The SBS Drama Awards has been held annually on December 31st for 24 years. The reason they organized it on the last day of the year was to honor all SBS dramas that shone brightly and actors who worked hard and presented outstanding performances throughout the year.
However, things have changed this year. SBS decided to break the tradition that they had kept for 24 years and hold the Drama Awards on December 29th instead of December 31st. Although SBS stated that there was no specific reason for the change, netizens still doubted the real reason for them to make such an unusual decision after 24 years.
After canceling Mon-Tue drama broadcasts to focus on Fri-Sat dramas, SBS received good results in ratings and did well enough to be given the name “Fri-Sat Drama Universe”. Attention is focused on the winner of Daesang this year. According to viewers, prominent nominees are Lee Je-hoon with “Taxi Driver 2”, Han Suk-kyu with “Dr. Romantic 3”, Kim Tae-ri with “Revenant” and Kim Rae-won with “The First Responders”.
Among the nominees, Lee Je-hoon is a strong candidate for Daesang because both seasons of his drama “Taxi Driver” surpassed 20% rating. Apart from the ratings and popularity, the actor also impressed netizens with his undeniable acting performance. Han Suk-kyu did very well with “Dr. Romantic 3”, however, as he already won Daesang for season 1 of the drama, some speculate that SBS will give the award to another drama. Knowing that Daesang winner is not always predictable, some netizens also think Kim Tae-ri has the chance to win with her occult mystery challenge in “Revenant”. In this case, it would be similar to Kim Nam-gil with “Through The Darkness” last year. Lastly, Kim Rae-won is considered the weakest among the nominees.
Unlike any other year, the event this year will be held in a rather calm and solemn atmosphere. It is because actor Lee Sun-kyun, who led SBS’s drama “Payback” at the beginning of this year, recently took his own life while being investigated by the police for taking drugs.
Starring the late actor Lee Sun-kyun, “Payback” recorded a rating peak of 11.4%, becoming the fourth highest-rating drama on SBS in 2023, following “Taxi Driver 2”, “Dr. Romantic 3” and “Revenant”. In the case of the awards ceremony, where dramas in the latter half of the year have a higher chance of winning awards, Lee Sun-kyun was mentioned as a candidate for Daesang. However, netizens eliminated him from the list of nominees as he was suddenly caught up in a drug scandal.
Two days ahead of the Drama Awards, the shocking news of Lee Sun-kyun’s passing was reported so “Payback” team decided not to attend the awards ceremony to spend time mourning the late actor. Announcing the absence of “Payback” cast, SBS said, “The awards will be held regardless of whether they will attend or not. Please understand our decision”. Therefore, other actors who will show up at the SBS Drama Awards will celebrate their achievements in a calm and saddened atmosphere.
The 2023 SBS Drama Awards will air at 8:40 p.m. on December 29th.
Source: Daum
