So tvN weekend drama Queen of Tears is chasing it’s older sibling Crash Landing on You in nationwide ratings with four more episodes left but the network officially posted a congrats revealing that QoT actually surpassed CLOY in Seoul ratings already. QoT is officially the highest rated tvN drama in Seoul area ratings with 23.072%, CLOY second with 22.677%, and Goblin third with 21.575. Both CLOY and Goblin got their highest ratings in their final episode, four and eight years ago respectively, so it’s really incredible in this day and age for QoT to be doing this level of ratings at a faster clip. It’s hard to compare apples to apples ratings for QoT compared to Kim Soo Hyun’s past mega successful dramas as it’s all on terrestrial networks: The Moon Embraces the Sun got 42.2% on MBC, You From Another Star got 28.1% on SBS, and Producer got 17.7% on KBS. But it’s clear that cable remains where buzz and ratings dramas are at aside from CLOY and QoT the last four years it’s been tvN with Crash Course in Romance and Under the Queen’s Umbrella, jTBC with The World of the Married and Reborn Rich and ENA with Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
can’t wait to see the uproar on comment section like koala’s previous QOT post 😆
😂😂😂🙈 dreading it!😅
Am I the only one who thinks those commenters who were pitting the two leads against each other are just Kim Soo Hyun haters using Kim Ji Won’s name to hate on him? Because I swear I’ve been a lurker on this site for quite a few years now and while Kim Ji Won has always have some fans here, they’ve never been the rabid, cray cray types (you can look at the comment sections in the previous Kim Ji Won articles pre-Queen of Tears and see that there’s barely any fanwars in the comments and her fans have been chill for the most part).
And as we can see in the Baeksang nominations article, there are plenty of Kim Soo Hyun haters here, mostly fans of other male actors. So I think those posting negative comments about Kim Soo Hyun are just Kim Soo Hyun haters and most likely not even Kim Ji Won fans. They’re just using her name to bash him without their actual fave actors being bashed while poor Kim Ji Won and her fans have to take all the bashing. IDK, just my two cents. Both leads are FANTASTIC and I hope we just ignore all the crazies
So much hatred towards both actors I just couldn’t brain it. In conclusion, those who belittle others’ talents are not true fans.May they find peace and love in the real world😌
yes i think so too. a fan of a certain actor comes to mind, his fangirls were bringing up this actor’s name in the baeksang article when he’s not even nominated lmao. i love both soo hyun and ji won and it’s sad to see their fans fighting each other in the previous qot post just because some fans of other actors are using her name to downplay soo hyun. youre right, lets just ignore them. whats important is this drama is undeniably successful and both soo hyun and ji won are being celebrated by sane people lol
You aren’t the only one who thinks that and I’m 99% sure that this theory is correct
Don’t forget SKY Castle, Mr. Queen, Mr. Sunshine, and Doctor Cha
Probably because the first three dramas are before 2020 and Doctor Cha did not hit best rating for the final episode.
Sky Castle is from JTBC, therefore won’t be on this list.
Mr.Queen, Mr. Sunshine and Dr. Cha already are on the list and supposed to be down there no.5, 6, and 7
I’m referring to Koala’s final sentence on the other 5 rating-maker dramas and think the other 4 listed above should be there too. For example, Doctor Cha’s rating is higher than Crash Course in Romance but it’s not there
Congratulations QOT.
Just please stop with the bitter comments, siding opinions towards any casts and crews.
It is what it is! For those who liked and enjoy the drama just celebrate this milestone. For those who don’t, just please skip to post comments, while you might read it silently. Thank you
Yeah, no.
People are allowed to post criticism – not silly fan war BS, but actual criticism. If you don’t like reading it, just skip it.
Yes I agree. People need to learn the difference between constructive criticism and comments that are just baiting others into a fanwar. People who are baiting other probably want an actor or actress to get hate in the comments.
Constructive criticism: “The writing could’ve been less tropey”, “This character could’ve been more fleshed out”, etc.
Fanwar bait BS: “[Insert actor/actress name here] is carrying the show! The other lead is meh and his/her acting is inferior” or “X is the only one benefitting a lot from this drama! He/she owes it to X because if not for him/her, no one would watch his/her drama!”
