August K-Drama & Variety Show Rankings: Head Over Heels #1 Post-Finale, ‘Trigger’ & ‘Low Life’ Trail Behind And Park Bo-Gum’s ‘Cantabile’ Climbs Thanks to IU Guest Appearance

The first week of August 2025 brought exciting updates in Korean TV rankings. tvN’s ‘Head Over Heels‘ maintained its top position even after its finale, while Park Bo Gum showed emotional moments with IU on his music show. The latest data reveals which dramas and variety shows captured viewers’ attention.

Drama Rankings for Early August 2025

The drama competition remained strong with these top 10 most-watched shows:

1. tvN Head Over Heels (Share 22.46%)
2. Netflix Trigger (Share 12.73%)
3. Disney Plus Low Life (Share 10.02%)
4. tvN Law and The City (Share 8.17%)
5. SBS The Winning Try (Share 5.75%)
6. MBC Mary Kills People (Share 4.65%)
7. JTBC Beyond The Bar (Share 4.63%)
8. JTBC The Nice Guy (Share 4.47%)
9. ENA The Defects (Share 4.19%)
10. Netflix Squid Game Season 3 (Share 3.96%)

‘Head Over Heels’ dominated with a remarkable 22.46% share for its final episode. The romantic drama starring Cho Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo concluded with a healing kiss scene that became trending online. Netflix’s action series ‘Trigger’ secured second place, showing strong global popularity.

Most Popular Drama Actors This Week

The top 10 actors who gained most attention from viewers:

1. Cho Yi Hyun (Head Over Heels – 8.96%)
2. Choo Young Woo (Head Over Heels – 5.44%)
3. Im Soo Jung (Low Life – 2.92%)
4. Lee Bo Young (Mary Kills People – 2.78%)
5. Yoon Kye Sang (The Winning Try – 2.39%)
6. Yang Se Jong (Low Life – 2.33%)
7. Kim Young Kwang (Trigger – 2.26%)
8. Kim Nam Gil (Trigger – 2.25%)
9. Lee Jong Suk (Law and The City – 2.05%)
10. Ryu Seung Ryong (Low Life – 1.96%)

The lead stars of ‘Head Over Heels’ dominated the actor rankings, with Cho Yi Hyun nearly doubling the popularity score of her co-star Choo Young Woo. Veteran actors from ‘Low Life’ and ‘Trigger’ also showed strong performances in the charts.

Non-Drama Show Rankings

Variety and reality programs had these top performers:

1. Mnet BOYS II PLANET (Share 11.59%)
2. Netflix Better Late Than Single (Share 7.41%)
3. TVING The Great Escape: The Story (Share 3.49%)
4. ENA/SBS Plus I am Solo (Share 3.07%)
5. MBC I Live Alone (Share 2.72%)
6. SBS Running Man (Share 2.55%)
7. KBS2 The Seasons: Park Bo-gum’s Cantabile (Share 2.36%)
8. MBC Hangout with Yoo (Share 2.30%)
9. KBS2 Gag Concert (Share 2.22%)
10. MBC Reveal My Star’s Life: The Manager (Share 2.10%)

The idol survival show ‘BOYS II PLANET’ led non-drama programming, while dating shows like ‘Better Late Than Single’ and ‘I am Solo’ remained popular. Park Bo Gum’s music program ‘Cantabile’ made headlines when singer IU appeared as a guest.

Most Popular Non-Drama Personalities

These entertainers gained most attention this week:

1. Park Bo Gum (The Seasons: Cantabile – 1.57%)
2. IU (The Seasons: Cantabile – 1.45%)
3. Ha Jeong Mok (Better Late Than Single – 1.39%)
4. Lee Leejung (I Live Alone – 1.24%)
5. Park Ji Yeon (Better Late Than Single – 1.13%)
6. Ji Ye Eun (Running Man – 1.11%)
7. Kim Jun Ho (My Little Old Boy – 1.02%)
8. Kim Wonhun (Reveal My Star’s Life – 1.00%)
9. Park Narae (I Live Alone – 1.00%)
10. Lee Sang Won (BOYS II PLANET – 0.99%)

Park Bo Gum became emotional when IU surprised him on his show ‘Cantabile’. The episode showed their warm friendship and musical collaboration, creating viral moments online. Dating show stars Ha Jeong Mok and Park Ji Yeon also ranked high due to their growing popularity.

Where to Watch These Shows

Many trending K-dramas are available for free on Amasian.tv. Viewers can watch them on Channel 250 (U.S.) and Channel 263 (Canada) via lgchannels.com. All shows are also streaming anytime on OnDemandKorea.

Also Read: Kim Go Eun and Park Ji Hyun’s New Drama You and Everything Else Premieres on Netflix September 12

Credits: Amasian.tv, Nielsen Korea, TV Daily

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