The two new contenders for top Wednesday-Thursday drama set up some interesting challenges. Can a woman from earth fall in love with a man from the stars? Can a village transform an ordinary girl into a beauty contest winner?
These are the storyline challenges inherent in the otherworldly drama "You Who Came From The Stars" and the makeover drama "Miss Korea." They compete for viewers with the already established but lagging Jang Geun Suk drama "Pretty Man."
Fantasy storylines have done well this year so it's no surprise that "You Who Came From The Stars" started strong with 15.6 percent of the viewers. That's 4 percent more of the viewers than the popular drama "The Heirs" claimed with its first episode.
Kim Soo Hyun, who plays the alien Do Min Joon, is a big attraction. It's the first role he has taken since his box office hit film "Secretly Greatly." And Jeon Ji Hyun, who plays actress Chun Song Yi, has not appeared on the small screen in 14 years since her last drama "Happy Together."
The director specifically wanted the two actors for these roles as they had already demonstrated spark-worthy chemistry in the film "The Thieves."
And the drama's storyline offers something different. Joseon-era records of an unidentified flying object inspired the story. According to "You Who Came From The Stars" Do Min Joon was on that object. After he landed on earth, he worked at plenty of jobs. In the first episodes that take place in the present, he is a professor and Chun Song Yi is an actress taking a class for a lark. He gives her a failing grade for not trying hard. But we also find out that she is the reason he has stayed on the earth.
"Miss Korea," the drama about a village that transforms an ordinary girl into a beauty contestant achieved second place with 7 percent of the ratings, which is more than the last episode of "Medical Top Team" earned. Lee Yeon Hee, who plays the girl in need of a makeover, was complimented on her acting in the first episode.
"Pretty Man," the Jang Geun Suk drama about the world's prettiest man, continues its poor ratings. It remains in third place with only 3.5 percent of the viewers. The drama could not compete with "The Heirs" and seems unlikely to reach first place at this late date.
Jang Geun Suk saw his role in the drama as a challenge, saying that he hoped it would push him to the next level as an actor. But the only challenge left at this point may be to move the drama out of third place.
