Namgoong Min and “My Dearest” Predicted to Dominate the 2023 MBC Drama Awards with Barely Any Competition
With only about 10 dramas aired throughout 2023, the only hit MBC has to boast is ‘My Dearest’
Namgoong Min stands as the sole strong contender for the Daesang. Concerns arise as the dominance of ‘My Dearest’ in various categories seems predictable, potentially turning the 2023 MBC Drama Awards into a ‘My Dearest’-exclusive celebration.
The 2023 MBC Drama Awards are scheduled to take place on December 30. Kim Sung-joo will be the MC for the fifth consecutive year, alongside actress Park Gyu-young. SBS and KBS Drama Awards are set to take place on December 29th and 31st, respectively.
MBC trails behind other national public networks with a meager number of dramas. The weekday drama ‘A Good Day To Be a Dog’ is the sole representative, and the weekend dramas include ‘Kokdu: Season of Deity,’ ‘Joseon Attorney,’ ‘Numbers,’ ‘My Dearest,’ and ‘The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract,’ totaling only five. The only daily dramas released this year are ‘Meant to Be’ and ‘The Third Marriage.’
Despite the limited number of dramas, the ratings are not high. ‘My Dearest’ stands alone in surpassing a 10% viewership rate this year. Other dramas struggled to exceed a 5% viewership rate. Daily dramas also recorded modest 4-5% ratings, significantly lower than KBS daily dramas, which consistently exceed 10%.
Except for ‘My Dearest,’ the currently airing ‘The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract’ is the only one achieving above-average ratings.
Last year’s MBC Drama Awards featured a total of 17 categories, with around 20 winners, including shared awards and best couple awards. It’s already anticipated that the majority of trophies this year will go to ‘My Dearest.’
The Daesang and the Best Drama Award are almost certain to be claimed by Namgoong Min and ‘My Dearest,’ reflecting a situation similar to last year.
This scenario echoes the 2021 MBC Drama Awards, where the ceremony was dominated by ‘The Red Sleeve’ and ‘The Veil,’ with ‘The Red Sleeve’ winning seven awards and ‘The Veil’ securing five. At that time, Namgoong Min took home the Daesang.
Therefore, the industry expects this year’s MBC Drama Awards to be similar to the previous one, given the ongoing struggle with ratings. Other actors seem destined to play supporting roles in the celebration of ‘My Dearest’.
While ‘My Dearest’ undoubtedly achieved significant success this year, the fact that there’s only one strong contender at the year-end awards for a major network may feel somewhat modest.
The excitement of the awards lies in who will receive the trophies, but MBC Drama Awards seems to lack tension even before it begins, with the spotlight on how many trophies ‘My Dearest’ will claim among the 17 categories.
Source: daum
