The Year 2024 is going superbly for the kdrama fans. We got some iconic dramas as well as iconic pairs. We got everything from romance to thriller, from comedy to suspense. Some of these dramas left a positive impact on everyone at the same time some dramas couldn’t shine that well and some dramas were deserving but could not get the right appreciation. I think this is the best time to get a closer look at the Korean Drama rankings in 2024.
In the world of Korean drama 2024 is again marked as a significant year of drama. Some dramas also got record breaking viewership on various international platforms. Some of them dominated previous years records’ too.
Blockbuster K-Dramas That Ruled 2024
As I said some dramas broke all the previous records not only in Korea but also outside of Korea, Let’s see some of this:
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Queen of Tears
Queen of Tears is one of the strongest candidates of Korean Drama rankings in 2024. This drama ruled over all the charts of not only Korean platforms but also the international platforms. Through this drama, Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won came out as a power couple. The story of love, marriage, understanding and the strength of family bonding forced the fans to be hooked on it. This drama became one of the highest rated Kdramas of all time with 650 million hours of views and this is a record.
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Doctor Slump
The key to success was the reunion of Park Hyung Sik and Park Shin Hye, and the story was good as well. The story of two doctors who were facing the most horrible times of their lives. They meet and change their lives and fill each other’s lives with happy moments. This drama ranks as one of the best with 150 million view hours.
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Parasyte: The Grey
In 2024 Parasyte series launched a sequel of this iconic series and it came out as a storm in the box office and that is why this drama has to be on Korean Drama rankings in 2024 list for sure. Parasyte, the dark thriller drama is based on a Japanese Manga, which is also a sci-fi horror drama. This drama is actually a part of the Japanese movie Parasyte. This drama introduces the new faces of the movie. The popular movie series having a drama spin off drags the spotlight on it. This short drama gets 109 millions of view hours.
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A Killer Paradox
This crime thriller grabs the attention of the audience with its suspensive storyline. A boy who works in a store involves himself in a murder and miraculously he is saved because the murder weapon went missing. In the meantime, that boy develops a special psychological sense that he can sense the presence of a killer. This drama is a hit of 2024 with 85 millions view hours.
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Lovely Runner
The love story of I’m Sol and Ryu Sun Jae was the topic of 2024. The idol Ryu Sun Jae passes away one night after his concert, though the death of the idol was simple suicide to some people the death is suspicious. I’m Sol is one of those people. Now magically I’m Sol travels back in time and tries to save I’m Sol. This drama came out as one of the best with 80 million viewing hours.
Hidden Gems You Might Have Missed
I know I am writing about dramas which are the best Korean Drama rankings in 2024, but there are certain dramas that demand spotlight. Amid the superhits of 2024, some dramas did not gain the hype as they deserved, this is actually normal. Let’s have a brief check.
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Black Out
A group of school friends who always hang out together, and their families are also close. One day two of those friends die in a warehouse and the bodies go missing. The owner of the warehouse, who was also one of those friends, is suspected for the murders. After 10 years of being jailed the boy is determined to prove himself not guilty. To do so he faces some bitter truth that shakes him so badly. This drama is full of suspense and this suspension lasts till the end of the drama.
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The Missing Crown Prince
I don’t know what I should highlight if I don’t tell you about its perfect ending. A crown prince was abducted by a man who wanted to get rid of his daughter’s curse without knowing he kidnapped the crown prince. The daughter saves the prince and gradually falls in love with each other. however the country was not a perfect country because the inner court was not in peace. This drama surely deserves more praise than it got.
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My Sweet Mobster
This drama is praised because of the blending of action and romance. A former gangster who is now the CEO of a small company meets a woman who is a content creator. Both have their past faults which they want to improve. The guilt of the gangster leader and a woman makes them a better version of each other. Both of them help each other to fulfill their wish. The unique story captures the attention of the viewers.
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The Midnight Studio
A magical studio where the customers are only the dead people Seo Ki Joo works there. The drama is full of crying and laughter. The whole family of Seo Ki Joo is cursed because of that studio. Seo Ki Joo one day meets Han Bom who later helps him to lift the curse. I bet this drama will leave you crying in some episodes, especially when the dead people meet their family members.
