The tvN drama "Queen of Tears" starring Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won has surpassed "Crash Landing on You," which starred Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin. It achieved the highest viewership ratings in tvN drama history.
On April 28th, the final episode (Episode 16) of the tvN weekend drama "Queen of Tears" (written by Park Ji Eun, directed by Jang Young Woo and Kim Hee Won, produced by Studio Dragon, Culture Depot, and Showrunner) aired and concluded. It secured the top spot in tvN drama history with the title of "Highest Viewership Ratings."
"Queen of Tears" tells the story of Hong Hae In (played by Kim Ji Won), the third-generation heiress of a conglomerate and the queen of a department store, and Baek Hyun Woo (played by Kim Soo Hyun), the son of a butcher and the prince of a supermarket. Their thrilling crisis and miraculous love story begin anew after three years of marriage.
In its final episode, "Queen of Tears" achieved a viewership rating of 24.9% (based on Nielsen Korea's paid platform nationwide standard). It became the top-rated program across all channels on that day. Notably, it also set the record for the highest viewership ratings in tvN weekend dramas and tvN dramas overall. The previous record-holder was "Crash Landing on You" (16 episodes, aired on February 16, 2020), starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin, with a viewership rating of 21.7%.
Although "Queen of Tears" had a modest start with a 5.9% viewership rating in its first episode (aired on March 9), it gained momentum after its competitor, KBS 2TV's historical drama "War of the Goryeo Dynasty," concluded. Starting from the second week of broadcast, its ratings began to soar: 9.6% in Episode 3 and 13.0% in Episode 4.
The upward trend continued. By Episode 10 (aired on April 7), the viewership rating reached 19.0%, securing the top spot in weekend dramas (Saturday and Sunday) and overall channel viewership. Notably, it outperformed KBS 2TV's weekend drama "The Beauty and the Pure" in terms of ratings, earning the title of "Weekend Drama Champion."
In Episode 12, "Queen of Tears" achieved a 20.7% viewership rating, surpassing other popular tvN dramas such as "Empress Ki," "Mr. Sunshine," "Reply 1988," and "Goblin," and securing the second-highest position in tvN drama history. Only "Crash Landing on You" remained ahead.
Subsequently, Episode 14 recorded a 21.6% viewership rating, closely trailing "Crash Landing on You." Although Episode 15 dipped slightly to 21.1%, Episode 16 rebounded with an impressive 24.9% viewership rating, surpassing "Crash Landing on You."
The journey of "Queen of Tears" to surpass "Crash Landing on You" was truly remarkable. While "Crash Landing on You" achieved an 11.3% viewership rating in its eighth episode, "Queen of Tears" reached 13.0% in just four episodes, marking the beginning of its success. Furthermore, "Queen of Tears" maintained a streak of 20%+ ratings from Episode 12 to Episode 16. It achieved what "Crash Landing on You" couldn't.
With the title of "Top Viewership Ratings in tvN Drama History," "Queen of Tears" and the outstanding performances of Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won created a memorable record for weekend viewers.
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