People, don’t get baited. These people hate either of the main leads and I’m sure these people just want them to get bashed and get hate. Again, ignore and don’t be baited
The hype is unreal for this drama that I even feel it in my daily life. I went for Korean bbq (in North America) with some friends and heard at least 2 tables talking about it lol. 3 tables if I count my own. Never seen that before.
Seoul ratings is important because it’s where the advertising money is at. Very well deserved and then some. It’s an amazing drama with a powerhouse cast and production team. And we still have some ways to go before the ending. Excited to see just how far this drama can reach.
It’s rather thrilling to see a drama become a Hallyu classic as it airs, there hasn’t been one like that for years.
Everyone including me screamed and whined about the terminal illness trope at first (I don’t want her to die, I hate romcoms having sad endings) but there’s no denying that it’s keeping viewers very invested in this drama.
Haha I think I’m one of the very few who’s not at all worried about the ending. The writer will find a way to get them their HEA. Tbh I am more worried about the temp separation before they get back together aspect. It made sense in MLFTS and not at all in LOBS. CLOY is just a bad ending altogether for me since it wasn’t even a temp separation :/
Since QOT is about a married couple, maybe there won’t be a separation at all. I can only hope……….
@Butterfly I wish I had your confidence haha I’m going to be seething for weeks if the ending is a sad one
but hopefully PJE will be merciful and has decided a divorce is enough separation for our couple, they need to cancel that divorce and get back together already the “research on jewellery trends” scene is killing me!!
I just read IU was supposed to be in this drama but I guess it’s KJW’s fate. Good for her. But I think IU would be equally good to play Hyein.I still remember the first time I watched KJW acting in The Heirs. She was a better actor than the lead couple. eeminho and parkhinhye…and @somebody- I have not seen this drama yet.
Its not a surprise…this drama is a banger.! One of the most entertaining drama in the recent memory.! It will keep the momentum to climb higher and higher until the end! Anyway.,there some korean netizen even said “living in this world today is tough enough.!, we might gonna die if this drama not ends with a happy ending!”
I just wish it was released after all eps were released it deserves award love from acting from everyone to directing. I started watching this show for jiwon, but now I’m in love with soohyun too, his best role to date imo and he deserves his nomination, rabid fans of other male lead actors can only wish their favourite had this much success. A slight nitpick is I want more fluff, Im craving more baekHong screen time, I hope secret fund and evil scheming mum plot draws to a close.
What confuses me is the ratings ranking order. For years you saw two sets of ratings, AGB Nielsen ratings and TNms ratings. I haven’t seen TNms ratings listed in recent years. Going by Nielsen’s ratings Reply 1988 ranked higher than Goblin in Korea. Going by TNms ratings, Goblin ranked higher than Reply 1988 in Korea. Since it seems like TNms isn’t being used anymore, I wonder how the current rank is determined. High ratings in Seoul and peak ratings are often mentioned, but at the end of there’s only one category that effects the rank. I think they should be consistent when it comes to what ratings system they use.
Where did you get the info which rating source they used? I can’t seem to find it in this article. Can you share a link or tell me where to look please?
Well before I saw other sites doing it, Dramawiki always had episode ratings listed for drama pages on their site. Before Reply 1997 changed everything, you didn’t really see them post any ratings for cable dramas. I remember the disclaimer to inform people that a cable drama’s audiendce was small compared to the public networks. If you saw ratings that looked low, they were actually much stronger than they appeared. That’s why when cable dramas pulled double digits, they were pretty much in Nation’s Drama territory. You’ll find episode ratings on the Wikipedia pages for a lot of dramas now too.
Just search for Queen of Tears Wikipedia or Queen of Tears Dramawiki. You’ll see Nielsen ratings listed for the drama on both sites. If you search for older dramas (eg. Reply 1988 and Goblin), you’ll see that both Nielsen Ratings and TNms ratings are listed.
Dramawiki is great because you’ll also get links on a drama’s page for the previously aired drama and the upcoming drama for a network and time slot. For the public networks, it allows you to see who’s winning the ratings game that year and who might be the front runner for those top awards and the Daesang.
