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Drama viewership ratings for the week of Jul. 4-10, 2022

Our weekday ratings look practically identical to last week, with all of our shows keeping their numbers steady… except a little show called Extraordinary Attorney Woo, which blew up since its premiere (likely via word of mouth) and cranked up to a whopping 5.2%. Not bad for a newfangled cable channel and a drama in the second week of its run!

As for our weekend shows, even though Doctor Lawyer briefly took the lead over Why Her? the numbers look pretty much the same. I can’t wait to see what happens with Alchemy’s ratings when Why Her? and Doctor Lawyer end in two weeks.


Drama viewership ratings for the week of Jul. 4-10, 2022

Ep. # Station Rating
Monday, July 4
Cafe Minamdang 3 KBS 5.6%
Link: Eat, Love, Kill 9 tvN 1.7%
Tuesday, July 5
Cafe Minamdang 4 KBS 5.7%
Link: Eat, Love, Kill 10 tvN 2.2%
Wednesday, July 6
Jinxed at First 7 KBS 3.5%
Insider 9 JTBC 2.8%
Eve 11 tvN 3.6%
Extraordinary Attorney Woo 3 ENA 4.0%
Thursday, July 7
Jinxed at First 8 KBS 3.5%
Insider 10 JTBC 2.9%
Eve 12 tvN 3.7%
Extraordinary Attorney Woo 4 ENA 5.2%
Friday, July 8
Doctor Lawyer 11 MBC 7.2%
Why Her? 11 SBS 7.0%
Saturday, July 9
It’s Beautiful Now 30 KBS 21.3%
Doctor Lawyer 12 MBC 6.1%
Why Her? 12 SBS 7.7%
Alchemy of Souls 7 tvN 5.3%
Cleaning Up 11 JTBC 2.5%
The Witch is Alive 3 TV Chosun 2.5%
Sunday, July 10
It’s Beautiful Now 31 KBS 24.2%
Alchemy of Souls 8 tvN 6.8%
Cleaning Up 12 JTBC 2.6%

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Yaay for Attorney Woo!

Why isn't the ratings for sunday's episode of Alchemy of Souls getting any higher than 6? Unlike Saturdays, where there is more competition, sunday is pretty much empty. Local Koreans, pls show more love!

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Alchemy of Souls is actually doing better than I thought it would. I think it's tough for a drama like this with a completely fantasy world to have widespread appeal.

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Your point is well taken- and remember that this is not even really a fantasy Sageuk like LOVERS OF THE RED SKY. It is really an imitation of a Chinese Fantasy Costume drama, which means that the appeal to a Korean audience is probably even lower. It is probably doing as well as it is due to the two leads.

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I actually have always felt that the Hong sisters did really awesome writing. They never fail to deliver good storylines. Alchemy is pretty fun to watch! I think the actors are pretty awful. lol. Except the female lead.. all the male actors can't act...and I hate how they all wear so much make up.

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Jung so min is indeed amazing. Though my heart breaks to imagine Lee Jae wook and can't act in the same sentence lol. He's a good actor but to each their own i guess. What do you don't like about his acting?
Though, I can say the rest of the male lead characters definitely need work. Shin seung ho works for me but we haven't seen him deliver complicated emotions yet.

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It's also one of those dramas where you have to watch it from the very beginning to understand that this doesn't even take place in the fantasy joseon or fantasy goguryeo.

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Extraordinary Attorney Woo's ratings trajectory is the next SKY Castle.

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And at least as well deserved.

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I think many shows dropped simultaneously and people are now catching up on some new shows. I just started watching Attorney Woo, I knew during the first episode I was in for this series.

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I knew Extraordinary Attorney Woo's ratings were going to go up when it crushed the buzzworthy charts but from 0.9 to 5.2 in four episodes is pretty incredible, especially as it became the highest rated show of any kind for ENA. Wednesday/Thursday is a tough night, as well. It'll be interesting to see if it can go even higher.

Everything else has settled in, and I don't see their ratings changing much.

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Okay, wow, I definitely think EAW's ratings will go higher. The new buzzworthy list is out and EAW is crushing it even more. That's a huge gap and big increase in buzz for EAW from last week.
https://twitter.com/Nonton_Kdrama/status/1546453483569614853/photo/1/

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So happy for Attorney Woo! That makes me feel a little less sad about Link being unable to hit even 3% :(

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Link has been in the top 10 on Disney + in Asian markets like South Korea and Hong Kong, and #1 in Indonesia for several weeks. So that gives me some comfort.

https://flixpatrol.com/top10/disney/indonesia/2022-027/
https://flixpatrol.com/top10/disney/south-korea/2022-027/
https://flixpatrol.com/top10/disney/hong-kong/2022-027/

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Considering how small the subscriber numbers for Disney+ are in Asia and how non existent the content competition is Top 10 is a meaningless marker. Link has no buzz in South Korea either.

