Highest-Rated K-Drama Currently Airing: Big Mouth, Little Women, It's Beautiful Now

If you're looking for a good K-drama to watch, catch these two series currently airing on Korean television. Big Mouth, Little Women, and It's Beautiful Now. These three dramas are dominating the viewership battle on Korean television now.

Big Mouth

If you're into suspense and crime series, prepare for some thrill with Big Mouth! This Lee Jong-Suk-starrer soared to new heights as it achieved the highest ratings of its run to date. 

This dark drama remained first place in its time slot with an average nationwide rating of 12.0 percent. It is also the most-watched show of the entire night among viewers ages 20 to 49, with whom it scored an average rating of 4.5 percent.

Lee Jong Suk and Im Yoon-Ah in Big Mouth

Plot Summary:

Park Chang-Ho (played by Lee Jong-Suk) works as an underrated lawyer with just a ten percent success rate in all the cases he handled. 

He is known by the moniker "Big Mouth" by his legal acquaintances due to his tendency to speak before acting. He is also prone to making big promises and accomplish nothing.

However, his life has a major turn and becomes in danger when he is framed up as the genius swindler known as "Big Mouse", and he is sent to prison. 

In order to survive and protect his family, Park Chang-Ho digs into a huge conspiracy among the privileged upper classes.

Meanwhile, Go Mi-Ho (Im Yoon-Ah) is Park Chang-Ho’s wife and she works as a nurse. She has a beautiful appearance and a personality that is both wise and brave. 

She helped her husband become a lawyer by supporting him financially and psychologically. Go Mi-Ho learns that Park Chang-Ho is suspected to be the genius swindler Big Mouse and attempts to clear her husband's name.

Im Yoon-Ah and Lee Jong-Suk

Kim Joo-hun plays Choi Do-ha, the ambitious mayor of Gucheon, whose goal in life is to become the most dignified president.

It runs 16 episodes and premiered on July 29, 2022. It is currently airing on MBC Network in South Korea, every Friday and Saturday at 9:50PM (KST). It will end on September 17, 2022, so catch it now!

Little Women

Little Women had its pilot episode on September 3, Saturday on tvN, and enjoyed a significant increase in viewership for its succeeding episodes. The viewer's rating data was released by Nielsen Korea. 

Its broadcast episode on September 5 scored an average nationwide rating of 7.7 percent, taking first place in its time slot across all cable channels.

promotional poster of "Little Women"

This is a spin-off of the popular 19th-century novel of the same title written by Louisa May Alcott, about four sisters whose father served as a chaplain during the American Civil War. There was a Hollywood movie based on this book released in 2019 starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothee Chalamet, and Meryl Streep.

The K-drama version is set in modern times and depicts a story of three sisters with a close bond. They grew up in poverty and later get involved in a major incident when billions of money went missing. 

They become embroiled in a new world of money and power and face off against the wealthiest family in the nation.

The three sisters: 

Kim Go Eun portrays Oh In-joo, the eldest sister. She grew up in a terribly poor environment. Having experienced nothing in life, she realized that money is the most important thing to protect herself and her family. However, she gets entangled in a case that would change her life.

Nam Ji-Hyun portrays Oh In-Kyung, the middle sister. Although she grew up poor, money is not an important factor in her life. 

She works as a reporter at a news station. And believes in doing the right things. A major turning point in her life begins when she start digging a mysterious case she encountered when she became a reporter.

Park Ji-Hu portrays Oh In-Hye, the youngest of the three sisters. She is a student at a prestigious arts high school and she has a natural talent for painting. She often feels her two older sisters’ love for her is too much.

Another major character in the drama: Wi Ha-Joon portrays Choi Do-il, a graduate from a prestigious university who becomes a consultant. Actor Song Joong-ki has a guest role in episode 2 as a shoe salesman.

Kim Go Eun, Nam Ji Hyun and Park Ji Hu

Little Women has 12 episodes and airs every Saturday and Sunday, 9PM on tvN. It is also available for streaming on Netflix. 

Trivia:

What's the meaning of "Little Women"? (the original source novel of Louisa May Alcott) According to literary critic, Sarah Elbert, Alcott probably implied the period in a young woman's life where childhood and elder childhood are "overlapping" with young womanhood. 

Other critics suggested that the title was perhaps meant to highlight the unfair social inferiority of women in the 19th century. And alternatively, described the lives of simple people in the social sense.

It's Beautiful Now

Another K-drama that soared to a new all-time high viewership rating is "It's Beautiful Now", airing on KBS 2 TV. 

It scored a nationwide average rating of 28.9 percent on a weekend drama slot, making it one of the highest-rated K-dramas currently airing on television.  

Cast members of It's Beautiful Now!

It depicts a story of the social pressure of getting married, this time, it involves the three sons in the family, who are uninterested to settle down or dating women.

It tells the story of three brothers who expressed no interest in dating or getting married. Lee Yoon-Jae (played by Oh Min-Suk), Lee Hyun-Jae (played by Yoon Si-Yoon), and Lee Soo-Jae (played by Seo Bum-June). 

Plot Summary:

Lee Hyun-Jae is a smart lawyer and specializes in divorce cases. His work keeps him busy all the time. One day, he meets a new client Hyun Mi-Rae (played by Bae Da-Bin), who works as a VIP personal shopper and is filing an annulment from her husband.

Lee Yoon-Jae works as a dentist. He owns a dental clinic and has a good reputation among his patients. One of his patients is Sim Hae-Joon (Shin Dong-Mi) who works at the same law firm as Lee Yoon-Jae's younger brother, Lee Hyun-Jae. 

The youngest brother is Lee Soo-Jae. He is studying for his exam to become a public officer. He also works part-time to pay his bills. While doing his part-time job, he meets Na Yoo-Na (Choi Ye-Bin) who dreams to become a patissier or a bakery owner. 

Their grandfather Lee Kyung-Cheol (played by Park In-Hwan) and their parents Lee Min-Ho (Park Sang-Won) and Han Kyung-Ae (Kim Hye-Ok), are all concerned about the brothers' indifference towards marriage. 

So they decided to make an offer to the brothers that whoever gets married first will receive an apartment. And so, the brothers scrambled to find a woman they could marry (sounds like the story of the sons of King George III of Britain lol!).

This is one of the longest-running K-dramas so far. It has 50 episodes! It premiered on KBS2 on April 2, 2022, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 7:55PM (Korean Standard Time), and is expected to wrap up this coming September 18.