K-Drama Buzz Watch | July 28, 2026 | Top 10 K-Drama Buzz Rankings

The East Palace holds the No. 1 in This Week’s K-Drama Buzz Rankings

The East Palace held onto the No. 1 position in Good Data Corporation’s latest TV-OTT drama buzz rankings, updated on July 28, 2026, but its lead narrowed considerably as Agent Kim Reactivated remained close behind.

The biggest story of the week was A Shop for Killers Season 2, which surged six places to No. 3 following its Disney+ premiere. Meanwhile, the newly released Love on the Menu entered the rankings at No. 10.

Unlike television ratings, the FUNdex rankings measure online conversation across news articles, blogs, social media, online communities, and video platforms, providing a snapshot of which dramas audiences are talking about most.

This Week’s TV-OTT Drama Buzz Rankings

Note: Because FUNdex measures online discussion rather than television ratings or streaming views, highly anticipated dramas may appear in the rankings before their official premiere if they are generating significant buzz through trailers, promotional events, or casting news. 🆕 New means new to this week’s Top 10 table, not necessarily a newly released K-drama.

What's New This Week

The race for No. 1 tightened dramatically this week. The East Palace remained on top with a 21.12% Buzz Share, but Agent Kim Reactivated closed the gap to just 0.12 percentage points.

A Shop for Killers Season 2 delivered the week’s biggest move, surging six places to No. 3 following its premiere. New drama Love on the Menu also entered the Top 10 at No. 10.

Beyond the FUNdex rankings, The East Palace and Agent Kim Reactivated ranked No. 2 and No. 3 on Netflix’s Global Non-English TV chart, while See You at Work Tomorrow! remained one of Prime Video’s strongest non-English original series. Viki also released its five most-loved Korean shows for July.

Three Takeaways From This Week’s Rankings

🚀 The race for No. 1 could not be much closer

The East Palace remained at No. 1 with a 21.12% buzz share, but Agent Kim Reactivated was only 0.12 percentage points behind at 21.00%.

Together, the two dramas accounted for more than 42% of the total drama buzz measured this week.

However, The East Palace experienced a noticeable decline from last week’s 26.29%, while Agent Kim Reactivated remained comparatively steady, slipping only slightly from 21.88%.

📈 A Shop for Killers Season 2 makes the week’s biggest move

A Shop for Killers Season 2 climbed six positions from No. 9 to No. 3, with its buzz share jumping from 2.86% to 12.45%.

That represents an increase of 9.59 percentage points in a single week and makes it the clear breakout story of the latest rankings.

Its arrival in the top three also pushed several dramas lower, even when their individual buzz shares remained relatively stable.

🔄 Love on the Menu enters the Top 10

The new KBS2 drama Love on the Menu debuted at No. 10 with a 2.70% buzz share.

Its arrival knocked The Prosecutor’s Proposal out of the Top 10 after that drama entered last week’s rankings at No. 10.

Reading Between the Numbers

The gap between the top two dramas has nearly disappeared.

The East Palace continues to generate the largest share of online discussion, but Agent Kim Reactivated is now essentially tied with it. With only 0.12 percentage points separating them, next week’s No. 1 position could easily go either way.

The rapid rise of A Shop for Killers Season 2 is equally notable. Its six-place jump demonstrates how quickly a high-profile streaming premiere can reshape the rankings, particularly when an established drama returns with a new season.

While Spooky in Love moved down one position, its buzz share actually increased from 8.38% to 8.94%. Its decline in rank was therefore driven by the dramatic rise of A Shop for Killers Season 2, rather than a loss of audience attention.

Several other established dramas experienced more meaningful declines. Teach You a Lesson, The Apartment Job, and Dream to You all lost both ranking positions and buzz share this week.

Global Streaming Snapshot

K-dramas claimed five spots in Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows for the week of July 20 to July 26, 2026.

The East Palace led the K-drama entries at No. 2 with 8.1 million views, followed closely by Agent Kim Reactivated at No. 3 with 7.3 million views. Spooky in Love ranked No. 5 with 4.2 million views, while Teach You a Lesson landed at No. 7 with 2.3 million views. The Apartment Job rounded out the K-drama titles at No. 8 with 2 million views.

The strongest overlap between domestic buzz and global streaming interest came from The East Palace and Agent Kim Reactivated, which also occupied the top two positions in this week’s FUNdex rankings. Spooky in Love, Teach You a Lesson, and The Apartment Job also appeared on both lists, showing that all five dramas are generating attention in Korea while reaching international Netflix audiences.

Image Source: Netflix

Beyond Netflix

Netflix is not the only platform showing strong international interest in Korean dramas. Prime Video also publishes weekly rankings of the Original series its members watched, along with a separate chart for non-English Prime Original series.

For the week of July 20–26, See You at Work Tomorrow! ranked No. 5 among all Prime Video Original series and No. 2 among the platform’s non-English Original series.

Its performance remains especially interesting alongside this week’s FUNdex rankings. Although the drama held steady at No. 5 in Korean buzz, it continued to attract a strong international audience on Prime Video.

Unlike Netflix, Prime Video does not publish view totals, so its rankings cannot be compared directly with Netflix’s audience figures.

Viki has also released its five most-loved Korean shows for July. The list, presented in no particular order, includes:

• Dream to You
• Guardian: The Lonely and Great God 10th Anniversary
• Reborn Rookie
• Family Register
• Heart Signal 5

The mix includes three scripted dramas, a dating reality series, and a special celebrating the tenth anniversary of Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, also known as Goblin.

Looking Ahead

The race for No. 1 remains the biggest story to watch. The East Palace still leads the FUNdex rankings, but Agent Kim Reactivated is only 0.12 percentage points behind. Both dramas are also performing strongly on Netflix globally, so next week will show whether international viewing momentum begins to influence the domestic buzz race.

A Shop for Killers Season 2 is another title to watch after its six-place jump to No. 3. Its return made an immediate impact, but the next ranking will reveal whether that surge continues or begins to settle after its premiere week.

See You at Work Tomorrow! also remains especially interesting. It held steady at No. 5 in Korean buzz while ranking among Prime Video’s most-watched original series worldwide and No. 2 among its non-English originals. Its performance continues to show that domestic buzz and global streaming interest do not always move together.

Meanwhile, Dream to You appears in both the FUNdex Top 10 and Viki’s July viewer favorites, giving it visibility across domestic discussion and international fandom. We will also be watching whether newcomer Love on the Menu can build on its No. 10 debut and remain in the rankings next week.

Keep Watching, Keep Feeling

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Source: Good Data Corporation FUNdex TV + OTT + STAR Online BuzzWorthiness Index (updated July 21, 2026). Netflix Tundum Top 10 Non-English Shows. Amazon News. Soompi.