The 10 Funniest K-Dramas You Need To Watch Next

Despite its moniker, the term “K-drama” just refers to scripted television programming from South Korea and is not necessarily isolated to the country’s weepy melodramas. There are countless comedy K-dramas that are genuinely hilarious, with a sense of humor that goes across cultures and language barriers. Indeed, some recent Korean romantic comedies and workplace sitcoms are among the best K-dramas of all time. An increasing number of Korean comedies are available to international audiences as the broader genre finds enormous success around the world.

Whether it’s screwball workplace comedies or mismatched love stories where the laughs are just as potent as the romantic chemistry, there is a comedy K-drama for everyone. The nuances of South Korean culture obviously inform the context and gags, but the slapstick pratfalls and comical reactions are universal in their delivery. At the end of the day, funny is funny, and K-dramas are a testament to the comedy uniting audiences as much as any other genre. If you’re looking for a Korean-produced comedy pick-me-up, here are the 10 funniest K-dramas that you need to watch next.

Long before Gong Yoo played the brutal Recruiter on “Squid Game,” the actor starred on the considerably more light-hearted show “Coffee Prince.” The 2007 series stars Yoo as Choi Han-gyeol, the heir to a coffee shop corporation led by his discerning grandmother (Kim Young-ok). When his grandmother threatens to stop giving him money, Han-gyeol begins running a shoddy coffee shop within their company to prove himself, hiring Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye). Mistaking Eun-chan for a man, Han-gyeol begins to question his sexuality when he develops romantic feelings for her.

Obviously, with a K-drama from 2007 dealing with homoerotic content, not everything on “Coffee Prince” has aged well when it comes to modern sensibilities. That said, so much of the screwball comedy elements on the series, from the workplace humor to its wacky love story, is still really funny. Seeing Han-gyeol face an existential crisis as he has to work for the first time in his life and contemplate his feelings for Eun-chan is a fertile source of hilarity. “Coffee Prince” is still one of the best Korean comedy shows of the 21st century, and it’s just as comical as it was when it premiered over 15 years ago,

Rock ‘n’ roll goes rural on the 2014 comedy “Modern Farmer,” as a Korean rock band decides to relocate to the country hometown of their frontman, Lee Min-ki (Lee Hong-gi). The ensemble decides to work on Min-ki’s farm to acquire the funding to record a big album, finding the agricultural grind harder than they anticipated. As the band toils away, Min-ki reconnects with his childhood love, Kang Yoon-hee (Lee Hanee), who has since become the village leader. The band must not only win the approval of their fellow villagers as they farm cabbage but, in Min-ki’s case, hopefully rekindle a past romance.

The sight of a rock band going from the glamor of the big city to bein reduced to growing cabbage is funny in itself. Seeing these types juxtaposed with the colorful personalities of the villagers is another deep source of effective comedy. The love story itself feels secondary to “Modern Farmer,” at least in terms of its core appeal, but the show more than makes up for it with laughs. As a fish-out-of-water comedy with a rock music flair, “Modern Farmer” never outstays its welcome or runs out of hilarious gags.

Competitive weightlifting is a male-dominated sport, especially in South Korea. That’s a distinction explored on the 2016 comedy “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo.” The show follows college athlete Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung), who follows in her father’s footsteps as a competitive weightlifter. Though Bok-joo is ridiculed by her peers for this path, she fiercely defends her dream while quietly hiding her own doubts and insecurities. Though Bok-joo’s childhood friend Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk) is among those who initially tease her, he becomes a tremendous source of support, and the two eventually fall in love.

The story behind “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo” was actually inspired by real-life South Korean weightlifting gold medalist Jang Mi-ran, though it’s played more for laughs. Bok-joo undergoes a classic coming-of-age story, learning to overcome her self-doubt, both athletically and personally, to achieve victory. And for as much as Joon-hyung supports Bok-joo, she also supports him in her own way, with this college-age couple finding their way together and becoming stronger for it. A winning mix of sports comedy, romance, and young adult coming-of-age, “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo” is a fantastic feel-good story.

Also known as “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon,” this 2017 comedy offers a postmodern take on the superhero genre. Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) was born with superhuman strength but is reluctant to use it openly as she believes her crush, In Guk-doo (Ji Soo), prefers delicate women. Bong-soon also dreams of becoming a video game developer and gains a job as a bodyguard to video game company CEO Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik) due to her strength. Min-hyuk helps Bong-soon with her professional dreams and how to hone her powers to fight crime, leading to the two of them growing closer as their relationship reaches a crossroads.

“Strong Girl Bong-soon” takes the slapstick present in many K-drama romantic comedies and adds superhero stakes to the mix. This transposition works incredibly well, and Park Bo-young masterfully plays into that level of action and physical comedy. Beyond its superhuman premise, “Strong Girl Bong-soon” also gets the romantic comedy fundamentals down pat with its core love triangle. And for those looking for more Korean super-powered antics, the series received a similarly well-received spinoff in 2023, “Strong Girl Nam-soon,” following one of Bong-soon’s super-strong cousins.

The novel “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” by Jung Kyung-yoon was adapted into a workplace romantic comedy of the same name in 2018. When self-absorbed corporate vice president Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon) learns his longtime secretary Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young) is resigning, it completely throws his life in disarray. Realizing how much Mi-so means to him, Young-joon does whatever he can to win her back, both professionally and as a romantic partner. His attempts remind both of them of a childhood incident that they both shared, sparking Mi-so’s own romantic interest in Young-joon.

Park Seo-joon is a reliable fan favorite in various K-dramas, including the addictive revenge drama “Itaewon Class.” “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” has him take on a considerably more light-hearted role, though not without its own deeply emotional moments. Park Min-young adeptly matches her co-star scene-for-scene, doing so during the show’s many comedic and romantic moments. A workplace comedy that spreads to both main characters’ respective families, “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” provides a fresh angle on a familiar premise.

