10 Best Comedic K-Dramas, Ranked

K-Drama comedies are the most loved and most viewed K-Dramas on television. With the surge of K-Dramas taking over streaming services across the world, comedic K-dramas are taking the top spots for viewers. From romantic comedies to dramatic comedies, K-Dramas always know how to mix the humor into a storyline. The best of the best always have amazing or well-known leading characters with a great ensemble cast to go with them.

Since all series in South Korea are called K-dramas, it can sometimes be hard to decipher what is really just a drama, sci-fi/fantasy, or comedy series. The majority of the K-dramas have a romance tied into the story, while others just have characters who have close bonds and bring out their chemistry in other ways. What makes a good comedic K-drama? A good comedic K-drama has a cast that is full of chemistry and can use each other as great comedic partners, a fun storyline that has a few serious underlying storylines, and a happy ending that makes you feel all the good feelings just to get there.

10 ‘Doctor Slump’

Starring Park Shin-hye and Park Hyun-sik

Doctor Slump finds Yeo Jeong-woo (Park Hyun-sik) and Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-Hye) as childhood rivals to successful adults. The two were always the highest ranked students in their grade, and they grew up to be two successful doctors. When they meet again as adults, Ha-neul has just been diagnosed with depression and Jeong-woo is being sued for malpractice after a famous patient died while he performed their surgery. They’re officially in the biggest slumps of ther lives. The journey of hilarious and sometimes deeper heartfelt moments that lead us through their story makes viewers laugh and cry continuously throughout the series.

Park Hyun-sik is known for his comedic takes on K-dramas and Doctor Slump is no different. Shin-Hye and Hyung-sik play off each other so well and provide the best comedy intertwined with heavy topics of depression and loneliness. Watching Ha-neul and Jeong-woo bicker get under each other’s skin as teenagers and then growing up and harboring the same feelings of dislike as adults made viewers want to return each week to see where the story would go. They are awkward with each other and that provides funny moments between them, their family and friends. It’s not the typical comedic love story, but the comedy makes the tougher mental health discussions seem more real.

Doctor Slump

Genre

K-Drama

Language

South Korean

Number of Seasons

1

Debut Date

January 27, 2024

Studio

SLL, HighZium Studio

Watch On Netflix

9 ‘Crash Landing On You’

Starring Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin

Crash Landing on You is one of the beloved K-Dramas of the last five years. Two people from rival countries find themselves falling in love after Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) crash lands her parachute in North Korea and is found by Ri Jeon-Yeok (Hyun Bin). He hides her in his home while they work on a plan to get her back to South Korea. Se-ri has to integrate herself into Ri Jeon-Yeok’s life with the help of his comrades. Through the hi-jinks moments of Se-ri and Ri Jeon-Yeok trying to assimilate to the new life Se-ri will have to take on in order to keep up the ruse of Se-ri being Jeon-Yeok’s fiancé.

What makes this K-drama one of the best is the way it interlaces comedy, romance, history and community into its storyline. The ensemble cast is stacked with excellent characters in Jeong-Yeok’s military crew. Viewers get to watch as Se-ri eases into Jeong-Yeok’s very serious and structured life as she brings light and fun into it. Se-ri may be the heiress and a serious business executive as owner of a fashion company, but she knows how to loosen up and enjoy life. The chemistry between Se-ri and Jeong-Yeok radiates off the screen and the leads falling in love in real life shows just how strong the chemistry shows. Both funny and sweet, this K-Drama gives the audience a little bit of everything.

Crash Landing On You (2019)

Release Date

December 14, 2019

Cast

Hyun Bin , Son Ye-jin , Seo Ji-hye , Kim Jung-hyun

Main Genre

K-Drama

Seasons

1

8 ‘Weightlifing Fairy Kim Bok-joo’

Starring Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk

Aspiring weightlifter, Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) works to become a professional in the field with the help of her friends Jung Jun-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk), Jung Jae-yi (Lee Jae-yoon) and Song Shi-ho (Kyung Soo-jin). This isn’t a normal coming-of-age romantic comedy, but it still delivers some heartwarming and inspiring moments to go along with the chaotic goofiness of it all. The K-drama focuses on the different struggles these athletes have while going after their athletic dreams.

Bok-joo and Jun-hyung are a pair who don’t specifically get along too well at the start of the series. Childish pranks and mean words are said between them, but they gradually begin to form a bond that brings them closer. The quirky feel-goo vibe of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo makes this K-drama so well-loved by fans. Many have categorized the relationships in this show as their favorites of the genre. The natural comedy between Bok-joo, Jun-hyung and their friends brings it all together. Not only does the K-drama teach an important lesson, it also gives audiences a good laugh.

