"Manager Kim" star So Jisub did it again. It recorded 23.1%, setting a new personal highest rating once more.
According to ratings research firm Nielsen Korea's tally on the 19th, the 8th episode of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Manager Kim" (writer Nam Dae-jung, directors Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun), which aired on the 18th, recorded a 23.1% viewership rating (nationwide households). This is a 1.2 percentage point increase from the 21.9% recorded for episode 7.
It also surpassed its previous record, rising 0.8 percentage points from the 22.3% personal best recorded by episode 6 last Saturday.
"Manager Kim" started at 9.5%, rose to 15.7% for episode 2 and 18.8% for episode 3, and surpassed the threshold of 20% in just four episodes. Episode 4 recorded 21.6%, episode 5 recorded 20.5%, episode 6 recorded 22.3%, and episode 7 recorded 21.9%.
"Manager Kim" is a father-focused universe revenge action drama that depicts the process of an ordinary father transforming into the most dangerous man to get back his only daughter. Riding explosive buzz since its early broadcasts, episode 6, which aired on the 11th, recorded a 22.3% viewership rating and broke the highest rating for a miniseries aired this year.
It is also rewriting ratings records. The 22.3% recorded by episode 6 surpassed the figures of well-known SBS Friday-Saturday hits — "The Fiery Priest" (22%), "Taxi Driver 2" (21%), "Stove League" (19.1%), "Wonder Woman" (17.8%) and "Good Partner" (17.7%).
Currently, "Manager Kim" is challenging the all-time SBS Friday-Saturday drama record of "The Penthouse 2," which has a top rating of 29.2%. Excluding "The Penthouse 2," it is recording the highest ratings among all SBS Friday-Saturday dramas in history, drawing attention on whether it can ultimately break through the 30% barrier.
According to Netflix's official site Tudum, "Manager Kim" recorded 9,100,000 views (view count defined as viewing time divided by the work's total running time) and 59,100,000 viewing hours, maintaining the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks on the global top 10 non‑English shows list. It ranked No. 1 in 22 countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Oman, Qatar, Morocco, Bolivia, Peru, Nigeria and Mauritius, and appeared on the top 10 lists in 72 countries.
Meanwhile, "Manager Kim" soothes the disappointment of being only 10 episodes long with a special broadcast. The 10-episode series "Manager Kim" will end on the 25th, and a special feature will air in the last week of July. The special broadcast is reported to include behind-the-scenes videos from episodes 1 through 10, as well as interviews with director and lead actors So Jisub, Choi Dae-hoon and Yoon Kyung-ho. In addition to those three actors, a variety of interviews with principal and supporting cast members who were active in the drama and behind-the-scenes making videos never before shown on TV will be presented for the first time. (July 17, 2026 OSEN exclusive)
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by SBS
[OSEN]