With the end of JTBC’s “King the Land”, whose ratings ranked first undisputedly, the competition of weekend dramas began to heat up in earnest. Which will win, JTBC’s “Behind Your Touch”, MBC’s “My Dearest” or SBS’ “The First Responders Season 2”?
“King the Land” starring Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoona ended successfully with the highest rating of 13.8%. TV Chosun’s “Durian’s Affair”, which shows its endurance, will also end on August 12th. Accordingly, the competition of “Behind Your Touch”, “My Dearest” and “The First Responders Season 2” at 10 PM on weekend nights will unfold.
“My Dearest” and “The First Responders Season 2” desperately need an increase in viewership ratings. Although “My Dearest” is considered the most anticipated work in the second half of MBC, it shows sluggish ratings. Nam Goong Min, who returned to historical dramas after 10 years, was set at the head, but the controversy over Ahn Eun Jin’s miscasting and the public’s antipathy towards Lee Da In, the daughter of Kyeon Mi Ri, acted as negative factors.
Accordingly, the ratings fell from 5.4% in the first episode to 4.3% in the second episode, suffering the humiliation of being the lowest among dramas broadcast on weekends. Compared to MBC’s extensive promotion, it is clear that it is a disappointing result.
The situation of “The First Responders Season 2” is not good either. It is ahead of “My Dearest”, but it seems to be slowing down compared to the previous season. It recorded 7% in the first episode, but unlike season 1’s 9% jump, it fell to 5% in season 2. Since it is a continuation of season 1, there is a barrier that it is somewhat difficult to enter without information on the serial arsonist. On top of that, from the beginning, the urgent situations in which the main character’s life is in danger poured out, which had the opposite effect of hindering immersion.
“Behind Your Touch”, the follow up to “King the Land”, was embroiled in a noise called “sexual harassment controversy” even before its airing. After seeing teaser videos and posters, many netizens criticized Han Ji Min’s act of touching men’s buttocks without consent as an obvious act of sexual harassment. In “Behind Your Touch”, Han Ji Min’s character gains the ability of psychometry through a chance encounter, allowing her to see the past of animals and humans. However, she can only see a person’s past if she touches a specific body part, the “buttocks”.
In response, the production team of “Behind Your Touch” said at the press conference held on August 10th, “We’ve heard such concerns. Context is important, in our opinion. Without information about the context before and after, one might receive a different impression. However, there’s no need to worry at all. We believe once the drama airs, it will dispel such worries. Those doubts and concerns will disappear.”
However, this is only the opinion of the production team. It is not known how viewers will feel until the drama airs. It is a problem that the production team cannot be completely sure of.
A triangular weekend drama battle in which we cannot easily be confident in any work. Expectations are high on what will be the first work to laugh in this battle.
