Favorite of the Year, Top 10 Best Dramas in 2021 According to Millions of Fan Votes - Hometown Cha Cha Cha is Included!

Kapanlagi.com - Every month, a polling site called KingChoice conducts different polls on various topics in Korean entertainment. From the most popular K-Pop idols to the best songs or the most handsome actors, and so on.

For December, they held a month-long poll for fans to choose their favorite K-Drama of 2021. Some of the top dramas were released this year, but there are also others that are still popular among fans to this day.

With a total of over 4.3 million votes, here are the top 10 choices for the best drama of the year according to KingChoice's poll:

1. Hometown Cha Cha Cha

As suspected, fans voted Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha as the best K-drama of 2021. The series aired from August 28 to October 17 this year, and starred Shin Min Ah, Kim Seon Ho, and Lee Sang Yi. This drama quickly became one of the highest-rated series in cable television history, and ranked first for eight consecutive weeks. The final episode recorded a national rating of 12.665%.

2. Mr. Queen

Mr. Queen aired from December 12, 2020 to February 14, 2021 on tvN, and starred Shin Hye Sun and Kim Jung Hyun. It is the seventh highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history, and the fifth highest-rated on tvN. 

This series tells the story of a male chef who ends up in the body of Queen Cheorin from the Joseon period, and the king's wife who ruled at that time, King Cheoljong. Although the king appears gentle and relaxed, the queen discovers that he is not as he seems.

3. The King: Eternal Monarch

The King: Eternal Monarch premiered on Netflix on April 17, 2020, and stars Lee Min Ho, Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan, Kim Kyung Nam, Jung Eun Chae, and Lee Jung Jin. With so many big names involved, this series was highly anticipated and ranked number one on various drama lists in terms of viewership and ratings.

This series is about a Korean Empire emperor who discovers an alternate reality Republic of Korea through a magical door opened by his uncle, who killed the previous king and has been committing atrocities that need to be stopped.

4. Flower Of Evil

Flower of Evil aired from July 29 to September 23, 2020, and stars Lee Joon Gi, Moon Chae Won, Jang Hee Jin, and Seo Hyun Woo. This drama was nominated for a dozen different awards and won three of them, with two awards specifically given to Lee Joon Gi.

This series tells the story of a perfect marriage between a man and his detective wife. But when he investigates a series of inexplicable murders, he realizes that his husband may be hiding something from him about his past.

5. Crash Landing On You

Crash Landing On You is one of the old series in this list, aired from December 14, 2019 to February 16, 2020, and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye Jin, Kim Jung Hyun, and Seo Ji Hye. This drama is still the highest-rated drama on tvN and the third highest-rated drama in Korean television history.

This show follows the story of a successful South Korean businesswoman and a chaebol heir who crash-lands in the DMZ area of North Korea after getting caught in a storm while paragliding. She eventually meets a captain in the Korean People's Army who decides to help her hide, and over time, they fall in love despite the differences between their respective countries. This is the story that manages to endure and impress fans.

6. Squid Game

Of course, this list would not be complete without Squid Game. This series premiered on Netflix on September 17th of this year, after 10 years of not being able to find a production company to fund the idea. Now, this drama has become a hype worldwide.

The drama stars main and supporting cast including Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo, Wi Ha Joon, Jung Ho Yeon, O Yeong Su, Heo Sung Tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo Ryoung. 

With a theme about class differences in South Korea, Squid Game showcases the story of a man who participates in a series of deadly games along with 455 others who desperately compete in a debt competition to win 45.6 billion.

7. Zombie Detective

Zombie Detective aired from September 21st to October 27th, 2020, and stars Choi Jin Hyuk and Park Ju Hyun. This series won an award at the 18th KBS Entertainment Awards and also featured A.C.E members in an episode as zombie dancers.

The series follows the story of a man who wakes up one day as a zombie with no memory of his past. He teams up with a former investigative journalist to uncover the mystery behind the existence of zombies.

8. When The Weather Is Fine

When the Weather Is Fine aired from February 24 to April 21, 2020, and starred Seo Kang Joon and Park Min Young. Although it did not receive high viewer ratings, it was still a hit among fans as it ranked #8 on this list.

This drama is quite impressive as it tells the story of a young cello player who quits his job in Seoul and moves to a small village where he lives with his aunt from high school. He reunites with his former classmate who now runs a bookstore. The couple then falls in love as they are bound together through a very cold and harsh winter season.

9. Vincenzo

Vincenzo aired on tvN from February 20 to May 2 this year, and starred Song Joong Ki, Jeon Yeo Been, Ok Taec Yeon, Kim Yeo Jin, and Kwak Dong Yeon. This drama achieved the fourth highest rating for a tvN drama, the ninth highest rating in the history of Korean cable TV at the time of its airing, and the sixth highest rating specifically on tvN. 

This drama tells the story of a mafia named Park Joo Young as he joins the Italian mafia and later has to escape. After returning to Seoul, and with the help of quirky tenants at Geumga Plaza, he must use his skills to reclaim the wealth he left behind in the underground plaza, which has been illegally taken over by a real estate company. Song Joong Ki's cool action scenes made fans remember this story as they voted for him in polls.

10. Hospital Playlist

At the end of the list, at number 10, there is the drama HOSPITAL PLAYLIST. Season 1 and season 2 have been successfully completed until mid-September. This K-Drama is starring Jo Jung Suk, Yoo Yeon Seok, Jung Kyung Ho, Kim Dae Myung, and Jeon Mi Do, and the first episode of the second season broke the record for the highest premiere ratings in tvN history.

This show tells the story of five main characters who are doctors in their 40s who have been friends since they attended medical school, and it revolves around a group of friends as they embark on a hospital adventure involving medicine, music, and romantic relationships.

Writer: Ardha Ulya Ma'rifah

(kpl/mag)