Top 10 most-watched Mediacorp Chinese dramas of 2023: Strike Gold comes in 1st

The list of 2023’s best performing local Chinese dramas is out and we were surprised yet not all that surprised by the results, which were based on their viewership on free-to-air TV and mewatch.

In first place is Strike Gold. Looks like the family drama, which aired during the Chinese New Year period last year really, well, struck gold with its audience. 

Desmond Tan, He Yingying, Yvonne Lim, Yao Wenlong, Edwin Goh, Kiki Lim, Benjamin Tan, Hong Huifang and Jin Yinji star in this show.

The plot follows the lives of residents who stay in the same HDB block, with everyone eyeing a highly-coveted pineapple tart recipe for their own financial gains. 

Yvonne’s turn as a woman who feigns insanity to escape her debtors and Jin Yinji’s heart-wrenching scenes with her feuding grandsons (played Desmond and Edwin) were the highlights for us. 

Guess heartlanders struggling financially all while dreaming of becoming rich are always a hit with local audiences.

In second place is Love At First Bite. If anything, the popularity of this drama further proves how much people love watching Xu Bin and Chantalle Ng pairing up on-screen.

Following the massive success of My Star Bride, the stars reunited in this romance drama, with Romeo Tan playing Xu Bin’s rival in love. 

Does the success of this drama further cement their reputation as the “one true pairing” of local dramas?

Supernatural drama Till The End is third on the list. Kym Ng broke her arm while filming this show but it seems her sacrifice was worth it.

Unlike other shows which focus on the relationships between couples, Till The End is heavy on the bond between Kym and her on-screen daughter, Boon Hui Lu. The drama also starred Richie Koh and Zhu Houren.

Kym’s character dies in the first episode, and we see how she, as a ghost, and her daughter work together to help other spirits rest in peace, all while mending their own broken relationship along the way. 

The dark and gritty SHERO is fourth. The action-packed mystery starred Joanne Peh, Romeo Tan, Carrie Wong and Nick Teo, and revolved around a character's sudden disappearance and an unresolved murder.

From going on location in Canberra, to a super risqué scene between Joanne and Romeo, SHERO found the formula to set itself apart from the rest.

Fifth on the list is Rui En's comeback drama Oppa, Saranghae!.

She starred as a lonely single woman who sees her life take a complete turn when she meets ‘oppa’ Do Seo Joon (played by Kim Jae-hoon), a character from a K-drama. 

After all, who doesn’t want to be loved and treated like the beautiful leads in K-dramas, right?

Fix My Life, the romance drama starring Hong Ling and James Seah is sixth, while Richie Koh's COVID-related Cash On Delivery is seventh. The drama about food delivery riders also starred Cavin Soh, He Yingying, Jin Yinji and Jernelle Oh.

We’re surprised to see All That Glitters, starring Desmond Tan, Jeremy Chan, and Ayden Sng, come in eighth. Despite its high production value, the drama, which was filmed in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, did not produce the same blockbuster results.

Family drama Family Ties starring Shane Pow, Jeffrey Xu, Denise Camillia Tan, Yao Wenlong, Constance Song and Lina Ng, is ninth. 

Lastly, in 10th place is thriller Silent Walls. The drama interlinks stories of four women – Tasha Low, Fang Rong, Mei Xin and Jojo Goh – from the 30s, 60s, 80s and present-day.

You can rewatch all the dramas mentioned above on meWATCH. 

Strike Gold, Love At First Bite, Till The End, SHERO, Oppa, Saranghae!, Fix My Life, Cash On Delivery, All That Glitters, Family Ties, Silent Walls

This story was originally published in 8Days.