With its ratings approaching 20%, Smile’s run has been extended by 16 episodes from its original 30. It will air 46 episodes and wrap at the end of February.

An article announcing the extension attributes the steadily increasing ratings and popularity of Smile to its ability to provide comic relief among the many “makjang” dramas that are currently on the air. Makjang dramas such as Angel’s Temptation, which is currently airing, use sensationalist, over-the-top storylines to hook viewers—a far cry from the realistic, homey charm of Smile. The burgeoning feelings between Jung-in and Hyun-soo, as well as the comic family scenes, have given viewers “wholesome” laughs.

The series’ writer Moon Hee Jung, whose last work was on Last Scandal, has done an exceptional job so far. The plot has taken longer to develop in this series than in a 16- or 20-episode series, but there have been plenty of giggle-worthy moments to keep the pacing tight.

And there are quite a few leads that have been hinted at, but have yet to be fleshed out—ownership of the Seo house; Han-se vs. Hyun-soo; Sung-joon and Ji-soo; Ji-soo’s backstory; even Jung-in’s backstory, which we still know very little about; among others. I’ve also got a soft spot for Kyung-soo and hope he gets a chance to shine. Hopefully this gives the drama plenty of material to work through in the remaining 30 episodes, without getting draggy or detracting from its main draw, the relationship between Jung-in and Hyun-soo.

Plus, I’m an optimist at heart, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that Smile will be able to keep up its momentum–the laughs, character development and romantic tension–without having to revert to maudlin/angsty plot twists. Angst has its place, but Jung-in and Hyun-soo are such refreshing characters that I’d hate to see them fall prey to cliche!

Via Nate News

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After a lukewarm beginning, SBS is seeing an upswing for its makjang melodrama Angel’s Temptation, which has risen from an initial 10% to nearly double that with this week’s episodes. As a result, it has been given an extension — albeit for only one more episode. It will now end with Episode 21.

SBS tried some schedule experimentation with this drama, whose original assignment to the prime-time Monday-Tuesday hour all but consigned it to ratings hell, since rival series Queen Seon-deok has been consistently crushing its competition. SBS therefore moved Angel’s Temptation up an hour — which has never been done before — to air uncontested by other dramatic fare, instead going up against news and documentary programming. At first, results were disappointing, but thanks to quick-moving revenge plots, the drama has been steadily rising in the ratings.

This week, Angel’s Temptation finally beat KBS News, which regularly pulls in about 18% ratings, with a 19.6% to the news hour’s 18.1%. Of course, it’s difficult to compare news to dramas when the ratings as we understand them are always relative to other drama series. In comparison, Mi-shil made her big exit in Queen Seon-deok an hour later to 42.3% ratings.

Following Angel’s run will be the medical sageuk series Jejoongwon (starring Park Yong-woo, Han Hye-jin, and Yeon Jung-hoon), on January 4. No definite word is out yet about which hour Jejoongwon will air in, but its staff is anticipating a return to the normal prime-time schedule, as Seon-deok will be over by year’s end.

Via SBS, Sports Khan

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At first, I was a little taken aback at the way the following article frames IRIS’s popularity in terms of disappointment, because it burst onto the scene with a big splash and has maintained a comfortable lead over its competition. But I suppose this all points to where expectations play into a drama’s perceived success (among other factors that are discussed below). This is why a “small drama” like You’re Beautiful is being called a modest success despite its 9%-10% ratings (on account of its mania fanbase, lower budget, and less-famous cast), while IRIS has been performing more than twice as well and still gets mixed reception as not fulfilling its hype.

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At this point, I feel like I’m just your crack dealer. Enjoy your next fix:

Why You’re Beautiful isn’t crumbling against IRIS

SBS’s You’re Beautiful is putting up a good fight against the blockbuster in the same time period, IRIS.

You’re Beautiful got off to a start on October 7 with a 9.2% rating (ABG Nielsen Media). However, when KBS’s IRIS premiered on the 14th, its numbers dropped to 7.5%. Considering IRIS’s hype and that its first episode rating was over 20%, this could have been predicted. As IRIS looks toward the 30% ratings mark, one suspected that You’re Beautiful would face falling ratings.

But a strange phenomenon occurred. Even with IRIS’s swift onslaught, You’re Beautiful’s ratings steadily grew. Its episode on October 29 rose to a 9% as it faced off against IRIS, which had received a top rating of 27.7%. Where did You’re Beautiful’s latent force come from?

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Honestly, this has to suck for Heading to the Ground: Not only did MBC already cut the broadcast down by several episodes due to poor ratings, it has made an additional cut. What seems worse (to me) is the way in which they approached the matter, because viewers found out from a notice that ran after this Thursday’s episode that read, “The last episode will air next Wednesday.” Viewers were surprised to have the show end earlier than expected; this means there’s only one more episode, and MBC will broadcast a foreign documentary on Thursday.

The soccer drama starring idol star U-Know Yunho in his acting debut was initially supposed to wrap on November 12 with Episode 20. After two episodes were shaved from the series and one episode was postponed due to sports, the Episode 17 finale was moved up to November 5 to allow Hero to premiere a week earlier than scheduled. With the additional cut, the drama will now end on November 4 with Episode 16.

Heading to the Ground got off to a rough start with criticism for its star’s weak acting, which was followed by a slew of complaints over its confusing storyline that had nothing to do with the drama’s purported theme of soccer. Its ratings lagged in the 3%-4% range, and when competitor drama IRIS came along it drove a nail into the coffin; right after IRIS’s 25% premiere, MBC announced the first cut to Heading. You’re Beautiful has held steady with 9%-10% ratings; Heading’s most recent episode drew a 3.7%.

I get that Heading is not performing well, and it sounds like it’s riddled with flaws, but I do wish MBC would take more care with its underperforming series. A show may be subpar, but these last-minute scheduling changes only handicap the series further, and thus never gives it the chance to be the best version of itself. Then again, sounds like Heading may just need to be put out of its misery.

Via Segye

 
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