I’m Confident Netflix’s New High School K-Drama Will Be Its Next Major Hit (2024)

Hierarchy is Netflix’s new high school K-drama, and I believe it can become the streamer’s next major hit, especially if it returns for season 2. Netflix has become the home to some of my favorite K-dramas of recent years, from original titles like Love Alarm and Squid Game to licensed shows like Queen of Tears and The Atypical Family. Although there are a lot of K-drama genres, high school dramas are usually among the most successful Korean series on Netflix.

Even shows that would not necessarily be described as high school stories often use this particular setting, one major example being All of Us Are Dead. As such, it can be difficult for a new high school drama to stand out among all the other Korean series available on Netflix.Hierarchy was not the show many were expecting it to be, myself included, but it still delivered a strong series that could be among Netflix’s biggest K-drama hits of 2024.

Hierarchy Has All The Ingredients To Be Netflix’s Next K-Drama Hit

Hierarchy has love triangles, murder mysteries, and lots of secrets

From love triangles to murder mysteries, I believe Hierarchy has all the ingredients to be Netflix’s next teen drama hit. The show, which has so far been described as a limited series, takes place in a fictional school attended by South Korea’s richest 0.01%. Apart from the scholarship students, all students at Jooshin Academy come from Korea’s wealthiest, most powerful families. There is a clear separation between the rich students and the ones who entered Jooshin Academy through the scholarship program, one that often leads to bullying. This cruel dynamic is challenged by the arrival of Kang Ha.

Thought to be just another transfer scholarship student, Kang Ha infiltrated Jooshin to find out what happened to his brother, Kang In-han. Surrounded by mean, powerful kids whose families can disappear with any problems, Kang Ha must trust in no one but himself to discover what led to his brother’s death. All Hierarchy characters seem suspect when Kang Ha arrives, especially because most of them see no problem with the way scholarship students are treated by the rich ones. Hierarchy also has a complicated love quadrangle, not to mention all the secrets and betrayals.

Netflix’s Hierarchy Is Not A Flawless K-Drama

Hierarchy didn’t fully live up to the hype

Although I believe Hierarchy could be Netflix’s next big thing, the show does have flaws. Compared to other revenge K-dramas, Kang Ha’s journey leaves much to be desired. The series succeeds in some aspects, such as the mystery surrounding In-han’s death, yet others are not so compelling. Hierarchy was expected to be a K-drama version of Elite, which was not the case. Still, given the high production quality and the talent of its cast, Hierarchy is one of the most interesting Netflix 2024 K-dramas.

Web series like Hierarchy tend to have a bigger budget than the usual broadcast K-dramas. Korean web series also follows a different format from the usual K-dramas, with fewer episodes and faster pacing that makes them perfect to binge. Despite its flaws, Hierarchy is a “bingeable” K-drama full of twists and cliffhangers that will leave viewers hooked. Although Hierarchy might not stand out from the best K-dramas of its genre, it could still be a big hit for Netflix. Whether it will be as big as other Netflix web-series like All of Us Are Dead and Sweet Home remains to be seen.

Hierarchy’s Impact May Depend On Whether Season 2 Will Happen

Will Hierarchy remain as a limited series only?

Netflix’s most successful Korean web series have all continued beyond their first seasons. This includes shows like Love Alarm, Sweet Home, All of Us Are Dead, and Squid Game, all of which made quite the impact upon their premiere and were quickly renewed for more seasons. Interestingly, while Hierarchy is technically a limited series, I believe there is more than enough room for the show to continue. One particular cliffhanger in episode 7 strongly suggests Hierarchy season 2 could still happen, even though the rest of the finale was very self-contained.

Although Hierarchy’s main plot was resolved within seven episodes, the show’s setting and characters are interesting enough to be revisited in future seasons. For example, Hierarchy season 2 could see the arrival of new students amidst a new murder mystery set up at the end of season 1. The K-drama can also revisit the love triangle involving Jae-i, Ri-an, and Kang Ha, which was not settled in season 1. Hierarchy may not have been the show I was expecting, but I still think it has a lot of potential if it grows beyond its limited series status.