Lee Hyo-ri, a 'wandering troupe' who can't work hard against strong competition

Lee Hyo-ri, Song Joong-ki, and Lee Do-hyun were pushed… 'The Wandering Troupe' is struggling against strong competitors

Pyeon Seong-woon is well-known. From Song Joong-ki, Lee Bo-young to Lee Do-hyun, every variety show starring Lee Hyo-ri continues to be a 'big hit' with dramas that are broadcast at the same time. It is the new variety show 'Dance Singer's Wandering Troupe' by PD Kim Tae-ho, who was pushed by a masterpiece and received a lower-than-expected report card.

'Dance Singer's Wandering Troupe', which was first broadcast on the 25th, is an entertainment show that tells the story of a national tour concert where Kim Wan-sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Lee Hyo-ri, Boa, and Hwasa toured the country to meet and enjoy their fans in person. During the filming of Teabing's 'Seoul Check-in', the project that started with Lee Hyo-ri's idea brought together female solo singers representing generations from the 1980s to the 2020s, and it evoked an explosive response.

The unveiled 'Dance Singer's Wandering Troupe' brought laughter with the witty conversations, professional appearances and delightful chemistry of the 5 female singers who debuted for a total of 129 years. Regarding the 'retirement rumor', Lee Hyo-ri said, "They say that only words are retiring. The agency also joined because of this program."

From the first broadcast, Lee Hyo-ri shed tears while watching Boa, who reproduced her 'No.1' days, but the viewership ratings were below expectations. 'Dance Singer's Wandering Troupe', which recorded 3.2%, gave 1st and 2nd place respectively to TV Chosun's 'Mr. However, it is hopeful in that 'Mr. Lotto' fell 1.3% from the previous week.

The problem is that the drama is airing at the same time. This is because JTBC's Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Bad Mother', which started with a rating of 3.6%, went viral and achieved high viewership ratings, before breaking through 10% in 10 episodes on the 25th. It is the biggest rival for 'Dance Singer's Wandering Troupe'.

3.2% is by no means a low figure, but considering that it gathered the best female singers of the time, including Lee Hyo-ri, and that it is a music project entertainment by PD Kim Tae-ho, it is inevitable.

Above all, tvN's 'Check-in in Canada', the previous work of PD Kim Tae-ho and Lee Hyo-ri, also experienced the humiliation of a viewership rating of 1% due to a drama in the same time period, so it is a situation that is approaching as a bitter defeat. 'Canadian Check-in''s competitor is 'The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate Family', and from the first episode, it competed with 'The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate Family', which reached 20% viewership ratings, in the same time period and recorded a viewership rating of 1.6%. After that, in the 3rd episode, it jumped to 2.1%, but it fell back to the 1% range after facing 'The Agency' starring Lee Bo-young following 'The Youngest Son of a Chaebol' starring Song Joong-ki.

The value of a program cannot be evaluated simply by ratings. 'Canada Check-in' also conveyed meaning beyond viewer ratings by containing Lee Hyo-ri's sincerity and tears when dealing with a dog. It wasn't produced with the hope of a box office hit from the planning stage, so it wasn't hit hard by the low ratings.

However, as 'Dance Singer's Wandering Troupe' is a program made by PD Kim Tae-ho and the cast 'decidedly', it is inevitable to be more aware of whether or not it will be successful. There is hope in that it ranks second after 'Bad Mother' in the OTT teabing content rankings. 'Bad Mom' has only 4 episodes left. Can the end of 'Bad Mother' be an opportunity for 'Dance Singer's Wandering Troupe' to rise?

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