Hotel del Luna concluded its broadcast Sunday night with a viewership rating of 12.0 percent, surpassing The Crowned Clown‘s records and becoming the highest-rated tvN drama so far this year.

Headlined by IU and Yeo Jin-goo, Hotel del Luna centers on the CEO and the manager of a hotel that only caters to ghosts. Interestingly, Yeo Jin-goo is also the male lead of The Crowned Clown.

The series saw an increase in its nationwide TV rating from 9.9 percent on its penultimate episode to 12.0 percent during its finale, which pulled in 3.7 million viewers. This double-digit viewership beat The Crown Clown‘s peak rating of 10.9 percent, making Hotel del Luna the most-watched cable drama among those which premiered so far in 2019.

In terms of average ratings, Hotel del Luna‘s 8.9 percent also exceeded The Crowned Clown‘s 8.4 percent. The two dramas are now on top of the list of the highest-rated cable dramas of 2019 based on average ratings (excluding those which premiered in 2018 and concluded this year such as Memories of the Alhambra, Encounter, and SKY Castle). They are followed by Arthdal Chronicles (6.6%), The Light In Your Eyes (6.3%), and Romance Is A Bonus Book (5.2%).

When it comes to a similar ranking that considers all the Korean cable dramas, Hotel del Luna has occupied the sixth place. This list of the highest-rated Korean cable dramas of all time is led by Mr. Sunshine (13.0%), Goblin (12.9%), and SKY Castle (12.5%).

The success of Hotel del Luna can be attributed to the popularity of its lead actors, particularly IU, and screenwriters Hong Jung-Eun & Hong Mi-Ran (a.k.a. Hong sisters) who penned the famous dramas A Korean Odyssey (2017-2018), Master’s Sun (2013), and My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho (2010). The cameo appearance of several popular actors also generated buzz for the series, including that of Kim Soo-hyun and Lee Joon-gi, with whom IU worked in The Producers (2015) and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016), respectively.

Meanwhile, OCN’s new thriller Strangers from Hell obtained a 3.5 percent nationwide rating on Sunday, which is slightly lower than the 3.8 percent it recorded on its first episode. Starring Im Si-wan and Lee Dong-wook, the webtoon-based series tells the story of an aspiring writer who moves from the countryside to Seoul because of his new job and finds himself surrounded by strange people in his new apartment.

Are you confused about TV ratings? Read this feature: Korean Drama Ratings Explained: Hotel del Luna got 10%, which means?

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