TNms and Neilsen are just two companies that measure TV ratings. Neilsen has always been the benchmark even when TNms existed. However, during COVID, TNms stopped providing numbers so for the most part, the kmedia goes by Neilsen for all dramas past and present.
Goblin Neilson ratings as reported in Korea is 18.7% for episode 15 and 20.5% in the final . You can find this info on Naver. I am not sure why there is confusion but I think maybe it’s due to Wikipedia having wrong info. Reply 1988 episode 19 was 17.6% and finale was 18.8%.
Seeing how big this drama has already gotten (and is still getting!) it seems like the baeksang noms really did end up snubbing it. I think if the nominations had been announced towards the end of its run there would have been a lot more categories it would be up for.
Such a shame…
Anyways I hope other awarding bodies make up for this missed opportunity.
Honestly, it was just a really packed year for actresses. I think it’s become the era of the actress these last couple of years. Just a lot of solid female led dramas. If it wasn’t for Kim Soo Hyun’s much earned star power and his prior history with screenwriter Park Ji Eun, Kim Ji Won could’ve easily been at the top of the bill of QOT given the drama’s title. What’s interesting is, all the best actress nominations for this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards are from female led dramas.
Kim Ji Won isn’t the only actress who didn’t get a nod. Off the top of my head, Kim Tae Ri delivered some amazing work for Revenant and didn’t get a nomination, Kim Nam Joo didn’t get nominated for Wonderful World, and Lee Young Ae didn’t get nominated for Maestra. Song Ha Yoon definitely would’ve been nominated for supporting actress for Marry My Husband if not for her bullying allegations. Happy to see the nominatations for Mask Girl though. Those three definitely delivered the key performances for that drama. Kim Ji Won’s time will come. She was nominated just last year for Best Actress for My Liberation Notes.
I would love it if tvN and the other cable networks had their own yearly award ceremonies like the other networks. Maybe in a couple of years tvN will have a tvN20 Awards ceremony since they already had a tvN10 Awards ceremony.
The drama title Queen of Tears does not in fact reference only the female lead actually. It represents them both as explained by the production team and the writer.
Queen = Hong Haein
Tears = Baek Hyunwoo
@Mel
That I’m already aware of. Kim Soo Hyun has been the King of crying scenes for as long as I’ve been watching him, so I was pretty sure the ‘Tears’ was in reference to him as soon as I saw the title.
Considering there are many watching this drama on Netflix right now who might not be aware of the fact, Kim Ji Won’s character will be the first person they think the title makes reference too. In fact, even with the title referencing Kim Soo Hyun, he’s not the only one she’s bringing to tears.
@Mia Its fine for anyone to initially assume that the female lead is titular because theyll figure out real quick how wrong they are after watching just the first episode.
However, you claimed that if it wasnt for KSHs star power, KJW could “easily be top billed”. Under what pretence? Assuming someone is titular vs actually getting top billed are two entirely different things. Even if the drama casted a lesser known actor (i.e. her previous costar Jin Goo for example), there is still no way that KJW would have been top billed over him. This is not about who has the “star power”. This drama is simply not a female centric drama. It is a love story so regardless of what the title is and who the costar was, the female lead was never titular and had zero chance to be. Women centric dramas are Reverant, Wonderful World, Dr Cha to name a few. Even if those had Gong Yoo or KSH, the top bill would still be KTR, KNJ and UJH.
@Mel
Yup, yup and yup.
@Mel
I never stated that Queen of Tears was female centric or female led. The biling of a female led or female centric drama has nothing to do with the point I was making. Based off of the countless dramas that have used King, Queen, Prince, or Princess in the title, even with a storyline equally devoted to both leads (eg. The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince AKA Coffee Prince), top billing usually goes to the actor playing the King, Queen, Prince, or Princess referenced in the title. The average viewer who isn’t following Korean entertainment may not come to the conclusion that ‘Tears’ references Kim Soo Hyun’s Hyun Woo. Hyun Woo isn’t the only character Kim Ji Won’s Hae In is bringing to tears in this drama. Park Sung Hoon’s Eun Sung has definitely been having moments of his own.
