The Wed-Thurs drama timeslot used to be THE most prestigious in K-ent with the highest ratings and the most viewers. But in the last few years the prime time networks have actually stopped their Wed-Thurs dramas due to the general ratings drop across the board and now tvN is joining the party. The cable network will stop airing dramas on Wed-Thurs after the end of currently airing Stealer: The Treasure Keeper with Joo Won. The drama is getting 3% cable ratings not terrible or good but I don’t think this drama led to tvN making the decision but the general feel that drama audiences are not watching on Wed-Thurs nights anymore. Maybe going out more who knows. Sad to see this one vaunted time slot discontinued nearly across the board.
One word, streaming
First SBS, then MBC and KBS and now even TVN pulling away from WT time slot makes one wonder what went wrong with the most popular slot of the week. Apparently the downfall started with the rise of Trot but its not like WT is unwinnable since Attorney Woo proved there is still an audience for those days. Overall programming quality has gone down and apart from the weekend slot most other days don’t perform well. Even MT dramas have uneven ratings especially for TVN. Apparently over 80 dramas are in post production hell with no one willing to air them. That’s a huge financial loss but also demotivates actors. TVN also said that they would only accept top stars for their dramas going forward which is going to hurt the already non-existent pool of rookie actors and rising stars struggling to break out.
That’s truly sad if tvN takes that route when a drama filled with a bunch of music stars with barely any acting creds or none at all is what put that network on the map. It changed the course of the entire Korean television industry with PDs fleeing the regular networks at top speed which led to the network being able to pull those big names. I love my favorite top actors, but they’re not immune to flop dramas while earning more per episode than the entire supporting cast put together. I’d honestly care more about screenwriters with a solid track record over top star billing at this point. Production companies just need to get casting directors who chose their actors well. Look how many actors from The Glory blew up after the show. Sky Castle also didn’t need a big name to be the hit that it was. I didn’t even know who Son Suk Ku was until My Liberation Notes. The same goes for Jung Sung Il in The Glory and look at them now.
It’s stupid. Attorney Woo was airing on Wed-Thu and on very small channel but still did great with ratings. It’s more about the quality of the show and the buzz than the days of the week. If every channel put their tv shows on the week-ends, it won’t work…
The hype of Lee Junho. His fans starting all the coincidental references until the fake Lee Junho’s agency started promoting him using the memes and character animals of the real Lee Junho. Even Netflix tagging the real Lee Junho too.
It’s a pity the fake Lee Junho became more popular than Park Eunbin and her character.
With the absence of fake Lee Junho, Park Eunbin’s team hyping her up for the Baeksang. If Jowon didn’t win Best Actor for Good Doctor, there is no way she’s going to win too. Her portrayal of someone on autism spectrum was just too shallow.
The hype was nothing about Lee Junho.
Park Eun-Bin was the one who made this drama worked. She was great in this role.
Top stars can bring in the much-needed ratings and attention to the dramas,especially if they are veterans. After all, producing a drama is not exactly FREE… so of course,they will want the ratings and the advertising money. How do you think these dramas like:Under the Queen’s Umbrella, Reborn Rich, Agency, Dr Cha, Crash Course in Romance, Divorce Attorney Cha become successful? Part of it is because they get top stars as their main casts, instead of some idols or rookie actors who depend on their pretty faces.
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I don’t think the solution is hiring top stars. The networks just need really good scripts, regardless of who is starring in them. If a plot is really good but with unknown actors, it would still generate buzz. Better scripts and directing would produce quality dramas.
Same. The dramas which aired on the Wed-Thurs timeslot on the cable or public networks do not have the most engaging plots or the execution was/became wonky. Nowadays, writers focus more on the premise and genre than plot development and characters.
Agree , top stars may attract people but if the script , director ,… aren’t good , it will be a failure . I dare say that it’s more about casting the right actors for the right story .Sky castle, Graceful family, attorney Woo, …didn’t cast Top actors and did great . Lucky timing is also a factor . No need to add that when a drama is a success 10 “copycats” are produced !
I’m with everyone else. The problem is the lacking STORIES. They need to freshen up the genre. They need to find a better balance of drama-real life-fun. The most recent mainstream successes and actually watchable all the way through were “Attorney Woo” and “Alchemy”, which I feel found a balance to play to all emotions. Sigh. Noooothiiing looks good right now or on the horizon.
So does this mean Useless Lies, Wedding Impossible and Good Day to Be A Dog have moved to the Mon-Tue slot or did they get axed? Why doesn’t TVN just announce their full line up for the year? Its almost half way through 2023.