Entertainment
10 Best Feel-Good K-Dramas, Ranked
Feel-good K-dramas are some of the most common Korean series out there, but very few are made to be genuinely feel-good in nature. With genre-bending ideas and premises, a K-drama that feels like a nice love story can also have elements of fantasy, science fiction, history, or heavy drama. K-drama creators may be experts at making all sorts of series for global fans, but sometimes it’s hard to find a show that is, at its core, just a sweet story that feels like an experience of the joy of living.
The best feel-good K-dramas are a blend of romance, comedy, and drama, and these ten know how to do it best while making the narrative uncomplicated. If you’re looking for a series that helps you feel better at the end of a long day, or you want to spend a weekend binge-watching K-dramas without investing any difficult emotions, these shows can undoubtedly help with that.
10
‘She Was Pretty’ (2015)
In the 2010s, K-dramas that were at the height of popularity revolved around physical appearance in some way. For example, Oh My Venus is an iconic show that could count as feel-good, but might be too much for some because it talks about a woman’s company secretly hiring a personal trainer to get her back in shape for the sake of appearances; My ID is Gangnam Beauty revolves around a woman, who was mocked for her looks, changing her entire face before going to college, etc. Out of all those, seemingly problematic shows, She Was Pretty might be the least problematic, and it’s a great representation of the 2010s K-drama wave.
She Was Pretty follows Hye-jin (Hwang Jung-eum), a woman who sports her natural look everywhere she goes, with her freckles and curly hair; before she started appearing everywhere “unkempt,” she was a pretty and popular girl at school, and she was friends with the underdog, Sung-joon (Park Seo-joon), who is now a very good-looking editor-in-chief of a magazine. Complications arise when Hye-jin gets a job at Sung-joon’s company, hiding her true identity from him, and asking her best friend to pose as her. It’s a fun situational comedy with a lot of misunderstandings, lost opportunities, and funny revelations, and even if the topic doesn’t sound like it, it’s very feel-good.
9
‘Touch Your Heart’ (2019)
Another K-drama that revolves around romance as the saving grace of its cold, career-oriented protagonists is Touch Your Heart. Lee Dong-wook stars in it, and by 2019, he was already an established name and one of the greatest K-drama male leads of his time; he’s joined by Yoo In-na, and people talk fondly about Touch Your Heart, Yoo and Lee’s chemistry, and the feel-good narrative in which their romance evolves.
Touch Your Heart follows a disgraced actress, Oh Jin-shim (Yoo), who has to prepare for her comeback project by immersing herself in the law world as a secretary for the lawyer, Kwon Jung-rok (Lee). They eventually fall in love, despite clashing at first, and Jung-rok goes from a workaholic who cares only about his reputation to a gentle, loving man. Jin-shim, on the other hand, learns about personal responsibility and taking accountability. Touch Your Heart has some life lessons ingrained, but it’s mostly a gentle and very feel-good series.
8
‘Gaus Electronics’ (2022)
Fans of workplace K-dramas will love Gaus Electronics because it was obviously inspired by The Office, but it has a unique Korean twist on it, with gags, situational comedy, and slapstick, but also personal ambition and romance. Gaus Electronics is one of the best K-comedies that will make you laugh out loud; you know what they say—laughter is the best medicine.
Gaus Electronics follows Marketing Team Number 3 at the famous multinational corporation, Gaus Electronics, which specializes in home appliances. The protagonist is, unofficially, Kwak Dong-yeon as Sang-sik, an ambitious go-getter who can’t seem to get things right around the office; he is joined by Ko Sung-hee, Bae Hyun-sung, and Kang Min-ah, who portray his colleagues, and the show focuses on their private lives, too. As a feel-good, slice-of-life office romance/comedy, Gaus Electronics is an underrated comedy that’s perfect from start to finish.
7
‘Welcome to Waikiki’ (2018–2019)
One of the best comedies that is also a slice-of-life series is Welcome to Waikiki. It has two seasons, though the cast changes in Season 2 (except Lee Yi-kyung), and people rarely recommend it. You can watch Season 2 if you want to feel the vibes, but Season 1 is superior, and with 20 episodes, there’s enough to go around. Episodes are between 45 and 60 minutes and are typically divided into two parts; a lot happens, and a lot of it is situational comedy and comedy of misunderstandings. The cast is hilarious and has great chemistry, though the aforementioned Lee Yi-kyung is often the show’s funniest actor.
Welcome to Waikiki follows three best friends and film enthusiasts, Dong-gu (Kim Jung-hyun), Joon-ki (Lee), and Doo-sik (Son Seung-won). They wish to have different careers in film and one day make their own movie, but until they can make their dream happen, they run a B&B called Waikiki, which isn’t very successful, but it’s definitely eventful. Sometimes, Dong-gu’s sister, Seo-jin, and single mother, Yoon-ah, join their daily adventures, and episodes are elevated with great relationships and hilarious events in each of their daily lives.
