Highest Rated K-Dramas of 2021 on KOCOWA (and 2022 Predictions!)

The top-rated K-Dramas of 2021 in Korea are out, and KOCOWA had several shows make the list! Read below to find out which K-Dramas were the most-watched K-Dramas that aired in 2021 in Korea that are also available to watch on KOCOWA right now!

Top-rated K-Dramas of 2021 Available on KOCOWA

“The Penthouse 2” & “The Penthouse 3“

This is no surprise to “Penthouse” fans. With the two sequels having peak ratings of 29% for season 2 and 19.5% for season 3, it is fair to say that SBS had a winner of a series with “Penthouse.” I do not think the “Penthouse” series will continue, though what a crazy ride it was while it lasted.

“One the Woman”

A delightful show where Ha Nee Lee showcased her doppelgänger drama chops and gave us a cute romance to boot. Lee Sang Yoon was great to watch as her love interest, though I am going to give a lot of the clout for this show’s success to Ha Nee Lee. But with a series-high rating of 18%, it’s safe to say that the entire cast knocked it out of the park! 

“Taxi Driver”

Nothing was as infuriating yet satisfying as the revenge found in “Taxi Driver.” This was just what the doctor ordered, a year into the pandemic, where the little guy came out on top and put in a bit of hurt (okay, a lot of hurt!) on the baddies to boot. With a series high of 16%, the people of Korea could agree!

Honorable Mention “Dali and Cocky Prince”

Though not a ratings hit in Korea, “Dali and Cocky Prince” was definitely a hit on KOCOWA and might just come out as a favorite romance in our KOCOWA Awards this year. So that goes to show, just because a show wasn’t rated high (5.7% at its highest), that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t loved by millions!

Special Mentions: Top Rated 40+ episode Dramas of 2021 Available on KOCOWA

I feel like K-Dramas that are over 40 episodes (usually daily and weekend dramas) deserve their own category because they have much more time to build an audience than the traditional 16-episode K-Drama. With that in mind, here are the highest-rated 2021 daily and weekend K-Dramas available on KOCOWA.

“Young Lady and Gentleman” 35.7%

“Homemade Love Story” 33.7%

“Revolutionary Sisters” 31.6%

“No Matter What” 22.5%

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2022 K-Drama Predictions

1) Happier Dramas will have an uptick

One thing 2021 had a lot of were sad and serious dramas. From thriller-suspenses like “The Veil” to the hit horror (yes, I classify this as a horror) “Squid Game,” I believe we will want, nay, need a break in 2022.

So I think romantic comedies will take a bigger spotlight in 2022 to give us a break from the dark and series shows. Romantic comedies like “Young Lady and Gentleman” and “Crash Landing on You” were hits for a reason, among many other light shows. So expect more of that to come.

With that said, horror could give romance a run for its money in 2022. And by run for its money, we mean romance will be running for its life from horror, of course (hee hee).

2) Unique horror might become a hot genre

We might be used to our K-Drama romances, but with how “Sweet Home,” “Silent Sea,” and “Squid Game” reigned supreme in drama viewership on Netflix, I believe we are sure to see more horror pop up across the board. Plus, like it or not, the first introduction many international fans have to K-Dramas is in the horror genre, so I expect they will want to see what else there is to offer in that regard.  

3) There will be more sequels to hit shows

With Netflix pushing sequels and with the success of “The Penthouse” Series, I predict more sequels will be greenlit in 2022 than we K-Drama fans are used to. Netflix is already planning a “Squid Game” sequel and has turned “Kingdom” basically into a franchise at this point, so we can expect them to continue doing what they do.

But as far as traditional K-Drama broadcasters, I believe they might just step into this sequel stream and see what might happen. This might not be something that K-Drama fans like, considering we love our love stories one and done, but thinking rationally, it could work on non-romance shows like “Taxi Driver.”

Did you watch any of these K-Dramas, or perhaps we’ve convinced you to check some out? But, what we really want to know is – what are your predictions for drama watching in 2022? Do you think we’re on the right track or way off? Let us know in the comments!