Queen of Tears still ranks high on Netflix Global Top 10 despite cliché fatigue. See other K-dramas that won a spot

14 days ago | 12 Views

Queen of Tears has mapped out an unconventional pioneering track vis-a-vis nationwide viewership ratings since the season's inception on March 9. Closing the chapter on the show's traditional track with the Season 1 finale on April 28, the Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won-starrer amassed an unprecedented personal best average nationwide viewership rating of 24.850%. Etching history on Sunday, the series also recorded the highest-rated series finale in the history of tvN dramas.

The awe-striking spot was previously occupied by Hyun Bin and Son Ye Bin's sensational hit series Crash Landing on You in 2020, with its final episode hitting a record-high rating of 21.683%. tvN's 2024 series has maintained its stupendous TV run, with each week's rankings eclipsing its previously established personal bests.

Queen of Tears ranks on Netflix's Weekly Global Top 10 list for the consecutive 8th week

While the average TV viewership ratings locked in at 28.381% for Seoul, the latest data gathered by Netflix celebrates the show's long-running 8-week streak on the Top 10 chart as well. On May 1, the Netflix Global Top 10 chart for the past week (April 22 to April 28) was rolled down for the non-English category.

Moving up a spot from its former position at #3, Queen of Tears witnessed a rise on the global chart as it clinched the second rank, recording a monumental reading of 4.1 million views from April 22-28. Consolidating its hold on the global charts, the South Korean drama retained its post on the Top 10 TV chart in 41 countries on Netflix, including the Americas, Nigeria, Egypt, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Thailand and others.

In South Korea, it ranked atop the weekly list of most-watched TV shows.

Queen of Tears: Criticism from fans over cliched reimagination

While the general reception has been favourable to the show's booming success, fans also voiced their exhausted remarks about its extensively dragged-out cliche tropes.

Reflecting a derivative approach to the story's progression following a formulaic checklist based on visuals from the early 2000s, Queen of Tears' memory loss and accidental mishaps repeatedly troubled many.

Nevertheless, the show's ultimate weapon was its star-studded cast ensemble, which especially struck a chord with the viewers due to Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won's poignantly engrossing performances.

Other K-dramas on the overall Netflix Global Top 10 chart

Netflix Originals Parasyte: The Grey and Goodbye Earth were the other K-dramas that made it to the Global Top 10 rankings.

Starring Jeon So Nee, Koo Kyo Hwan and Lee Jung Hyun, the live-action spin-off of Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga, Parasyte: The Grey, revelled in its Top 10 ranking for the 4th consecutive week. Engaging 1.8 million views, it stood proud at the 6th rank, slipping down from the previous week's #4 spot.

Lastly, the sci-fi dystopian series Goodbye Earth premiered on Netflix on April 26. It debuted on the Global Top 10 list at the 9th position, clocking in 1.5 million views. Based on Kotaro Isaka's novel, it stars Ahn Eun Jin, Yoo Ah In, Jeon Sung Woo and Kim Yoon Hye.