Release Date

November 16, 2016

Cast

Lee Sung-kyung , Nam Joo-hyuk , Lee Jae-yoon , Kyung Soo-jin

Writers

Yang Hee-seung

Directors

Oh Hyun-jong

Seasons

1

Creator(s)

Yang Hee-seung

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Watch On Rakuten Viki

7 ‘Mr. Queen’

Starring Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun

After a chef finds himself thrown into the Joseon era of not another man’s, but a woman’s body, he has to play the role of Queen Kim So-young (Shin Hye-sun) until he can find his way back home. Shin Hye-sun portray’s the queen as a man trapped inside a woman’s body. King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun) has no idea that the switch has happened and struggles to make a connection with his wife. Through hilarious mishaps like working in the palace’s kitchen and having accidental run-ins with the King that cause him and So-young to get closer than intended, Mr. Queen keeps audiences laughing along the way.

Shin Hye-sun’s protrayal of a man trapped in a woman’s body is executed with such delight that it can be visibly seen when the character becomes more comfortable with their place in the palace. The leads effortlessly show their comedic talents by bringing a fresh, new vibe to a historical drama with a difficult twist. Viewers never know where it is going or how it will inevitably end. Mr. Queen gives audiences time travel mixed with comedy and love. Scenes where So-young decides she isn’t going to be docile and follows the King’s every command truly bring out the best moments.

Mr. Queen

Release Date

December 12, 2020

Main Genre

Historical

Seasons

1

Production Company

Crave Works, YG Studioplex

Number of Episodes

20

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Watch On Netflix

6 ‘Vincenzo’

Starring Song Joong-ki, Ok Taec-yeon, and Jeon Yeo-been

Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joong-ki) returns from Italy to South Korea as a lawyer and a consigliere to a mafia family. He works with Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been) and wants to fight for justice in whatever way he sees fit. The pair work together to take down a conglomerate that causes many highly intense showdowns to take place. While he stays there, he meets the other tenants living in his building, who eventually get caught up in all of Vincenzo’s affairs. The building they live and work in is in danger of being demolished. The ensemble cast and secondary characters are truly the humor and heart of Vincenzo.

With an ensemble cast incuding Im Chul-soo, Jo Han-chul, Yang Kyung-won, Kin Sung-choel, Seo Ye-hwa and Kim Yoon-hye, the roles of these characters portraying people living in a depleted building could not have been cast any better. They bring the chaos and the jokes, much to Vincenzo’s dismay, that bring life back into the building. They may say things to the wrong people, but they can also get together and come up with a plan to help get the men Vincenzo and Cha-young are trying to take down. Taec-yeon as Jung-woo and Kwak Dong-yeon as Han-seo give phenomenal comedic performances. It’s a nonstop party with confetti and balloons, and maybe some explosions, when these characters get together to bring out the laughs.

Vincenzo

Release Date

February 20, 2021

Cast

Song Joong-ki , Jeon Yeo-been , Kwak Dong-yeon , Taecyeon , Kim Yoon-hye , Kim Yeo-jin

Seasons

1

Number of Episodes

21

Directors

Kim Hee-won

Rating

Expand

5 ‘Business Proposal’

Starring Kim Se-jong and Ahn Hyo-soep

Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jong) gets mixed up in a relationship with her CEO when she decides to show up as his blind date in place of her friend. Ha-ri brings no manners to her blind date, but unfortunately for her, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop) has already decided that he is going to marry her. He proposes a deal to Ha-ri, so his grandfather will stop worrying about him being a workaholic. Tae-moo has no intentions of falling for Ha-ri and Ha-ri is in love with her best friend. With the help of their best friends, they navigate getting through this strange relationship where they both can get what they need from it.

Kim Se-jong and Ahn Hyo-seop make quite the duo as a couple who are carrying around a lot of lies. Because of Ha-ri needing to keep her identity a secret from Tae-moo, she hides in the food lab at work Tae-moo comes around. She also dresses drastically different from her normal attire just to keep up the act. Situations like these bring the comedy into Business Proposal and give audiences that y2K romantic comedy vibe that has been heavily missed. When it first aired, audiences raved about th series. It gave a will-they-won’t-they scenario with both characters having something to lose. It’s easily a top comedic K-drama setting the tone for more to come in the future.

