Director: Javad Razavian, Siamak Ansary
Cast: Siamak Ansary, Javad Razavian, Amirhossein Rostami, Negar Abedi, Siavash Tahmors
021 is a 2020 Iranian comedy series directed by Javad Razavian and Siamak Ansary, built around a workplace rivalry between two brothers-in-law who share an office but very little else. Each episode runs about 40 minutes and draws its humor from the friction of forced family ties.
What is 021 about?
Two men are bound together by marriage but divided by almost everything else. Working alongside each other at a municipal office, they constantly scheme to outmaneuver one another on the job. Their competitiveness spills into everyday situations, producing a steady stream of awkward moments and comic misunderstandings. The series anchors its whole premise on a wry Iranian proverb warning that a car can never become a motorcycle and a brother-in-law can never truly become family — and then spends every episode proving exactly that point. The comedy is driven less by plot twists and more by the sheer stubbornness of two grown men who refuse to coexist peacefully.
Cast & crew
Siamak Ansary and Javad Razavian lead the series as the feuding brothers-in-law, and both also serve as directors — an unusual dual role that gives the production a strong sense of shared creative ownership. Amirhossein Rostami, Negar Abedi, and Siavash Tahmors round out the main ensemble, supplying the supporting friction that keeps the rivalry from ever settling down.
Context & significance
Iranian workplace comedies have a long tradition of wringing laughs from the social contracts Iranians are expected to uphold — family loyalty above all, professional courtesy regardless of personal feeling. 021 sits squarely in that tradition, using a municipal setting to poke fun at bureaucratic pettiness and the particular awkwardness of being stuck with family you did not choose. For diaspora viewers who grew up watching classic Persian comedy series, this kind of humor lands immediately: the proverb at the center of the show is familiar from childhoods in Tehran or Isfahan, and hearing it dramatized episode after episode carries a warm, nostalgic charge.
Where & how to watch
021 is available on K-Time in its original Persian audio. No VPN is needed and there is no geo-blocking — stream from your browser, TV, or phone wherever you are. Subscription is flexible with no long-term commitment; cancel anytime.