JTBC 'Drama Empire' and TV CHOSUN's Pitiful 'Return of Im Sung-han'

Published on 2021/06/22 | Source

◆ JTBC 'Drama Empire'

When groundwave dramas were reeling from 0% in ratings and reduction of programs, JTBC ambitiously aimed to become the 'drama empire' of the general TV network. Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday-Thursday, and Friday-Saturday dramas filled the week, improving various genres, scale and quality of work. In particular, screen stars such as Hwang Jung-min from "Hush", Shin Ha-kyun from "Beyond Evil" and Cho Seung-woo "Sisyphus: The Myth" were notable for captivating the small screen.

JTBC's "Beyond Evil" and "Law School" were praised for their workmanship as they tried various genres of crime, SF, court and action. On the other hand, "Sisyphus: The Myth" was the 10th anniversary of JTBC's foundation, and it cost 20 billion won in production costs along with SF genre attempts, but clumsy CG and tacky production failed to captivate viewers. "Undercover" was also a disappointment due to the cliché performances of Ji Jin-hee and Kim Hyun-joo.

In addition, JTBC attempted a variety of genres and forms, ranging from a normal romance with "She Would Never Know", "Monthly Magazine Home" to a one-act drama called "Drama Festa - Off The Course" and "Drama Festa - Missing Child".

◆ MBN revives itself with historical dramas... TV CHOSUN's pitiful 'return of Im Sung-han'

In channels other than JTBC, the number of production dramas decreased, just like groundwave channels. Meanwhile, writer Im Sung-han, who declared ending his five years ago, returned with a new pen name 'Phoebe', signaling a stir with "Love ft. Marriage and Divorce". But it was criticized by viewers for its cliché and anachronistic rhetoric.

"Love ft. Marriage and Divorce" caught the older generation and was confident of shocking development in "Love ft. Marriage and Divorce 2", but it did not gain overwhelming attention compared to Im Sung-han's previous reputation. "Somehow Family" was the channel's first Sunday drama but walked out at a low 0% range.

MBN, which had many failures, succeeded in selection and concentration. Although it has been focusing on romance, this time it aired the historical drama "Bossam: Steal the Fate" in consideration of its older viewers, drawing the highest ratings ever for MBN of more than 8%. Channel A only released the eight-part web drama "Will You Leave?" which received little attention online.