July has brought a lot of new shows and movies to streaming services, and K-dramas are especially popular on Netflix. Following the positive reception of the fantasy series The East Palace, Netflix quickly released Spooky in Love, starring Park Eun-bin, which has already become a hit. Its strong ratings in South Korea, where it first aired, suggest it will continue to be popular for weeks to come. Spooky in Love is a horror-comedy romance, similar in style to the popular show Hotel Del Luna.
According to Nielsen’s ratings data from July 18th and 19th—the dates episodes 1 and 2 of Spooky in Love first aired before becoming available on Netflix—the series quickly became the most-watched program in both Seoul and across all of South Korea. This success isn’t surprising, considering the popularity of lead actress Park Eun-bin, who has starred in hit K-dramas like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Castaway Diva, and, most recently for Netflix viewers, The WONDERFools. Whatever the reason, Spooky in Love is off to a strong start, and with five more weeks of double-episode releases planned, it’s expected to continue leading in viewership on both television and streaming.
Netflix’s Latest Licensed Horror Rom-Com K-Drama Is A Ratings Powerhouse
The K-drama Spooky in Love got off to a great start, attracting 729,000 viewers for its first episode and climbing to 1.343 million in Korea for episode two. It finished the weekend as the most-watched show in South Korea. While it didn’t debut as strongly as Agent Kim Reactivated did last month, it’s a clear success for tvN, especially considering the many new K-dramas that premiered in July.
I’m so excited about Spooky in Love! Even though it only premiered late in the week (July 13th-19th), it still landed at number 8 on Netflix’s global charts for non-English shows! That’s incredible, especially considering it only had two episodes out and racked up 1.7 million views and 3.5 million hours watched. It was so close to beating Teach You a Lesson from June! I’m expecting those numbers to jump even higher next week when the next two episodes drop on July 25th and 26th. Plus, we’ll have a full week of data, instead of just a couple of days, so it’s going to be huge!
Netflix is continuing to see success with its K-dramas, both licensed and original. Their newest exclusive series, The East Palace, is currently number two in the charts, though it’s still behind Agent Kim Reactivated. However, K-dramas make up five of the top ten series on Netflix’s non-English chart this week. These shows cover a wide range of genres, from action-packed thrillers and dark fantasy to comedies and horror rom-coms, proving the format has a lot to offer. Popular shows like Spooky in Love are also driving this success thanks to their talented casts.
Park Eun-bin’s Latest K-Drama Has Her Playing A Haunted Chaebol Heiress
I’ve always been captivated by Park Eun-bin – she’s just incredibly gifted and can play such a diverse array of characters with so much feeling! So I was really intrigued to see her take on the role of Cheon Yeo-ri. At first glance, she seems like your typical K-drama CEO; rich, powerful, a little cold. But Park Eun-bin always brings something unique, and this character is no exception. The story begins with Yeo-ri already burdened by a pretty amazing secret: she can see ghosts! They stick around until she helps them find peace, but there’s a catch – if anyone touches her, they start seeing the ghosts too. It’s such a fascinating premise!
The first episode of Spooky in Love immediately establishes the serious repercussions for anyone who thinks they can cope with Yeo-ri’s supernatural life, as the spirits around her can be incredibly unforgiving. We see Yeo-ri left at the altar when her fiancé, overwhelmed with fear, calls off their wedding. As a result, Yeo-ri lives a secluded life, avoiding contact with others—even children—and always wearing gloves in public. She only ventures out to help the ghosts she meets, which is how she encounters Ma Kang-wook, a prosecutor from Seoul, played by Yang Se-jong (known from Temperature of Love).
The way these two characters first meet is uniquely strange – twice, on separate nights, both times at different crime scenes! They quickly fall into a natural working rhythm with playful chemistry, and Yeo-ri’s funny attempts to avoid Kang-wook (to protect them both) are constantly thwarted by destiny. “Spooky in Love” shares similarities with other popular shows like “Phantom Lawyer” and “Hotel Del Luna,” exploring difficult cases involving wrongful deaths while also hinting at the characters’ own desires for a better life.
It remains to be seen if the current popularity of Spooky in Love will last, but it’s likely to climb the charts on both South Korean platforms and Netflix this weekend and in the weeks to come. The show is enjoyable, each episode feels quick, and Park Eun-bin is fantastic as always. However, the month still has potential for other big hits. Netflix has already released two strong titles, but Disney+ is following suit with season 2 of A Shop for Killers, and Rakuten Viki is launching a new, lengthy series, a dark comedy, and an action-comedy. Summer is just getting started!
2026-07-22 05:29