Crash Landing On You ended its broadcast on a high note Sunday night when it achieved a nationwide TV rating of 21.7%, becoming the second drama in Korean cable TV history to surpass the 20% mark. This figure translates to an estimated 6.3 million viewers nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea.

The tvN series premiered in December 2019 with a 6.1% rating and climbed past the 10% mark on its eighth episode. It has since maintained a double-digit viewership throughout the second half of its broadcast, making it the most-watched cable drama so far in 2020.

Promotional poster for Crash Landing On You featuring (from left to right) Seo Ji-hye, Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, and Kim Jung-hyun.

JTBC’s SKY Castle remains the highest-rated cable drama in terms of peak single-episode rating and no. of viewers, having recorded 23.8% and 6.5 million viewers on its final episode in February 2019. Crash Landing On You comes in second, breaking the records of Reply 1988 (18.8%), Goblin (18.7%), and Mr. Sunshine (18.1%).

The list below ranks the 10 all-time highest-rated Korean dramas in cable TV according to their highest single-episode ratings. Seven out of the 10 dramas below aired during the last three years, with the top 4 being broadcast between November and February of the following year or during the winter season in Korea.

SKY Castle (JTBC, 2018-2019) – 23.8% Crash Landing On You (tvN, 2019-2020) – 21.7% Reply 1988 (tvN, 2015-2016) – 18.8% Goblin (tvN, 2016-2017) – 18.7% Mr. Sunshine (tvN, 2018) – 18.1% 100 Days My Prince (tvN, 2018) – 14.4% Signal (tvN, 2016) – 12.5% The Lady In Dignity (JTBC, 2017) – 12.1% Hotel del Luna (tvN, 2019) – 12.0% Itaewon Class (ongoing series on JTBC) – 11.6%

Meanwhile, Crash Landing On You ranks 5th in a similar list based on the average rating of all episodes of the drama. Mr. Sunshine is no. 1, followed by Goblin, SKY Castle, and Reply 1988. Here is the top 10 list:

Mr. Sunshine – 13.0% Goblin – 12.9% Sky Castle – 12.5% Reply 1988 – 12.4% Crash Landing On You – 12.2% 100 Days My Prince – 9.0% Hotel del Luna – 8.9% Signal – 8.8% Encounter (tvN, 2018-2019) – 8.5% Memories Of The Alhambra (tvN, 2018-2019) – 8.43%

Memories of the Alhambra is followed closely by The Crowned Clown (tvN, 2019) with an average rating of 8.41%. Click here to see the top 20 highest-rated cable dramas of all time based on average ratings.

Son Ye-jin (left) and Hyun Bin in a scene from Crash Landing On You.

Starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, Crash Landing On You tells the story of a South Korean heiress who ends up in North Korea after a paragliding accident. There, he befriends a North Korean military officer who decides to keep her illegal entry into the north a secret and help her go back home safely. However, her immediate return to the south becomes difficult when the authorities get involved and the two start to develop feelings for each other.

The series is available for streaming online as a Netflix original series. It will be replaced by Kim Tae-hee’s Hi Bye, Mama! on February 22.

ONGOING KOREAN DRAMAS: Alice | Do You Like Brahms? | Flower of Evil | Lies of Lies | Missing: The Other Side | Record of Youth (POPULAR) | Stranger 2 | When I Was the Most Beautiful

ABOUT US: A site dedicated to Korean TV series, Kdramapal publishes up-to-date and relevant content about Korean dramas including casting news, drama rankings, roundups (recaps), synopses and general info, and TV ratings. Visit us again for updates, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.