Congratulations to the Queen of Tears team, you know with names like that attached it came with a lot of expectations but it’s meeting them flawlessly.
I haven’t enjoyed a drama this much in years – not since CLOY in fact – but I’m going to be really salty in QOT posts if they don’t have a happy ending! But that’s not up to the cast and crew, their success is well deserved.
actually, Vincenzo was the last drama I enjoyed this much but CLOY was the last classic Hallyu-style romcom. And both involve PD Kim Hee Won of course.
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Hmm, I watch the show weekly and like both leads but does anyone else find the plot a bit… boring? I mainly watch for the acting and OST to be honest. Park Ji Eun usually has some extra twist to her stories just like Kim Eun Sook but this drama is like a high budget, sleek daily drama. All the way down to how the cancer only makes its presence known in the plot whenever convenient
But I’m sure I’m very much in the minority judging by the rest of the comments!
No. You are not in minority. The drama is what I call half cooked, both the plot and the characters. Villains are not really villains, they get redeemed too fast, the comedy feels forced and is really not a comedy. But I’m glad it gets high ratings. Hopefully more viewers on Netflix will get addicted to Kdramas, and the industry will get more funding. Which means more dramas in the future.
The writing is sub-par, probably the weakest in this writer’s body of work.
It’s a shame because they cast stars that act well. I’ve loved Kim Jiwon in all her past outings, but can’t warm up to her in this. Also the premise of a married couple in conflict is amazing for creating drama (see world of the married), yet this drama turned out so bland. The OTP relationship dynamic feels inauthentic.
Me too…
As popular as it is (and I’m loving it), it does seem like a throwback to the suspend all logic dramas of old. The utter ridiculousness that a family that wealthy doesn’t have a contingency plan and is holed up in the humble home of their ex in laws is a bit much.
Queen of Tears was always destined to do well it felt. From the moment it was announced I remember KSHs agency saying he didnt even get the script and was only spoken to. And I remember thinking, doesnt matter at all; he will be doing it and it will be huge! And it is. Just didn’t expect it to be as huge and as successful as it ended up being. Im so glad KDY is a part of this drama. I just want him to get a lead role next and I feel like this is the perfect platform and role to do that. Anyway, so well deserved too because everything clicks for QoT. Writing is top notch, PDs are creative and detailed, OSTs perfect and the acting is several bar above 99% of dramas. Its everything I wanted from this drama and then some.
The real beneficiary of this project is only Kim Jiwon. She is finally being recognised worldwide & now needs to capitalise on it. What Kim Soohyun gained was a bunch of haters & a scandal😂😂
Sigh. Wrong person. Im not stupid enough to get baited which Im sure is really frustrating for ya. You can move on your merry way now 🙂
I was lowkey wondering where the idiots were… took you a while! 20+ comments in? You’re slacking already 😂
KSH fans please don’t feed the troll. Ya’ll know exactly what and how much he gained from this drama and ya’ll also know why it doesn’t need to be explained lmao. Again, please don’t feed the troll. If you do, it’s you who’s losing!
He is the top of the top in his age group, and well liked among fans and critics. There’ll always be haters no matter what he does.
Bruh, just stop already. KSH literally just got a Baeksang nom because of this drama, many Gen Zs and new KDrama fans are rediscovering his past works, etc.. And you’re saying he’s not benefitting from this drama? Like, if you’re going to bait people, at least make your comment make sense 😂😂😂
@Mel – I had the exact same reaction when Gold Medalist pulled that bs of “not even considering” 🙄😂
I was thinking he likely got the script personally from PJE already but there is no way he’d be associated to her drama and end up rejecting it. It’s obvious how close they are. I realized recently that he has been a part of all her dramas minus LOTBS ever since MLFTS!
Yeahh true!! They both talk about each other very affectionately and she writes the best roles for him. My favourite PJE male leads are all played by KSH. Actually even my favourite female leads are from his dramas too!
