Successive failure of melodramas

By Park Jin-hai

Melodramas targeting viewers this fall _ a season of love _ have failed to woo viewers. Despite star-studded casts, four dramas _ SBS’ “Temperature of Love,” MBC’s “20th Century Boy and Girl,” JTBC’s “The Package” and tvN’s “Because This is My First Life” _ have finished or are going to finish, failing to win viewers’ hearts.

Although clips of those shows made headlines from time to time, the dramas overall have faltered in viewership.

“Temperature of Love,” which showed a strong beginning, peaking to over 10 percent viewership in its first few episodes, had seen the numbers remain in the 5 to 7 percent range for the rest of the episodes and then exited. Although the drama fared better than the other three melodramas, the numbers are not anything to brag about, compared with the same time slot of KBS legal drama “Witch at Court,” which has been posting over 10 percent viewership ratings.

It is worse for MBC’s romantic comedy “20th Century Boy and Girl.” Starring Han Ye-seul and Kim Ji-suk, the 30-minute 32-part romantic comedy began with 2 to 3 percent viewership ratings. Its 25th episode, aired Monday, further fell to the 1 percent-range, a disgrace for a major broadcaster’s show.

JTBC’s Friday-Saturday melodrama “The Package” recently ended with a 2 percent-range viewership, while ongoing tvN’s “Because This is My First Life” is in the range of 3 percent.

Notwithstanding great acting and fandom of each actor, many say the mismatch of couples in those dramas has derailed the dramas’ popularity. In “Temperature of Love,” lead actress Seo Hyun-jin, nicknamed the roco-queen after her success in her recent romantic comedies, couldn’t salvage the drama, after failing to draw viewers into the love chemistry with her love interest, played by actor Yang Se-jong. Many viewers rather supported the Seo and Kim Jae-wook couple.

The Lee Yeon-hee and Jung Yong-hwa couple has seen lukewarm support from drama fans in “The Package” until the very last episode and so did the Han Ye-seul and Kim Ji-suk couple in “20th Century Boy and Girl.” “The Package” showed beautiful scenes filmed in France, but the romance itself has been said to be less impressive than the scenery.