It’s Okay to Not be Okay Highest Viewership Among K-dramas Making the Netflix Top 100 Shows List for 2020 as of October 1, Next is The King: Eternal Monarch and Crash Landing on You

One of the positives of 2020 was the increased exposure of K-dramas to global viewers thanks to the licensing deal with Netflix for many of the high profile dramas that aired this year. This year a site called Flixpatrol also started to track viewership numbers on the various streaming sites with of course Netflix leading the pack in terms of subscribers. Yesterday was September 30th and the end of the third quarter, with one more quarter left to wrap up this tumultuous year. It’s a useful date to check in on Flixpatrol to see if any K-dramas are currently tracking on the Top 100 TV shows streaming on Netflix for the year ranking. The highest spot goes to It’s Okay to Not be Okay coming in at 10th, so the drama has a chance to perhaps crack the top 20 for the full year come December 31. Second spot among the K-dramas is The King: Eternal Monarch in 21 and then a big drop before Crash Landing on You is spotted in 44th place. CLOY remains the asterisk for me since it aired before Flixpatrol started tracking otherwise I think it could vy with It’s Okay for most streamed K-drama on Netflix. Check out the K-dramas that are on the list for 3/4 of the year done, and another notable is newly aired Record of Youth (8-episodes so far) sitting in 85th spot.

K-dramas on Netflix Top 100 TV shows (for the year) as of October 1, 2020:

10. It’s Okay to Not be Okay
21. The King: Eternal Monarch
44. Crash Landing on You
46. Hospital Playlist
47. Was it Love
60. Mystic Pop-up Bar
76. Itaewon Class
83. The World of the Married
85. Record of Youth
86. Secret Forest (Stranger)


Comments

It’s Okay to Not be Okay Highest Viewership Among K-dramas Making the Netflix Top 100 Shows List for 2020 as of October 1, Next is The King: Eternal Monarch and Crash Landing on You — 71 Comments

  1. After all it’s KIM SOO HYUN comeback…this have to happen. KIM SOO HYUN, OH JUNG SE , SEO YEJI did awesome job…all three are powerful actor.. without them IOTNOB would not be complete…plus PD Park Shin Wo and writer Jo Yoong are mastermind behind this masterpiece.
    KSH as Moon Kang Tae…shows how understanding his character is and KSH beautifully portray it… that’s why Filopian actors and korean critics are praising him.
    SYJ and OJS got fame and recognition which they truely deserve it…I am really happy…

  2. I feel like if the the tracking started earlier cloy would have been first especially because it did well in japan. That being said the top two are definitely cloy and PBIO they were the only two dramas that i could really feel their popularity through social media with Ifans. the King didnt perform as good as i thought it would.

    • Absolutely, you know that this list is not reliable when you see Itaewon Class below Was It Love and Mystic Pop Up Bar. CLOY premiered before Itaewon Class, so imagine how many viewers FlixPatrol must have missed that watched the show before they started tracking it. These are basically the viewership numbers of CLOY and IC after the shows already ended.

  3. I’m so happy to see Hospital Playlist on the list. It makes sense that IONTO is going up in popularity as it matches the upcoming Halloween season. I hope it goes even higher.

    It’s already such achievement to be on the list so praises to all the shows that made it.

  4. IOTNBO, CLOY, HP. ?

    But man, the impact of IOTNBO was just insane! It was the first Kdrama I actually saw people making reaction videos for on YouTube.
    Its fanfiction on AO3 alone is around 160 and growing everytime I visit the site.
    The explosion of fanart, stickers and memes on social media was ridiculous.
    And even after it ended, fans trended nonexistent episodes (17 and onwards) every weekend on Twitter and continued the story with their imagination.

    • Yeah IOTNBO is also the first time I’ve seen a kdrama get the proper full fledged fandom treatment. Wish this could be the gateway for future (good) kdramas to attract their own creative fandoms.

    • Well yeah but IOTNBO was really popular no doubt ,I liked it too..

      but I think you haven’t seen the craziness behind CLOY yet..
      Apart from bringing the 4th Hallyu wave in Japan,it is being talked around the world.
      An American News station tweeted about it . Hollywood celebrities talking about it and putting it in their IG stories for example January Jones among others.
      Netflix Australia and New Zealand included it in 7 BEST shows around the world in late August..The only kdrama in that list containing the likes of Money Heist etc.
      There was this whole Journal article published in Asia Pacific Journal about CLOY and not to forget, major leading newspaper outlets around the world were talking about it.
      Also a Swiss official also said in an article that the interest that the drama brought to the places mentioned in CLOY is overwhelming..If not for COVID ,their tourism industry had gotten a great boom.

      These were just a few which I could remember..

      As u mentioned CLOY that’s why I had to talk about it.. making people aware of few of its achievements.

