Audience Poll Selects Women of Dignity and Secret Forest as Best K-dramas in Second Half of 2017

The viewers have spoke again, this time a poll on what Korean audiences think is the best K-dramas of the second half of 2017. Topping the list is jTBC hit Women of Dignity followed by tvN drama Secret Forest (Stranger), both of which got rave reviews and huge ratings for cable when it aired. Coming in third is KBS drama Go Back Spouses so that looks like one drama I should go back and marathon, followed by the highest rated drama of 2017 in KBS weekender My Golden Life. Fifth is a surprise for me in SBS drama While You Were Sleeping which I watched and have mixed feelings about but it was considered a ratings disappointment in Korea so I’m curious now to see it on the top 5 of this list. Rounding out in sixth place is Live Up to Your Name followed by Witch’s Court in the final spot.

Top ten best dramas aired in second half of 2017:

  1. Women of Dignity
  2. Secret Forest (Stranger)
  3. Go Back Spouses
  4. My Golden Life
  5. While You Are Sleeping
  6. Live Up to Your Name
  7. Witch’s Court

Comments

Audience Poll Selects Women of Dignity and Secret Forest as Best K-dramas in Second Half of 2017 — 27 Comments

  1. Top 3 are probably fair, but My Golden Life and WYWS at 4 and 5 may just be a popularity thing. MGS has insane rating whereas WYWS had really high-profile leads.

  2. aigoo koala, a rating is relative nowadays as most younger people now watch dramas on mobiles. WSYS was a pretty solid writing and directing and had topped CPI index for weeks while on air, it is still the most watched dramas on Viki as we speak.
    I agree with the voting but I thought FOS deserve to be no 1.

    • I actually didn’t expect wyws make the chart.Might be you are right, it has good following but i won’t call it has good writing.

    • I could not finish WYWS because of the poor writing… acting is subpar… Viki does not have a comprehensive selection of Kdramas so it skews the viewership…

  3. I haven’t watch secret of forest and woman dignity. But i seriously didn’t expected go back spouse to make the list because how low the rating is in korea. But that drama gave me so much tears my eyes got swollen because I’m binge watching it 8 episode straight and i already look like panda. That drama is so close to home for some people i guess including me.

    • Go Back Spouses topped the drama topics ranking for half its run, and Jang Nara was the top actor brand for Oct. The drama was insanely popular in Korea despite the ratings.

    • Forest of Secrets and Go Back Couples are my top 2017 dramas too and will watch Women of Dignity when time permits.

      GBC’s ratings are not bad especially for the final episodes, noting it’s not broadcast in the usual drama time slots but late Friday and Saturday evening at 11 pm local time.

      • And Live Up To Your Name is refreshingly good as a time traveler drama. So, this poll result is more credible than many others.

  4. Go Back Spouses was incredible. It’s the one kdrama I actually bothered to watch in the second half of 2017. Great non-cliche story with fantastic acting. It’s call it a sleeper hit. So glad it’s getting more attention. Koala, you must watch it!

  5. Fair enough?.cant argue against this outcome.congrats to all the actors, actresses, writers, directors and crew behind all these dramas in the list.Here is to hoping 2018 will be better though.I hope the production team have learnt what is working these days.

    I hope this “follow the trend” thing they have going these days gotta stop.We need more variety.We had oversaturation of one genre this year.More time invested in producing better scripts and on point directing, to create good chemistry with the cast, and enhance the story line.Instead of mediaplaying the fact that top stars are in the production while half assing everything.

    • Korean need better writers.. Where are all good writers hiding this years? Or might be there are alot of them , but they don’t write a script like they want to?

      • I dont believe there arent good kdrama writer. maybe their creativity isnt suitable for producers taste. Or they dont want to write trendy story. I mean, kdrama really have trendy theme for year, like medical, police procedural, crossdressing and so on.

  6. This year I only finished Secret Forest, Tunnel and Mad Dogs for kdrama, and three jdorama.
    But I loovee Secret Forest, solid acting and good story. So, yeah.. I agree with the poll result

  7. @amy I’m pretty sure WYWS never topped the CPI at any point during its run, or they would have released articles stating that.

    What they did get was the highest ranked drama on the CPI, their actual CPI (all shows, including variety and news) rank was #4 at its highest. But it’s funny that a show with new lead actors like Doubtful Victory can get CPI #1 when this huge hyped starry drama couldn’t do it. Their ratings are even at a similar level too, looks like rookies are more value for money.

  8. Also Secret Forest was mentioned as one of the best foreign dramas of the year by the New York Times. That’s a very strong endorsement, even though I haven’t seen it.

  9. Getting a lot of these dramas now on netflix in Australia. I will try and catch some of them. Anything recommeded guys? Love the technical aspects of korean productions as we would in Autralia having a strong connection to the film and arts. Merry Christmas everyone.

  10. In some ways it is pointless to compare Forest of Secrets to the rest of this year’s kdramas. It is like comparing a US network show to something like Mad Men. We can only hope that kdrama producers will increase their attempts to make something as ambitious.

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