Will “Queen of Tears” become the highest rated cable TV drama on tvN in South Korea?
The anticipation is growing as “Queen of Tears” nears its end with three episodes left with the finale airing on April 28.
“Queen of Tears,” starring Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, maintained its first-place position in the ratings.
"Queen of Tears" stars Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won (tvN)
According to Nielsen Korea, episode 13 of “Queen of Tears” on April 20 on channel tvN got a nationwide rating of 20.179 percent (peaking at 21.9 percent) in South Korea, slightly lower compared to its highest rating to date, 20.732 percent, that it received for episode 12. It was watched by 5.21 million people.
In the metropolitan area (Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi), “Queen of Tears” received a rating of 22.257 percent (peaking at 24.2 percent), compared to 23.242 percent for episode 12. It was watched by 2.84 million people.
It swept first place in the same time slot on all channels, including terrestrial channels, both in the metropolitan area and nationwide.
In the coveted age group of 20 to 49, “Queen of Tears” got ratings of 9.8 percent nationwide and 10.1 percent in the metropolitan area, ranking first in the same time slot for all channels.
Episode 14 will air on April 21 and given that “Queen of Tears” is strong in the ratings with its Sunday episodes, viewers are wondering if it will surpass “Crash Landing on You.”
"Crash Landing on You" stars and real-life married couple Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin (tvN)
“Crash Landing on You,” which starred Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, currently holds the record for the highest tvN drama, getting 21.683 percent for its 16th and final episode on Feb. 16, 2020.
Kim Soo-hyun had a cameo in “Crash Landing on You” in episode 10.
“Queen of Tears” already surpassed the ratings of tvN's beloved drama “Reply 1988” (18.803 percent) and Gong Yoo’s “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (18.680 percent).
“Queen of Tears” streams on Netflix.
“Chief Detective 1958”
Meanwhile, the retro Korean drama “Chief Detective 1958,” starring Lee Je-hoon of “Taxi Driver” and Lee Dong-hwi of “Reply 1988,” premiered on April 19 and set a record for Korean channel MBC.
“Chief Detective 1958” took over the time slot vacated by “Wonderful World,” which starred Kim Nam-joo and Cha Eun-woo, which garnered a nationwide rating of 9.2 percent for its 14th and final episode on April 13.
“Chief Detective 1958” (MBC)
Set a decade before the widely loved ‘70s and ‘80s Korean drama “Chief Inspector,” “Chief Detective 1958” builds on the original series’ heritage of captivating storytelling and memorable characters.
According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode of “Chief Detective 1958” on April 19 got a nationwide rating of 10.1 percent (first place).
This is the highest viewership rating for the first episode of an MBC Friday-Saturday drama in history.
In the metropolitan area, the drama received a rating of 10.3 percent.
For its second episode on April 20, “Chief Detective 1958” got ratings of 7.8 percent nationwide (second place) and 8.1 percent in the metropolitan area (second place).
The first place went to “Beauty and Mr. Romantic,” starring Im Soo-hyang and Ji Hyun-woo, which garnered 14.8 percent nationwide, and 13.1 percent in the metropolitan area.
“Chief Detective 1958” streams on Disney+.