JTBC is booming, MBC is ruining... There are many dramas, but the difference in work quality is 'serious'

The good places continued to be successful, and the sluggish places continued to be sluggish. In the first half of 2023, the drama scores of JTBC, SBS and MBC were polar opposite. Unlike JTBC and SBS, which are recording 4 consecutive hits in weekend dramas, MBC has no box office hits. In addition, as the number of broadcasting companies that organize dramas increased, the number of works increased, but the difference in work quality remained an issue.

◆ JTBC, which inherited the box office hit with 'The Chaebol's House', 'Trust and See' Gold-Saturday drama SBS

JTBC, which has repeatedly suffered drama sluggishness, is continuing its streak of box office hits, starting with 'The youngest son of a conglomerate family', which aired last year. This year's first weekend drama 'The Agency', 'Sacred Divorce' and 'Chaebol Cha Jeong-suk' were all successful, and 'King the Land', which is currently on air, also achieved viewership ratings of nearly 10% in 4 episodes. Unlike other broadcasters that do not perform well in weekday dramas, the Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Bad Mother' recorded the highest viewership rating of 12% and was well received.

SBS' 'Bobjun', 'Exemplary Taxi 2', and 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3' all aired this year recorded over 10% viewership ratings, leaving the impression that they were 'trustworthy dramas to watch'. 'Demon' also dominated both viewership ratings and topicality with the interesting material of the meeting of writers Kim Tae-ri and Kim Eun-hee, and Korean-style occult water.

◆ Box-office failure MBC, Namgoong-min and Lee Ha-nui join hands to seek a rebound in the second half

MBC's case is different. Currently, the reality of the MBC drama department is miserable. 'Golden Spirits', 'Kokdu's Season', and 'Joseon Lawyer' all aired this year ended lonely with the highest ratings of 4%. In the case of 'Kokdu's Season', it fell to the 1% level and received the worst report card. MBC's 'Numbers', which had a one-month hiatus after the end of 'Chosun Attorney', also showed no signs of success.

MBC, which was 'defeated', plans to launch an all-out offensive in the second half of the year. 'Lovers', 'Flowers That Bloom At Night', and 'Tale of a Contract Marriage with a Virtuous Woman' have been organized, and the actors are also splendid, such as Namgoong-min, Lee Ha-nui, and Lee Se-young. Attention is focusing on whether the drama will get out of the swamp of sluggish ratings as it puts top-notch actors at the forefront.

◆ Ending Controversy · Lack of Directing... There are many works, but the difference in perfection is large

Most of the weekday dramas have disappeared, but as broadcasting companies such as ENA organize dramas and make it possible to watch them through OTT, there are so many dramas that you have to choose which work to watch. That's why there was a big difference in perfection. There were also many works that were criticized for lack of directing skills and lack of probability, from works that went well but ended with a twist.

The ending of 'Ilta Scandal' and 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk' sparked controversy among netizens. 'Ilta Scandal' was criticized for treating a serial killer as the suicide of a person with a lot of stories and adding an unexpected romance setting. 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk' was criticized for being the end of an affair and earned the label of 'Yongdu Sami'.

'Pandora: Fabricated Paradise', which drew attention as a new work by Kim Soon-ok, the 'last godmother', ended amidst harsh criticism due to Lee Ji-ah's awkward acting, unexpected development, and unkindness whose meaning was unknown until the end.

Reporter Tae Yuna, Ten Asia youyou@tenasia.co.kr