[Popular Culture Review]② No More Hero Fantasies... Women's Dramas and Competitive Variety Shows on the Rise

Broadcasting and OTT Content Performance This Year

Terrestrial and Cable Dramas Smile, OTT Cries
Women’s Codes Grounded in Reality, Survival Shows Strong

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This year, the drama market underwent significant changes. Last year, broadcast dramas were overshadowed by online video services (OTT), but this year they regained the lead. Cable broadcasts dominated the buzz with hits like 'Seonjae Eopgo Twieo' and 'Jeongnyeon-i.' Terrestrial broadcasters broke the cycle of poor performance with shows like 'Good Partner' and 'Goryeo-Khitan War.' OTTs captivated viewers with variety content instead of dramas.

How did dramas perform this year?

Netflix, which dominated popularity last year, released a total of 15 K-content series (dramas) this year, including 'Squid Game 2' scheduled for release on the 26th of this month, 'The Killer's Shopping List' (February), 'Dakgangjeong' (March), 'The Eight Show' (May), 'Sweet Home 3' (July), and 'Hellbound 2' (October). Despite pouring 70 billion KRW into the production of 'Gyeongseong Creature 2' for seasons 1 and 2, as well as 'Sweet Home 3' and 'Hellbound 2,' these failed to garner significant reactions contrary to expectations.

Unlike last year when terrestrial broadcasters were shunned by viewers due to focusing on fantasy hero stories, this year they were loved for relatively diverse genre dramas. SBS's 'Good Partner,' which deals with stories of divorce specialist lawyers, achieved a 17.7% rating; 'Connection,' featuring a narcotics detective, scored 14.2%; and KBS's historical drama 'Goryeo-Khitan War' reached 13.8%, all setting their own highest ratings and gaining popularity. Additionally, MBC's 'Death to Snow White - Black Out,' 'Such an Intimate Betrayer,' and ENA's 'Your Honor' received praise for their meticulous direction that transcended the long-criticized 'good triumphs over evil' clich?s.

As content viewing patterns diversified recently, buzzworthiness became as important as ratings, and cable channel tvN swept the buzz rankings. According to this year's drama buzz survey by Good Data Corporation, a TV and OTT buzz analysis agency, tvN's drama 'Queen of Tears' ranked first. The story unfolds after the marriage of a chaebol third-generation woman and a rural village chief's son, reversing the traditional 'prince on a white horse' trope by swapping the genders. Actors Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun starred in the lead roles.

tvN's biggest hit this year was 'Seonjae Eopgo Twieo.' Captivating both domestic and international viewers, it was regarded as the best drama of the year. Although its highest rating was only 5.8%, it dominated buzz and gained popularity. The response overseas was also enthusiastic. The American weekly magazine Time named it the best K-drama of the year, and the British pop culture magazine NME ranked it first in the 'Top 10 K-Dramas of 2024.' On the global OTT Rakuten Viki, it ranked first in viewership across 109 countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and Mexico. Actor Byun Woo-seok, who played the protagonist Seonjae, rose as the 'top casting priority' and enjoyed top-star level popularity.

Other dramas such as the revenge drama 'Marry My Husband' reached a peak rating of 12%, and 'Jeongnyeon-i,' a story about a women's national theater troupe in the 1950s, recorded a final episode rating of 16.5%, achieving commercial success. A common theme among this year's popular dramas was 'women's stories.' Narratives of solidarity among women and mutual salvation resonated with viewers and gained popularity.

'I Must Beat You to Live'...The Strength of Survival Variety Shows

OTT cried with dramas but laughed with variety shows. This year, 'survival' content that survives fierce competition showed strong performance. Netflix released shows such as 'The Influencer,' 'Mystery Investigation Team,' 'Solo's Inferno,' 'Physical:100,' 'Zombie Bus,' and 'Strongest Rugby: Die or Win,' among which 'Black & White Chef: Cooking Class War' was the most popular. This survival cooking program pits underground masters against 100 star chefs and ranked first in the global non-English top 10 for three consecutive weeks. Netflix confirmed production of season 2 and began recruiting participants.

'Physical 100,' which depicted battles among 100 top physical competitors and gained popularity last year, was produced as season 2 and released last March. Following the consecutive success of parts 1 and 2, season 3 has been confirmed, with plans to expand across Asia. Disney+ released season 3 of the game survival show 'The Zone: Survive to Live,' starring TV personalities Yoo Jae-suk and Dex (real name Lee Jin-young). The native OTT Wave presented season 3 of the survival variety show 'Game of Blood,' 'Queen Bee Game,' and 'Ideological Verification Zone: The Community,' all of which have built solid fandoms. TVING, together with its channel tvN, released '290 Million: Marriage War' and 'Stage Fighter,' among others.

Recently, as the video industry has stagnated, the number of dramas drifting without scheduling has increased, and new productions have sharply declined. While 141 Korean dramas were released in 2022, the number dropped to 123 in 2023 and only about 100 this year. The polarization of content success has deepened this year. While popular works attracted concentrated attention, many contents were barely known to the public. Although the number of productions decreased, competition became fiercer.

Director Kim Kyu-tae, who directed dramas such as 'Worlds They Live In' (2005), 'Our Blues' (2022), and Netflix's 'Trunk,' said, "Recently, the number of productions has decreased, and sales are poor, causing content creators to feel wary and anxious." He added, "To revitalize the content market, we are seeking coexistence and win-win solutions with industry stakeholders," and said, "Increasing investment in producing diverse works from the perspective of genre diversity could be a solution."