MBC's historical drama reputation was ruined by 'Golden Marriage'

《Taeyuna’s Listening Bodbo》
Reporter Tae Yu-na and Ten Asia will properly cover all aspects of the drama based on what she heard and saw on the spot. We will be the eyes and ears of readers in an age where dramas are flooding in on numerous channels.

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MBC, whose reputation for historical dramas was tarnished with the drama 'No Marriage, Joseon Marriage Ban', is reviving its spirit by releasing two new fusion historical dramas this year. Since the main characters in the work are Namgoong Min and Woo Do-hwan, whom we trust and watch, expectations are high as to whether they will be able to create a box office hit that follows the success of 'Red Sleeves'.

The Friday-Saturday drama 'Golden Soul', which has only two episodes left until the end, is recording miserable viewership ratings for a weekend drama. From the beginning, it had to compete with 'The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family', which was a bad situation, but the viewership ratings that failed to rebound even after 'The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family' ended proved that it was already a work forgotten by the public.

In this case, there was a big problem not only with the programming luck, but also with the work itself. Although it promoted the historical drama genre, the excessive comical elements acted as an antipathy factor for those who liked traditional historical dramas, and the chemistry between Kim Young-dae and Park Joo-hyun did not thrill those who liked romantic comedy.

More than anything, the acting of the main characters was the problem. Although it is said to be a casual historical drama, Park Joo-hyun's acting, which has a very modern tone, broke the immersion of the play, and Kim Young-dae, who played the role of the king, also clearly showed his shallow acting skills by appearing torn between lightness and weight.

Was the historical drama still a daunting task for the two newcomers? 'Golden Soul' recorded a viewership rating of 3-4% from the first episode to the present, recording the lowest score among weekend mini-series, another crisis for MBC's drama department, which was promoted by 'Red Sleeves' and 'Big Mouth'. brought me

In this situation, MBC presents two historical dramas featuring the trump cards of Namgoong Min and Woo Do-hwan. First, 'Joseon Lawyer', which is scheduled to air in March, is the story of Oejibu (Woo Do-hwan), a lawyer from the Joseon Dynasty who takes revenge on the enemy who killed his parents through a trial. The main character starts out as revenge, but gradually becomes a real lawyer for the people. Draw a growth story.

Above all, the point to watch is that it is the first lawyer hero drama in a historical drama. Attention is being paid to what kind of synergy it will create when combined with a historical drama, as it deals with a 'foreign branch' and a lawyer's story rather than a royal story.

The actor lineup is made up of youth line-ups including Woo Do-hwan, Bona, and Cha Hak-yeon. It is also interesting that this is the first historical drama between Woo Do-hwan, who is returning from the military for the first time, and Bona (Kim Ji-yeon), who made her face known to the public through 'Twenty-Five, Twenty-One'.

‘Lovers’ starring Namgoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin is also scheduled to be released in the second half of this year. 'Lovers', set during the Manchu War, is a work that depicts the story of the people who repeatedly met and parted amid the devastation of war, and who found hope in the midst of hardship and the deep love of a lover who seemed out of reach.

Namgoong Min, a 'reliable actor' who leads all his works including 'Stove League', 'Black Sun', and 'The Thousand Won Lawyer' to box office success, returns to a historical drama 10 years after the drama 'Guam Heo Jun' and 'Wise Doctor's Life'. Ahn Eun-jin, who made her name known through , is in a romantic relationship with him.

Will MBC, which achieved great success with 'Red Sleeves' and a negative hit with 'Golden Soul', regain its pride in historical dramas? Expectations are growing for Namgoong Min and Woo Do-hwan.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr