Warning: This article contains spoilers for Queen of Tears and Crash Landing on You.
Netflix’s Queen of Tears is the biggest romantic K-drama since Crash Landing on You, and while there are plenty of similarities between them, there are also some important differences. Queen of Tears and Crash Landing on You were penned by the same writer, Park Ji-eun, which is why comparisons between the shows were inevitable. Not only was Queen of Tears as good as Crash Landing on You, but it also became a viewership hit during its broadcast. Queen of Tears’ ending even broke Crash Landing on You’s final episode viewership record on tvN (via Soompi).
Both Crash Landing on You and Queen of Tears were broadcast weekly on tvN and streamed globally on Netflix. While some of Netflix’s best K-dramas are web series designed for the binge-watching model, shows like Queen of Tears prove that the more traditional drama format can still be big. Queen of Tears told an incredible story across eight weeks and can be considered 2024’s best Korean drama so far. Whether Queen of Tears is better than Crash Landing on You is open for debate, but the are some interesting parallels between the shows.
The biggest difference between Crash Landing on You and Queen of Tears is the nature of their respective main relationships. Whereas Crash Landing on You is about a new love that comes to be amidst unusual circumstances, Queen of Tears is about a love that once was. While Crash Landing on You eventually reveals that Jeong Hyeok and Se-ri had run into each other before, their relationship starts during the events of the show. Viewers get to follow their love story in chronological order for the most part, with both characters learning about each other as the K-drama goes on.
Queen of Tears, on the other hand, starts with the main couple on the verge of divorce. The only reason why Hyun-woo does not ask for a divorce at the end of episode 1 is because he learns that Hae-in has been diagnosed with a rare, terminal form of brain tumor. Queen of Tears uses a lot of flashbacks and tells the love story between Hyun-woo and Hae-in out of order, showcasing the highs and lows of their relationship. Viewers get to see Queen of Tears’ main couple during the best and worst moments of their lives.
Crash Landing on You and Queen of Tears are both funny shows full of lighthearted moments, but the former is funnier than the latter. The premise of Crash Landing on You – a South Korean CEO who accidentally lands in North Korea after a parashoot accident – could not be more absurd and makes for some hilarious moments. Almost every scene in Crash Landing on You, especially in the first half of the series, will make viewers laugh. The dynamic between Se-ri and the North Korean soldiers who know about her is particularly hilarious.
The relationship between Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok is also inherently funnier than that of Hyun-woo and Hae-in. While there are some hilarious interactions between Queen of Tears’ lead characters, there is also a sense of tragedy surrounding this apparently doomed couple. The fact that Hyun-woo and Hae-in were once a fairy tale couple and were now dealing with so many crises, including the possible death of Hae-in, makes every Queen of Tears joke bittersweet. Things only get worse in Queen of Tears before they get better, whereas Crash Landing on You had funny moments throughout.
Queen of Tears had a surprisingly happy ending, especially compared to the one from Crash Landing on You. Whereas both couples got together at the end of their respective K-dramas, the one from Queen of Tears has a happily ever after, whereas the one in Crash Landing on You only sees each other twice a year. Queen of Tears’ story was a bit more unpredictable than Crash Landing on You’s, the latter of which made clear from the start that its lead characters were going to end up together.
Despite its unique premise, Crash Landing on You was a more classic K-drama love story about two people falling in love. Queen of Tears, however, flipped the genre on its head and followed a couple in crisis. Hyun-woo and Hae-in had already lived through all the key moments of the “fairy tale,” from love at first sight to a majestic wedding. This made it difficult to predict where Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s relationship was heading, thus making Queen of Tears a lot more unpredictable compared to Crash Landing on You.
Stream Queen of Tears on Netflix
Stream Crash Landing on You on Netflix