It has been long since the fame of Itaewon Class and The World of the Married has been forgotten. JTBC has had to end a lot of dramas without making a solid presence due to the continued slugginess in the viewership ratings.
As the ratings had been on the decline since mid-year of last year, it has also been struggling this year. HUSH drew attention as it was Hwang Jung Min’s return to the small screens for the first time in eight years, but also ended with a mere 2.3% back on the 6th. Run On starring Im Si Wan, who solidified his acting skills through tvN’s Misaeng and OCN’s Strangers From Hell (Hell is Other People), also ended with an average rating of 2 to 3%.
The current Mon-Tues series She Would Never Know also fell to 1.5% on the 9th, recording the lowest rating for JTBC’s drama. This is a significantly lower figure compared to tvN’s L.U.C.A.: The Beginning (5.8%) and KBS2’s Royal Secret Agent (14%).
Other networks such as SBS, OCN, and tvN have raised their ratings by trying out various genres such as hero series and fusion historical dramas including The Penthouse, The Uncanny Counter, and Mr. Queen. Perhaps the reason why JTBC’s drama series has not been able to receive as much attention is that they have mainly dealt with coming-of-age youths, melodramas, and the daily lives of humans. And perhaps that is why JTBC has reorganized itself with two new dramas of spectacular genres, armed with reliable actors. The two are Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye’s Sisyphus: The Myth and Beyond Evil, starring Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo.
JTBC’s 10th-anniversary special drama Sisyphus: The Myth is a fantasy mystery that took 20 billion won to produce (approximately USD). It features the journey of Han Tae Sul, a genius engineer who tries to uncover the identity that hides amongst our society, and Kang Seo Hae, his savior who has come through a long and dangerous path for him.
On the other hand, the new Fri-Sat series Beyond Evil will kick off at 11 p.m. KST on the 19th. As a psychological thriller about two men in Manyang, the two question who the ‘real evil’ is.
However, attention is focused on how the two upcoming shows will do, with tvN’s new Wed-Thurs drama Mouse and SBS’ Fri-Sat series The Penthouse 2 airing at the same time frames.
Source (1)
