandom universe. The soft power struggle is apparent with GL blockbuster, The Loyal Pin, being associated with a cultural promotion agreement with Thailand's Ministry of Commerce. All that aside, though, K-dramas continue to hold unparalleled global infrastructure, budgets, and brand recognition. Yet Thai dramas, with their emotionally resonant specificity, immersive culture, and engrossing diversity, are earning a legitimate and increasing spot in the limelight. Now, with Netflix's interest in pushing Thai content across 190 countries, a new wave inevitably looms. 

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Do you think Thai dramas will ever outshine K-dramas? Discuss your opinions in the comments below.