CJ ENM’s K-Dramas Leave Global Fans in Awe Throughout the First Half of 2025

Leading entertainment company CJ ENM’s K-Dramas have been heavily praised by both local and global fans, marking the first half of 2025 with several “chart-shattering” achievements

Here are some of the must-watch CJ ENM K-Dramas that everyone should keep an eye on:

“The Queen Who Crowns”

• Premiere: Jan 06, 2025
• Genre: Period, Romance

Following the story of Queen Wongyeong (Cha Joo-young) of the Joseon Dynasty, a kingmaker who helped her partner, Bangwon (Lee Hyun-wook), ascend as the third king of Joseon to establish a new regime together, “The Queen Who Crowns” fascinated viewers with its eye-catching mise-en-scène and addictive narrative development.

Produced by Korea’s leading scripted TV studio, Studio Dragon, this period drama ranked 1st on the Thai OTT platform True Vision and in the TOP 20 on the Indonesian streamer Vidio’s weekly chart.

“Study Group”

• Premiere: Jan 23, 2025
• Episodes: 10 ep x 50 mins
• Genre: Drama

People rarely change, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can never change. Youn Ga-min, a boy who aspires to study well but was only born with a talent to fight, lands at the shockingly infamous Yusung Technical High School, also known as the world’s worst school. Forming a “study group,” Ga-min strives to get into college, showing his (real) bloody effort that no one ever anticipated.

Produced by Studio Dragon, this action-filled school-life drama starring rising actors with vibrant characters entered the top 5 in 147 countries on the global OTT platform Rakuten Viki, proving that K-Dramas, without a romantic comedy element, can also succeed globally.

“My Dearest Nemesis”

• Premiere: Feb 17, 2025
• Episodes: 12 ep x 60 mins
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

“My Dearest Nemesis,” produced by Studio Dragon, deals with the story of Ban Ju-yeon (Choi Hyun-wook) and Back Su-jeong (Mun Ka-young), who first meet via their online game characters during their school days, then meet again in real life as boss and employee 16 years later. 

Presenting the power of CJ ENM’s rom-com series, “My Dearest Nemesis” sparked the global K-Drama craze once again by topping 136 countries on the global OTT platform Rakuten Viki right after its 1st week of release, while ranking 1st and 2nd on the major Japanese streamer U-NEXT’s Korean & Asian Drama category and the main chart, respectively.

“Way Back Love”

• Premiere: Apr 03, 2025
• Episodes: 6 ep x 45 mins
• Genre: Fantasy, Romance

The Grim Reaper appears as the person you love the most before you die. “Way Back Love,” a fantasy-romance drama, talks about the story of a 24-year-old Hee-wan (Kim Minha), a social outcast who has no will to carry on, and Ram-woo, a Grim Reaper who tells Hee-wan that she will die in a week.

Conveying the meaning of life and the importance of reconnecting with what truly matters, “Way Back Love” ranked 2nd in FET’s drama category and 4th on U-NEXT’s TVOD chart (June).

“Resident Playbook”

• Premiere: Apr 12, 2025
• Episodes: 12 ep x 70 mins
• Genre: Drama

As a spinoff of CJ ENM’s mega-hit franchise drama, “Hospital Playlist,” the series follows first-year OB/GYN residents’ journeys to become skilled medical professionals. Filled with laughter and tears, their journey of becoming professionals strongly resonated with viewers, reminding everyone of their “newbie” years.

Produced by Egg is Coming, a production label under CJ ENM Studios, this heartwarming drama ranked in the Global TOP 10 Non-English shows on Netflix for seven consecutive weeks. The show also reached No. 1 in 6 countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and South Korea.

“Second Shot at Love”

• Premiere: May 12, 2025
• Episodes: 12 ep x 60 mins
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

“Second Shot at Love,” produced by Studio Dragon, revolves around the relationship between Han Geum-ju (Choi Soo-young) and Seo Ui-jun (Gong Myoung), the former high school best friends who perceive “drinking” differently. Geum-ju has been diagnosed with alcohol dependency and encounters Ui-jun, a doctor from a rural clinic, who despises drinking. Geum-ju eventually notices that something has changed within Ui-jun and tries to figure out what happened to him.

