Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines tells the story of three generations of a family and those around them, from multiple perspectives. Starring IU, Park Bo Gum, Moon So Ri, and Park Hae Joon, the drama quickly became a must-watch for many viewers as it is incredibly touching. With its growing reputation, its popularity is clearly reflected in the viewership numbers.
When Life Gives You Tangerines opens from the perspective of IU, telling a nostalgic story of Korean parents’ generation through her adventurous life with Park Bo Gum. It brings vivid characters to life, with literary dialogues that deeply move viewers, making many feel as though they are seeing their own parents and experiencing the deep bond of family. Although the plot is rich in Korean local culture and nostalgia, it gained popularity and resonated with global audiences in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other regions.
In the series, IU plays dual roles as Oh Ae Chun and her daughter, Yang Geum Myeong. She has multiple emotional scenes in nearly every episode. Known for rarely crying in real life, IU admitted she cried more after filming this series, but she was also proud and happy to be part of such a great work. IU’s nuanced performance earned her much praise from viewers.
According to data from the platform IGAWorks’ Mobile Index, Netflix’s monthly active users for March reached 14.094 million, surpassing the previous highest record of 14.012 million set during the airing of Song Hye Kyo’s The Glory in January 2023. Online content ranking site FlixPatrol showed that When Life Gives You Tangerines ranked eighth globally in Netflix’s TV shows as of April 3. Additionally, according to Netflix’s statistics, When Life Gives You Tangerines was the most-watched non-English TV series between March 17 and 23, 2025.
The drama’s viewership remained strong throughout its broadcast, as daily active users reached 4.059 million on March 29 (the Saturday after the last four episodes were released). This was second only to Squid Game Season 2, which hit 4.128 million on December 26, 2024, the day of its release. In the final episode of When Life Gives You Tangerines, IU and Moon So Ri’s character finally publishes her poetry collection in old age and comes to a realization that life is not simply the cycle of four seasons but varies with one’s mood, saying, “Sometimes it’s spring, sometimes it’s winter,” which served as a deeply emotional conclusion to the 16-episode drama.
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This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.
