Produced in South Korea, these series, also known as K-dramas, cover a wide range of genres, from romance to action to coming-of-age stories, offering compelling narratives unique and sometimes representative of Korean culture.
Netflix offers a variety of comedy K-dramas that will make viewers cry with laughter with their crazy situations, hilarious misunderstandings and slapstick gags. Although the stories and plots differ from series to series, they all share similar themes of family, love and friendship. In addition to the comedic aspects, these shows often explore budding relationships and personal growth. Some of them may take a more dramatic turn in their second half, while others maintain their humor from start to finish.
1- Hospital Playlist
At the heart of “Hospital Playlist” is more of a drama than a comedy. Set in a hospital, it is closer to series like “Grey’s Anatomy” than to other K-dramas, thanks to the central core of characters being doctors working in different departments of the same hospital, but who also became friends during their years of medical studies. That said, K-drama is still filled with hilarious moments.
The comedy comes mainly from the chemistry between the main cast members. Even while dealing with a broken marriage or a huge career change, the group of friends still find time to try to form a band with their rather mediocre lead singer. “Hospital Playlist” is both a heartwarming and funny K-drama. He has also received numerous nominations at award ceremonies in South Korea, winning most of his awards for original soundtrack performances.
2- So Not Worth It
K-dramas are usually around an hour long per episode. This duration can sometimes be extended for shows exclusively intended for streaming. However, they are generally not created in sitcom form. “So Not Worth It” happens to be the first Korean sitcom produced on Netflix, and it helps revive interest in the sitcom format in South Korea with its 35-minute episodes.
The K-drama, set in a university, features a group of students from different countries who live and learn together. The combination of elements from traditional American sitcoms and K-dramas worked in the series’ favor, as it was compared to “Friends” for its seemingly effortless dialogue and chemistry between its cast. Many actors who were not from South Korea also had to speak Korean for their roles, which impressed many viewers.
3- Prison Playbook
“Prison Playbook” is a much darker comedy than most of the other K-dramas selected here. The series revolves around a man who ends up in prison after trying to protect his sister from an attack. The situation is complicated by the fact that he is actually a famous baseball player who ends up in prison just before leaving to play for an American team, and the prison guard who watches him is actually one of his best friends.
The comedy in the K-drama comes from the fact that the main character is an accomplished baseball player, but is bad at almost everything else in his life. His attempts to last a year in prison are clumsy and hilarious. The fact that he and his best friend try to hide their relationship so everyone thinks they’re just prisoners and guards also adds an extra comedic edge.
4- Behind Your Touch
This K-drama mixes comedy and police investigation for entertaining results. A woman who dreams of becoming a veterinarian in a small town usually finds herself running errands on farms, such as delivering calves. On one of these trips, she suddenly discovers that she has psychic powers, but there is a catch. She has to touch someone’s backside to get their story into psychic vision.
A detective moves to town just in time for her to gain this ability and for a murder case to need solving. The two are very different, but they team up to solve the crime at hand, giving an unlikely duo vibe to the K-drama as they slowly begin to fall for each other. The K-drama may not have won any awards after its 2023 debut, but it will definitely make audiences laugh.
5- Business Proposal
A fun K-drama with a fake relationship plot that turns into real feelings would be enough to make any rom-com fan happy. This is exactly what “Business Proposal” offers audiences, and fans of the romance genre will know how fun this scenario can be.
In this K-drama, a young woman takes her friend’s place on a blind date, only to discover that the man her friend was supposed to meet with is actually the boss of the company she works for. The mistaken identity aspect of the storyline becomes even more intriguing when the friends pretend that she is an actress, hired to take the other woman’s place. Rather than be put off by the circ*mstances, the company’s CEO decides to employ her as his fake girlfriend to get rid of his family.
6- Crash Landing On You
Although “Crash Landing On You” is best known for being a romantic K-drama, its comedic elements should not be overlooked. The K-drama follows a Korean heiress whose paragliding trip turns into a nightmare when she crash-lands in North Korea. In this dangerous territory, she must rely on a caring guard to protect her and bring her back to South Korea.
Although this K-drama has sweet moments and dark, tense scenes, it all hinges on the bizarre K-drama plot the protagonist finds herself in: accidentally landing a paraglider in North Korea. The starting point of the story, where the young woman must hide her identity, leans towards comedy. So, “Crash Landing On You” is a good place to start for those looking for a mix of comedy and drama.
7- Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Another iconic K-drama that still delivers plenty of laughs is “Hometown Cha Cha Cha.” It tells the story of a young woman who moves to an idyllic village after the death of her mother. Having initially worked as a dentist in a big city, she tries to adapt to her new life with the help of a local handyman and establishes her own practice while falling in love.
Again, this K-drama focuses on romance, but that doesn’t take away from the genuine comedy that comes with it. Overall, the eccentricity of the village of “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” and the interesting characters give it a nice touch of comedy. The K-drama was nominated for several different awards on the Korean awards circuits, winning six of them.
8- Be Melodramatic
“Be Melodramatic” is a K-drama that chronicles the different lives of three best friends who also live together. One is a screenwriter and begins an unlikely romance with her director, another is a documentary filmmaker trying to get over the death of her fiancé, while the third is a single mother excelling at her job in marketing. Each of the friends is at very different stages in their lives.
It’s a largely underrated K-drama that brilliantly juggles serious topics with light, quirky humor. The series is both authentic and meaningful. In addition, she stands out for her television series within the series, which makes her particularly unique and doubly entertaining for the audience. Jeon Yeo-been received a nomination for the “Best New Actress” award at the Baeksang Awards for her role in the K-drama.
9- Reply 1988
Part of the anthology series “Reply,” “Reply 1988” is a family K-drama that follows a group of five childhood friends going through their teenage years together. The series goes far beyond simple comfort, depicting the ups and downs of adolescence, and most importantly, the importance of having close friends and family to support you. Plus, the K-drama is incredibly funny, with unique and quirky comedic elements.
The magic of “Reply 1988” lies in its honesty and its ability to offer a representation of each slice of life of its main characters. K-drama is really similar to American shows like “Boy Meets World” or “The Wonder Years”, which have managed to mix the dramatic elements of growing up with the comedic elements of still being a child. Nominated for a whole host of awards in South Korea after its broadcast, it was also one of the highest-rated K-dramas at the time.
10- Welcome To Waikiki
When three inexperienced young men open a guest house to raise money for their film, it seems likely that some chaos will ensue. “Welcome to Waikiki” follows an aspiring filmmaker, actor and writer who begin running a guest house called “Waikiki” to fund their film career. If only they knew what kind of trouble this could bring them.
A complete K-drama-style comedy, “Welcome to Waikiki” is a hilarious show that avoids using awkward moments as a source of comedy. Instead, characters are pushed into situations where they have to prove themselves and inevitably end up making a fool of themselves. The K-drama is beloved for its ability to elicit empathy and its authentic humor, offering sitcom gags without being entirely a sitcom. It is also one of the few comedies among K-dramas that got a second season.
Which Kdrama would you add to this list?
