“If the ratings rank first among this year’s JTBC dramas, please send us on an overseas trip together.”
JTBC’s Saturday-Sunday drama “King the Land” is on the verge of failing its promise. The ratings, which had risen steeply, stagnated at the 12% range, and the upward trend was dampened. Was the sweet romance between Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona not enough? It seems impossible to surpass the record of “Doctor Cha”, which targeted a wide audience, in the remaining 4 episodes.
“King the Land” overcame the weakness of a typical Cinderella story, which is obvious and childish, and is maintaining the top spot among weekend dramas. It is evaluated that elements such as Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona’s exciting romance, the competition surrounding hotel management and the characters’ comic chemistry drew positive responses.
The drama recorded the highest rating of 12.3% in episode 8. In particular, this broadcast attracted keen attention as it featured Goo Won (Lee Jun Ho) and Cheon Sa Rang (Im Yoona)’s deep first kiss scene in the sprinkler.
However, as the relationship between the two began, the ratings are at a standstill. Despite the passionate love affair that resulted in kissing scenes in every episode, the ratings dropped to 9% in episode 11. Along with the romantic relationship, various episodes disappeared and only the scenes that seemed to have been seen were repeated, which halved the fun.
Insufficient directing skills and setting errors that could not be solved by Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona’s chemistry were also problems. On top of that, the cliché, including Goo Won’s marriage of convenience, was repeated again and again.
Although the work lacks a lot, its topicality is by far the best. According to Netflix’s TOP10 on July 26th, “King the Land” topped the non-English TV category with 4.7 million views and 65.1 million viewing hours for a week from July 17th to 23rd. This is the second time that a Korean simultaneously-airing drama has ranked first on Netflix Global since “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”. The male and female protagonists Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona are also the most talked-about actors.
Nevertheless, the ratings show no signs of rising for 2 weeks. This is a disappointing result compared to “Doctor Cha”, which recorded the highest rating every week and reached 18.5%. “Doctor Cha” already exceeded 12% in episode 6.
Analysts say that the reason why the ratings are not rising even though it occupies the unrivaled first place in OTT and topicality is that the audience is not wide compared to “Doctor Cha”. “Doctor Cha” captivated everyone from the young to the middle-aged by mixing the provocative setting of adultery with warm human drama and comedy factors. On the other hand, “King the Land” lacks the power to bring more viewers to the front of the TV because it only targets overseas viewers and young people.
At the press conference, Lee Jun Ho expressed confidence in the high ratings, “I asked JTBC’s CEO to send us on an overseas trip when the ratings reach 20%.” Director Im Hyun Wook also expected a performance beyond “Doctor Cha”, but “King the Land” seems to lack a persistence to surpass the 18.5% mark.
Source: Naver
