# When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) — Celluloid TV fact sheet

Source: https://celluloidscore.com/shows/when-life-gives-you-tangerines/
Last reviewed: 2026-08-31

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Celluloid Score | 92% |
| Celluloid Editorial Rating | 100/100 |
| Audience Snapshot | 98% |
| Metascore | 90/100 |
| IMDb | 9.1/10 |
| Fan Score | 86% |
| Creator | Lim Sang-choon |
| Platform | Netflix |
| Genres | Drama, Romance, History |
| Seasons | 1 (16 episodes) |
| Language | Korean |
| Country | South Korea |

## Quick answer

When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) is a Drama, Romance, History series created by Lim Sang-choon, streaming on Netflix. It holds a 92% Celluloid Score — Celluloid Pick — from Celluloid editorial (100%), Metascore (90/100), IMDb (9.1/10), TMDB fan (86%) across 1 season. Audience snapshot (not in the composite): 98%.

## Celluloid verdict

A generational tearjerker of rare craft — Baeksang's Best Drama and the highest-rated Korean series in IMDb history, it earns every tear through patient writing and two of K-drama's finest lead performances.

## Synopsis

Beginning in 1960s Jeju, a defiant haenyeo's daughter with a poet's heart and the steadfast boy who loves her build a life together across four decades of hardship, loss and stubborn tenderness. Written by Lim Sang-choon and directed by Kim Won-seok, the sixteen-part saga hands its leads to IU and Park Bo-gum in youth and Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon in age, folding one family's small victories into the sweep of modern Korean history — a chronicle of ordinary devotion told season by season, like fruit ripening against the wind.

## Cast

IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon, Yeom Hye-ran, Choi Dae-hoon

## Critic reviews on Celluloid: 1

## Most searched questions

**Is When Life Gives You Tangerines worth watching?**
Yes — When Life Gives You Tangerines earns a 92% Celluloid Score (Celluloid Pick), from editorial 100%, Metascore 90/100, IMDb 9.1/10, TMDB fan 86%. Audience snapshot is separate (98%). A generational tearjerker of rare craft — Baeksang's Best Drama and the highest-rated Korean series in IMDb history, it earns every tear through patient writing and two of K-drama's finest lead performances.

**Why is When Life Gives You Tangerines so highly rated?**
When Life Gives You Tangerines scores 92% from four inputs: Celluloid editorial 100/100, Metacritic 90/100, IMDb 9.1/10 and TMDB fan rating 86%. The separate audience snapshot is 98%. A generational tearjerker of rare craft — Baeksang's Best Drama and the highest-rated Korean series in IMDb history, it earns every tear through patient writing and two of K-drama's finest lead performances. See the full breakdown on the When Life Gives You Tangerines series page.

**Is When Life Gives You Tangerines on Prime Video?**
No — When Life Gives You Tangerines is not on Prime Video. It streams on Netflix, and on Celluloid it is catalogued under Netflix. Streaming rights rotate by country, so confirm in your region before subscribing.

**Is When Life Gives You Tangerines on Netflix?**
Yes — When Life Gives You Tangerines is available on Netflix in many regions (catalogued under Netflix on Celluloid). Rights differ by country; confirm in the Netflix app or the where-to-watch notes.

**What year did When Life Gives You Tangerines come out?**
When Life Gives You Tangerines first aired in 2025 (2025). Created by Lim Sang-choon; it streams on Netflix today.

**How many seasons of When Life Gives You Tangerines are there?**
When Life Gives You Tangerines has 1 season across 16 episodes (2025). Status: ended / complete.

**How long does it take to watch When Life Gives You Tangerines?**
At roughly 40–50 minutes per episode, When Life Gives You Tangerines’s 16 episodes take roughly 12 hours of runtime (plus credits). Binge pace depends on season breaks.

**Where can I watch When Life Gives You Tangerines?**
When Life Gives You Tangerines streams on Netflix in supported regions. On Celluloid it is catalogued under Netflix. Rights rotate — confirm in your country on the platform app.

**Who is in the cast of When Life Gives You Tangerines?**
When Life Gives You Tangerines stars IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon, Yeom Hye-ran, and others. Created by Lim Sang-choon.

**How many episodes are in When Life Gives You Tangerines?**
When Life Gives You Tangerines has 16 episodes across 1 season (2025).

**What is When Life Gives You Tangerines about?**
Beginning in 1960s Jeju, a defiant haenyeo's daughter with a poet's heart and the steadfast boy who loves her build a life together across four decades of hardship, loss and stubborn tenderness. Written by Lim Sang-choon and directed by Kim Won-seok, the sixteen-part saga hands its leads to IU and Park Bo-gum in youth and Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon in age, folding one family's small victories in…

**Who created When Life Gives You Tangerines?**
When Life Gives You Tangerines was created by Lim Sang-choon. It is a drama, romance, history series from South Korea, primarily in Korean.

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Reviewed and scored by Celluloid · Editor: Kaiser Khan (https://celluloidscore.com/author/kaiser-khan/)

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