      • @Hioor..the op talked about IMPACT i guess..So what I said should be counted as such..
        I don’t read fanfics so don’t know how many are there..Plus I m not aware of when it trended on twitter as I was quite inactive back then on Twitter.

      • Oops I forgot to add one more thing… CEO of Netflix recently mentioned in an interview of his..that he enjoyed watching Kingdom and CLOY..

      • @Lon,

        If you read my post, I mentioned THREE dramas I enjoyed that I’m happy made it to the list.

        Did I put down CLOY anywhere in my comment?

        I was talking specifically about the IOTNBO craze that I PERSONALLY (keyword: I, not you or anyone) experienced.

        You can boast about CLOY’s achievements you experienced in your own standalone comment, not ride on mine to create some kind of competition where it isn’t necessary.

  5. I can’t wait for the king fans to say something about this? honestly though IONTBO was an obsession. There hasn’t been a drama like it. The cast was stellar bringing deserved stardom for Seo YeJi and solidifying the acting chops of Kim Soohyun, the man isn’t just beauty.

    CLOY was definitely something else. I shall forever be thankful for them blessing us with the North Korean dumplings, that’s another example of a show that was carried by an all round stellar cast. captain ri and seri will go down as one of my fave couples for their honest, communicative and freaking adorable love. I’m still mad about Alberto’s death though

  6. Flixpatrol started having its full fledged data from April onwards ..
    If you consider the fact CLOY was aired from December-February ..
    And still it is ranking in third place even when the data is taken 2 months after it finished airing..It is amazing..
    I won’t be surprised to see it at the top as it still ranks in top 10 10 in some countries even after so many months..Same goes for IC as well .. Flixpatrol do not have proper data for this drama as also..
    .
    But anyways this year is going good for kdramas internationally.

    • I mean….both those dramas also have the advantage of being aired months before iotnbo. For the most recent kdrama on netflix to be so high for all of 2020 is a great achievement. But yeah, we should wait till the year ends for any official list.

      • I agree..what u said is definitely true…no doubt..And that’s why we should wait for the official data..
        But yeah 6 episodes of CLOY aired in 2019 starting from Dec 15.
        And if I m not wrong as I remember reading on Soompi thread..it was the 4th most watched drama on Netflix Korea official data for 2019 alone..i.e for those 15 days only..So I guess airing date shouldn’t matter that much unless it is towards the end of the year.
        I can give you the page number of Soompi thread where the insta post by Netflix Korea was shared.

  7. Kim Soo Hyun is the real Hallyu King and IOTNBO was a good drama. As expected, his comeback drama topped the list. Too bad it under-performed big time in Korea.

    I guess Korea’s fave really is Park Bo Gum despite RoY being boring.

      • The list is as accurate as can be without official Netflix announcement. And koala already mentioned the incomplete data in the article if u actually took the time to read

      • But even then it was KSH military comeback and he came back after 5 years in drama land…so it’s shows his stardom is still active and huge.

      • Your fave didn’t top the list. Get over it.

        @Erri, the poster is just bitter.

        @Naveen, preach. Like I wrote below, that NGG hypocrite should wait for PBG’s comeback drama before comparing. Plus, RoY has PSD, an actress who was in an Oscar-winning Korean movie. Criticize her bland acting in the drama all you want but she’s also one of the reasons people are tuning in for that boring drama you mentioned.

      • @FIRELILY PBG is not my fave haha. I actually find him quite bland.

        Insecure much? I just stating a FACT that he is currently the one who brings in ratings in Korea. He’s the one topping brand reputation index and trending, not the female lead. IOTNBO under-performed big time there no matter how many excuses you try to make.

    • Honestly I’ve given RoY multiple chances but I truly can’t understand how people are still tuning in for that snooze fest. Guess the pbg plus psd’s carry over effect from Parasite worked.

      • @FIRELILY KIm Soo Hyun fangirls are so insecure haha. I don’t have favorite actors. You claim I like PBG, but I find him overrated and don’t understand the hype, but I can’t deny he brings in ratings and is Korea’s favorite atm.

        I just state my opinion that KSH indeed is a hallyu king but he cannot bring in the ratings in Korea like he did in the past. 5-6% for a Kim Soo Hyun drama is indeed under-performing big time when other dramas in that time slot could get >8% without a big name like him. Stay in your delusional bubble haha.

      • @ Ngg do yourself a favour & go get a life. No amount of you yapping on this blog that iotnbo ~underperformed~ will make it true. I get that your a ss must be burning cuz your oppars drama didn’t do well and got shat on but crying on this blog where the success of other dramas is being celebrated is exceedingly pathetic. Not everyone calling out your transparent hypocrisy is a ksh fangirl. Try to get some help for your embarrassing obsession with dramas u dislike.

