Viewers say bad acting spoils intense storyline of 'Game: Towards Zero'

Singer and actor Ok Taec-yeon made his comeback to the small screen with the new MBC thriller-drama “The Game: Towards Zero,” which went to air on Jan. 22. Courtesy of MBC

By Lee Gyu-lee

K-pop singer and actor Ok Taec-yeon appeared excited and nervous during a media conference for MBC's new thriller crime drama “The Game: Towards Zero” last Wednesday.

“Since this marks my comeback, I really hope this drama does well,” Ok said, referring to his return to the small screen after 18 months of military service from 2017 to last May.

But despite the actor's hopes, the series got a mixed response from viewers after it went to air Jan. 22 ― ranging from compliments on its intense storyline to criticisms of actors' performances.

The police drama is about Tae-pyung (Ok Taec-yeon), a man with psychic ability to see a death, who teams up with detective Jun-young (Lee Yeon-hee) to solve a cold-case murder from 20 years ago, among others.

When the first two episodes aired, many questioned the two main actors' inability to lead such a strong genre series.

One person said on the series' social page: "I'm mad because I looked forward to this series. The viewers shouldn't have to bear actors performing badly.”

Lee has a history of poor reviews since her debut in the 2004 drama “My Lovely Family.” Her previous work ― including the 2008 drama “East of Eden” ― also faced criticism for her performances and this time was no different.

The actors said the series' riveting storylines and exciting cliffhanger ends to every episode were reasons for taking their roles.

“I read four episodes and felt really strongly to take the role,” Ok said. “I loved the ending of every episode.”

The director Jang Joon-ho showed confidence in drawing empathy from viewers as the series is also about people. “I don't think this drama can be limited to a 'genre-oriented' series … the story will throw up questions about life,” he said.

Actors Lee Yeon-hee and Ok Taec-yeon pose for pictures during a media conference for the drama at MBC's headquarters in Sang-am, western Seoul, last Wednesday. Yonhap

Lee said she put more responsibility and anticipation into this work. “I've always felt that I could depend on the other actors, but I started to feel that I needed to take charge and take more responsibility with my role,” Lee said.

She also revealed that she did extensive research on detectives to play her role. “I tried to study their diligence and psychological state as they work to put away criminals,” Lee said.

The series began with 3.7 percent viewership, landing in second place among prime-time Wednesday-Thursday TV dramas. But as its biggest competitor “Woman of 9.9 Billion” ended last week at 8.5 percent, the drama might gather more viewers in coming weeks.