The small screen in the second half of 2020 cannot be explained without the keyword “youth.” Starting with Do You Like Brahms?, � youth dramas such as Record of Youth, starring Park Bo Gum, More Than Friends, starring Ong Seong Wu and Shin Ye Eun, Start-Up, starring Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk, have dominated the small screen that even the industry insiders are saying that it is “unprecedented.” In the reality of withdrawn daily lives and growing social instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic, � the pure passion and hope of youth’s dreams and love are drawing sympathy from viewers, leading to good results. Let’s check out which programs have made headlines over the past week.
The Dramas on 3rd Week of October 2020
Record of Youth, in which a red light has been turned on the romance between Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam, blasted into the second week at No. 1. Some say that they are frustrated by the never-ending crisis but many focus their attention on whether the two will be able to keep their dreams, love and friendship. Do You Like Brahms? followed next. The scene where Park Eun Bin says goodbye to Kim Min Jae in episode 14 saw a steep rise in viewership to 6.9%. Start-Up, which tells the story of young people who dream of success in South Korea’s fictional Silicon Valley, called Sandbox, started off solid in third place. Some expressed their disappointments in how the conflict started between the characters and somewhat lacking directing, but most showed their satisfaction in actors’ stable performances and OST songs.
Top 10 Popularity of TV Dramas
- tvN Record of Youth (Share of Audience: 18.91) (-)
- SBS Do You Like Brahms? (Share of Audience: 14.31) (▲1)
- tvN Start-Up (Share of Audience: 13.29) NEW
- tvN Tale of the Nine-Tailed (Share of Audience: 11.71) (▽2)
- JTBC 18 Again (Share of Audience: 6.15) (▽1)
- MBC When I Was the Most Beautiful (Share of Audience: 3.92) (▲6)
- KBS Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (Share of Audience: 3.83) (▽2)
- JTBC Private Lives (Share of Audience: 6.3.74) (▽2)
- OCN Search (Share of Audience: 3.42) NEW
- SBS Alice (Share of Audience: 2.85) (-)
Top 10 Popularity of the Cast in TV Dramas
- Park Bo Gum, Record of Youth � (-)
- Suzy, Start-Up NEW
- Lee Dong Wook, Tale of the Nine-Tailed (▽1)
- Kim Min Jae, Do You Like Brahms? (▲1)
- Park Eun Bin, Do You Like Brahms? (▽2)
- Park So Dam, Record of Youth (▲2)
- Nam Joo Hyuk, Start-Up NEW
- Jo Bo Ah, Tale of the Nine-Tailed (▽4)
- Byun Woo Suk, � Record of Youth � (▲15)
- Kim Bum, Tale of the Nine-Tailed (-)
The Non-Dramas on the 3rd Week of October 2020
SBS’s Unanswered Questions made headlines for delving into mysterious deaths that raised suspicions over death benefit. The episode attracted much attention, even ranking at the top of real-time search words on major portal sites. Second place went to Show Me The Money, in which applicants were reported to have been involved in drug offenses as soon as the 9th season started. Knowing Bros came in third with BLACKPINK’s appearance, while How Do You Play? ranked fifth, receiving enthusiastic responses by showing behind-the-scenes stories of Refund Expedition’s debut stage on Show! Music Core.
The Top 10 Popularity of TV Non-Dramas
- SBS Unanswered Questions (Share of Audience: 6.83) (▲24)
- Mnet Show Me The Money 9 (Share of Audience: 6.6) NEW
- JTBC Knowing Bros (Share of Audience: 5.84) (-)
- tvN New Journey to the West: Season 8 (Share of Audience: 3.78) (▲3)
- MBC How Do You Play? (Share of Audience: 3.6) (▽1)
- TV Chosun We Will Sing Your Requests �” Call Center of Love (Share of Audience: 3.5) (▽5)
- SBS Running Man (Share of Audience: 3.33) (▲1)
- MBC The Masked Singer (Share of Audience: 3.13) (▽2)
- SBS Baek Jong Won’s Alley Restaurant (Share of Audience: 2.45) (▲2)
- JTBC Hidden Singer: Season 6 (Share of Audience: 2.22) (▽8)
The Top 10 Popularity of the Cast in TV Non-Dramas
- Refund Expedition, How Do You Play? (-)
- BLACKPINK, Knowing Bros NEW
- Lim Young Woong, We Will Sing Your Requests �” Call Center of Love (▲3)
- Lisa, Knowing Bros NEW
- Swings, Show Me The Money 9 NEW
- Jennie, Knowing Bros NEW
- Lim Young Woong, Mulberry School (▲10)
- Kim Wan Sun, Hidden Singer: Season 6 NEW
- Jisoo, Knowing Bros NEW
- Kim Ho Joong, Kim Ho Joong’s Partner (▲2)
This survey was released on October 19 by the TV popularity analysis agency Good Data Corporation after analyzing netizens’ responses, which were generated from news articles, blogs/communities, videos and SNSs for the 28 dramas and the 177 non-dramas that are on air or scheduled to air from October 12 through October 18.
