The weekend drama race in Korea has turned into a tale of winners and losers, with some of the biggest stars failing to draw audiences while others continue to break records.
According to Nielsen Korea, the September 7 broadcast of KBS2’s new weekend mini-series Twelve recorded just 2.6% nationwide ratings, continuing a sharp downward trend. The drama, boasting a star-studded cast including Ma Dong-seok, Park Hyung-sik, Seo In-guk, and Lee Joo-bin, initially premiered strong with 8.1% but quickly slipped across six episodes: 5.9% → 4.2% → 3.1% → 3.4% → 2.6%.
In contrast, tvN’s Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is enjoying explosive success. Its September 7 episode hit an average 12.7% nationwide (peaking at 14.5%), setting a new personal best. The series also dominated the key 20–49 demographic, scoring up to 5.3%, making it the undisputed No.1 across all channels in its time slot.
Other weekend dramas saw mixed results:
JTBC’s My Youth, starring Song Joong-ki, opened on September 5 with 2.9% and 2.8% for its first two episodes, a modest start compared to expectations for his drama comeback.
SBS’s Mantis: The Killer’s Outing, the comeback project of veteran actress Go Hyun Jung, launched with 7.1% and 6.9%—a respectable but not breakout performance.
KBS2’s Glorious Days maintained solid momentum at 14.8%, holding the weekend crown for traditional weekend series.
JTBC’s Beyond The Bar concluded its run with 8.4%, ending on a stable note.
TV Chosun’s Confidence Queen, starring Park Min-young, struggled at launch with just 1.1% and 1.5%.
The sharp contrast between Twelve’s struggles and Bon Appetit, Your Majesty’s rise underscores how competitive the weekend drama landscape has become. While big names like Ma Dong-seok and Song Joong-ki generated early buzz, audiences appear to be gravitating toward strong storytelling and unique concepts, with Bon Appetit, Your Majesty emerging as the standout hit of the season.
Sources: 네이트 뉴스
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