From global streaming sensations to steady terrestrial hits, 2025 underscores the breadth of K-drama
Riding the continued momentum of the K-content boom, Korean drama creators once again delivered an ambitious slate of series this year, spoiling audiences for choice with stories across streaming platforms, cable channels and terrestrial networks. Here are some of the K-dramas that most decisively shaped the year’s cultural conversation.
Streaming steal spotlight
When it came to buzz and visibility, streamers, mainly Netflix, led the charge. Dominating online chatter and performance rankings were “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,” “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and the final season of “Squid Game.”
The year began strongly with Netflix’s January release of “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.” The medical drama follows genius surgeon Kang-hyuk (Ju Ji-hoon), balancing heroics with authentic surgical intensity. The drama gained traction by pairing its weighty, human-centered storylines with fantastical depictions of a hero doctor, which added moments of levity to the tension. With the blend, the series skyrocketed to the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s global non-English TV rankings just 10 days after its release.
If “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” set the tone, Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines” may have delivered one of the year’s biggest breakouts. Anchored by the Hallyu sensation pairing of IU and Park Bo-gum, the series was the cultural touchstone of the first half of 2025 — creating buzz as well as viewership with a story that resonated across ages and borders.
Tracing intimate family dynamics and individual human stories against the backdrop of Korea’s modern history from the 1950s onward, the series became a global hit despite its deeply Korean-centered narrative, remaining in the global top 10 non-English series for eight consecutive weeks.
Meanwhile, “Squid Game” season 3 extended the franchise’s global reach, logging 370 million viewing hours in its first week and ranking No. 1 in Netflix’s top 10 list in 93 countries. That dominance, however, came with a more mixed reception — as critics and audience alike pointed to repetitive game structures and predictable character arcs that lacked the novelty of earlier seasons.
Other streaming titles also left their mark. Disney+’s “Tempest,” starring Jun Ji-hyun and Kang Dong-won, ranked second worldwide among the over-the-top service’s originals during its run. Domestically, though, the series struggled to sustain momentum, facing stiff competition and fading post-release discussion despite its some 50 billion won ($34 million) budget and A-list cast.
Korean streaming originals gained comparatively less traction than those from global streamers, especially with Coupang Play — often seen as Netflix’s closest domestic rival in terms of monthly active users — struggling to recapture the momentum of its earlier hits with its three ambitious projects “Heroes Next Door,” “Confidence Queen” and “Newtopia.”
Tving, by contrast, managed to notch a rare global success with “Dear X.” A large-scale project by Tving that drew its inspiration from a megahit Naver Webtoon of the same name, the series, led by Kim Yoo-jung, emerged as one of Tving’s most significant successes. The show was responsible for generating the platform’s highest number of new subscriptions for six consecutive weeks and charted prominently on HBO Max across eight Asian markets, as well as on Disney+ Japan.
SBS leads on terrestrial arena
On terrestrial television, SBS emerged as a standout in 2025, delivering dramas that paired strong viewership with sustained public interest. KBS weekend dramas also continued to post traditionally strong numbers, while MBC trailed behind, largely failing to produce series that broke into double-digit ratings. In the terrestrial arena, reaching double digits remains the key benchmark of success.
SBS’ “Love Scout,” which explores the professional and romantic dynamic between CEO Ji-yoon (Han Ji-min) and her capable secretary Eun-ho (Lee Joon-hyuk), maintained steady buzz while reaching a peak nationwide rating of 12 percent. The broadcaster also closed the year strongly with the third season of its popular IP “Taxi Driver,” which debuted at 9.5 percent nationwide on Nov. 21 and peaked at 12.3 percent by its eighth episode on Dec. 13.
KBS’ weekend drama — a genre that typically generates limited buzz but consistently delivers the ratings — “For Eagle Brothers” soared to a peak rating of a remarkable 21.9 percent, and its successor, “Our Golden Days,” has continued the momentum, posting a peak of 18.1 percent so far.
Cable largely remains tvN’s playground
Cable television, meanwhile, remained largely tvN’s domain, at least in the mid- to latter half of the year. Among its most prominent titles were the period rom-com “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty” and “Our Unwritten Seoul.”
“Bon Appetit, Your Majesty” proved especially dominant, surpassing a peak rating of 17 percent despite its simultaneous streaming on Netflix and Tving. The series was also a global success, ranking in Netflix’s non-English TV rankings for two consecutive weeks.
TvN’s “Our Unwritten Seoul,” starring Park Bo-young, followed a quieter but steady ascent. Opening at around 3 percent, the series climbed to a peak nationwide rating of 9.4 percent, while its third-place finish in Netflix’s non-English rankings marked it as another of the year’s defining titles.
Cable drama powerhouse JTBC also posted meaningful results. “Heavenly Ever After,” anchored by veterans Kim Hye-ja and Son Suk-ku, reached a peak rating of 8.3 percent despite criticism over uneven plotting. Later in the year, “The Dream Life of Mr. Kim,” starring Ryu Seung-ryong as an everyman facing unemployment, family life and office politics, struck a chord with viewers. It topped Netflix Korea’s TV chart while logging peak ratings of 7.6 percent with its grounded, relatable storytelling.
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