Korean dramas, Q1 2024: the quarter in review

This tvN weekend drama aired 16 episodes from March 9 to April 28, with two specials scheduled separately. Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won), third-generation heiress of the Queens Group, and her husband Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun), a legal director who grew up as the son of a country village head, weather a crisis and find their way back to love. It is an original series written by Park Ji-eun and directed by Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won, with Park Sung-hoon (Yoon Eun-seong), Kwak Dong-yeon (Hong Soo-cheol) and Lee Joo-bin (Cheon Da-hye) co-starring.

It opened at 5.9% with episode 1 and peaked at 24.9% with its 16th and final episode, averaging 15.7%. That is the highest rating in tvN history, surpassing Crash Landing on You. It was also released on Netflix, where it peaked at No. 1 in non-English TV and spent 15 weeks in the Top 10, with weekly views totaling 43 million. Its best week, April 15–21, drew 4.8 million views. It won Outstanding Korean Drama at the 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards (shared with Moving) and Best Direction at the 2024 Asian Academy Creative Awards (Grand Final).

This tvN Monday–Tuesday drama aired 16 episodes from January 1 to February 20. Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young), who dies after being betrayed by her husband and her best friend, goes back ten years in time to change her fate. It is based on Sungsojak's web novel of the same name, which was also adapted as a webtoon. Park Won-guk and Han Jin-sun directed and Shin Yoo-dam wrote the script, with Na In-woo (Yoo Ji-hyuk), Lee Yi-kyung (Park Min-hwan), Song Ha-yoon (Jung Soo-min) and Lee Gi-kwang (Baek Eun-ho) co-starring.

It opened at 5.2% with episode 1 and peaked at 12.0% with its 16th and final episode, averaging 9.1%. In some regions it was released on Amazon Prime Video.

This MBC Friday–Saturday drama aired 12 episodes from January 12 to February 17. A Joseon-era action comedy about Jo Yeo-hwa (Honey Lee), a chaste widow by day who puts on a mask by night to help the vulnerable. Jang Tae-yoo, Choi Jung-in and Lee Chang-woo directed and Lee Saem and Jung Myung-in wrote the script, with Lee Jong-won (Park Soo-ho), Kim Sang-joong (Seok Ji-seong) and Lee Ki-woo (Park Yoon-hak) co-starring.

It opened at 7.9% with episode 1 and peaked at 18.4% with its 12th and final episode, averaging 11.8%. Honey Lee won Best Actress – Television at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards and the Grand Prize at the 2024 Korea Drama Awards.

This KBS2 weekend drama premiered on March 23 and ran for 50 episodes. A romance between top star Park Do-ra (Im Soo-hyang) and drama producer Go Pil-seung (Ji Hyun-woo), who has long loved her from afar, it is an original series directed by Hong Seok-gu and written by Kim Sa-kyung. Cha Hwa-yeon (Baek Mi-ja) and Yang Dae-hyuk (Park Do-sik) co-star.

It opened at 15.3% with episode 1 and peaked at 21.4% with its 50th and final episode, averaging 16.9%. Its run continued into the third quarter.

This SBS Friday–Saturday drama aired 16 episodes from January 26 to March 23. In this comic crime drama, Jin Yi-soo (Ahn Bo-hyun), an immature third-generation chaebol heir, becomes a violent crimes detective and solves cases. It remakes the Russian series Silver Spoon (2014). Kim Jae-hong directed and Kim Ba-da wrote the script, with Park Ji-hyun (Lee Kang-hyun), Kang Sang-jun (Park Jun-young), Kim Shin-bi (Choi Kyung-jin) and Kwak Si-yang (Jin Seung-joo) co-starring.

It opened at 5.7% with episode 1 and peaked at 11.0% with episode 8. The 16th and final episode drew 9.3%, and the series averaged 8.3%. Ahn Bo-hyun won the Top Excellence Award in the miniseries genre/action category at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards. Season 2 aired from August 7 to September 19, 2026.

This JTBC weekend drama aired 16 episodes from January 27 to March 17. In this romantic comedy, two doctors who were rivals in high school, Yeo Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) and Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye), meet again at the lowest point of their lives. Oh Hyun-jong directed and Baek Sun-woo wrote the script, with Yoon Park (Bin Dae-young) and Gong Seong-ha (Lee Hong-ran) co-starring.