      • @NGG, under performed big time yet currently in Top 10 on most streamed TV show on Netflix in the world for 2020. Also the drama with highest CPI score in South Korea 2020 so far. These numbers are backed up by actual data, and not delusion little minds like yours.

      • haha you fangirls really have no reading comprehension. I said under-performed big time IN KOREA. What does global Netflix have to do with ratings IN KOREA? I even said it is well-desevred top spot in global due to KSH being a hallyu king. It’s not a Top 30 highest-rated cable drama, so yeah, it is a flop for a KSH drama. The way I got you girls so triggered over stating facts lol.

      • Anyways, IOTNBO not even in Top 30 highest-rated dramas of all-time haha. It was even the comeback drama of Hallyu King KSH at that. So yes, it under-performed big time IN KOREAN RATINGS. What’s so hard to understand about that haha. The way you girls so emotional over “defending” oppa when I didn’t even bash him, just stated facts haha.

    • It performed average ratings-wise in korea, had the popularity buzz going and was a mega success on Netflix, both in Korea and internationally. So yeah, it didn’t “underperform big-time”.

      • Preach, Terio!

        I’ve seen many snark comments from this OP mocking IOTNBO’s ratings and KSH (along with other Hallyu actors in his generation whose recent comeback dramas didn’t do great in ratings).

        Imagine my surprise at this same person now saying things like “KSH is the real Hallyu king“, “IOTNBO was a good drama”, “As expected, his comeback drama topped the list.“

        @NGG, what a huge hypocrite you are.

        About PBG, since you insist on comparing, let the guy return from military service first and then we’ll see how his comeback drama performs.

    • @NGG,

      I was actually referring to commmenter Astar when I said their fave didn’t top the list. Not you. And their fave I was referring to isn’t even PBG.

      But it’s funny how you jumped to claim that specific line in my comment for yourself and exposed yourself in the process. Now you claim PBG is bland.

      A hater who can’t even be consistent in their hate. How pathetic.

      And when they’re called out for their hypocrisy, they resort to using the “fangirl” card (the only card they have) because in their delusional minds anyone who calls them out must be a “fangirl”.

      Take Yuna’s advice and go get some help for your obsession.

      • I just came back and this thread is a mess..Only Netflix Official data can reveal the actual rankings..It is just that I didn’t want people spread misinformation..
        I m not a stupid person to believe in Flixpatrol’s ranking data which says that Was it Love
        and Mystic Pop-Up bar ranks higher than IC..Use some brain ..
        If u want to gloat over incorrect and insufficient data then so be it..later on don’t feel embarrassed when the actual data comes up.

      • FIRELILY, Because PBG is imo bland. It’s because you fangirls can’t seem to comprehend that not everyone has a stan mentality like you.

        Anyways, it’s a FACT that IONTBO not even ranked in Top 30 highest-rated cable dramas of all time despite having the highest-paid actor leading it. So yes, it UNDER-PERFORMED BIG TIME. I didn’t even mention global achievements because I am not delusional enough to think it wasn’t a global hit unlike you who tries to find excuses for its mediocre Korean ratings haha.

  8. @ Hioor , I think the OP talked about IMPACT..
    Isn’t what I wrote should be considered as impact cause I haven’t tracked when CLOY trended on twitter and nor have I have much ideas about fanfics..

    • You can get an idea about fanfics from a quick Google search. And they talked of “impact” in specific reference to fan engagement, particularly creative fan engagement, of which iotnbo had loads and still continues to have. Cloy was definitely a huge success, but iotnbo is also one, especially if seen in terms of critical acclaim. And I dunno about cloy trending either, but iotnbo did trend weekly while it aired and even weeks after it ended.

      • I was definitely not downplaying IOTNBO’s success..As I said, I liked it too and am aware of its reception..It is just that I thought to say something about CLOY’s impact too as the OP had mentioned its name along with PBIO..

      • Btw …some CLOY fans are having a fest called CLOYtober where they are creating contents for CLOY related prompts.. Yesterday it was parachute..
        If u also happened to like CLOY, you can go through the hashtag #CLOYtober..it is really fun to see all of the submissions..

      • @Lon,

        Again, I mentioned CLOY in addition to IOTNBO and HP as three dramas I enjoyed that I’m delighted made it to the list this article is talking about.

        And I talked specifically about IOTNBO’s craze that I (as in I, Aurora) witnessed.

        Nowhere in my original comment above did I even compare the impact of CLOY and IOTNBO. So please stop misinterpreting my comment to drive some sort of fanwar.

        Both are massive hits that touched viewers’ hearts in one way or the other. Let’s leave it there.

