When Life Gives You Tangerines beats out two other K-dramas
To no surprise to me, someone who believes When Life Gives You Tangerines is one of the best K-dramas to come out of S. Korea in a decade, the latest Netflix Top 10 Non-English TV Shows list is out and the drama is in the #1 spot
Yep, When Life Gives You Tangerines is currently at #1 on the Netflix Top 10 Non-English TV Shows chart, after climbing into the top spot from last week’s #3.
The Korean slice-of-life drama grabbed the #1 placing due to being viewed 5.4 million times, for a total of 89.7 million hours during the period of March 31st to April 6th, 2025.
The K-drama also beat out Spanish drama The Lady’s Companion, which earned the #2 spot, Caught at #3, and two other Korean dramas — Weak Hero: Class 1 at #4, and the recently-released thriller Karma at #5.
When Life Gives You Tangerines‘ #1 spot also means it is now in its 5th week on the chart, as well as being the #1 Netflix show in five countries this past week — Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam — and in the Top 10 in 40 countries.
The plot of When Life Gives You Tangerines
The Netflix exclusive K-drama is one that spans four seasons — spring, summer, fall, and winter. Its plot is set between 1950s Jeju Island and 2000s Seoul.
The story centers on Oh Ae Sun (played by IU as the younger version and Moon So Ri as middle-aged version), an aspiring poet who rebels against societal norms, and Yang Gwan Sik (played by Park Bo Gum as the younger version and Park Hae Joon as his older self), her steadfast admirer.
Together, they navigate life’s challenges and triumphs, ensuring their children’s freedom to live on their own terms.
Along with four other superb K-dramas — Lovely Runner, The Tale of Lady Ok, Doubt and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call — When Life Gives You Tangerines has also been nominated in the Best Drama category at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards.
Watch all 16 episodes of When Life Gives You Tangerines on Netflix now, and you will see quickly why the Netflix drama is one of the most-talked about of the year.
Freelance writer of all things K-drama, K-pop and manwha, with manga thrown in. New reader of manhwa, but motoring through them at a crazy rate. Probably should have been born Korean.