Doctor Slump’s finale ended with high ratings. The show found a loving audience in those looking for heart-warming, healing romances where characters pull each other out of a “slump”. As we bid adieu to our healing couple, Nam Ha-neul and Yeo Jeong-woo, we bring you a massive list of kdramas with a similar vibe – healing, romance and warmth! Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Our Beloved Summer (2021)
Our Beloved Summer is truly a beloved amongst fans of healing romances. Similar to Doctor Slump, it features high-school rivals (just on different spectrums) Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi) and Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) who were forced to feature in a documentary. Jump to the present, the two are are forced to reappear in another documentary when their original documentary from teenage years goes viral.
The problem? Now, they’re not just rivals who hate each-other, they’re ex-lovers with lingering feelings.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is another favourite starring Shin Min-a as Yoon Hye-jin, a dentist who relocates to a small seaside town after a personal setback; and Kim Seon-ho as Hong Du-shik, the kind, cheerful, bubbly jack-of-all-trade of the town.
This show showcases similar themes of healing, second chances, and the characters helping each other to come out of a prolonged “slump”.
Hospital Playlist (2020-2021)
Hospital Playlist is another heartwarming kdrama about five friends: Ik-jun (Jung-suk), Jung-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Jeong-ho (Jung Kyung-ho), Seok-hyung (Kim Dae-myung), and Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do), and also doctors, who end up working in the same hospital. The show navigates their professional and personal lives.
If you will, it’s a Reply 1988 but in a medical setting. It is. also, one of the best k-dramas which revolve around healing, friendships and romance. Although it does not feature the doctors in slump trope, but it does have friends to lovers trope, you just need to hold on to it.
The Good Bad Mother (2023)
The Good Bad Mother is a slice-of-life family kdrama revolving around a woman, Young-hee (Ra Mi-ran) and her estranged son, Kang-ho (Lee Do-hyun). When Kang-ho gets into a mysterious accident, loses his memories and is reduced to a man with the mental age of a child, Young-gets a second chance to right her wrongs and build their relationship anew.
Good Bad Mother is not only similar to Doctor Slump in terms of a healing k-drama, but it also features the friends to lovers trope along with a murder conspiracy.
Because This is My First Life (2017)
Because This is My Life is a romantic comedy kdrama which revolves around the lives of Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min), a struggling writer who is forced out of her home after her brother’s marriage.
As she struggles with finding a house amidst a career slump, she enters into a contract marriage with Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki), the landlord in need of a responsible tenant. And so begins their odd but adorable relationship! This show, which is highly relatable, features themes of growth, healing, and characters coming out of a career slump similar to Doctor Slump.
Daily Dose of Sunshine (2023)
Daily Dose of Sunshine is a heartwarming but hard-hitting k-drama that lead us into the world of mental health. It follows the life of Jung Da-eun (Park Bo-young), a kind nurse who is transferred from the internal medicine department to the psychiatry department.
As the story progresses, we meet many heartening stories of people struggling with mental health and of Da-reun herself, as she battles with depression after a traumatic event. The features a medical background, career slump and characters struggling with their illness similar to Doctor Slump.
Be Melodramatic (2019)
Be Melodramatic is a slice-of-life romantic comedy that revolves around the professional and personal lives of three friends: Im Jin-Joo (Chun Woo-hee), Lee Eun-Jung (Jeon Yeo-been), and Hwang Han-Joo (Han Ji-eun) as they navigate the highs and lows of life. It deals with serious themes of loss, grief and anxiety with levity and optimism, much like Doctor Slump.
When the Weather is Fine (2020)
When the Weather is Fine is a slow-burn romance kdrama which echoes themes of self-healing and self-discovery. It revolves around the life of Mok Hae-won (Park Min-young), a burnt-out cellist, who returns to her village to reclaim her peace of mind. She meets her high-school friend, Eun-seob, who becomes her saving grace in times of turmoil.
When the Weather is Fine has a friends to lovers trope along with characters dealing with their own demons and slumps in life similar to Doctor Slump. The two main leads also become each-other’s source of comfort and healing much like Ha-neul and Jeong-woo.
My Liberation Notes (2022)
My Liberation Notes is another slice of life, romance k-drama which is quite different from mainstream Korean dramas. It revolves around themes of self-discovery and healing. The show follows the lives of three siblings, all of whom are going through different stages of slumps in their lives.
Yeom Ki-jeong (Lee El), Yeom Chang-hee (Lee Min-ki), Yeom Mi-jeong (Kim Ji-won) are sick of their monotonous lives, travelling to-and-fro from their countryside home to the nearby city for work everyday. Their lives take a turn when a stranger comes to work at their factory who transforms into a nocturnal drunkyard.
My Liberation Notes, although has more of a solemn tone than Doctor Slump, but it deals with similar themes of characters overcoming a slump through each-other’s support, dealing with mental health and so on.
Summer Strike (2022)
Summer Strike is a warm healing romance kdrama that revolves around Lee Yeo-reum (Kim Seol-hyun), a disillusionist officer worker, who skips work one day and impulsively travels to the countryside to find a sense of peace. She then quits her job and relocates to the small town of Angok to begin her life anew. It features a beautiful cinematography and heartening themes of characters pulling each other out of a slump and a slow-burn yet beautiful romance.
So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished with Doctor Slump.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!