      • Is OK is a good drama so is Cloy but to me Tkem would always be my #1 a drama that makes one think I was never a time travel lover but the lead actors brought to bear on the Screen the writer’s intention. Tkem is one for the ages a classic of classics

  9. I agree with you. CLOY would have been on the top along with IONTBO, if the tracking system started earlier. IONTBO is something that a lot of netizens can now openly accept the different mental and psychological disorders that were not acceptable in the past. It’s very educational and an eye opener, for everyone. If I am a clinical instructor, I will require all my students to watch it mandatoryly. CLOY on the other hand is also a relatable series. The casting couldn’t be any better. HB and SYJ are perfect for their roles. They showed, how love conquers all, despite of their cultural differences. I personally spilled plenty of tears and had lots of laughter while watching the series. I am now a certified BinJin admirer. To show how engrossed I was with CLOY. I finished watching the whole 16 episodes in less than 48 hours. Oh I was tired felt like I had a jet lag. My hubby teased me that the JL is from my Korea trip( continues watching ). Praying for CLOY 2!

  10. https://variety.com/2020/biz/asia/bts-parasite-south-korea-entertainment-1234788068/

    You forgot how Korean cinema ,entertainment has captured the world , esp. so proud of #Alive being in the top 10 movie , even getting #1 on Netflix for September! I don’t think any other drama or movie achieving that ever! Variety, a famous US entertainment magazine featured Park Shin Hye photo from the movie. As a fan, so glad for her….getting great reviews and if not for pandemic, would have been another blockbuster for her. It did get to pave the way for the other movies to be released.

    • That is something amazing….I have heard Alive getting in US top 10 Netflix..If not for COVID, it would have made more profit in theaters..
      Last time I heard about a k-drama being in US Netflix top 10, it was CLOY and KINGDOM way back in March when US was in partial Lockdown..

      It is good to see the hallyu wave spreading to the west and being appreciated ,be it movies ,drama or K-pop..
      Man BTS is slaying it.. Billboard top 100..This is insane.

  11. It’s Okay deserves the recognition, it’s truly a good drama. I was never a fan of KSH, I watched it for SYJ and naturally I came to love them both individually. From music to a well written drama and message, I am happy for this outcome.

  12. To be honest, ROY is underpromoted. Netflix not promote it like how they promote their others drama. I guess its because PBG already left, and PSD is pretty useless

      • Unfortunately, it’s not on Netflix USA and Europ. It is on Netflix since September for some Asian countries. So happy for their ranking.

  13. I’m glad IONTBO is doing well on Netflix. If we think, IOTNBO was only lacking in tv ratings.
    They always on top in good data, netflix, tving, brand reputation and always trending on naver and twitter.

  14. Neither IOTNBO neither CLOY were great dramas for me. I like them. But they both suffered in the second part and I kinda lost interest. But both couple had a great chemistry! TKEM was pretty disapointing. In the list, my favourire ones are Hospital Playlist for the friends group and the music (the love stories were meh) and Stranger 2, the writting is so good.

    I think in 2020 I loved more discret dramas like My Unfamiliar Family, Into the Ring, A Piece of Your Mind, they were well written, directed and acted until the end.

    • OMG! Are you me?! I do enjoy the three dramas that you mentioned. For some reason, I found myself unable to enjoy romantic drama as I grow older. Lol.. So, most of my recent favourite dramas are crime thrillers like Nobody Knows, The Good Detective and Stranger2.

      • I like romantic dramas but I think the fact I already watched a lot of them makes me more difficult to please.

      • Me too. I like romance drama but after watching kdramas for 20 years, as you said it is hard to find something that I truly enjoy. In that sense, I am so happy that we’ve got A Piece of Your Mind this year. That gem just hits the right spot for me.

      • a piece of your mind? is this the drama where the episodes were reduced to 12 eps only? because of very poor rating?

      • Yes, the very same drama.. Am I not supposed to enjoy any drama with poor rating? As I said, after watching drama for 20 years you kinda know what works and what not works for you. And I have previously loved so many dramas that are not really well-received and hated so many well-received dramas; commercially and critically. I think it is simply a matter of personal preference. Tbh, it is very interesting to observe the very polarising view towards the drama.

  15. Thanks to the crew and actors of IOTNBO that helped me get through this summer. It’s a healing drama and I really feel better after I watched. Thank you for giving me the courage to find happiness. It’s doesn’t matter if it’s the best or not as long as it give a lot of happiness to a lot of people.

  16. I found this kdrama over hyped. I find the other drama, Its Ok Thats love more interesting, engaging and substantive. Both tackle mental health.

    I also see the lead actor as too sissy-looking.

  17. fans of the FL in IONTBO are overacting on twitter. saying that the FL is beautiful. shaking my head…….Kim Soo Hyun is prettier than her.

  18. I am so happy for its okay not to be okay, they did an awesome job,CLOY I am sad why did you allow its okay not to be okay to beat you , well I till love CLOY. The ltaewon for me bad which ranking the ending is bad,to be sincere. The king good, but CLOY is the best

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