'The Husband' set a new personal best rating just two episodes in, signaling a real upward trend. But the wall posed by SBS's Friday-Saturday drama 'Manager Kim', which recorded 21.6%, is extremely high.
On the 5th, KBS 2TV's weekend miniseries 'The Husband' (directed by Kim Junghyun, Kim Min-tae; written by Jung Jae-ha) recorded a nationwide rating of 6.4 percent according to Nielsen Korea. Its peak minute rating rose as high as 7.2 percent, representing a 2 percentage point increase from the premiere and setting a new personal best as it drew a steep upward curve.
'Manager Kim' recorded 9.5 percent at its premiere and then leapt into double digits at 15.7 percent in episode 2. It rose to 18.8 percent in episode 3 and soared to as much as 21.6 percent in episode 4, drawing an explosive rise and dominating living room audiences.
'The Husband' also got off to a strong start on OTT. Immediately after release it ranked No. 1 on Disney+'s "Today Korea top 10 series," showing its presence. In addition, the Good Data Corporation Fundex report placed it sixth in TV-OTT drama buzz and fourth in TV drama buzz, securing early attention.
Still, the gap remains large compared with the global success shown by 'Manager Kim.' 'Manager Kim' reached No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV shows chart, recording 10.5 million views and 44.1 million hours of viewing time. It not only unseated 'Teach You a Lesson,' which had held the top spot for four consecutive weeks, but also ranked No. 1 in 11 countries including Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bolivia and Peru, and entered the top 10 in 79 countries worldwide, driving global success.
Even so, the reasons 'The Husband' continues to rise are clear. Above all, the actors' performances firmly anchor the work at its center. Namkoong Min portrays ordinary neurosurgeon Kang Tae-Ju and, after his wife's kidnapping, depicts the process of his life being completely shaken with overwhelming immersion, once again proving his status as a "must-see" actor.
Kim Dae-myeung also took on the role of kidnapper Noh Man-hee and completed a three-dimensional villain who shifts between madness and coldness, and Lee Sul delicately expresses the kidnapped victim Ko Se-yoon's fear and desperation, raising the drama's tension.
The series' development, different from conventional crime thrillers, has also been praised. From the first episode the story began with the husband's shocking request, "Please get rid of my wife," and instead of hiding the perpetrator's identity, it twisted the usual genre conventions by tracking the reason for the kidnapping.
The psychological warfare among husband Kang Tae-Ju, kidnapper Noh Man-hee and victim Ko Se-yoon, and the successive twists, increase curiosity for the next episode, and the stylish cinematography, meticulous foreshadowing and tension-filled direction also enhance immersion.
[Photo] Provided by SBS, KBS
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