Han Yi Soo, one of the main characters in the drama "Shark" says he likes sharks because they are lonely creatures. That's why he identified with sharks as a young boy. However sharks are also stealthy creatures, stalking their prey and striking when their prey is most vulnerable. That could also describe the vengeful Han Yi Soo later in life as he plots the undoing of his enemies. But a shark attack can also describe the way the show snuck up in the ratings this week.
The drama, which stars Kim Nam Gil and Son Ye Jin, has had ratings of around 9 percent for most of its run, facing stiff competition from the popular fantasy drama "Gu Family Book" and followed by the historical drama "Jang Ok Jung." However those shows ended and "Shark" is now competing with MBC's "Goddess of Fire: Jeonji," which stars Moon Geun Young and Lee Sang Yoon, and the SBS drama "Empire of Gold," starring Go Soo, Lee Yo Won and So Hyun Joo.
According to the Korean newspaper, The Star, this week's ratings showed that "Shark" was closely trailing "Goddess of Fire," earning 10.5 percent of the viewers compared to 10.6 percent for the pottery saeguk. "Empire of Gold," a 24-episode drama about a power struggle within a self-made business empire, rated a healthy 9.5 percent.
The tvN series "Dating Agency: Cyrano" only earned O.246 percent of the ratings.
While "Goddess of Fire" is an interesting historical saga about the life of the first female potter in Korea, some netizens have criticized it as being too slow. The history of the characters meeting in their adolescence is interesting, but it has taken several episodes for the adult characters in the drama to appear. Some viewers became impatient and switched to another drama.
It may also be that the competition "Shark" previously faced when they were in the same time slot as "Gu Family Book" distracted some viewers from the moody story of love and revenge. Either way, the race seems to be on to see which show will win first place before "Shark" ends.
When the production company for "Shark" first released a promotional clip, they also released this statement. "The reason we named the drama "Shark" and why Kim Nam Gil talks about sharks in the clip is because the lives of the two main characters are similar to that of sharks, which can't stop swimming."
Despite its long stretch in second place, the drama is definitely not dead in the water.
As to variety shows, the KBS show "Hello" earned 9.5 percent, while the SBS show "Healing Camp" earned 8.7 percent.
