Queen of Tears is the show people start because of its numbers — its finale drew tvN’s highest rating ever — and then keep watching, or abandon, because of its temperament. It is melodrama at full volume, episode after episode averaging 86 minutes in the measured first ten, and whether that’s the appeal or the problem is genuinely a matter of taste rather than quality. Our coverage is built around helping you figure out which camp you’re in before you’re eight hours deep.
Two details in these guides tend to surprise people. First, the episodes are long even by K-drama standards — among the longest per episode in our ratings table — so the sixteen-episode count understates the commitment. Second, the series didn’t entirely end when it ended: two special episodes aired in Korea only, and depending on your country you may have no legal way to see them. Both of those facts change how people plan the watch, which is why they’re covered before the spoilery territory.
Start here
- Is it worth watching? — the case for and against sixteen episodes of full-volume melodrama
- Where to watch — Netflix in the West, TVING in Korea — and what that split means for the specials (now one row in our single where-to-watch table)
Details and extras
- Episode guide — 16 episodes plus the two Korea-only specials, with runtimes read off Netflix for the first ten
- The cast — Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won, and the writer connection to Crash Landing on You
It shares a writer with Crash Landing on You, which is why the two keep getting compared — both sit in our K-drama ratings table, and the comparison says as much about how tastes shifted between 2019 and 2024 as it does about either show.
Hub updated August 13, 2026 · Part of our series hubs · Spotted an error? See our corrections policy.