6
‘Crash Course In Romance’ (2023)
Another very feel-good show is Crash Course In Romance, a series that combines romance, comedy, and slice-of-life moments. This show became so popular when it came out that it directly impacted fashion trends across South Korea, with many women, in particular, seeking wardrobe pieces that Jeon Do-yeon wears in the show. The show is beloved for its middle-aged protagonists, reflections on society, tender vibes, and beautiful visuals.
Crash Course In Romance follows the former athlete Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon), a shopkeeper raising a teenage daughter, who starts taking courses for college entrance exams. Excellent math tutor Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho) frequently visits Haeng-seon’s store, but when he learns that she’s not trying to get his attention to tutor her daughter, they enter a strained relationship that goes from enemies to inevitably lovers later on. Crash Course In Romance is also a story about familial love and trust, and its 16 episodes go by very quickly because of how fun it is.
5
‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’ (2016)
One of the most beloved and best K-dramas of all time, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, is definitely feel-good material from start to finish. The show has excellent character development and a fun premise that can be relatable to anyone chasing their dreams. In fact, it was so relatable that the young demographic in South Korea was the show’s biggest audience, turning the show into a cult series with a large following.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo follows the eponymous Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-Kyung), a college freshman who pursues her dream of becoming an Olympic weightlifter. While the show is mostly about college athletes fighting for their way and to achieve their dreams, the story is also a romance when Bok-joo becomes friends with Joon-Hyung (Nam Joo-Hyuk) and his older brother Jae-Yi (Lee Jae-Yoon). The show is fun and heartfelt, and many people cite it as one of their all-time favorites.
4
‘Summer Strike’ (2022)
Summer Strike is a relatively unknown K-drama, but it’s one of those feel-good shows that gets under your skin very quickly. Visually stunning, with many wholesome moments in nature and with other people and animals, the show delivers a message of taking it easy and taking life one day at a time. Im Si-wan stars alongside Kim Seol-hyun (often known as just Seolhyun), who is the protagonist; she is charming and often goofy and funny, showing off a lighthearted side of her acting. Despite that, the story sometimes becomes heavy when repressed emotions come up.
Summer Strike follows Yeo-reum (Seolhyun), who grows tired of living the same life over and over. She decides to move to a small town by the sea called Angok, where she enjoys herself, takes things slowly, and meets friendly people. Among those people is a reclusive genius, Dae-bom (Im), and they bond and find that they both escaped busy city lives. Filmed on location, Summer Strike is perfect for lovers of rural escapes and living life in lush nature, away from the car horns and skyscrapers.
3
‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’ (2021)
Speaking of K-dramas where the lead moves to a small town, there are plenty, and this kind of plot is quickly becoming one of the greatest K-drama tropes. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is the most popular representative of that particular genre of K-drama; Shin Min-a leads a colorful series filled with wholesome moments, calming vibes, and gentle but necessary character development. If you’re a K-drama beginner, this is also a great series to start with.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha follows Seoul-based dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin), who experiences career problems and decides to move to a seaside town to start over. She opens a dental clinic there and grows closer to a local man, known as Chief Hong (Kim Seon-ho). They go through misunderstandings and confrontations at first, but eventually bond despite those small clashes. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is one of the most-watched K-dramas of all time and one of the most popular shows on Netflix, even now, five years after it was released.
2
‘Business Proposal’ (2022)
One of the most romantic K-dramas and one of the greatest office romance shows ever is Business Proposal. Hardcore K-drama fans love it as much as beginners in that drama world do, with the show boasting a widespread appeal with its charming leads, fun humor, and lots of heartfelt moments. Business Proposal might be riddled with tropes and some clichés within the drama world, but it’s still a highly watchable series you will find yourself binge-watching at one point.
Business Proposal follows Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong), who agrees to go on a blind date instead of her friend Young-seo (Seol In-ah), only to realize that the man she is meeting is her current boss, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop). Tae-moo is the CEO of a food product corporation, and he is pressured into getting married by his family; he asks her to get married immediately to avoid any more blind dates, but Ha-ri is scared to reveal her true identity. The story takes different twists and turns, and it’s a very fun series often filled with slapstick comedy moments; you’ll love watching and relaxing with this feel-good series.
1
‘Hospital Playlist’ (2020)
Hospital Playlist is one of those must-watch K-dramas; whether you’re a beginner or a veteran in the K-drama watcher world, you’ll undoubtedly fall in love with this medical drama immediately. It’s an ensemble effort that combines comedy, drama, romance, and slice-of-life moments; it is very feel-good, despite having some heavy-ish medical cases that resonate with real life. Even when rooted in some real-life troubles, a show becomes a lot more entertaining and relatable, so this shouldn’t be a detriment to the show’s appeal.
Hospital Playlist follows five doctors who have been friends since medical school and who have a band they play in their spare time. The five all have different backgrounds that often come into the foreground and provide lessons and obstacles. However, they also have a great time together and help each other get over problems and talk things over, being there when it matters along the way. It’s wholesome, ridiculously funny at times, and a beautiful series about the importance of friendship that you can watch all day long.