KBS seems to be in a bind right now with the next drama to follow upcoming Mon-Tues drama Taming Mother-in-Law, which is about to take over in two weeks once I Remember You ends. This is a time slot for KBS that hasn’t seen a single ratings hit drama in over a year, starting from last year with Trot Lovers to Discovery of Love to Tomorrow’s Cantabile to Healer to Blood to Who Are You: School 2015 and now with I Remember You. Healer and School 2015 got cult-ish buzz online but it didn’t translate into domestic ratings, and while I thought DoL was excellent and way underrated, overall KBS drama has just been failing to connect on a broad scale.
That makes me wonder if KBS is going to do anything to try and rope viewers in by giving them what they want, and the current surprise hit that is Yongpal over on SBS Wed-Thurs (episode 1 got 11.6% ratings and episode 2 jumped to 14.1%) proves that ratings over 10% is still possible. A few weeks ago KBS was planning Home Alone (I Live Alone) with Moon Geun Young and Kang Ji Hwan but that quickly fell through. In came a 36-episode drama by screenwriter Moon Young Nam (who wrote hit weekend drama Wang’s Family) called Blooming in Tears. Now comes word that Blooming in Tears has fallen through as well and KBS may speed up production of Oh My God with So Ji Sub and Shin Mina to air in October. Yikes.
It worries me to hear that KBS may rush a drama just to fill a suddenly open time slot, which would be the case with Oh My God since it was always scheduled for a December airing when the casting news was confirmed. It’s likely that leads So Ji Sub and Shin Mina accepted on that schedule as well, since fitting a drama filming into a feasible entertainment schedule also plays a part in a stars decision to accept or decline a project. It also rarely works out when dramas get rushed as the pre-production phase is critical for a smooth filming process such as getting location scouting and other affairs in order before the cameras roll.
There is no mention of KBS trying to make Home Alone happen either, so that project really is a no go, probably due to the two discussed leads never really considering it seriously in the first place despite the media play. There’s been no word on why Blooming in Tears is suddenly not ready for airing, and it’s moments like this that being a fly on the wall in KBS meetings would certainly net an eyeful and earful of juicy details. I’ll keep an eye on any updates but at this point anything could happen, including the sudden emergence of a brand new drama to take over the time slot and keep OMG for a December slot.
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I can't believe someone would give a timeslot to that accursed Wang Family writer. Ratings are 1 thing but I bet not a single actor wants to sign for this. Treated like meat... Not like it would help with their career either.
I remember you is definitely my fav drama on air now, so I'm going to be sad when it's over next week. This and Healer are truly all around solid dramas, but I guess they aren't they type of dramas that the older population would want to watch. I love SJS and SMA, but I'm just a little textile with a drama called Oh My God. Hopefully the writing delivers.
* textile--> hesitant
KBS's still doing great in variety shows and weekend dramas. Healer was popular in overseas while Discovery of Love, Jeong Do Jeon and Man In Jeoseon got recognized in more drama festivals in or outside Korea. The only good ratings happen this year from KBS was Unkind Woman but School 2015 was pretty popular in Korea. I hope nothing messy like the Times We Were Not in Love. Too much behind the scenes happen even before drama started >.<
how was Healer popular overseas??School 2015 was definately popular overseas and somehow,domestically.sorry Healer fans,but i wouldnt say it was popular overseas.compared to SCHOOL 2015,Healer was nowhere near popular.
I'm not sure where you were, but it was definitely popular in China (at least)
Hmmm @dramakid... Healer fans won't like your comment. They are everywhere & will definitely say that Healer is the best drama ever ??
And very popular overseas ??
Healer had a cult following during the time it was airing. Comments on known blogs that recapped that drama were in thousands on almost every episode. How was School 2015 popular overseas? It was good, but I didn't see it creating an interest more than the next drama.
wasn't 'Descendants from the Sun' also suppossed to be on that time slot but got pushed back? that probably also messed with their schedules. but whenever that series does air it's probably gona be a big hit, so KBS low ratings streak won't last forever.
I do think if they can make 'Oh My God' happen earlier that's a good thing. But they won't make it happen earlier at the expense of the cast, since the cast is the selling point for that drama, so maybe they'll just have to find an orphaned drama looking for a time slot.
There is a Chinese movie called Oh My God with Zhang Ziyi coming out in December too.
I cant attest to the other dramas (except School 2015 was like a scam), currently airing I Remember You is pretty good. It has an awesome female lead (which is a great feat for kdramas) and the characters are complex. The only downside is absence of romance, and therefore ratings, I'm assuming...
I wonder why the ratings are so bad across the board nowadays
I wish so ji sub and shin min ah have another drama they are an item