It opened at 4.1% with episode 1 and peaked at 8.2% with episode 10. The finale drew 6.5%, and the series averaged 5.6%. It was also released on Netflix, where it peaked at No. 1 in non-English TV and spent nine weeks in the Top 10, with weekly views totaling 18.6 million. Its best week, January 29–February 4, drew 2.9 million views.

An eight-episode Netflix series released on February 9. Lee Tang (Choi Woo-shik), an ordinary young man who kills someone by accident, is pursued by detective Jang Nan-gam (Son Suk-ku). It is based on Kkomabi's Naver Webtoon. Lee Chang-hee directed and Kim Da-min wrote the script, with Lee Hee-jun (Song Chon) co-starring.

It peaked at No. 1 on the global chart for non-English TV and spent four weeks in the Top 10, with weekly views totaling 11.9 million. Its best week, February 12–18, drew 5.5 million views. Lee Chang-hee won Best Director (Series) at the 2025 Director's Cut Awards.

A 10-episode series released on TVING every Thursday from February 29 to March 21. A school-violence survival drama set at a girls' high school where a popularity vote determines each student's rank, it is based on Dalgonyak's Naver Webtoon. Park So-yeon directed and Choi Soo-yi wrote the script, with Lee Jae-kyoo serving as creator. The cast includes Bona (Seong Su-ji), Jang Da-a (Baek Ha-rin), Ryu Da-in (Myung Ja-eun), Shin Seul-ki (Seo Do-ah) and Kang Na-eon (Im Ye-rim).

As a streaming exclusive, it has no TV ratings. It was named one of Time magazine's 10 K-dramas of 2024.

A 10-episode Netflix series released on March 15. Choi Min-ah (Kim You-jung), the daughter of a company president, steps into a mysterious machine and turns into a chicken nugget, and her father Choi Seon-man (Ryu Seung-ryong) and Go Baek-joong (Ahn Jae-hong), an intern with a crush on Min-ah, set out to turn her back. The comedy is based on Park Ji-dok's Naver Webtoon. Lee Byeong-heon wrote and directed it.

In Netflix's non-English TV category, it spent one week in the Top 10, placing No. 10 in the week of March 18–24 with 1.2 million views that week. It was nominated in the Comedy category at the 53rd International Emmy Awards in 2025.

An eight-episode series released on Disney+ from January 17 to February 7. Jeong Ji-an (Kim Hye-jun), who lost her parents and was raised by her uncle Jeong Jin-man (Lee Dong-wook), becomes a target for killers because of a suspicious online store her uncle left behind. The action drama is based on Kang Ji-young's novel A Killer's Shopping Mall. Lee Kwon and Noh Kyu-yeob directed and Lee Kwon and Jee Ho-jin wrote the script, with Seo Hyun-woo (Lee Seong-jo), Jo Han-sun (Bale) and Geum Hae-na (So Min-hye) co-starring.

It is a Disney+ original, and no specific official viewership figures have been released. Geum Hae-na won Best Supporting Actress at the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards, and the series made Time magazine's 10 K-dramas of 2024 (at No. 4) and The New York Times' best international TV shows of 2024. Season 2 was released on Disney+ on July 22, 2026.

A six-episode series released on TVING from January 19 to February 1. In this black comedy, Woo-jin (Esom) and Samuel (Ahn Jae-hong), a married couple whose relationship has grown distant, chase after couples having affairs to make money. Lim Dae-hyung (the film Moonlit Winter) and Jeon Go-woon (Microhabitat) co-wrote and co-directed it, with Lee Hak-joo (Jeong-su) and Kim Sae-byuk (Se-yeon) co-starring. Ahead of its release, some episodes were screened in the On Screen section of the 2023 Busan International Film Festival.

As a streaming exclusive, it has no TV ratings. It was nominated for Best Screenplay – Television at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards, and for Best Drama and Best Actress (Esom) at the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards. Cine21 ranked it No. 2 among its series of the year for 2024.