This K-Drama Is in a League of Its Own, Grabbing 45.77% of All TV Buzz (Ranking)

One Korean drama is leading the conversation by a landslide.

According to a FUNdex report released on March 25 by K-content analysis firm Good Data Corporation, Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines ranked No.1 in the TV-OTT drama category with a dominating 45.77% share of total buzz — more than five times higher than its closest competitor.

Since its premiere on March 7, the drama has topped Netflix’s daily Top 3 rankings in countries including Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and India, and placed in the Top 10 in Canada and Australia, proving its global appeal.

The emotional series, set on the scenic shores of Jeju Island, follows the decades-spanning love story of Ae-soon (played by IU), a headstrong and spirited girl, and Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum), her loyal and grounded childhood friend.

The show has also received high critical praise. On IMDb, it holds a remarkable 9.2 out of 10, while Korean platform WatchaPedia gives it 4.4 out of 5.

Following the release of the Act 4 teaser trailer on March 24, online reactions poured in, with viewers saying, “I know the final act is ‘winter,’ so I’m already bracing for tears,” “How does writer Im Sang-chun capture human emotion so perfectly?” “When characters die in other dramas, I feel a little sad. In this one, I cry and my heart actually hurts,” “I’d totally go to a movie theater to binge the whole thing on the big screen,” and “This is a drama you want to cry with — not out of exhaustion, but because it heals.”

Coming in second in the drama buzz rankings was Disney+’s Hyper Knife with 8.22%, a medical-crime thriller centered on actress Park Eun-bin. MBC’s Undercover High School placed third.

Undercover High School follows Jeong Hae-seong (Seo Kang-jun), a National Intelligence Service agent who goes undercover as a high school student at the elite Byeongmun Academy to hunt down the long-lost royal gold of Emperor Gojong. While packed with action and mystery, the series also unfolds as a coming-of-age story as the undercover agent forms genuine friendships.

The series drew strong initial buzz, but viewership has been on the decline. Episode 1 premiered on February 21 with a 5.6% nationwide rating (Nielsen Korea), peaking at 8.3% with Episode 4. However, Episode 10 recently dropped to a series-low of 5.4%.

In contrast, SBS’s competing series Buried Hearts continues to surpass 10% in ratings each week, making Undercover High School’s performance look relatively modest. With just two episodes left — airing on March 28 and 29 — viewers are watching to see if the show’s buzz can finally translate into a ratings rebound.

Meanwhile, in the actor buzz rankings, When Life Gives You Tangerines stars IU and Park Bo-gum swept the top two spots. Park Eun-bin followed in third, while Seo Kang-jun placed fifth.