Dae Jang-geum

Only bought down from 100 by the (to me) awkward romance and the poor ending, otherwise IMO the best K-drama there is by streets. The lady existed but documentation is exceedingly sparse so this is mainly (brilliantly written) fiction. One of the very few films that has sympathy for the well fleshed out villians as well as the indomitable heroine. And whatever you do don't be put off by the plot, who'd have thought a palace kitchen potboiler could be so very very engrossing. Simply a must watch.

This series had a lot of ups and down but to me at least the first half was much better than the second half. I was also a fan of the central love story even if it wasn't handled well. Also the ending really sucked.