What do 'Dr. Cha Jeong-suk' and 'Woo Young-woo' have in common?


<<Kim Seoyoon's Nunettune>>
Reporter Kim Seo-yoon of TenAsia digs into the current status of the entertainment industry, including notable dramas, entertainment, and noteworthy rising stars. It wasn't just the actors who rose to the ranks of stars with one piece of 'bread'. JTBC's 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' and ENA's 'Strange Lawyer Woo Young-woo', which gained popularity like a syndrome, have something in common. That it was written by a new writer. Writer Jeong Yeo-rang of 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' and writer Moon Ji-won of 'Strange Lawyer Woo Young-woo' made their names known by showing off their unmatched potential as rookies.

Currently airing 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' is on the verge of breaking through 20% in viewership ratings. The topicality of the actors appearing is also unique. Uhm Jung-hwa, who plays the title role, and Kim Byung-cheol, who appears as her husband, took the first and second place in the topic of conversation for five consecutive weeks.

As the drama became a box office hit, naturally, attention was drawn to the writer as well. Writer Jeong Yeo-rang's debut work is 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook'. Before 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' aired, expectations were not high. It's because it's a new writer's work, and at the same time, the same medical drama SBS 'Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim 3' was also aired. The 'Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim' series boasted high ratings and buzz in Seasons 1 and 2 with a solid story along with Han Seok-gyu's passionate acting.

The result was the reverse. 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' surpassed the ratings of 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3'. Even on Saturday, when the two works overlap, 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk' firmly maintained the No. 1 spot in the same time slot.

What do 'Dr. Cha Jeong-suk' and 'Woo Young-woo' have in common?
Although 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk' is a medical drama, there are almost no medical terms or surgical scenes. The focus is more on unraveling the life of Cha Jeong-suk (played by Uhm Jung-hwa), who became a resident in her first year from being a housewife for 20 years. In this respect, it has become a strong weekend drama with a clear target audience.

Studio & New, the production company of 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook', said, "It was an item that writer Jeong Yeo-rang had. I thought that the target audience was clear and expandable, so I actively developed it." The fact that it lowered the entry barrier was also a big advantage.”

What do 'Dr. Cha Jeong-suk' and 'Woo Young-woo' have in common?
The work 'Strange Lawyer Woo Young-woo' (hereinafter referred to as 'Woo Young-woo'), which gave Baeksang Arts Awards to actor Park Eun-bin, was also written by a new writer. 'Woo Young-woo' is writer Moon Ji-won's first drama work. The character Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), a lawyer with an autism spectrum, was not too heavy or light, but he drew sympathy from viewers with a solid story every time.

The new writer's script made ENA and the production company, Studio Genie, laugh. Studio Genie CEO Cheol-Yeon Kim said, "'Woo Young-woo' is not a new studio like ours, but a work that can only be released once every three years even in existing large studios." ENA has yet to show a work that surpasses 'Woo Young-woo'.

With the advent of various channels and OTT platforms, the dependence on 'star writers' has decreased. The number of cases in which production companies discover and collaborate with new writers has increased. For example, in addition to 'Dr. Cha Jeong-sook', Studio & New worked with new writers such as 'Miss Hammurabi' writer Moon Yoo-seok and 'Beauty Inside' writer Lim Mae-ari and achieved good results.

They are writers Jeong Yeo-rang and Moon Ji-won, who made the modifier 'rookie' colorless. With only 4 episodes left of 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk', viewers are full of anticipation as to how writer Jeong Yeo-rang will unravel the story of 'Cha Jeong-suk'.

Kim Seo-yoon, staff reporter seogugu@tenasia.co.kr
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