K-Dramas Like Thirty-Nine

Loved Thirty-Nine (2022), jTBC, and want more with the same feel? It is known for terminal illness, sismance and calm male lead. Here are 10 Korean dramas that come closest, ranked from the best match down.

Terminal IllnessSismanceCalm Male LeadDoctor Female LeadFriendshipTearjerker
  1. 1

    Recipe for Farewell

    오늘은 좀 매울지도 몰라

    2022 · Watcha · 12 episodes · Food, Life, Drama

    Chang Wook is a middle-aged translator and lecturer whose wife is dying of cancer and can hardly eat.

    Same feel: Terminal Illness, Tearjerker, Life, Drama

    Cast, story & details →
  2. 2

    Avengers Social Club

    부암동 복수자들

    2017 · tvN · 12 episodes · Comedy, Life, Drama

    A fish-shop owner, a housewife and a sheltered heiress have nothing in common until they meet in a secret club.

    Same feel: Sismance, Friendship, Life, Drama

    Cast, story & details →
  3. 3

    Hello, My Twenties!

    청춘시대

    2016 · jTBC · 12 episodes · Comedy, Romance, Life

    Five young women in their twenties live together in a shared house called Belle Epoque.

    Same feel: Sismance, Friendship, Life, Drama

    Cast, story & details →
  4. 4

    Work Later, Drink Now

    술꾼도시여자들

    2021 · tvN · 12 episodes · Comedy, Life, Drama

    So Hee, Ji Yeon and Ji Gu are three single women in their thirties who love to hang out after work and drink together.

    Same feel: Sismance, Friendship, Life, Drama

    Cast, story & details →
  5. 5

    Doom at Your Service

    어느 날 우리집 현관으로 멸망이 들어왔다

    2021 · tvN · 16 episodes · Comedy, Romance, Drama

    After losing her parents, Dong Gyeong works hard to build a stable life, and then she is diagnosed with a serious illness.

    Same feel: Terminal Illness, Drama, Romance

    Cast, story & details →
  6. 6

    Our Movie

    우리 영화

    2025 · SBS · 12 episodes · Drama, Romance, Life

    Lee Je Ha grew up in the shadow of a legendary filmmaker, his father a master whose name carried weight in the industry.

    Same feel: Terminal Illness, Life, Drama, Romance

    Cast, story & details →
  7. 7

    Dear My Friends

    디어 마이 프렌즈

    2016 · tvN · 16 episodes · Life, Drama, Melodrama

    A translator keeps getting pulled into the company of her mother's friends, a lively group of older women and men who refuse to slow down.

    Same feel: Sismance, Friendship, Life, Drama

    Cast, story & details →
  8. 8

    If You Wish Upon Me

    당신이 소원을 말하면

    2022 · KBS2 · 16 episodes · Romance, Life, Drama

    Kyeo Re has grown up through abuse, orphanages and prison, and is close to giving up. His court-ordered community service at a hospice changes everything.

    Same feel: Tearjerker, Life, Drama, Romance

    Cast, story & details →
  9. 9

    Mother

    마더

    2018 · tvN · 16 episodes · Thriller, Mystery, Psychological

    Soo Jin is a quiet science teacher who notices that one of her young pupils is being hurt at home and that nobody around the girl will step in.

    Same feel: Tearjerker

    Cast, story & details →
  10. 10

    Beautiful World

    아름다운 세상

    2019 · jTBC · 16 episodes · Thriller, Mystery, Life

    After their teenage son is left brain-dead following an incident at his new school, his parents and little sister start looking for what really happened.

    Same feel: Tearjerker, Life

    Cast, story & details →

About Thirty-Nine

Three best friends have leaned on each other since childhood, and now, on the brink of turning forty, they're facing love, loss and everything in between together. See the full page, cast and where to watch →

Questions about dramas like Thirty-Nine

What are the best dramas like Thirty-Nine?

Our top picks are Recipe for Farewell, Avengers Social Club, Hello, My Twenties!, followed by Work Later, Drink Now. Each one shares parts of its feel, such as terminal illness, sismance and calm male lead, and links to a page with the story, cast and where to watch.

Where can I watch Thirty-Nine?

Streaming details for Thirty-Nine are on its page, and availability can differ by country.

How does DramaHog pick similar dramas?

We compare the genres, themes and story of every drama on the site and rank the closest matches from the same country. Our editors also hand-pick and reorder the top choices for the most popular shows.

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Episode, cast and poster data from TVmaze. Descriptions are written by DramaHog.