Most Popular K-Dramas in Early 2026: Top 7 Ranking

Original Korean article: 2026 First-Half K-Drama Ranking

It is hard to describe the most popular dramas of the first half of 2026 with a single one-line ranking. The drama with the highest TV rating, the drama watched heavily on Netflix, and the title people say they are “enjoying most these days” are not always the same.

So this article separates the criteria. The main benchmark is Gallup Korea’s monthly preference survey for “favorite broadcast/video programs.” TV ratings reports and Netflix performance are added as supporting indicators. To give the conclusion first: the drama that felt like No. 1 in the first half of 2026 was the Netflix web drama Teach You a Lesson.

Start with the criteria: the ratings No. 1 and the felt-popularity No. 1 are different

The reason drama rankings differ from source to source is simple. TV ratings strongly reflect people who watched on television at a scheduled broadcast time. OTT rankings, by contrast, reflect binge-watching immediately after release and global viewing. Gallup Korea’s preference survey goes beyond platform and time slot, capturing the impression a program leaves in respondents’ minds.

For that reason, it is safer to read “the most popular dramas of the first half of 2026” through the following lenses.

National preference: titles that recorded high percentages in Gallup Korea’s monthly preference survey
TV ratings: titles that achieved high nationwide ratings on terrestrial, general-programming, or cable channels
OTT performance: titles with strong viewing numbers and weekly rankings on platforms such as Netflix
Online buzz: titles that drew large news, community, and search reactions immediately after broadcast or release

Combining these criteria into one score may look neat, but it can be misleading. The ranking below therefore centers on each drama’s peak in Gallup Korea preference and adds supporting evidence next to each title.

Top 7 most popular K-dramas in the first half of 2026

Rank	Title	Key evidence	How to read it
1	Teach You a Lesson	No. 1 in Gallup Korea’s June preference survey with 10.7%. Also strong in reports on Netflix’s first-half global viewing numbers.	The OTT hit that effectively dominated the latter part of the first half.
2	The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century	No. 1 in Gallup Korea’s May preference survey with 5.1%. Episode 9 was reported at 11.7% nationwide TV rating.	A terrestrial Friday-Saturday drama that was strong in both ratings and preference despite divided opinions.
3	Brilliant Days	No. 1 in Gallup Korea’s January preference survey with 4.5%.	A title that showed the steady audience power of weekend dramas.
4	Rookie Employee Chairman Kang	No. 2 in Gallup Korea’s June preference survey with 3.4%.	A title that lifted the felt popularity of TV dramas in late June.
5	We Prescribe Love	Joint No. 3 in Gallup Korea’s June preference survey with 3.0%.	A weekend-drama-style contender that stayed in the rankings throughout the first half.
5	Brave New World	Joint No. 3 in Gallup Korea’s June preference survey with 3.0%.	A Friday-Saturday drama whose attention rose around its finale period.
5	Scarecrow	Joint No. 2 in Gallup Korea’s May preference survey with 3.0%.	A title that showed presence among Monday-Tuesday dramas.

The reason the table has a joint fifth place is that several titles recorded the same 3.0% preference level. Rather than forcing an artificial order, it is more accurate to group titles that showed the same level of popularity.

No. 1 Teach You a Lesson: a drama where preference and OTT results exploded together

When discussing dramas from the first half of 2026, the first title to examine is Teach You a Lesson. It ranked No. 1 in Gallup Korea’s June survey with 10.7%. Considering that few dramas have exceeded 10% preference since 2013, that is a notably strong figure.

Its OTT performance was also large. According to a Media Today report, Teach You a Lesson recorded 48.2 million views within one month of release and was also mentioned around sixth place in Netflix’s first-half global viewing ranking. In other words, it captured both domestic preference and global OTT consumption.

Thinknote has also published an MBTI analysis of the characters in Teach You a Lesson. If this ranking article shows the drama’s overall popularity, the character article lets you continue into why Na Hwa-jin and Im Han-lim drew such strong reactions.

