Drama Remakes = low viewership (?)
Was reading the latest entertainment news on Naver this morning when I saw this piece of article. As you may know, there are 2 drama-remakes currently showing in Korea right now:
- 결혼 못하는 남자 (the man who can get’ married) – remade of Japan’s Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
- 친구 (Friend) – Drama version of 2001’s famous movie Friend
Both are currently stuck in single digit viewership, which is really pathetic considering the success of their predecessors. However, this is due more to the skewed taste of viewers rather than the quality of the dramas.
I can’t comment about ‘Friend’, but I can vouch that ‘The Man Who can’t get married’ is GOOD. Much better than the Japanese version in fact. I’ve tried watching the first episode of Kekkon Dekinai Otoko and I couldn’t get past even the 10 min mark – it was THAT unappealing to me.
As mentioned in the article, Korean viewers seem to have developed a taste for 막장 드라마 (TV dramas with extreme situations, rivalry, betrayal, violence etc) and hence the sweet (placid?) storyline of ‘The Man who can’t get married’ didn’t appeal to them.
But I find it stranger that Friend is recording such low viewership. Apparently before its screening, Friend has been receiving quite alot of attention from the media. With its strong casting of Hyun Bin and Kim Min Joon, Friend should be a sure hit.
According to the producers, ‘Friend’ is not a pure remake of the movie. Rather it portrays the story between Han Dong Soo (Hyun Bin) and Lee Joon Suk(Kim Min Joon) during their school days, which was not shown in the movie.
Hopefully, the ratings will pick up in the coming episodes. I absolutely adore ‘The Man Who can’t get married’ and I’ll be really disappointed if it does not hit at least the 18% mark.
