IU, Go Youn-jung, Shin Hae-sun defy ratings slump in rare weekend drama surge

From left, Go Youn-jung, IU and Shin Hae-sun / Xportsnews

In a twist that is rare for Korea’s fiercely competitive weekend TV slots, three rival dramas airing at similar times are all increasing — not splitting — viewership.

Led by star names like IU, Go Youn-jung and Shin Hae-sun, the trio of series has simultaneously hit new ratings highs, creating an unusual “all boats rise” effect in the Saturday primetime battleground.

The three shows — MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “Perfect Crown,” JTBC’s Saturday-Sunday drama “We Are All Trying Here” and tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama “Filing for Love” — air in overlapping weekend slots, traditionally a zero-sum game for TV ratings.

Instead, each is building momentum.

“Perfect Crown,” starring IU and Byun Woo-seok, has emerged as the most stable hit. After debuting at 7.8 percent, the drama climbed to 10.8 percent in its seventh episode and 11.2 percent in its eight, firmly establishing itself as a weekend leader.

Scenes from "Perfect Crown" / Courtesy of MBC

The show is also gaining traction overseas. It stayed in the Top 10 on Disney+ in the United States for 21 days and entered the Top 10 in 47 countries, highlighting the continued global pull of K-romance.

JTBC’s “We Are All Trying Here,” starring Go Youn-jung and Koo Kyo-hwan, is seeing slower but steady growth. After dipping to 2.1 percent, it rebounded to 2.5 percent in episode 5 and 2.9 percent in episode 6, also marking its highest ratings yet.

Scenes from "We Are All Trying Here" / Courtesy of JTBC

While not explosive in traditional TV terms, the series is gaining traction through word of mouth and online buzz. It recently ranked No. 1 in “Top 10 Series in South Korea Today” on Netflix and placed second in Good Data Corporation’s TV-OTT drama buzz rankings, with its cast also trending individually.

Scenes from "Filing for Love" / Courtesy of tvN

The sharpest rise, however, belongs to tvN’s “Filing for Love,” starring Shin Hae-sun and Gong Myung. The drama jumped from 4.4 percent to 7.9 percent by its fourth episode, nearly doubling its ratings and taking first place in its time slot across cable and general programming channels.

In the key 20–49 demographic, often considered the most commercially valuable audience, the series also topped all channels, fueled by growing buzz around the evolving relationship between its leads and a string of shocking episode endings.

What makes the trend particularly notable is how different the three shows are in tone and appeal.

“Perfect Crown” leans on a fantasy romance premise and star power, anchoring its strong, consistent ratings. “We Are All Trying Here,” written by acclaimed screenwriter Park Hae-young, draws viewers with introspective storytelling and emotionally layered performances. “Filing for Love,” meanwhile, is gaining traction through rising romantic tension and cliffhanger-driven storytelling.

Rather than competing for audiences, the three dramas appear to be expanding the overall weekend viewership pool — with anticipated blockbusters and word-of-mouth hits each carving out their own space.

Attention is now turning to whether this synchronized rise is a short-lived anomaly — or the start of a broader shift in Korea’s weekend drama landscape.

This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.