No. 2 The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century: a case where harsh criticism and high ratings coexisted

The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century is an interesting case. It received plenty of harsh comments online, but measured by indicators, it has to be included among the representative dramas of the first half. It ranked No. 1 in Gallup Korea’s May survey with 5.1%, and Sports Kyunghyang reported that episode 9 recorded 11.7% nationwide and 11.9% in the Seoul metropolitan area according to Nielsen Korea.

This drama shows that “a well-reviewed drama” and “a widely watched drama” are not always the same. In pop-culture rankings, artistic evaluation and viewing/preference indicators need to be read separately.

No. 3 Brilliant Days: the January standout that showed the power of weekend dramas

Brilliant Days ranked No. 1 in Gallup Korea’s January survey with 4.5%. Even if it did not create the explosive online reaction of an OTT hit, weekend dramas still have a strong fixed audience.

That is why a title like this can easily be left out if first-half popularity is viewed only through OTT buzz. Conversely, if you look only at TV ratings, the impact of new OTT releases can be underestimated. This is exactly why the criteria are separated in this article.

After the top four: June was competitive for TV dramas

In June, Teach You a Lesson took an overwhelming No. 1 spot, but TV dramas were not weak. In Gallup Korea’s June survey, Rookie Employee Chairman Kang ranked second with 3.4%, while We Prescribe Love and Brave New World were jointly third with 3.0%.

The titles in this range look less like a single long-running front-runner and more like weekend and Friday-Saturday dramas dividing their own audience groups. So if you choose “the best single title of the first half,” Teach You a Lesson leads. But if you include dramas people steadily watched on TV, the ranking becomes much more complicated.

What changes if we look only at OTT?

By OTT standards, Teach You a Lesson stands out the most. Immediately after its June release, it hit No. 1 in domestic preference and was strongly mentioned in reports on Netflix global viewing numbers. In April, Bloodhounds Season 2 entered Gallup Korea’s top 20, and in March, Lady Dua appeared in the top 10.

The important shift here is that the hit cycle for dramas has become shorter. In the past, success centered on accumulating ratings across the broadcast period. Now, buzz concentrates in the first one or two weeks after release, and the result appears immediately in preference surveys and global viewing numbers.

If we look only at TV ratings, The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century matters more

By TV ratings, The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century gains more weight. A nationwide rating in the 11% range is a notable figure for a 2026 first-half miniseries or Friday-Saturday drama. Its 2049 rating, a key indicator among younger viewers, was also reported at 5.1%.

However, TV ratings are strongly affected by time slot, channel, and whether the title is a weekend drama. So being No. 1 in TV ratings does not necessarily mean being No. 1 in OTT popularity or online buzz.

Frequently asked questions

What was the most popular drama in the first half of 2026?

When Gallup Korea preference and OTT performance are considered together, it is most natural to view Teach You a Lesson as No. 1. It ranked first in Gallup Korea’s June survey with 10.7% and was also strongly mentioned in reports on Netflix global viewing numbers.

Why is this ranking different from a TV-ratings ranking?

TV ratings mainly count people who actually watched during a TV broadcast time. Gallup Korea preference and OTT performance reflect a broader mix of platform, viewing time, and buzz. The same drama can therefore rank differently depending on the criterion.

Why is The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century ranked high despite mixed reviews?

Evaluation and popularity indicators are different. The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century drew criticism, but its No. 1 Gallup Korea preference result in May and reported nationwide ratings in the 11% range provide enough basis to place it near the top for the first half.

Does the No. 1 title change if we look only at OTT dramas?

If the focus is OTT, the lead of Teach You a Lesson becomes even clearer because it received strong responses in both domestic preference and global viewing numbers immediately after release.

Is this an official integrated ranking?

No. This is not an official integrated ranking. It is a comparison of publicly available data by criterion, centered on Gallup Korea preference peaks and supplemented with TV ratings and OTT performance.

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Most Popular K-Dramas in the First Half of 2026: Teach You a Lesson, The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century, and Brilliant Days