It has been a bumpy ride for the first half of the year 2020, mainly in the Korean entertainment industry. Despite the fact that the current COVID 19 pandemic has halted some productions of Korean drama for quite some time, the audience is still looking forward to more releases since the small-screen content is now in the limelight as a source of joy and comfort for people stuck at home in the period of quarantine.
The JTBC network became a BIG name in the industry. The previous year JTBC ran strong with their hit drama Sky Castle which set a record of high viewership rating for the said cable network. And it has continued to build its success this year!
To start the year, Itaewon Class kicked off smoothly for the network. The drama is based on a famous webtoon with the same title starred by the beloved actor Park Seo Joon. He showed an amazing chemistry with co star rookie Kim Da-mi. The heartwarming story of Park Seo Joon's character as Park Sae-ro-yi working hard to achieve success has captured the hearts of young viewers and gave inspiration to the aspiring businessmen to never give up. As a result, the series concluded with a high rating of 16.5 percent.
Nowadays, most Korean drama viewers thought that they already had enough of those secret affair love stories. Not until they had a glimpse of the hit drama "The World of the Married". The drama features a story of a married couple who experienced a deep betrayal of one another that resulted in a whirlwind of revenge, grief, forgiveness, and healing. The series even had 6 R-rated episodes that set it apart from other dramas. The drama swiftly gained worldwide fame and on its 12th episode, the drama's ratings outran the pervious highest mark of 23.8 percent set by Sky Castle. It concluded with a new high record of 28.3 percent.
Because of the over the top fame of "The World of the Married" producer Mo Wan-il and lead actress Kim Hee-ae took home both the best producer and best actress for TV, respectively, at this year's Baeksang Arts Awards.
On the other hand, powerhouse tvN also experienced their high time through their star studded drama Crash Landing on You. The drama is starred by leads Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin which broke the networks viewership record in February. The story is about the unrealistic romance between a South Korean chaebol heiress and North Korean military officer. Their love story proves that love wins against all odds.
Taking the next spot is Hospital Playlist from star director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung which was also a big hit despite airing for just once a week.
Between the three major local networks, SBS showcased even scores for most of its dramas like the second season of medical drama Dr. Romantic, Namkoong Min's Stove League and Hyena which features the celebrities Ji-hoon and Kim Hye-soo.
