4 Thai TV Channels to Watch Recommended Thai Dramas Part 1

When we first started watching lakorns, or Thai dramas, we didn’t really care which Thai TV channels they came from. We’re not from Thailand — just spectators from outside the country — so the channel wasn’t a big deal to us.

Of course, we noticed the logos on each drama. We paid some attention, but we weren’t really into it. However, the more we watched Thai dramas on online streaming sites, the more we began to recognize and group lakorns by their channels.

As we grew more fond of Thai dramas, we also became more curious about the different TV channels. We started noticing the quality of the lakorns, the actors and actresses, and the overall production — and how these things often depended on the channel.

Thai Channels to Watch Dramas From

So, here it is — our top 4 Thai TV channels where you can find beautifully made dramas or lakorns:

1) GMMTV or GMM 25

GMMTV or GMM25 channel is more youth-oriented. Most of the dramas focus on stories that are aimed at the younger generation. At first, we were actually a bit confused because we often saw actors and actresses from OneHD — another channel we’ll talk about next — appearing in GMMTV or GMM25 dramas. Later on, we read in a forum that actors and actresses from OneHD can also work on projects for this channel.

We think they might be owned by the same company. It seems like both channels are kind of like sister channels. We're not completely sure though, so feel free to leave a comment and correct us if we’re wrong!

Popular GMMTV Actors and Actresses

Popular Thai dramas from this channel often feature the beautiful Thai superstar Baifern Pimchanok. We first watched her in the 2010 hit movie Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Does that ring a bell? She’s really good in cute romantic comedies, and you’ll find plenty of lakorns like that on GMMTV. Some of her recent popular dramas that are definitely worth watching are The Sand Princess and Yuttakarn Prab Nang Marn.

You’ll also find great romantic comedies starring talented actresses like Vill Wannarot and Esther Supreeleela. We’re not too familiar with the actors, but Push (Puttichai Kasetsin) is very popular on this channel, along with Pawut Krisheepanine.

We know about the popular BL and GL series, although we haven’t really watched these kinds of shows yet. Feel free to introduce us to your favorite GMMTV actors and actresses in the comment section below!

GMMTV Popular Thai Dramas

We’ll just share a few of their popular dramas so you can get an idea of the kind of lakorns they produce.

You’re My Destiny

This is the Thai remake of the famous Taiwanese drama Fated to Love You.

The Sand Princess

An orphan girl meets a nice, rich guy. They become close, but he often orders her around in exchange for money. Even though she gets tired of him sometimes, she agrees because she needs the money for her tuition. One day, the guy’s girlfriend leaves their baby at his doorstep. Since he’s about to get engaged, he can’t take the baby in. He asks his orphan best friend to raise the child, offering her two million baht and a condo. At first, she refuses, but when he threatens to send the baby to an orphanage, she agrees.

Years later, the baby is still under her care. She then meets the guy’s older brother, who has been her neighbour for years. Later, the brother finds out that his younger brother is the real father of the child. She doesn’t know they are related. It turns out, the younger brother is engaged to the daughter of a major investor, and if the scandal leaks, it could ruin their company. To protect the company, the older brother — also the company president — tries to solve everything by getting into a fake marriage with her.

Yuttakarn Prab Nang Marn (Devil Angel)

The heroine, the daughter of a film production company owner, is a literal devil boss. She throws tantrums, fires employees on a whim, and has a foul mouth. After firing her secretary, she looks for a replacement. The male lead, desperate and trapped in debt, applies for the job. Though she is hesitant at first — she’s never had a male secretary — she is impressed by his clever skills. He finds ways to tame her wild personality.

GMMTV also produces a lot of romantic series like My Dear Loser Series and Ugly Duckling Series. They seem to have many young actors and actresses, with tons of new dramas released every year.

Romantic Scenes

This channel isn’t too conservative when it comes to romantic scenes. If you’ve watched any dramas here, you probably agree. Out of the four channels we’ll be mentioning, this one seems the most confident in pushing the limits when it comes to intimate scenes between actors.

2) OneHD or One31

Thai drama channel One31 is definitely one of our personal favorites! They may not have the biggest names in the industry, but in our opinion, they have some of the most beautiful stories to tell. OneHD is a sister company to GMMTV, so it’s pretty normal to see actors from this channel taking on projects with GMMTV or GMM25 as well.

OneHD or One31 Dramas

OneHD or One31 channel is easily comparable to the others we’ll be mentioning after this.

