Keep this on your tabs as we keep up to date on the most viewed K-Dramas on Netflix in 2023. Let’s break down the favorites of the year.
Netflix has been consistently offering a generous showing of K-dramas for years, either on their own or by hosting others produced on South Korean television channels. Very often, these dramas find themselves placing in Netflix’s Top 10 in the TV-Non-English worldwide category, racking up big hours as well.
Curious to see how your favorites are stacked up? Here’s a list of the top 10 dramas on Netflix based on the number of weeks on Netflix’s Top 10 for TV Show-Non English chart from January 1, 2023, to July 16, 2023, along with the hours watched during that time.
We will be updating this data bi-monthly.
Most Viewed K-Dramas on Netflix in 2023 – Updated Monthly
10. See You in My 19th Life
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 4
This adaptation of a well-loved webtoon about reincarnation and lost love did well in its time slot on South Korean TV but scored big time on Netflix. A new addition to the Netflix lineup as of June 17, this drama has already spent four of its five weeks on the Netflix Top 10, with 55,700,000 hours watched during this time, just ahead of its finale week.
9. Queenmaker
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 4
A Netflix production, Queenmaker finds itself on Netflix’s Top 10 with 99,480,000 hours put in during its four-week time on the chart. This political thriller features female leads Kim Hee-Ae and Moon So-Ri working together to win the Seoul mayoral race.
8. King the Land
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 5
This light and fluffy romcom was expected to turn in big ratings numbers for South Korea’s KTBC channel, and it certainly did! It also made big numbers for Netflix. Like See You in My 19th Life, it also started airing on July 17. Since its first episode, the drama has spent its entire airing time on Netflix’s Top 10, with 127,000,000 hours watched, with many more expected.
7. Bloodhounds
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 5
This gritty action noir boxing drama drew in solid numbers as well. Spending five weeks on the Netflix Top 10 Non-English TV charts, viewers spent 164,870,000 hours on this Netflix production during this time.
6. Mr. Queen
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 6
This body-swap drama from tvN is a smash hit all around. It aired in 2020 but was a chart-topper for Netflix in 2023, earning 104,920,000 views during its six weeks on Netflix’s Top 10 chart.
5. The Good Bad Mother
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 7
JBTC’s The Good Bad Mother was also a big Nielsen Korea ratings hit this year. This drama, about a mom who worries she may have had to be a bad mother for the sake of her son’s well-being, was a big hit on Netflix as well, spending its entire runtime on the Top 10 Non-English TV chart, with 122,850,000 hours watched.
4. Doctor Cha
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 7
JBTC’s drama about a middle-aged housewife who decides to return to the medical field made it JTBC’s highest-ranking 2023 K-drama this year. It made big numbers for Netflix, earning 150,910,000 views as it spent most of its runtime on the non-English TV chart.
3. Alchemy of Souls
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 10
The 2022 30-episode fantasy epic from tvN was split into two parts, each with a different female lead. Both parts did very well for Netflix in 2023. Part 1 spent four weeks in the Netflix Top 10, and Part 2 was there for six weeks. Part 1 pulled in 38,160,000 hours, and Part 2 had 87,960,000, for a grand total of 125,850,000 hours watched.
2. Crash Course in Romance
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 11
A middle-aged romance in the midst of a fierce academic environment was another big hit this year, both for its respective South Korean TV channel tvN and Netflix. It commands Netflix hours with 183,450,000 hours watched during its 11-week reign on the Netflix chart.
1. The Glory
Weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV Chart: 13
Writer Kim Een Sook turns in another ratings smash hit, this time with a female-centric revenge thriller. Racking up award nominations and wins left and right, this drama also helped Netflix score big with its own production, with 560,990,000 hours watched during its 13-week domination on the Netflix Top 10 Non-English TV chart, having spent four of those weeks in the #1 spot.
Here is a summary of the top 10 k-dramas on Netflix by time spent on the Netflix Top 10 Non-English TV chart and the corresponding hours during 2023:
