Korean polling site Good Data released on January 1 the results of the 2018 K-drama buzz meter, aka the most talked about K-dramas of the year. Coming in first is jTBC romance Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food (Something in the Rain), which was fantastic for 8 episodes and then was just annoying for the rest. Second place went to tvN series My Ahjusshi with Mr. Sunshine coming in third. After that it’s more tvN series with Why Secretary Kim in fourth and then 100 Days My Prince fifth. After that the second half are more cable dramas with sixth spot going to The Beauty Inside, then scary The Guest in seventh place followed by Misty, My ID is a Gangnam Beauty, and the sole prime time drama on the list Return in tenth. I think this poll would change if the December 2018 dramas were finished airing including Sky Castle, Encounter (Boyfriend) and Memories of Alhambra otherwise I think it’s fairly accurate. With 2018 done, now onwards to 2019 K-dramas!
Off Topic, I’m surprised you didn’t post about Zhao Li Ying and Feng Shao Feng confirming her pregnancy on New Year’s Day (which is also a way to promote their drama too)
This confirms Koala is now more known as a gossip blog site. ?
Isn’t this entertainment news and the pregnancy news ths gossip news?
I have no clue who those 2 actors are so don’t care. The drama interest poll here… is that gossip?
I’m guilty of name dropping news gossip here so my apologies for that Mz Koala. Anyone would think you were a DJ at a club with all my random unrelated posts.
PNWBMF. on of the most overrated kdrama ever.
one*
Pretty Noona – The rating for this is only at the ave of 5.5%, peaked on ep 14 at 7.3% but didn’t keep the momentum and finished at 6.8%. Maybe people just love to talk about sensuality and sexuality and were too engaged with the steaming kisses and making out in this drama. But overrated – I don’t think so.
Just for info: The consistently rated TvN dramas were WWSK, Lawless Lawyer, 100 Days Prince, My Ajushi, Mr Sunshine, Prison Playbook and Live.
WWSK – Though it peak at 8.7% on ep 11, it kept the momentum and finished at 8.6%
Lawless Lawyer – This drama started off at 5.3%, maintained at 5-7% mark through out, gained a slight increase in ep 14 and peaked on the finale at 9%.
100 day Prince- Started off at 5% and consistently increasing with a longer stride and peaked at the finale at 14.4%.
Mr Sunshine – It started off really high and finished with a bang on the finale at 18.1%
Prison Playbook – It started at 4.6% and taking longer stride per episode consistently all through out and peaked on the finale at 11.2%
Live – The rating of this drama was consistent as well as it started at 4.3% and has slowly increasing per episode and peaked at 7.7%.
My Ajushi – This drama started off decently at 3.9% but I think the buzz helped the rating as we see the increase from ep12 then peaked on the finale at 7.4%.
The following drama which were included in the top buzzworthy though only rated decently but ratings were consistenly increasing:
The Guest – start off at 1.6% and ended at 4%
Beauty Inside – started at 2.9% and ended at 5.2%
Gangnam Beauty – 2.9% and ended at 5.8%
FNC really did a good job with media play. We know that Park seo joon got so many cf offer after WWWSK, I remember he’s number 1 as cf star in 2018. Follow by kim yuna, gong yoo and park bogum. I dont remember Jung haein in that list.
But in month brand reputation rankings for males, Jung Hae In was pretty high in 2018. So it was not media play by FNC, Koreans like him.
Its because his controversy from baeksang. Brand reputation is not just about positive comments but negative comments too.
Will 2019 take south korean audiences in a different direction away from K Drama…more and more people are world streaming and not just dependent on local content anymore and I am now one of them. Just my opinion.
South Korea is an advanced economy. Audience viewing pattern have chance along time ago, maybe around 2015. Streaming has been already a thing even since then. They are far ahead technologically even compared to rich Western Nations and naturally SK is way way far ahead compared to most of the SEA countries.
Sorry I have to disagree with everything you have said here though you are entitled to your own opinion even if is from a limited perspective of understanding.
Sadly that is the true. Sadly the young gen to young professional are more into the internet now. Most who sticks watching the regular tv broadcast mostly are the mature one. That is why makjang and family weekend dramas ratings are mostly to the roof.
Technology wise SK is really far more ahead than most countries (of course it does not include Japan) but their plumbing and electrical system sucks.
Whether you agree with my statement or not, not a problem to me.
South Korea may be ‘advanced’ in many ways – esp Technology.
But in many ways, as a frequent visitor who’s been in there since 90s (before Hallyu) = > current (every other year)
I find some of their mindsets backward, and quality/standards of living can be 3rd Worldish unhygienic. Down to their throwing of Waste every night.
Pretty Noona was not only a romance. It was a realistic story about a 35 years old woman. It’s not easy to change in the real life after 30 years. It’s only in drama that a person can completely change in a short time. I really liked to see the heroine trying and failing until the end when she found herself.But yeah, their love story was beautiful. It was not necessarily their kissing scenes but the scenes like the hand under the table, the confession by voicemail, the hospital scene that were beautiful and lovely.
Mr. Sunshine, My Ahjusshi and The Guest were great dramas too. I’m happy they had good ratings and created buzz because they didn’t have a subject that can easily attract the audience.
Personally, I was disapointed by Why Secretary Kim, The Beauty Inside and 100 Days My Prince.
I think it is never easy to change yourself. It takes a lot of introspection and hard work I think even before 30 people still have hard time changing themselves.
FYI to ockoala, all those dramas mentioned are all primetime dramas. Maybe you mean Return as a drama from free-view or free-to-air tv station or non-cable tv drama.
Pretty Noona got tiresome and the use of the awful songs’ Stand by your man’ and Last dance was just torture. The same director made me laugh by the use of Billy Joel’s Piano man in SLA ….a perfect drama with the magnificent YAI. After seeing the couple in ecstasy over sublime classical music and this musically sophisticated woman of the world was sobbing over a maudlin bland pop song with the cheesy harmonica and lyrics like….’making love to his tonic and gin’….What?