Calming and Healing Korean Variety Shows
Kdramas come in different genres with different stories, sometimes packed with clichés, sometimes not. Having seen a lot of Kdramas my whole life, there is a genre of story that only Kdramas do best (in my opinion) and that is: SLICE OF LIFE.
A piece of literature, play, film or entertainment show might be described as a slice of life if it describes or shows the ordinary details of real life.
A Guide to Non-Romance Slice-of-Life Kdramas
Hospital Playlist (2020)
This is probably my most favourite Kdrama of all time and it is seasonal, i.e. its Season 2 is coming out soon. Directed by PD Shin Won Ho of the Reply series and Prison Playbook fame, this Kdrama is a simple story about five doctors, friends since college and now colleagues, and their trials and tribulations as doctors and friends. What I loved the most about this Kdrama, was the sheer amount of undeniable chemistry that these five showed, and the amazing supporting cast consisting of veteran and rookie actors alike, in various roles of colleagues, friends, and family to our heroes in white coats.
 Hospital Playlist |
Black Dog (2019)
This drama shows the life of teachers at a private Korean high school, focusing on the life of a passionate teacher with a short-term contract. This Kdrama really moved me to tears at times, as I watched Seo Hyun Jin's Go Ha Neul persevere with an aim etched into her heart. Under the mentorship of cold-hearted-yet-warm Park Sung Soon, played by Ra Mi Ran, and her friendship with fellow teachers, Go Ha Neul blossoms into a wonderful and well-loved teacher.
The entire cast did an amazing job of portraying the trying yet fulfilling nature of teaching and making the drama relatable and healing at the same time.
 Black Dog | This is a school drama, but not the kind that focused only on the students, but also on the lives of the teachers. |
Prison Playbook (2017)
Another drama by PD Shin Won Ho, this show served as the first of PD Shin's shows peeking into the lives of certain professions and situations. This show had a unique idea, that of the lives of prisoners in a jail, with a focus on a famous baseball player and his cellmates.
PD Shin Won Ho is not the only common link between these dramas! A number of actors who appeared in Prison Playbook made leading (ex. Jung Kyung Ho), supporting (ex. Park Hyung Soo), or cameo (ex. Kim Sung Chul) appearances in Hospital Playlist.
 Prison Playbook | Another point of interest about this production was that most of its cast was made up of theatre actors, giving a chance for these actors to be seen not just onstage but onscreen as well. |
Diary of a Prosecutor (2019)
A drama with a realistic plot about the lives of over-worked prosecutors in a branch office and their teams, revolving around their almost repetitive daily lives.
It features Lee Sun Kyun and Jung Ryeo Won in lead roles, and a stellar supporting cast.
 Diary of a Prosecutor | Lee Sun Woong (Lee Sun Kyun) works at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in his local district. On the outside, he looks a bit slow and like he has no ambitions in life, but his inner self is different from what he appears on the outside. Cha Myung Joo (Jung Ryeo Won) is an elite prosecutor, who was rising on the ladder of success at the Central District Prosecutor’s Office before being sent to a branch office. |
My Mister (2018)
My Mister is a show that is completely opposite to every Kdrama assumption. It depicts people in their most bare and open forms. It depicts the lives three middle-aged brothers and a young girl in her 20s, and how their lives changed when their paths crossed.
Throughout the show, you start to root for all these characters and get attached to them as if you knew them in real life. This show equally depicts what hardships and pain does to a person and also what a little support and courage does to the same person.
Right when you think that you know these characters, they do something so realistically human, that your heart melts for them again.
 My Mister | Featuring IU and Lee Sun Kyun in lead roles, this Kdrama really makes you wonder about the real lives of those around you. IU does amazing in a character that really makes her shine as not just an actress but as an artist, while Lee Sun Kyun does what he does best. |
Live (2018)
This drama depicts the lives of police officers in a precinct in Seoul and the events that happen to them. This show does a great job of showing the hardships that come with a job in law enforcement and teaches the viewers not to judge a book by its cover and that there is a story behind everything.
Though this show revolves around the whole precinct, it puts its focus on two senior level officers and two rookie officers on their journeys throughout their lives and responsibilities.
 Live | Fans of Running Man will be surprised to see the icon of misfortune, Lee Kwang Soo, in his original profession as an actor in this drama. Lee does a stellar job of depicting the hardship-filled life of his character. This show is wonderfully complimented by the entire cast that puts a human soul into these characters perfectly. |
Move to Heaven (2021)
This show brought me to the tragic yet enlightening profession of trauma cleaning. This show made me think about those who are not a part of the living realm and the stories that their lives will continue to hold for their family.
Move to Heaven is about a young boy with Asperger's Syndrome and how he works for Move to Heaven, a company that offers the service of arranging the belongings of the deceased, and the people around him.
 Move to Heaven | This show is a Netflix original featuring my all-time favourite Lee Je Hoon, Tang Jun Sang, and my recent favourite, Hong Seung Hee. |
Money Game (2020)
Money Game is one of the dramas that had me have Google constantly open to understand precisely what was happening in the show. Though not the usual slow-paced slice-of-life, this show very nicely depicted the fast-paced yet slow moving world of finance and politics.
With Go Soo, Shim Eun Kyung, and Lee Sung Min in the lead roles, this show depicted an intense power struggle against politics and the balance of rookie's passion and a veteran's experience.
 Money Game | All three lead characters struggle against different norms: politics, greed, jealousy, and male chauvinism, in this gripping show. Don't be flustered by the terminologies used in the show; carefully watch the episodes with Google by your side. |
(not one of the leads, but the amazing and talented Yoo Teo playing the role of Eugene Han)
Navillera (2021)
A Kdrama that shows that dreams have no age limits and that those who have passion will seldom fail.
Both 70 year-old Shim Deok Chul (played by veteran actor Park In Hwan) and 23 year-old Lee Chae Rok (played by Netflix's favourite son, Song Kang) are connected to each other by ballet and a student-teacher relationship. Though this dynamic is opposite here; young ballerino Lee is teaching the hopeful dreamer, Shim, ballet.
Through their journey of ballet and self-discovery, Mr. Shim kindles his passion for ballet, while ballerino Lee rediscovers his love for this dance form.
 Navillera | Through an amazing supporting cast, this show teaches us to never give up on our dreams. This show also features Hong Seung Hee (from Move to Heaven), in the role of Mr. Shim's granddaughter. |
Hush (2020)
This is a show about journalists and their daily life problems, struggles, and their tryst with ethics of journalism.
Lee Ji Su (Im Yoon Ah of Girls' Generation fame), a rookie reporter who isn't afraid to speak her mind, and Han Jun Hyeok (Hwang Jung Min), a veteran reporter who has lost all this passion for justice and journalism, along with more journalists in the newspaper agency, work together to bring justice.
 Hush | Hush shows the relationship between ethics, justice, and humans, and reminds us of the importance of the work of journalists and reporters. |
Thank you for reading my first ever article on MyDramaList. Let me know in the comments below if there are any changes you would like to see for future articles.
Have a nice day!