Some of the best lakorns we’ve watched from this channel include:

Leh Ratree (A Woman’s Trickery, Love’s Trickery)

The heroine’s father, addicted to gambling, stole money from his boss’s company. The male lead, the boss, is a wealthy heir who struggles to have a child with his wife. Though deeply in love, he eventually leaves his unfaithful wife. His family, desperate for an heir, discovers the heroine’s father's crime. To settle the debt, the father offers his sweet daughter’s hand in marriage to the boss, hoping she would bear the next heir to their family line.

Ngao Asoke (Asoke’s Shadow, Love Under the Shadow)

As a young girl, the heroine admired the humble and kind-hearted male lead. He was engaged but decided to study abroad to escape his controlling mother after his father’s death. While abroad, he exchanged letters with his fiancée — not knowing it was actually the little girl writing for her. The heroine had been taken in by his fiancée’s family after becoming an orphan. Years later, when he returns, they meet again, unaware of their shared past.

Sud Sai Pan (End of the String)

This story follows twin sisters — one good, the other bad. The male lead falls for the bad twin, but she disappears without warning. Years later, he meets the good twin and insists she’s the woman he loved. She, however, doesn’t know him at all — and doesn’t even know she has a twin. Believing she’s pretending to forget him because of his poverty, he starts to resent her. Later, he discovers he’s actually the son of a wealthy heir. As fate would have it, he ends up in an arranged marriage with the good twin.

Rak Fun Thalob (Love Chaotically)

This hilarious comedy follows two best friends. BFF1 is lucky in love and about to get married, while BFF2, who has never had a boyfriend, secretly falls for BFF1’s fiancé. Keeping her feelings hidden, she vents only to her boss. When BFF1’s fiancé cheats, the wedding is called off. During a drunken night out, the two friends meet a psychic who warns BFF2 that unless she visits nine temples, she will remain unlucky in love forever. Along the way, they meet a charming guy — and BFF2 tries everything to win him over. But there’s one problem: her boy-magnet best friend BFF1 keeps unintentionally stealing the spotlight!

Hua Jai Sila (Heart of Stone)

This revenge drama tells the story of a boy born to a mistress. After his mother’s death, he moves in with his father’s family, where he is unloved and mistreated. Only one girl shows him kindness. One night, after an argument with his stepmother, he falls into a river and is presumed dead. However, he survives and is raised by a good-hearted aunt. Years later, he returns under a new identity as a rich casino and nightclub owner. He crosses paths once again with the girl who once showed him kindness. While he wants nothing to do with his stepfamily, he is pulled back into their lives when his stepbrother harms one of his club employees. Driven by anger, he plots his revenge — but standing in his way is the girl who once cared for him.

Popular OneHD or One31 Actors and Actresses

They truly have some of the most beautiful and talented actresses. At the top of our list is Vill Wannarot — she’s absolutely stunning and is quite famous in China as well. There's also the charming Esther Supreeleela. We love her sweet and bubbly portrayal of her characters. She’s definitely fun to watch, whether in romance dramas or romantic comedies. And then there's Ferny Nopjira, who has gained even more popularity recently with her drama Heart of Stone.

For the actors, Push is a big name on this channel too. It looks like Sean Jindachote has also returned to One31. He had been doing dramas with Channel 7 in the past few years, but it seems he’s back and may star in another project here. We're really hoping for a Sean and Esther reunion! We also have a rising superstar who’s not exactly new, but feels like the next big thing — much like how Pope Thanawat finally had his breakthrough after years in the industry. He truly shined in Hua Jai Sila.

And of course, we can't forget Sunny Suwanmethanont. Many probably know him better from his hit Thai movies like I Fine Thank You Love You, Mr. Hurt, and Brother of the Year. He also did a couple of drama series with One31, including Kham Tob Samrab Sawan and Ruk Chut Jai Nai Chuckchern.

Romantic Scenes

The level of romance in these Thai dramas often depends on the era the story is set in. For example, Ngao Asoke, which was set around the 60s or 70s, still had sweet kiss scenes, but nothing over the top — and honestly, it was just the right amount.

On the other hand, dramas like Hua Jai Sila and Leh Ratree had stronger tension between the leads, with lots of bickering, slaps, teasing, kisses, and more. The intimate scenes were fitting for the storylines — not too bold, but enough to keep the audience hooked. Compared to GMMTV, One31 is a bit more reserved when it comes to boldness in romance scenes, although there are a few exceptions.

Since this article has already gotten quite lengthy, we decided to split it into three parts. CLICK HERE for PART 2 of this article on Thai drama channels to watch beautiful lakorns and drama series from! For more recommended Thai Dramas, subscribe to our official Youtube channel.