From ‘Reply 1988’ to ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’: How Netflix dramas capture Korea’s heart

A scene from Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines" / Courtesy of Netflix

It was November 2015 when a television drama swept the nation with a wave of nostalgia and warmth. That drama was “Reply 1988,” aired on cable channel tvN. Set in the working-class neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong in late-1980s Seoul, the show portrayed family love, innocent youth romance, and deep bonds between neighbors. For older generations, it sparked a flood of memories; for younger viewers, it was a refreshing glimpse into a bygone era.

The success of “Reply 1988” catapulted its stars, including Hyeri, Park Bo-gum, Ryu Jun-yeol, and Ahn Jae-hong, into the spotlight. A decade later, they continue to play leading roles in Korean films and dramas. tvN, once an underdog in a terrestrial-dominated broadcast landscape, became so influential that people began referring to Korea’s “big four” networks — adding tvN alongside KBS, MBC and SBS. These shifts were made possible because “Reply 1988” wasn’t just popular — it was a cultural phenomenon, widely hailed as a “national drama.”

Now, 10 years later, another drama is captivating audiences — Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” Set between the 1960s and 1990s, the series traces the life of a Jeju Island woman, Oh Ae-soon, while revisiting key aspects of Korea’s social history. The show resonates deeply by shedding light on the untold sacrifices of mothers and the quiet rebellions of daughters seeking change. On social media, viewers are calling it a “masterpiece” and even “drama of the year.”

Unlike global Netflix hits like “Squid Game” and “The Glory,” both driven by thriller tropes that attracted international audiences, “When Life Gives You Tangerines” is a period drama rooted in Korean experiences and storytelling. It is crafted more for the “nation” than for the “world.”

According to Good Data Corporation’s analysis for the week of March 3 to 9, 25.8 percent of viewers were in their 40s and 14.8 percent were over 50. This suggests that older generations — traditionally more aligned with terrestrial and cable TV — are now gathering around Netflix. At this rate, “When Life Gives You Tangerines” may earn the rare and prestigious title of a “national drama,” once reserved mainly for legacy broadcasters.

Industry sources say Netflix invested around 60 billion won (approximately $45 million) into the production. With 16 episodes, that translates to more than 3.7 billion won per episode. Outside of Netflix, few platforms in Korea could afford to spend such a sum on a historical drama. Since launching in Korea in 2016, Netflix has marked several milestones — and “When Life Gives You Tangerines” could be its next defining moment. Once regarded as a distant “global OTT,” Netflix may already be Korea’s new “national broadcaster.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.