[Weekly TV Top 10] Invincible ‘The Penthouse: War in Life’ Blasts into 6th Week at No. 1

No one drama has exceeded the stronghold of The Penthouse: War in Life (hereinafter referred to as The Penthouse). The Penthouse, which successfully garnered the most attention from the very first episode, is now heading towards the second season. Since most attention has been focused on when the next season will air, who will star in it, and how it will deliver the catharsis we are waiting for, other dramas are failing to hold onto the viewers, except for some works like Mr. Queen and The Uncanny Counter. Which work will be crowned the title “the next Penthouse”? Let’s check out which programs have made headlines over the past week.

The Dramas on the 5th Week of December 2020

The Penthouse blasted into 6th week at No. 1, showing a steep rise in popularity. This week’s score is the fourth-highest among all dramas (Reply 1988>Goblin>Descendants of the Sun). Mr. Queen remained at No. 2, despite the ongoing mixed reviews – distortion of history vs. comedy drama. The Uncanny Counter, which landed at No. 3, faced negative opinions over the story that was told after a week-cancellation. Many showed conflicting reactions to the story and directing that have changed so much to the point where some asked if the director and the writer have been replaced. Run On, ranked at No.4, is constantly well-received for its non-irritating story and main actor’s chemistry, and especially, praises are poured out over the screenwriter’s outstanding prowess. After a week-cancellation, True Beauty fell two notches down to No. 5.

Top 10 Popularity of TV Dramas

1. SBS The Penthouse: War in Life (Share of Audience: 50.46) (-)
2. tvN Mr. Queen (Share of Audience: 13.24) (-)
3. OCN The Uncanny Counter (Share of Audience: 9.68) (▲1)
4. JTBC Run On (Share of Audience: 4.86) (▲1)
5. tvN True Beauty (Share of Audience: 3.64) (▽2)
6. KBS A Man in a Veil (Share of Audience: 3.11) (▲2)
7. KBS Homemade Love Story (Share of Audience: 2.86) (▲4)
8. JTBC Live On (Share of Audience: 2.31) (▲2)
9. KBS Royal Secret Agent (Share of Audience: 1.73) (▽2)
10. tvN Awaken (Share of Audience: 1.63) (▲2)

Top 10 Popularity of the Cast in TV Dramas

1. Eugene, The Penthouse: War in Life (-)
2. Lee Ji Ah, The Penthouse: War in Life (▲1)
3. Shin Hye Sun, Mr. Queen NEW (▽1)
4. Park Eun Suk, The Penthouse: War in Life (▲6)
5. Kim So Yeon, The Penthouse: War in Life (▽1)
6. Kim Jung Hyun, Mr. Queen (▲2)
7. Uhm Ki Joon, The Penthouse: War in Life (▽2)
8. Jo Byung Gyu, The Uncanny Counter (▲13)
9. Jo Soo Min, The Penthouse: War in Life (-)
10. Shin Se Kyung, Run On (▲6)

The Non-Dramas on the 5th Week of December 2020

Miss Trot 2 saw a slight decline in popularity but still topped the non-drama category. The surviving participants showed “team mission by genre” competition, becoming a hot topic, and the fact that Yoon Tae Hwa, who won the first place in the preliminary contest, was eliminated during the team mission shocked netizens. Unanswered Questions landed at No. 2, evoking public indignation with the “Why did Jungin die?” episode. How Do You Play?, which drew much attention for sweeping a total of 10 trophies at the MBC Entertainment Awards, came in third. Especially, Yoo Jae Suk’s acceptance speech received favorable reviews from netizens.

The Top 10 Popularity of TV Non-Dramas

1. TV Chosun Miss Trot 2 (Share of Audience: 10.53) (-)
2. SBS Unanswered Questions (Share of Audience: 7.08) (▲17)
3. MBC How Do You Play? (Share of Audience: 3.38) (▲2)
4. MBC King of Mask Singer (Share of Audience: 3.30) (▲2)
5. JTBC Sing Again (Share of Audience: 2.97) (▽3)
6. KBS The Return of Superman (Share of Audience: 2.94) (▲12)
7. KBS Trot National Sports Festival (Share of Audience: 2.83) (▲2)
8. TV Chosun Call Center of Love (Share of Audience: 2.83) (▲23)
9. SBS Running Man (Share of Audience: 2.54) (▽5)
10. JTBC Knowing Bros (Share of Audience: 2.32) (▲1)

The Top 10 Popularity of the Cast in TV Non-Dramas

1. Rain, Knowing Bros NEW
2. JYP (Park Jin Young), Knowing Bros NEW
3. Yoo Jae Suk, How Do You Play? (▲90)
4. Rain, AM Plaza NEW
5. Yoon Tae Hwa, Miss Trot 2 (▲40)
6. Ryu Soo Young, Convenience Store Restaurant (▲31)
7. Hong Ji Yoon, Miss Trot 2 (▲4)
8. Jeon Yoo Jin, Miss Trot 2 (▽5)
9. JYP, AM Plaza NEW
10. Lim Young Woong, Mulberry School (▲3)

This survey was released on January 4 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 20 dramas and the 174 non-dramas that are on air or scheduled to air from December 28 through January 3.

Source (1, 2)