Queen of Tears
Queen of Tears
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Queen of Tears

"The wedding of the century or the war of the century?"

8.4
Yr 2024
Status Ended
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

The queen of department stores and the prince of supermarkets weather a marital crisis—until love miraculously begins to bloom again.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 75 /100

Queen of Tears is generally well-regarded as a high-production romantic melodrama that excels through the lead performances of Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won. Critics praise the series for its emotional impact and effective cinematography, with many identifying it as a standout entry in the 2024 K-drama landscape. It is described as a successful homage to genre tropes that manages to remain largely engaging and entertaining for its audience.

Despite the praise, critical reception is tempered by concerns regarding its narrative structure. Some reviewers feel the show relies on formulaic, early-2010s clichés and can occasionally become unwieldy, causing the pacing or emotional resonance to falter in the latter half. While most viewers find it a compelling emotional rollercoaster, a vocal segment of the audience felt the conclusion's tone and the reliance on trope-heavy plotting ultimately detracted from the final experience.

“Sometimes unwieldy but always entertaining, Queen of Tears is already leading the pack for best drama of the year.”

“Show is a loving homage to many of the things that we love about kdramas, yet manages to not feel like a rehash of tired clichés and tropes.”

“The plot is very early 2010s formulaic and I believe this drama's weakness was its production in 2024, as well as the overdone cliches.”

“Queen of Tears is true to its name, as you'll likely shed plenty of tears because of the emotional rollercoaster each episode takes you on.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Netflix
UK • US • CA
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US • UK • CA
Why fans love it

Queen of Tears plays with the trappings of a typical chaebol drama by injecting sudden, heavy doses of dark comedy into a story about a fading marriage. The tension between a wealthy family dynamic and the mundane struggles of a couple facing illness keeps the series grounded in human friction rather than just spectacle. It balances the extremes of high-status life with the raw vulnerability of a second chance romance.

Kim Soo-hyun anchors the show by navigating the shift from cold detachment to genuine affection as the couple recalibrates their priorities. This blend of slice of life realism and heightened melodrama makes the stakes feel personal even when the setting implies otherwise. By focusing on how a relationship decomposes and potentially heals under pressure, the narrative prioritizes internal growth over the glamor of an elite lifestyle.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 26
Longest run 16 eps
Show 67 more
Kim Joo-ryoung as Grace Ko 16 episodes Yoon Bo-mi as Secretary Na 16 episodes Lee Mi-sook as Moh Seul-hee 16 episodes Jung Jin-young as Hong Beom-joon 16 episodes Lee Su-ji as Bang-sil 16 episodes Moon Tae-yu as Kim Yang-gi 16 episodes Kim Young-min as Yeong-song 16 episodes Jeon Bae-soo as Baek Du-gwan 16 episodes Jang Yoon-ju as Baek Mi-seon 16 episodes Hwang Young-hee as Jeon Bong-ae 16 episodes Kim Dong-ha as Baek Ho-yeol 16 episodes Jeong Ji-hwan as Hyun-woo's secretary 16 episodes Park Jung-pyo as Choon-sik 16 episodes Gu Si-woo as Hong Geon-woo 16 episodes Lee Ji-hye as Hyun-jeong 16 episodes Park Seong-yeon as Kang-mi 16 episodes Kim Do-hyun as Baek Hyeon-tae 16 episodes Sarah Maria Sander as Tania 16 episodes Oh Jung-se as Psychiatrist 1 episode Song Joong-ki as Vincenzo Cassano 1 episode Sebastian Roché as Dr. Liam Braun 2 episodes Park Yoon-hee as Hong Beom-seok 2 episodes Lee Tae-young as Choi Cheol-seung 2 episodes Kim Gyeong-min as Director Jo 2 episodes Kim Han-su as Lawyer 2 episodes Park Jun-seong as Lawyer 1 episode Chae Song-hwa as Reporter 1 episode Kim Jang-hwan as Reporter 1 episode Kim Do-shin as HQ director 1 episode Ma Jeong-pil as HQ director 1 episode Park Do-wook as Cousin-in-law 1 episode Jo Deok-hee as Cousin-in-law 1 episode Go Gyeong-man as Yongdu-ri man 1 episode Kim Mi-ran as Grace's client 1 episode Ko Kyu-pil as Private investigator 3 episodes Im Cheol-soo as Private investigator 3 episodes Kim Ryeo-eun as Secretary Kim 1 episode Kaare Svejgaard Olsen as Mr. Hermann 2 episodes Seo Ye-hwa as Ye-na 1 episode Seo Sang-won as Park Jin-guk 1 episode Kang Jeong-im as Maid 1 episode Kim Seong-yong as Executive 1 episode Lee Dong-soo as Beom-ja's ex-husband 1 episode Oh Man-seok as Woodsman 2 episodes Lee Joo-won as Yoon Eun-sung (young) 1 episode Seol Yu-jin as Teacher 1 episode Lee Joong-hyun as Police officer 1 episode Kang Hak-soo as Brewery owner 2 episodes Kim Do-jin as Jae-hyeon 1 episode Kimkwak Kyung-hee as Woodsman's wife 1 episode Moon Hyeon-jeong as Jae-hyeon's mother 1 episode Kim So-yang as Information desk staff 1 episode Shim Hye-rim as Saleswoman (Eps 3, 4) 2 episodes Lee Ki-bbeum as Saleswoman 2 episodes Lee Jeong-ju as Vegetable juice salesman 2 episodes Kim Young-mi as Dr. Kim 1 episode Hwang Ji-ah as Hong Hae-in (teen) 1 episode Moon Seong-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo (teen) 1 episode Nam Dong-ha as Director 2 episodes Jang Dae-woong as Director 2 episodes Hong Sang-pyo as Conan Park 2 episodes Kim Jae-man as Data recovery technician 2 episodes Park Sun-young as Saleswoman 2 episodes Son Dong-hwa as Law dept. staff 2 episodes Kwak Jin-seok as Pyeon Seong-uk 2 episodes Kim Shin-rock as Hyeon-suk 2 episodes Kim Bum-suk as Detective 2 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Writer
Martial Arts Choreographer
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Queen of Tears overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

romance slice of life rich illness married life married man rich family loving chaebol second chance romance dark comedy
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
March 09, 2024
Status
Ended
Origin
KR
TMDB Votes
506