Release Date

March 1, 2022

Cast

Ahn Hyo-seop , Kim Sejeong , Kim Min-kyu , Seol In-ah

Seasons

1

Creator

StudioS

Main Genre

K-Drama

Watch On Netflix

4 ‘Love Next Door’

Starring Jung So-min and Jung He-in

Bringing back the signature K-drama formula of the leads not kissing until around the tenth episode and a best friends to lovers trope perfectly executed, Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) and Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in) find themselves back in each other’s lives when Seok-ryu returns to her hometown. The two have always been best friends, but the distance between the United States and South Korea has kept them apart. Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo easily fall back into their bickering routines and the heartwarming chemistry between So-min and Hae-in shines through the screen vibrantly.

As Jung Hae-in’s first real comedy show, Love Next Door flawlessly gives Hae-in and So-min to show their comedic acting with freedom. The chemistry is easy between them, and it feels like viewers are truly watching best friends together who have strayed from each other fall back into being who they were as children. There is so much to see throughout each episode, but it never feels exhausting to watch. Even if Seok-ryu isn’t holding Seong-hyo in a headlock, their parents are making sure to give us some hilarious arguments to watch on the side.

Love Next Door (2024)

Release Date

August 17, 2024

Cast

Jung Hae-in , Jung So-min , Kim Ji-eun , Yoon Ji-on , Park Ji-young , Jo Han-chul , Jang Young-Nam , Lee Seung-joon

Seasons

1

3 ‘Hospital Playlist’

Starring Jo Jung-suk, Jeon Mi-do, Jung Kyung-ho, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Kim Dae-myung

The best comedic K-dramas have an ensemble cast where each character is loved by the audience. Hospital Playlist is one of those shows that give you the goofy and playful friendships in between the sad and heartbreaking medical moments. Jo Jung-suk, Jeon Mi-do, Jung Kyung-ho, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Kim Dae-myung portray Lee Ik-joon, Chae Song-hwa, Kim Jun-wan, Ahn Jeong-won and Yang Seok-hyung as top doctors in a hospital. The group of friends also go through their own personal battles throughout the series. A unique thing about this series is that it has two seasons, which is rare in the K-drama world.

Though they are all high-level doctors, they are not against being childish and petty when they’re around each other. The Hospital Playlist cast is comedic gold and viewers begin to feel closer to the characters by witnessing those warm interactions they have with each other. They go on weekly dinner dates and even have a real band that they have kept up with since college.

Release Date

March 12, 2020

Cast

Cho Jung-seok , Yoo Yeon-seok , Jung Kyung-ho , Kim Dae-Myung , Jeon Mi-do

Seasons

2

Creator(s)

Lee Woo-jung , Shin Won-ho

Watch On Netflix

2 ‘What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’

Starring Park Seo-joon and Park Min-young

When Secretary Kim (Park Min-young) wants to quit and move onto something else, her narcissistic executive boss, Lee Young-Joon (Park Seo-joon), realizes he has feelings for her and the two enter into a relationship after nine years of working together. Park Min-young and Park Seo-joon have a chemistry that so effortlessly comes out during their romantic scenes and works even better in the comedic moments. They go through many trial and error moments as they navigate a new relationship in the workplace while trying to find Kim Mi-soo’s replacement. It’s a story with an unexpected backstory, but it offers humorous scenes that are unforgettable.

Office romances are always awkward, but even worse when the executive’s office room is full of windows and the entire office staff wants to know what’s going on between the boss and his secretary. One of the most memorable and ridiculously hilarious scenes in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim is when Young-Joon pushes his office chair across the floor to avoid being caught in a non-office-friendly situation with Mi-soo. They have many moments like this throughout the series, and it adds to the quirkiness of the K-drama.

Watch On Hulu

1 ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’

Starring Park Bo-young and Park Hyun-sik

One of the classic romantic comedy duos, Park Bo-young and Park Hyun-sik take on the roles of Do Bong-soon and Ahn Min-hyuk. A no-nonsense woman with superhuman strength that was inherited from the women in her family and the CEO of a game company meet, and she becomes his bodyguard. This quirky show has action-thrilling and cutesy coupley scenes that make the viewers cringe just a little bit, but they also fall in love with these characters. Bo-young and Hyun-sik have beautiful comedic timing that captures the audiences’ attention and makes them want to see where these characters will end up.

Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon immediately grabs the audience’s attention with a clear opening to show just who Do Bong Soon really is. This show will essentially have viewers laughing at the absurdness of some scenes and kicking their feet and giggling at how cute the leading characters are in the next scene. This K-drama has been seen by many K-drama lovers, so it has served as a romantic comedy to remember. There have even been a spin-off of the show that featured the two lead actors as their Strong Woman Do Bong Soon characters.

Watch On Rakuten Viki

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