2007 was a rich year for drama-land. There was something for everyone, whether your tastes ran toward dark thrillers (Devil), intense dramas (White Tower), heart-warmers (Thank You), off-the-wall eccentrics (Mixed-up Investigative Agency), trendy fare (Coffee Prince), romantic comedies (Dal Ja’s Spring), and so on.

2008, on the other hand… not so much.

Every drama has its good and bad points, but it’s a lot easier to decide how you feel about one when those qualities are expressed in the extreme — i.e., very good, or very bad. When everything is a muddle in the middle, though, it’s harder to draw the lines.

That’s why in contrast to last year’s “Best” and “The Rest” designations, this year I don’t really distinguish “good” versus “bad” — or even “favorites” and “hated dramas” — and can only grade on a spectrum. I call that spectrum “MEH” with the extreme poles representing “generally watchable” and “generally unwatchable.” It’s just been that kind of year.

SONG OF THE DAY

Painter of the Wind OST – “색” (Color) by JOO [ Download ]

O, the mediocrity >>

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How should one convey bad news in writing? By creating a buffer first. Avoid traumatizing your audience with the bad news all at once, but instead cushion the blow so that you can maintain goodwill. That textbook approach (business communication, by the way) would be dandy if the crop of 2008 dramas I watched was anything like the stellar quality of 2007. But no, this was a harvest to make one downright grumpy.

This time last year, eight dramas vied to be in my Top 3. Even the ones that disappointed weren’t half bad and at least I finished them. Not this year. I picked up around twenty dramas and dropped at least fifteen. “Dropped” is putting it mildly. I ran from some of them like a kid fleeing an apparition: hands in the air and hair standing on end. As the year wore on, my patience wore thin and my grumpiness increased.

So, no, I can’t use the buffer approach when reviewing this year’s dramas. Hedging doesn’t work for this grumpy cookie. I will present to you the worst dramas first, followed by the so-so ones, and then the few gems of 2008. Even though the year was overcast and gloomy, the sun broke through the clouds occasionally and when it did the effect was glorious. Let’s get the bad news out of the way and we can enjoy the good stuff, shall we?

SONG OF THE DAY

Jin Yi-han – “This is the Moment” which he sang (live!) in Episode 3 of Who Are You. [ Download ]

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Bad Love, Rivals

Perhaps as a corollary to this discussion of why ratings are important, for better or for worse (usually for worse), here’s an article that discusses one such ramification: actors who come attached with high price tags that the drama then is unable to recoup when a drama flops in the ratings.

(One thing to note: Despite the high numbers listed, Korean actors find most of their paychecks going to management companies, as actress Choi Jin-shil recently gained attention for mentioning. In the U.S., agents are only allowed to take 10% — though more fees get siphoned off to managers, publicists, lawyers, and the like — but that percentage is much higher for Korean celebs.)

Even if a drama flops, stars’ asking prices continue to soar. It’s not as though market theory applies, and those prices keep rising, defying logic. Even when a drama meets with crushing failure, hurting the production company behind it, a star’s fee still climbs.

This year saw many dramas that failed to draw in good results or produce high ratings, such as the dramas Single Papa in Love, Bad Love, Rivals, Three Dads, One Mom, Who Are You?, Spotlight, I Love You, Robbers, and many others. …

SONG OF THE DAY

Rivals OST – “지켜줄게” (I’ll protect you) by Lee Shin-sung [ Download ]

 
More disappointing dramas with highly paid actors >>

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I was thinking how I’ve been watching lots of first episodes of dramas these days, but haven’t found anything to dive into since the end of Who Are You? It’s starting to feel like going on a string of disappointing first dates — measuring up expectations versus performance, anticipation versus letdown, etc.

You know, there’s that date you’re really looking forward to, so you get dressed up and put on your heels and makeup and count down the hours, and he turns out to be a total dud. Or the date you agreed to because it was easier to give the guy your number than to try to invent an excuse not to because those excuses always come out embarrassingly half-assed — like you say you don’t have a phone and then it rings, or something — but then you end up having a good time.

I didn’t exactly intend to go off on an extended metaphor, but when I thought about all the recent dramas I’ve caught, they all seemed to fit (more or less).

SONG OF THE DAY

G.O.D. – “Falling” [ Download ]

First dates, by which I mean… >>

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Hong Gil Dong is performing decently well in the ratings — it’s not soaring, but holding steady in its initial 15% range against the hit medical drama New Heart, which has risen with its latest episode to break the 30% mark. (Their third rival barely compares; Bulhandang [Con Man] is struggling, having sunk to nearly half its initial viewership of 9.8% to 5.5%. In fact, most press refers to the Wednesday-Thursday ratings battle as a two-way competition, leaving Bulhandang out of the equation.)

15% ratings doesn’t make the series a runaway hit, but it’s respectable, given that the numbers have stayed relatively constant throughout its run. New Heart (MBC) has the added benefit of having premiered a few weeks prior to the other two series; Hong Gil Dong (KBS2) and Bulhandang (SBS) began their runs on the same day.

Newsen reports that Hong Gil Dong is further winning audiences through its repeat broadcasts; the latest ratings numbers released by TNS Media Korea show Hong Gil Dong recording as high as 7.6% for its latest (the 14th) episode rerun. Naturally, the other series are also airing repeats, but TNS points out that Bulhandang trails there also, by a solid 2% margin.

New Heart, Bulhandang

Via Newsen, IS Plus

SONG OF THE DAY

New Heart OST – “Monologue” by Monday Kiz [ zShare download ]

RELATED POSTS:

• Hong Gil Dong: Episode 14
• Hong Gil Dong: Episode 13
• Jang Hyuk’s busy new year
• Robbers aka Con Man aka Bulhandang
• Pictures speak louder than words

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