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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Survey: 'When Life Gives You Tangerines,' 'Twelve' voted best, worst K-dramas of 2025

Survey: 'When Life Gives You Tangerines,' 'Twelve' voted best, worst K-dramas of 2025

Published Nov 7, 2025 02:03 pm
"When Life Gives You Tangerines" and "Twelve" (Netflix, KBS2)
"When Life Gives You Tangerines" and "Twelve" (Netflix, KBS2)

“When Life Gives You Tangerines,” starring IU and Park Bogum, was chosen as the best Korean drama of 2025 while “Twelve,” starring Ma Dong-seok and Park Hyung-sik took the title for the worst K-drama of the year in a survey. 

To celebrate its 21st anniversary, Korean media outlet Joy News 24, an entertainment and business newspaper, conducted a survey from Oct. 13 to 19, asking respondents what dramas, variety shows, movies, actors, and singers shined in 2025. 

The survey was conducted among 110 industry professionals, including entertainment and broadcasting company employees, film and broadcast content producers, and entertainment reporters. 

Best Korean dramas of the year

In the survey, “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” emerged as the top picks for best Korean dramas of the year. 

“When Life Gives You Tangerines” took first place with 48 votes out of 110 people while “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” placed second with 18 votes. 

"When Life Gives You Tangerines" (Netflix)
“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” (tvN)
“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” (tvN)

“IU and Park Bo-gum truly lived up to their names,” Joy News 24 wrote about “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” adding that each character in the drama shined. 

“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” starred Yoona and Lee Chae-min. 

“The final episode reached a record-breaking 17.1% (Nielsen Korea nationwide), breaking its own record for viewership ratings. This marks not only the highest viewership rating for tvN this year, but also the highest for any miniseries aired in 2025,” the media outlet stated. 

“The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,” starring Ju Ji-hoon ranked third with 10 votes followed by 

"You and Everything Else," starring Kim Go-eun, Park Ji-hyun, and Kim Gun-woo, placed fourth with nine votes, followed by "Our Unwritten Seoul," Park Bo-young, Park Jin-young, and Ryu Kyung-soo with seven votes. 

“Doubt,” starring Han Suk-kyu and Chae Won-bin, ranked fifth with three votes. 

It was followed by "Light Shop" (starring Ju Ji-hoon), "Queen Mantis," "Resident Playbook," and "Squid Game" seasons 2 and 3, which received two votes each. 

“My Troublesome Star," "Low Life," "A Hundred Memories," "The Haunted Palace," "Hyper Knife," "Nine Puzzles," "My Youth," "Heavenly Ever After," "Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born," "Aema" also entered the survey. 

Worst Korean dramas of the year 

“Twelve,” starring Ma Dong-seok and Park Hyung-sik was voted by the respondents as the worst Korean drama of the year in the survey, getting 28 votes. 

Second place with 15 votes went to “When the Stars Gossip,” starring Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin. 

"Twelve" (KBS2)
“When the Stars Gossip
“When the Stars Gossip" (tvN)

“However, upon the premiere of the drama, ‘Twelve’ proved a disappointment. Ma Dong-seok's signature fist-fighting skills, beloved in ‘The Roundup,’ were lacking in this drama, and poor computer graphics (CG) diminished the overall quality of the work. The characters' narratives were weak, and the setting lacked plausibility. Ultimately, the drama, which began with a viewership rating of 8.1 percent (Nielsen Korea, nationwide households), slumped to the 2 percent range,” Joy News 24 reported. 

About “When the Stars Gossip,” the media outlet wrote, “But the famous feast proved to be a disappointment. The drama failed to break away from its ‘love story in space.’”

"Squid Game” season 3 came in third place for the "worst drama of the year" with 10 votes while"Tempest" came in fourth with seven votes. 

Others in the survey were “Crushology 101" (six votes), "Kick Kick Kick Kick" (five votes), "Gyeongseong Creature" season 2 (four votes) and "Confidence Queen" (three votes).

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