Period piece K-dramas capture a certain romanticism about the country’s history, particularly the Joseon Dynasty, with numerous shows exploring this period. One of the most offbeat is the 2020 series “Mr. Queen,” based on the Chinese novel “Go Princess Go” by Xian Chen. After suffering a near-death experience in the present day, womanizing chef Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk) awakens in the body of 19th-century Kim So-young (Shin Hye-sun), better known as Queen Cheorin. Bong-hwan searches for a way to return to his body in the present while being caught up in the courtly intrigue surrounding King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun) and the true ruling power.

Though not without its controversies, “Mr. Queen” was enormously popular when it premiered in Korea, with that success spreading to international territories through streaming platforms. There is a fish-out-of-water comedy premise, with Bong-hwan not only adjusting to life in the 19th century but also trying to avoid Cheoljong’s advances without arousing suspicion. Beyond the laughs, there is also a mystery playing out as Bong-hwan learns who wields the real royal power in Korea, as well as the circumstances behind his body-swapping predicament. With its subversion of period pieces, “Mr. Queen” balances royal politics with fantasy comedy, leading to a spinoff follow-up, “Mr. Queen: The Secret,” the following year.

One of the common mythical creatures in Korean folklore is the Gumiho, a nine-tailed fox that can live an extraordinarily long life and can take on a human appearance. This creature plays a central role on the 2021 K-drama “My Roommate is a Gumiho,” based on the webtoon of the same name by Na. A 999-year-old Gumiho named Shin Woo-yeo (Jang Ki-yong) must fill his magical beads with human energy to transform into a human before his 1,000th birthday. This is complicated when college student Lee Dam (Lee Hye-ri) accidentally swallows a bead, forcing Woo-yeo to move in with her to figure out how to regain it.

“My Roommate is a Gumiho” takes these overt fantasy elements, mixes them with romantic comedy elements, and sets it all within the environment of a Korean college. Somehow, these disparate elements work well together, creating one of the more unique romantic K-dramas in recent memory. And that prominent fantasy aspect to the story is more often than not played for laughs quite effectively over the course of the series, with Lee Hye-ri a comedic natural. Thanks to its full ensemble effort and a premise straight from classic Korean mythology, “My Roommate is a Gumiho” is a sweet love story with a fantasy twist.

So many modern Cinderella stories in K-dramas involve women falling for flawlessly handsome, seemingly unobtainable CEOs and corporate heirs. This sensibility informs the 2022 romantic comedy “Business Proposal,” which has Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) go on a surprise blind date with her boss, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop). As Ha-ri tries to keep her identity, especially her employment details, a secret from Tae-moo, he proposes that she pose as his fiancee to appease his doting grandfather. This, of course, leads to genuine romantic feelings blossoming between them, complicated by Ha-ri continuing to keep secrets from Tae-moo.

Based on the web novel “The Office Blind Date” by HaeHwa, “Business Proposal” incorporates common rom-com tropes in a way that feels fresh through its premise. Kim Se-jeong, in particular, shines as Ha-ri, who is trying desperately to cook up false identities and stories to conceal that she actually works for her presumed fiance. This prolonged game of identity keep-away juxtaposes sweetly with the strong chemistry between Kim and Ahn Hyo-seoup. Breezy and filled with funny screwball antics, “Business Proposal” works as both a slapstick comedy and a stirring love story.

Not to be confused with the manga series by the late Akira Toriyama, the Korean “Doctor Slump” follows high school rivals Yeo Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) and Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye). Years later, both Jeong-woo and Ha-neul work separately in the medical field, but both are forced to step back and reevaluate their careers after they run into different setbacks. This leads them to start living together as they professionally regroup, forced to finally overcome their feud so they can share the same space. As Jeong-woo and Ha-neul find new directions for their careers, they begin to fall in love while supporting each other at a time when they’re both especially vulnerable.

With Jeong-woo’s carefree nature and Ha-neul’s more uptight tendencies, “Doctor Slump” is like a Korean take on “The Odd Couple” –- if the main pair then became an actual couple. Much of the humor comes from this mismatched pairing, with many of the gags coming from the fast-paced dialogue. Park Young-sik and Park Shin-hye had previously worked together on the popular K-drama “The Heirs,” and they have an engaging chemistry, both comedically and romantically. With its sweet and breezy vibe, “Doctor Slump” is a fun romp for anyone who’s endured an existential quarter-life crisis.

Terminal illness might not seem like a natural premise for a comedy series, but the Netflix original K-drama “Mr. Plankton” makes that core element work. After learning he’s terminally ill, Hae Jo (Woo Do-hwan) decides to go on a road trip and finally meet his long-lost biological father. Hae Jo’s unwilling passenger is his ex-girlfriend Jo Jae-mi (Lee Yoo-mi), whom he kidnaps from her wedding to another man. As Hae Jo and Jae-mi’s journey progresses, they are able to reconcile as Hae Jo sees the world around him from a new perspective informed by his condition.

Woo Do-hwan is always a joy to watch in whatever he’s in, whether he’s kicking butt on the mystery thriller “Bloodhounds” or finding humor in impending mortality on “Mr. Plankton.” To be sure, given its premise, there are emotional tear-jerking moments to the show but, just as often “Mr. Plankton” is quite funny. Just as Hae Jo gains a newfound appreciation for his life as it ends, the series’ hilarious and sad beats are elevated by its confrontation with death. “Mr. Plankton” is a reminder that sometimes the most serious subject matter can yield a surprising amount of laughs.