K-drama: 'Queen of Tears' hits ratings high; Netflix position slips
The ongoing K-drama Queen of Tears—starring Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won—has reached a new high in its Saturday viewership. Nielsen Korea reported that the latest episode 11 secured the top spot in its time slot, capturing an impressive average nationwide (South Korea) rating of 16.8%. Meanwhile, on Netflix, the series maintains its strong presence, consistently ranking in the Top 5. For those unaware, the storyline focuses on a married couple grappling with marital fatigue.
'Queen of Tears' surpasses 'Reply 1988' in ratings
On Saturday (April 13), the romantic comedy from tvN surpassed the renowned Reply 1988, becoming the third highest-rated K-drama in the network's history. In the drama, So-hyun takes on the role of Baek—the legal director of Queens Group and the husband of Hong Hae-in (Ji-won), an heiress to the department stores of Queens Group. Their marriage, teetering on the brink of separation, takes a dramatic turn when Hong discovers she has only a few months left to live.
'QoT' drops to second on Netflix
On Netflix, QoT currently ranks second in the non-English TV series category. Earlier, it was on the top spot but was surpassed by another K-drama, Parasyte: The Grey. The supernatural narrative reportedly took the top spot with 31,500,000 hours viewed in its premiere week! It's worth noting that Saturday ratings are typically lower than Sunday due to time zone differences and viewers' preference for binge-watching two episodes rather than waiting for another day.
'Queen of Tears' has announced special episodes
Meanwhile, the creators of Queen of Tears have recently announced plans for two special episodes featuring the lead cast. Due to scheduling conflicts, the actors will appear individually rather than as a group. These special episodes are scheduled to air on May 4 and 5 at 9:10pm (KST) on tvN. The episodes will offer in-depth scene breakdowns and a segment where the actors directly address viewer comments and questions.
Other K-drama updates and ratings
In other K-drama news, MBC's Wonderful World concluded its run with an average nationwide rating of 9.2% for its series finale, Soompi reported. On the other hand, KBS 2TV's Beauty and Mr. Romantic maintained a steady average nationwide rating of 14.4% for its most recent episode. SBS's The Escape of the Seven: Resurrection achieved an average rating of 2.4% for its sixth episode. Meanwhile, JTBC's Hide commenced the second half of its run with an average nationwide rating of 4.3%.