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I think you are right about South Korea but my sense is there are a lot of international viewers of the show, whether legally or not. It’s the fourth most popular show currently airing on Mydramalist.com, which is kind of impressive considering how few areas it’s being broadcast in. That being said, I think it’s very underrated

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Also, personally ratings aren’t that important to me…I’m watching it because I’m genuinely intrigued by the show. My point in my original post was just to say that Link is getting attention from some viewers (mostly outside South Korea) despite its abysmally low airing ratings inside SK.

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I'm so happy for Woo, Alchemy and Café! ^^
But a little sad for Link and It's Beautiful Now...

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The success of Extraordinary Attorney Woo and inability of Alchemy of Souls simply show that there is no such thing as the wrong day. ETAW is on a Wednesday, yet it can do well..whereas Alchemy couldn't go up beyond 6.8% show that something must be wrong somewhere that it fail to capture as many audience as expected.

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people always talk about airing days but actually the drama itself is important either it interesting enough to attract people or not

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And these days, some of these content producers even air it on a Disney and other OTT. If you can't produce a drama that has a solid script, reliable acting across the board and brilliant directing...you cannot expect Koreans to give it more love. This is what many drama producers and fans alike (from Sh00ting Stars, All Play and other dramas that garner less than 5% fail) need to learn.

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so true..everything you said here hits all the points....this year's 0%-2% dramas are very weak you shouldn't be weird out why koreans don't watch these dramas because even I don't feel like watching them for one of the reasons: casting/acting/script/directing

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I don't know. There have been more than a few dramas with solid scripts, reliable acting and brilliant directing that have garnered low ratings over the years. Some dramas and movies for that matter are critically acclaimed but don't have widespread appeal for whatever reason. Some are just unlucky.

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Exhibit A: My Liberation Notes.

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the ones that got critically acclaimed are not in this category because they're obviously different league..for example Be Melodramatic.. they're not the same with low ratings dramas this year or some low ratings drama like Nevertheless lol

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Not watching Alchemy but to use ratings as a factor to judge if dramas are getting things right seems off, tbh I was expecting Alchemy to crash and burn, the fact it hasn't comes off as a surprise, not to mention it is doing better than the previous drama in the timeslot, do timings hold shows back yeah but if a show is good enough to breakthrough that and can strike a mass appeal then of course it can do better. Anyway not saying Alchemy is doing amazing but it seems to be doing decently well attempting a genre that kdrama leaves alone with leads that aren't a ratings guarantee.

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Doing better...it is a TvN drama and a it is written by well-known scriptwriters. Thus, it is expected to take off, and exceed 10% by the 4th or 5th expected.Take Again My Life and Our Blues. Two heavy dramas on a Friday/Sat/Sun dramas with pack timetable yet they do stand out. Why because of the acting, script or production.

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It is a rip off from China's fantasy historical drama(wuxia)...not something Koreans fancy though

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The previous drama in the time slot was Our Blues, which had double digit ratings.

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There are just so many elements plus a dash of luck, and I think day of the week is also one of the many, many elements. Writer reputation, the writing, actor's skill, buzz, chemistry, season, holidays, olympics, time of day, current competition, genre, intended audience, original vs adaptation, even costuming, etc. Sometimes, you can't help but think of little things a drama could have done to increase their chances of slightly better ratings. Alchemy of Souls seems to be a drama that likely appeals to the under 40 demographic and those who are interested in both high fantasy AND romantic comedies. I'm happy that the drama is attempting something different in the kdrama industry.

If producers can crack the code of having a successful drama, wouldn't every PD just follow the formula and create ratings hit after ratings hit? But that would also lead to less variety. I love seeing dramas perform above expectations (Business Proposal - loved it and thought it was fun, but did not expect ratings above a 6 at all) and am sad to see some really good ones that had gone under the radar while airing (Be Melodramatic) and then happy again when people discover them years after their airing. Some American shows had poor ratings when airing, but became must-watch critical classics. Some just disappear forever. It's interesting to see the life of a show doesn't always end after the last episode.

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I am actually not shocked by the rapid rise in ratings for EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO- to me the surprise was the initial low rating on the first episode. I would be very surprised if these ratings do not continue to rise- this show is exceptionally well done and PEB is giving a great performance (as always).

On the other hand, the weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW is not doing that well compared to its predecessor. Apparently not enough makjang. It is a shame that the ROK audience does not appreciate this show more.

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In a positive sense, at least the grand prize (Daesang) will be more wide open. KBS has a lot of big upcoming dramas this Fall, so I foresee a lot of surprises both good and bad.

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Happy for Woo to the young to the woo team! This drama's really good and it will be my top 5 of drama this year.

Sorry for Kang haneul with the lowest rating in time-slot. Insider is so fun to me. Because of tough competitors on Wed-Thurs, it couldn't make a high rating.

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Insider is R rated, airs at a later time, the time slot, the story is slow to reveal itself, and gambling is hard to depict in an interesting way.

That being said, while the ratings might be a big disappointing. I still think the show is a minor success because it showcased a new side to Kang Ha Neul, but also it’s doing well on streaming. Still, I do hope the cast and crew can finish strong and get a bit of a boost in the future.

