'TThe Judge Returns' is even capturing the hearts of global viewers.
On the 26th, according to FlixPatrol (a site that aggregates OTT service rankings), 'The Judge Returns' swept to No. 1 in the HBO Max "TV SHOW" category in four major Asian countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand. At the same time, it also topped the Disney+ Japan chart, hitting the tastes of global viewers. This is the result of airtight storytelling and the actors' passionate performances creating synergy, which is expected to further expand the global fandom.
Also, according to FUNdex, the official platform of Good Data Corporation, a company specializing in K-content competitiveness, 'The Judge Returns' ranked No. 2 among all dramas in the 4th week of January in the search response TV-OTT drama category, with word of mouth on various communities and social media turning into intense interest in the work.
This attention from domestic and foreign viewers has led to an impressive achievement of double-digit ratings. In particular, the seventh episode aired last week recorded 12% Seoul metropolitan household ratings on Nielsen Korea, breaking its own record and proving that 'The Judge Returns' is the core of the Friday-Saturday drama craze. Also, the peak momentary rating of 13.9% (provided by Nielsen Korea, Seoul metropolitan household basis) in the eighth episode—when Lee Han-young (played by Jisung) visits Haenal Law Firm and says "This is the only chance to hunt Baek Yi-seok, the white tiger of the judiciary"—stimulated viewers' imagination about future developments.
In the seventh and eighth episodes, Lee Han-young (played by Jisung) solved the assignment of "the downfall of Woo Gyo-hoon (played by Jeon Jin-gi)" ordered by Kang Shin-jin (played by Park Hee-soon) and became his man. But as Han-young moved closer to the darkness to eradicate corrupt power, he drifted away from his staunch supporters Baek Yi-seok (played by Kim Tae Woo) and Im Jeong-sik (played by Kim Byung-chun). With the twist ending of Han-young using Baek Yi-seok as bait to eradicate great evil closing episode eight, 'The Judge Returns,' which is showing the appeal of K-drama, is raising the heart rates of fans around the world and establishing itself as a global hit.
'The Judge Returns' is a justice-realization return drama about a corrupt judge, Lee Han-young, who lived as a slave to a huge law firm and returned 10 years to the past to punish great evil through new choices; it airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m. on MBC.
[Photo] Provided by MBC.
[OSEN]