Oh and I dunno if you guys have seen KSHs interview in Quiz. Its a small little portion but it’s so cute. JSH was narrating this story of how he had dinner with PJE and asked her why she keeps going for KSH after working so many times with him already. She was just like he is the best; he prepares a lot and studies his character/script. Then, YJS asks KSH if he was ever directly told that? He was like err… not at all and looked pretty embarrassed about the whole thing haha. And then he looked directly at the camera and said thank you writer-nim, I love you! It was so authentic and adorbs really. They have such a good relationship and I know we will see them again together in around 5 years with another national drama!
@Mel
I did watch it! I don’t understand Korean but I 100% understood his saranghae with heart fingers even before the subs came out lol. And yup, I also think (know?) they’ll be working again in a few years and I can’t wait to see what it would be like. So far, all three dramas have been so different and amazing. I’m secretly hoping for a sageuk!
@Butterfly – damn, he hasn’t done a sageuk since Moon/Sun and that was 12 years ago…
lol now I’m greedy and want KSH/KJW to do a sageuk together too lol. He’s one of the young actors of his age group who absolutely killed it in a sageuk in the early 2010s and then never did another one – KSH, Song Joong Ki, Moon Chae Won (did it in both a drama and a movie), it feels like a shame to stop doing them in your 20s.
(I know YFAS has some set-in-Joseon bits but he’s dressed as modern Do Minjoon in those too so it doesn’t count lol)
Woohoo! Should I jump on this bandwagon picking up QoT again? LOL. Fans are in ecstasy. Perhaps the remaining eps will change my evaluation of the drama.
The Moon Embracing the Sun is still one of my all time favorite Kdramas along with Crash Landing on You, unlike many KSH fans who like YFAS the most. I guess ratings said it all why TMETS many ppl like it and he also won Baeksang for that one drama not the others. His performance in that drama is still vivid in my head even it’s been so many years after watching it since he’s very unique in that series. I’m less impressed by his roles in other dramas including YFAS cos FLs in those dramas stood out more for me. Only One Ordinary Day has impressed me again with his acting talent. But that short drama’s plot isn’t to my liking. I actually hope KSH will do another historical drama again.
Fans please don’t ambush me with a pile-on. LOL. Opinions are welcome. Not all the criticism of QoT is coming from haters as some ppl hollered out. I have most issues with QoT’s writing, not acting or directing cos those just went along with how the plot was laid out. I still can’t take seriously the husband’s overjoy over the wife’s terminally illness and wishing for her death to get out of the marriage bondage. The desperate attempts of black comedy elements incorporated into the storylines thereby failed to make it funny or make it unique out of so many recycled tropes and concepts. But my dislike of the plot is only based upon the first few eps. Per the high ratings, obviously the majority of Korean audience like the drama a lot. I’ll give a shot again.
Also, I don’t appreciate KSH fans’ hubris displayed in the threads mocking those who disagree with them. Calling everyone a hater is excessive. What’s wrong if ppl just don’t like orange you enjoy but prefer apple instead? LMAO
I mean, we’re all adults here and hopefully we can differentiate between constructive criticism and just plain hate comment meant to incite fanwars.
No one is saying you can’t criticize the show or even the acting of some of the cast. But there’s a clear difference between “The writing could’ve been tighter or less tropey” and “X is inferior to X, no wonder X is the only one benefitting from this drama! Lol 🤪”
In rabid fans’ dictionary, there’re only two groups: fans and haters. It’s as ridiculous as labeling American voters either democrat or republican. LMAO. Being black or white is kinda mentality that has no tolerance of differences.
I like sitting on the fence…not a fan but dont hate.. just enjoy what I like and forward parts I dont. I dont think it has rewatch value for me. The script is very tightly written…it keeps pulling your attention but ones known, I dont find myself wanting to watch again.
But That is what the Production company wants… it is the now but not rewatching quality.
Have you started to watch? I remember you said you’d like to wait to binge until the whole series ends. Where are you now? I did pick up ep 5-6 today cos I finished Itaewon Class yesterday. I still stand by my opinion. It’s solid but not insanely interesting for me to want a binge unlike some others including The Moon Embracing the Sun, Crash Landing on You, and Itaewon Class for example. 1-2 eps a day are quite enough. I can’t watch more than that.
