The Top 40 Highest-rating Korean Dramas Of All Time

There's no deterring our love affair with all things K-drama. This time, we give you the lowdown on the highest rating Korean dramas of all time on cable TV. Think of it as an essential tried-and-tested listicle of shows any genuine K-fan should watch.

Read up below to see if your favorite made it to the top 40.

Note: The list has been updated to reflect each show's highest rating episode as per Nielsen Korea up until April 11, 2022. It's subject to change should a new drama rate higher in the future. It does not include shows from public channels (KBS, SBS, MBC) which naturally have more viewers.1. The World of the Married (2020)

A revered medical doctor's seemingly perfect life is overturned when she discovers her husband's infidelity. In her pursuit to retaliate against his betrayal, a bitter back-and-forth ensues between the two as they both seek to exact revenge on the other. The World of the Married smashed TV ratings after its finale episode rated at 28.37%, breaking its own record of 24.44% which it had set just an episode prior.

Starring: Kim Hee Ae, Park Hae Joon, Han So Hee

PHOTO BY World of the Married/JTBC2. Sky Castle (2018)

This satirical drama revolves around four housewives residing in the exclusive residential area of Sky Castle. Ruthlessly ambitious, the women will stop at nothing to get their children into Seoul National University.

Starring: Yeom Jung Ah, Lee Tae Ran, Yoon Se Ah, Oh Na Ra, Kim Seo Hyung

PHOTO BY Sky Castle/JTBC3. Crash Landing on You (2019)

The lives of a South Korean heiress and a North Korean military officer collide when the former lands into North Korean territory after a paragliding accident.

Starring: Hyun Bin, Son Ye Jin, Seo Ji Hye, Kim Jung Hyun

PHOTO BY Crash Landing on You/TVN4. Reply 1988 (2015)

Five childhood friends who live in the same neighborhood of Ssangmundong rely on each other as they enter the peak of their turbulent teen years.

Starring: Hyeri, Park Bo Gum, Ryoon Joon Yeol, Go Kyung Pyo, Lee Dong Hwi

PHOTO BY Reply 1988/TVN5. Goblin (2016)

A romantic fantasy drama, the series follows the story of a 939-year-old Goblin, also known as the Protector of Souls, as he ends up falling for the girl destined to end his cursed immortal life.

Starring: Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook

PHOTO BY Goblin/TVN6. Mr. Sunshine (2018)

A poor boy born into a house servant's family travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo incident. He soon grows up to become an American military officer who returns to his homeland and falls in love with an aristocrat's daughter, all while unveiling a sinister plot by foreign nationals to colonize Korea.

Starring: Lee Byung Hun, Kim Tae Ri

PHOTO BY Mr Sunshine/TVN7. Mr. Queen (2020)

In terbaru-day Seoul, prestigious chef Jang Bong-hwan of the President’s Blue House gets caught in a scuffle that leads him to fall off a building. When he wakes up, he realizes he’s traveled back to the Joseon period, and his soul is now inhabiting the body of Queen Kim So-yong. Unable to escape this odd situation, he sets out to learn more about the queen’s life but ends up getting caught in the Kingdom’s political drama.

Starring: Shin Hye Sun, Kim Jung Hyun 

PHOTO BY Mr. Queen/TVN8. Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) 2 (2021)

More illicit romances, drama, and betrayal ensue in the second season of Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce). This time around, the melodrama further unravels the crumbling marriages of our three lead radio show professionals as we get to know more about their husbands’ mistresses.

Starring: Lee Ga Ryeong, Sung Hoon, Park Joo Mi

PHOTO BY Love/TV Chosun9. Itaewon Class (2020)

Ex-con Park Saeroyi and his misfit group of employees work to turn their modest bar into the number one pub in Itaewon. Reaching their goal turns out to be an uphill battle as they deal with the ruthless CEO of Jangga Co., a.k.a. the man responsible for setting off a chain of events that landed Saeroyi in jail in the first place.