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I'm not watching Insider, but I like it when a low-rated show is able to be of value in a different way other than ratings, buzz, and sales. I'm glad it added a new dimension to Kang Na Neul's portfolio of work and perhaps even gave him some satisfaction in expanding his acting.

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Right?! I also think its more sweeter for the fans who are involved b/c its like a secret tribe for those who know lol.

If this was a Western series, it would def. build up a fanbase as the show would progress. And I actually think they could adapt this for the West (I know I know lol), and it would be successful. But alas its not on Netflix, so that's probably why the buzz seems tepid.

IA! I'm glad that he showed more of a different side to himself, and took a chance to take on a role that was 100% different from his most successful one.

I don't think ratings are necessarily indicative of quality/success imo. Esp. now with so many other factors involved in a show's success, and with so many viewing patterns changing as well. From what I know, the metrics in the ratings we see here are from viewing in the first few minutes (or cable box registered with Nielsen ratings), not taking into account several viewings.

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I am an INSIDER fan and I think it is the best performance by Kang Ha-neul that I have seen. Granted I have only seen him in MISAENG, CAMELLIA and RIVER.

INSIDER’s plot is complicated and convoluted but that is part of the draw (and the great KHN-Kang Young-seok bromance). It has found its niche audience at around 3 percent in the ratings and I anticipate that is how it will run out.
One of my early kdrama favorites was Ji Sung’s prison drama from SBS—DEFENDANT (2017) (Viki US). The Nielsen ratings were so good from ep. 1: 14.5% to ep.18: 28.3% that 2 episodes were added to the original 16. Remember those days?
Ok DEFENDANT’s plot was not as complicated as INSIDER but I am enjoying KHN’s performance just as much as I enjoyed Ji Sung’s.

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On the Defendant note, the high ratings came more on the double Uhm Ki Joon antagonist performance. I also heard Prison Break as well in comparison. That series high ratings were incredible and a shame Ji Sung didn't get nominated at the Baeksangs. Seems like thriller/suspense dramas rarely get much accolades.

I also think Ji Sung/Kang Haneul are very different as performers, but I put them in a similar set of like minded actors than stars. They both disappear into any role.

I think his performance is why you feel something for the character. Its not just seeing some guy kick some butt, but actually rooting for him despite the show not giving us all with his role.

The bromance (Kang Young Seok's breakthrough role!) is *chefs kiss. He's the Noho Hank to Barry (reference to those who know). A reviewer at NME said that this show is most likely destined to be a future cult thriller classic. Its doesn't reveal all of its cards to the audience at first, and our ML goes with the flow so audiences can get confused or question his tactics.

They did put a lot of $$ towards this show, so I suspect we have yet to see the best action set pieces.

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Beyond Evil and if I am not mistaken Flower of Evil were nominated for Baeksang.

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@W Yeah it seems in the last 2 yrs, they slowly been nominating thrillers but action thrillers is still rare. The shows Baeksang tends to go for are the conscientious dramas that talk about or impact social issues in Korean society.

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I cringe when i watch the acting of youngest couple, mi rae n her brother. Still watching it cos the eldest son couple is so cute n fun n acting is so natural, want to see their development. Also want to see the reconciliation of the lost daughter n her bio father. The youngest son, at least now he is honest with himself n glad 2nd brother knock some law about conning own family into his head. Quite piss with him when yoona was upset that she did not want to go on with the lies, he still want to continue. This part of conning plot that goes on n on, not fun to watch, perhaps reason for people not watching it in korea? After the expose of his con, he became a bit more honest with himself, throw out the books which he is not interested to study n doing what he is good. This week, more happening.
EWA is my fav drama, ah tomorrow yeh.
AOS - not watching cos i scare of hong sis plot can kill their own drama.
Doctor lawyer-interesting to see allies with different capabilities working together to bring the bad guy down.
Will try some jdrama

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I actually didn't expecting attorney Woo Yong Woo will be air in new channel. I realy Though the drama would be airing in TVN or SBS at least since PD is Yoo In Shik from SBS and he is a major PD in SBS and the writers is from that successful movie innocent witness... How surprise I was it's airing in New channel and Feeling pesimistic this drama wouldn't be a well received. MIGHT BE Attorney being in netflix also helping alot why the drama can get the buzz despite airing in new channel.

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I read that PEB got this offer and King's Affection at the same time, but refused this drama because she wasn't sure she could do justice to the role. The writer and director didn't want to cast anyone in the role but her and asked several times and waited until PEB finished King's Affection. So the drama was sort of delayed by a year. Some would have felt it too risky to delay and just cast someone else, but I think the writer and director wanting to do this drama on their own terms limited their broadcast choices and ENA probably had plenty of timeslots. And once you finally have PEB on board, you got to film and air it before she gets picked up for another project.

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I actually read when this came out, it was positioned as maybe airing on SBS. But the time slot were full, and I think the PD/production company shopped the series outside to a smaller company ENA. It worked out in the end, b/c SBS might have put this in a bad time slot or not given it a Netflix deal (which has helped with its social rankings). When I heard the great Park Eun Bin was starring, I knew something special was going to occur. Glad to see a positive show and featuring a character on the autism spectrum is getting widely seen.

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