The comedic yet realistic love-and-hate relationship successfully evoked sympathy among global fans, propelling the title into the top 10 on Rakuten Viki in 139 regions.

“Our Unwritten Seoul”

• Premiere: May 24, 2025
• Episodes: 12 ep x 70 mins
• Genre: Romance

Can a life built on lies ever truly remain? Identical twins Yu Mi-ji and Yu Mi-rae—alike in appearance but opposite in personality and life paths—attempt to find real love and life by switching lives. In “Our Unwritten Seoul,” produced by Studio Dragon, Mi-ji and Mi-rae experience a twist of fate, finding themselves entangled in a web of deception filled with unfamiliar trials that push them toward both romance and self-discovery.

With an authentic and life-reflecting storyline, “Our Unwritten Seoul” ranked in the Global TOP 10 Non-English shows on Netflix for six consecutive weeks, while reaching 3rd place at its peak.

“Head over Heels”

• Premiere: Jun 23, 2025
• Episodes: 12 ep x 70 mins
• Genre: Fantasy, Romance

“Head over Heels,” produced by Studio Dragon, follows the story between Park Seong-A (Cho Yi-hyun), a high school student by day and a shamaness by night, and Bae Gyeon-U (Choo Young-woo), a handsome transfer student suffering from his unlucky fate. Realizing Gyeon-U’s death is imminent, Seong-A, who fell head over heels in love with Gyeon-U, vows to save his life.

This bubbly fantasy romance drama, filled with rising stars, entered the TOP 10 in 43 countries and topped in 10 countries on Prime Video, according to Flixpatrol.

“Law and The City”

• Premiere: Jul 05, 2025
• Episodes: 12 ep x 70 mins
• Genre: Drama, Romance

“Law and The City,” produced by CJ ENM Studios, is a delightful and passionate youth drama about five “associate” lawyers who commute daily to the law firm located in the Seocho-dong legal district. By struggling and growing through various cases both inside and outside the courtroom, Ju-hyeong (Lee Jong-suk), Hui-ji (Mun Ka-young), Chang-won (Kang You-seok), Mun-jeong (Ryu Hye-young), and Sang-gi (Lim Seong-jae) build up solid friendships by having meals together.

With a chill and relatable storyline, along with various realistic court cases, “Law and The City” scored a strong global streaming performance, cracking the top 5 on Rakuten Viki across 144 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, France, the U.A.E., and India. The show also ranked first and third on U-NEXT’s drama and main charts, making it the best-performing K-Drama on the platform in 2025.

After topping tvN Asia viewership across Southeast Asia, Lee Jong-suk and Mun Ka-young were welcomed by 20,000 Malaysian fans during the Kuala Lumpur Star Tour, held on August 10th, organized by CJ ENM HQ and CJ ENM Hong Kong, further proving the show’s popularity.

CJ ENM plans to deliver stronger K-Dramas during the latter half of this year and continue such global accomplishments.

“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” has already been receiving tremendous love and support from both local and global fans after its premiere on August 23rd.

While being named as the title with “the highest local viewership” among CJ ENM titles in 2025 (nationwide household average: 12.7% / peak: 14.5%), “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” has also become the first-ever Netflix non-original K-Drama to reach 1st place in the Netflix global TV show category, according to Flixpatrol. 

“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” ranked 2nd on Netflix’s official non-English global TV show chart with unprecedented viewing hours, leaving footprints in K-Drama history.

Meanwhile, as a global IP powerhouse, CJ ENM is gearing up to further captivate K-drama fans’ attention with TV series, such as “Shin’s Project” (Han Seuk-kyu, Bae Hyeon-seong, Lee Re) and “Nice to Not Meet You” (Lee Jung-jae, Lim Ji-yeon).