Starring: Park Seo Joon, Kim Da Mi, Kwon Nara, Ahn Bo Hyun

PHOTO BY Itaewon Class/JTBC10.Vincenzo (2021)

Vincenzo Cassano, a South Korean-born Mafia lawyer in Italy, flees to his homeland after he finds himself caught in between two warring factions. Back in Seoul, he teams up with a spunky female lawyer to exact justice on evil criminals through any means possible.

Starring: Song Joong Ki, Jeon Yeo Bin, Ok Taecyeon, Kwak Dong Yeon 

PHOTO BY Vincenzo/TVN11. 100 Days My Prince (2018)

Lee Yul, a crown prince suffering from amnesia, ends up in the care of Hong Shim, an intelligent but unmarried woman, and her father. Thinking of himself to be a commoner, he weds Hong Shim to save her from being punished by a law that he himself established as a prince.

Starring: Do Kyung Soo, Nam Ji Hyun, Kim Seon Ho

PHOTO BY 100 Days My Prince/TVN12. Hospital Playlist (2020)

Five doctors who've been friends since medical school go through the ups and downs of their job in Yulje Medical Center, all while sharing their love for music by forming a band.

Starring: Jo Jung Suk, Yoo Yeon Seok, Jeon Mi Do, Kim Dae Myung, Jung Kyoung Ho

PHOTO BY Hospital Playlist/TVN13. Hospital Playlist dua (2021)

In yet another season of Hospital Playlist, the bond of five college friends turned doctors continue to be tested as they deal with life, death, and everything in between at their hospital.

Starring: Jo Jung Suk, Yoo Yeon Seok, Jeon Mi Do, Kim Dae Myung, Jung Kyoung Ho

PHOTO BY Hospital Playlist dua/TVN14. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

The series follows Yoon Hye-jin, a picture-perfect woman who works as a well-respected dentist. However, when her seemingly ideal life falls into shambles, she somehow finds herself moving to the seaside village of Gongjin. In the midst of attempting to restart her career, she crosses paths with, and eventually develops a fondness for, Hong Doo-shik, who’s popularly known in the area as Mr. Hong. Although unemployed, Mr. Hong is a jack of all trades and can take on any odd job if it means helping out the locals of Gongjin.

Starring: Kim Seon Ho, Shin Min Ah, Lee Sang Yi

PHOTO BY Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha/TVN15. Signal (2016)

When police lieutenant and criminal profiler Park Hae-Yeong gets hold of a special walkie talkie that can communicate with people from the past, he joins forces with a detective in 1989 to solve three decades of related murders.

Starring: Lee Je Hoon, Kim Hye Soo, Cho Jin Woong

PHOTO BY Signal/TVN16. The Lady in Dignity (2017)

A wealthy woman living a luxurious life finds her daily routine tarnished when a mysterious stranger moves into her home as the caregiver to her ill father-in-law.

Starring: Kim Hee Sun, Kim Sun Ah

PHOTO BY The Lady in Dignity/JTBC17. Hotel del Luna (2019)

Located in downtown Seoul, the peculiar Hotel del Luna has existed for several millennia catering to lost souls. Its CEO, Jang Man Wol, is cursed to run the establishment for all of eternity as punishment for a sin she can't remember. The only way to free herself from her penance is to find someone who's committed a crime far worse than hers. 

Starring: IU, Yeo Jin Goo

PHOTO BY Hotel del Luna/TVN18. Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)

Set in 1998, this coming-of-age drama follows its young characters as they’re forced to deal with the aftermath of the IMF crisis in Korea. At the center of the story are Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do, two individuals who fall in love three years after they first meet at the ages of 22 and 18. Now 25 and 21, their worlds collide in unexpected ways.

Starring: Nam Joo Hyuk, Kim Tae Ri, WJSN's Bona, Choi Hyun Wook, Lee Joo Myung

PHOTO BY Twenty-Five Twenty-One/TVN19. Reply 1994 (2013)

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