K-Drama Buzz Watch | Sept 22, 2026 | Top 10 K-Drama Buzz Rankings

Four Hands, Two Sonatas Extends Its Lead as The Scandal Surges

Four Hands, Two Sonatas held the No. 1 position in Good Data Corporation’s latest TV-OTT drama buzz rankings, updated on September 22, 2026. The music drama captured 21.52% of the week’s Buzz Share, while New Recruit 4: Sabotage remained at No. 2 with 14.59%.

The Scandal climbed six places to No. 4 with 11.35% after its September 18 premiere, finishing only 0.15 percentage points behind Made in Korea 2 at No. 3. Together, the top three dramas accounted for 47.61% of the week’s measured buzz.

Flex x Cop 2 re-entered the Top 10 at No. 7, while Between Steps made its first appearance at No. 10. A Bona Fide Killer and My Bias, My Boss dropped out after ranking Nos. 5 and 9 last week.

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 K-drama Buzz Rankings

Top 10 Buzzworthy K-drama Performers

Note: FUNdex measures online discussion rather than television ratings or streaming views. Dramas and performers may appear based on buzz generated by trailers, promotional events, casting news, interviews, and other online activity, including before a drama officially premieres. 🆕 New means new to this week’s Top 10 table, not necessarily a newly released K-drama or a performer making their debut. 🔁 RE means a drama previously appeared in the Top 10, dropped out, and has now re-entered the rankings.

What’s New This Week

Between Steps entered the drama ranking at No. 10 with 1.82% Buzz Share ahead of its October 5 premiere. Flex x Cop 2 re-entered at No. 7 with 4.92% after ranking No. 8 two weeks ago. Their arrival moved A Bona Fide Killer and My Bias, My Boss out of the Top 10.

The current performer table includes NANA at No. 9 for The Scandal and Yoo Seung-ho at No. 10 for Flex x Cop 2. Son Ye-jin and Ji Chang-wook also remain in the Top 10 for The Scandal, giving the drama three ranked performers this week.

Three Takeaways From This Week’s Rankings

1. Four Hands, Two Sonatas opens a wider lead

Four Hands, Two Sonatas remained No. 1 as its Buzz Share rose from 18.46% to 21.52%. Its lead over New Recruit 4: Sabotage widened from 0.71 to 6.93 percentage points, and the top two accounted for 36.11% of the week’s measured drama buzz.

2. The Scandal surges after its premiere

The Scandal climbed six places to No. 4 following its September 18 premiere. Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and NANA also rank Nos. 4, 6, and 9 among drama performers, showing that the drama-level rise coincided with attention around multiple cast members.

3. A new entry and a re-entry reshape the lower half

Flex x Cop 2 returned at No. 7, while Between Steps entered at No. 10 before its October 5 premiere. The changes displaced two prior Top 10 titles, and each adjacent position from Nos. 8 through 10 is separated by less than one percentage point.

Reading Between the Numbers

Four Hands, Two Sonatas continues to lead across both FUNdex tables. The drama ranks No. 1, while Lee Jun-young and Song Kang hold the top two performer positions with 10.89% and 9.18%.

The Scandal now ranks No. 4 and places three cast members in the performer Top 10. Son Ye-jin leads the group at No. 4, followed by Ji Chang-wook at No. 6 and NANA at No. 9. The performer rankings show that post-premiere attention extends across several members of the cast.

Made in Korea 2 holds No. 3 with Hyun Bin at No. 3 among performers. A Love Other Than Yours ranks No. 5 and places Seo Kang Jun and Ahn Eun-jin at Nos. 5 and 7, indicating that both dramas continue to draw attention at the title and performer levels.

New Recruit 4: Sabotage remains No. 2 without a performer in the current Top 10, while Flex x Cop 2 re-enters at No. 7 with Yoo Seung-ho at No. 10. The contrast shows that drama-level Buzz Share does not always move in parallel with individual performer rankings.

Global Streaming Snapshot

K-dramas claimed two spots in Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows for the week of September 14 to September 20, 2026.

The Scandal debuted at No. 7 worldwide with 1.9 million views, while Four Hands, Two Sonatas ranked No. 10 with 1.4 million views.

The Scandal and Four Hands, Two Sonatas appear on both lists. The Scandal ranks No. 4 on FUNdex and No. 7 on Netflix, while Four Hands, Two Sonatas leads FUNdex at No. 1 and ranks No. 10 on Netflix.

Compared with the previous Netflix week, The Scandal entered the global chart, Four Hands, Two Sonatas moved from No. 7 to No. 10, and Mousetrap dropped out of the Top 10 while remaining No. 9 on FUNdex.

New Recruit 4: Sabotage, Made in Korea 2, and A Love Other Than Yours hold three of the top five FUNdex positions but do not appear in this Netflix Top 10.

The two datasets should be read separately. FUNdex measures online conversation around Korean TV and OTT content, while Netflix reports worldwide viewing activity on its platform.

Beyond Netflix

A Love Other Than Yours ranked No. 7 among Prime Video’s most-watched Original series worldwide for the week of September 14 to September 20, 2026. It also rose to No. 2 among non-English Original series, up from No. 6 the previous week.

See You at Work Tomorrow! re-entered Prime Video’s non-English Original series ranking at No. 10 after one week outside the Top 10. It remained outside the combined overall Original Series Top 10.

A Love Other Than Yours appears on both sets of rankings. It ranks No. 5 on FUNdex with 9.53% Buzz Share and places Seo Kang Jun and Ahn Eun-jin at Nos. 5 and 7 among drama performers. These results are not directly comparable: FUNdex measures Korean online conversation, while Prime Video reports worldwide viewing activity on its service.

See You at Work Tomorrow! does not appear in the current FUNdex drama Top 10 despite its return to Prime Video’s non-English ranking, showing that international streaming performance and Korean online buzz can move differently.

Looking Ahead

The next FUNdex update will show whether Four Hands, Two Sonatas can maintain its 6.93-point lead over New Recruit 4: Sabotage, and whether Lee Jun-young and Song Kang remain the top two drama performers.

The Scandal is another title to watch after its six-place rise and the placement of three cast members in the performer Top 10. Its next result will provide a clearer view of how discussion develops after the premiere week.

Flex x Cop 2 returns to the ranking with Yoo Seung-ho in the performer Top 10, while Between Steps enters before its October 5 premiere. Their positions are worth watching alongside the closely grouped dramas at the bottom of the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is FUNdex?

FUNdex is a weekly entertainment buzz ranking published by Good Data Corporation in South Korea. It tracks online discussion around television and OTT content, including news coverage, blogs, social media, online communities, and video platforms.

What does Buzz Share mean?

Buzz Share represents a drama or performer’s percentage of the total tracked online conversation for that week. A higher percentage means that title or performer accounted for a larger share of the measured buzz.

Are FUNdex rankings the same as television ratings?

No. FUNdex measures online attention and conversation, not television viewership. A drama can generate strong buzz even if its TV ratings or streaming numbers tell a different story.

Why do Netflix and FUNdex rankings sometimes differ?

The two rankings measure different things. FUNdex reflects online buzz around Korean television and OTT content, while Netflix’s Global Top 10 reflects worldwide streaming activity on Netflix.

How often are the rankings updated?

FUNdex rankings are generally updated weekly. Netflix and Prime Video also publish weekly streaming rankings, while Viki rankings are typically reported monthly through promotional ranking articles.

Source: Good Data Corporation FUNdex TV + OTT + STAR Online
BuzzWorthiness Index. Netflix Tudum Top 10 Non-English Shows. Amazon Prime Video Top 10 Movies and Shows