2 of my close friends are watching it…they told me over weekend. And told me to watch so we can girl gossip about the drama…so I started. Often I watch on my own…I dont even know when did these 2 friends started Kdrama!!! This is really spreading…
The script writing is very clever and tactical. But it is not a re-watchable drama for me. Example…Itaewon Class- I rewatch it a number of times already.
@HL, I actually think Itaewon Class is a better scripted and better directed series than QoT. The character development in IC makes more sense to me than QoT, specifically the ML part. Also, narratives in IC demonstrate more consistent theme and values from the get-go to the end. QoT is a bit chaotic to me. QoT isn’t my favorite genre either. I’ve been a bit fed up with chaebol genre with the main focus within the chaebol family. This went similar with Song Joong Ki’s Reborn Rich. But RR’s plot had more twists with suspension that kept me hooked ep after ep. Not QoT though. I won’t rewatch either RR or QoT.
I expected 15% for this drama before it started. I was thinking around the ratings of Vincenzo or if it’s really good maybe even Itaewon Class. But there are talks of it being in the top 3 highest rated of all time. So exciting to live watch something so viral. Last time I saw one was TWOTM and it was peak covid. Oh and to add to Koala’s list of KSH’s resume, Dream High got 17.9%. His resume is par none.
for a cable drama to be getting 20 percent ratings on tv in 2024 is a major achievement, tvN had high expectations for QoT and it looks like it’s met all of them. It’s been a long time since we had a drama with a true Hallyu feel get this popular, not since CLOY in fact.
Lee Kyung Hee needs to reunite with Kim Soo Hyun for a tear jerker, this drama has been putting me thru an emotional mess every week and I don’t want it to end so soon 🙁
Lee Kyung Hee was good at the almost makjang kind of tearjerker melo but she lost her touch after Innocent Man, I fear. Or maybe just didn’t cast well. Hasn’t released anything as a writer since 2019. Shame because she could write some really good antihero parts and KSH would be great in that kind of role.
Very happy for the cast. Btw I just realized something fascinating that most of the top writers for kdrama in are women. This is really great. Otherwise in most industries, men are the one in top place.
Most Kdrama writers are women. It’s been like that from the beginning. Are you a newbie? What’s so fascinating about it? Female writers can be great or really bad as much as male writers.
even if he’s kinda creepy with his past statements regarding his future partner, can’t deny this man got Midas touch when it comes to choosing his project. I’ll just pretend that the one project he did with late Sulli is an illusion.
What statements has he made? I see a lot of hate for him on Twitter but I just chalked that out to people not liking hyunwoo. Didn’t know he had controversies. What about kim jiwon?
He said he wants to marry a 20 year old when he’s in his 40s or something like that, in a past interview. Aside from that, I don’t know if he said any other problematic things
@ Lili that ‘past statement’ about marrying a 21 yo when he’s 41 is from….Moon/Sun era?
Which means he himself was no more than 23 or 24 when he said it? He made a dumb joke when he was young, if that’s the most ‘problematic’ thing he said he should be fine.
Huh whut??? How is a grown man saying he will marry a 21 year old at 41 an okay thing to say? I hope this is out of context because it makes him really gross if its indeed the case
Queen of tears ratings trajectory is no joke. in the world of OT, 20%+ ratings for a drama who targets younger generation is unheard of. PD said in pre drama pc they are targeting for just a bit over CLOY ratings by the final. looks like it will get there sooner. curious if KSH ever had a low rated / un-critically acclaimed drama… everything he does always a huge success. He is a great actor obviously but is script picking ability is no joke. thats more impressive for me. regardign the writer, did not enjoy cloy as much or even her other dramas before like MLFS/Blue sea but she is kes level; maybe better. her dramas are always high rated. good on her.
I prefer PJE dramas to KES – far less frustrating and PJE main leads tend to have great chemistry/are the best part of the drama which makes it more satisfying to watch, especially on rewatch.
I see Koala has added a Queen of Tears header photo to the rotating cast of header pics – nice to see it!