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The tyrant
The Tyrant is a dark sci-fi drama full of action. The action scenes of a young actress Jo Yoon Soo demand so much praise. The government of Korea takes a secret project of bioweapons but some evil people steal it. All the actors did a great job and the story is also something good to watch.
K-Dramas by Genre: The Best of Each Category
This year of 2024 the Korean drama industry gave some amazing dramas no matter what genre it is. Allow me to give you the best of the best of each genre.
Best Romantic Drama: The Queen of Tears
The ultimate best of 2024 is The Queen of Tears. This drama shows the love story of two completely different persons and two different families. Both the leads stand by each other when they need each other the most. Along with the leads, the bond and understanding of the two families were admirable. With breaking all the previous records this drama made its place in the list of the best of the best.
Main Cast: Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won and Park Sung Hoon.
Best Thriller Drama: A Shop For Killers
A mysterious shop full of illegal arms is the center of the drama, as this shop is the beginning of the life threat to Jeong Ji An and her family. The owner of the shop is Jeong Jin Man who is also the uncle of Ji An. When Ji An found the shop she didn’t know anything about the shop. She uses her survival ability to make sure she is safe and believes until then her uncle will come back to save her. The action scenes are truly on top.
Main Cast: Lee Dong Wook and Kim Hye Jun.
Best Fantasy Drama: Marry My Husband
Marry My Husband is a time travel drama, dealing with the theme of love and betrayal. Kang Ji Won somehow went back to 10 years. Before that, she comes to know about the affair of her husband and her friend, when life gives her a second chance she promises to change her future as well as take revenge from those betrayers. Here the twist is, that Kang Ji Won is not the only one who did time travel. There is someone too who knows about the future. That certain time traveler helps Ji Won to execute her revenge. In this life, she lives her life fully and so whatever is good for her.
Main Cast: Park Min Young, Na In Woo, Lee Yi Kyung and Song Ha Yoon.
Best Historical: Queen Woo
This drama is based on a real life story of the great Queen Woo. In the drama, we see the brave King of Goguryeo mysteriously dies after he comes back from a bloody war. Now the throne is in danger because there are so many evil beings present in the court who are after the throne. To save the country and the throne the Queen takes a difficult step and decides to marry one of the King’s brothers. But is the idea foolproof? Maybe it is. But is the way easy? No, the path of executing the idea is full of danger. The queen is surrounded by the evils including the heinous brothers of the King. With the help of some officials and the loyal servants of the king the Queen sets her step out of the court. But doing all this she can’t avoid the upcoming war. Lastly, she failed to find another way of protecting the throne and the queen declared war.
Main Cast: Ji Chang Wook, Jun Jeong Seo, Kim Moo Yul and Lee Soo Hyuk.
Mystery Drama: The Perfect Family
A family that looks fine outside but each member of the family suspects each other because they act too good to be true. The daughter of the family suspects the parents when someone tells her that the family killed their son some years ago. The drama is full of mystery and you can’t even tell who is good and who is bad until you come to the ending of this drama. Is that family really perfect if they are just pretending to be perfect? This question stuck in the heads of the audience.
Main Cast: Park Ju Hyun, Kim Byung Chul and Yoon Se Ah.
Now here I wish to conclude my article, Korean Drama rankings in 2024, but before I end it, I want to say something. No matter what your favorite genre you are going to find your favorite this year, and I can guarantee this. If you want to taste every genre you can do it too. But it’s definitely a good decision to do some research before jumping on a drama. Remember this if you only want to get the best, maybe you will not be satisfied every time. But this is for sure if you watch dramas only for entertainment purposes without any expectation then you will not be disappointed at all.
The year 2024 was a glorious year for the Korean industry just like the golden era of dramas in 2016.
If we look back in 2024, what we did not get? Romance hits, law dramas, breathtaking thrillers, some super hit action and so on. Romantic Dramas like Lovely Runners, Queen of Tears, Marry My Husband and historical dramas like Love for Illusions, Captivate the King and The Missing Crown Prince made the year for the Kdrama lovers.
From pure thriller to sci-fi thrillers, from Pure history to romantic we got everything this year. And this is not the end. We have some anticipated and promising upcoming dramas that already announced their releasing dates. Fans are crossing their fingers for the dramas and the loyal fandoms are waiting for their favorite actor and actresses to make their come back. I hope till then you enjoy all the dramas you watch. Good Luck.