Not long after kicking off its second season, the drama My Dearest 2 is already sweeping the throne, leaving its competitor The Escape of the Seven scrambling.
According to the data by GoodData on the 16th, MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama My Dearest 2 has cemented its place as the talk of the town by snatching first place in the overall ranking of TV networks and OTT platforms. The show’s stars also dominated the cast ranking, with Ahn Eun Jin snagging the top spot and co-star Namkoong Min following closely at number two.
Previously, The Escape of the Seven had held the buzz crown for two consecutive weeks. However, upon the arrival of My Dearest 2, it lost not only its buzz but also its seat at the top of the ratings chart. A lack of viewer resonance seems to be part of the problem for the drama. The show initially attracted attention by focusing on disquieting themes, from domestic violence to underage girl pregnancy. Add in a heroine who lies about her past and frames a friend, as well as provocative elements like seeing unicorns after drug use, and you have a show that aimed solely for buzz but missed the mark.
Moreover, the lackluster response to The Escape of the Seven is evident in its ratings. Starting with 6% for its first episode, the show saw a modest uptick to 7.7% by its fourth episode but a sharp drop to 5.6% afterward. Most recently, it plateaued at 6.5%. All of this came against a hefty 46.2 billion KRW production budget (approximately 38.5 million USD), making it all the more disappointing.
In a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, The Escape of the Seven team has replaced director Joo Dong Min with director Oh Joon Hyuk for season two.
In the midst of all this, another drama airing at the same time slot, Strong Girl Nam-soon, is making waves as it rises at a terrifying speed. After My Dearest 2 recorded 9.3% ratings on the 14th, Strong Girl Nam-soon followed up with 9.8% on the 15th.
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