Drama viewership ratings for the week of Oct. 5-11, 2020
by SailorJumun
Yayyy, we have new dramas! Also, oh no, how are we going to watch everything? With the addition of these dramas, the Wednesday-Thursday slot is now filled with quite a lot of variety — the fluffy rom-com Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, the slick crime drama Private Lives, and the fantasy drama Tale of the Nine Tailed. And though I enjoyed all three premieres, I think the ratings (low for DDSSLLS and high for Nine Tailed) make sense.
Cable is just on a roll, with Record of Youth nearing double digits. On the other side, the main broadcasters are pretty much struggling. Dramas Zombie Detective and When I Was the Most Beautiful seem to be doing the best they can, but they’re still hovering around 3 percent. Brahms and Alice are some of the highest performing of these shows, around 5 percent and 8 percent respectively. Both will be ending soon, which might bring in more viewers.
Drama viewership ratings for the week of Oct. 5-11, 2020
| Ep. # | Station | Rating | |
| Monday, Oct. 5 | |||
| Zombie Detective | 5 | KBS | 2.9% |
| Do You Like Brahms | 11 | SBS | 5.2% |
| Eighteen Again | 5 | JTBC | 3.2% |
| Record of Youth | 9 | tvN | 7.4% |
| Tuesday, Oct. 6 | |||
| Zombie Detective | 6 | KBS | 3.4% |
| Do You Like Brahms | 12 | SBS | 5.4% |
| Eighteen Again | 6 | JTBC | 2.8% |
| Record of Youth | 10 | tvN | 8.2% |
| Wednesday, Oct. 7 | |||
| Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | 1 | KBS | 2.6% |
| Private Lives | 1 | JTBC | 2.5% |
| Tale of the Nine Tailed | 1 | tvN | 5.8% |
| When I Was the Most Beautiful | 13 | MBC | 3.2% |
| Thursday, Oct. 8 | |||
| Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol | 2 | KBS | 2.8% |
| Private Lives | 2 | JTBC | 2.2% |
| Tale of the Nine Tailed | 2 | tvN | 5.6% |
| When I Was the Most Beautiful | 14 | MBC | 3.6% |
| Friday, Oct. 9 | |||
| Alice | 11 | SBS | 7.6% |
| More Than Friends | 3 | JTBC | 1.6% |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | |||
| Homemade Love Story | 7 | KBS | 25.2% |
| Alice | 12 | SBS | 8.5% |
| More Than Friends | 4 | JTBC | 1.6% |
| Missing: The Other Side | 11 | OCN | 3.4% |
| Sunday, Oct. 11 | |||
| Homemade Love Story | 8 | KBS | 28.5% |
| Missing: The Other Side | 12 | OCN | 4.8% |
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1 Jezz
October 11, 2020 at 6:01 AM
Lies of Lies ratings: Source: https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lies_of_Lies/Episode_Ratings
Episode 11's ratings increased 5.1 and gained again the following episode (5.8) and became now the highest rating on both this show and on Channel A.
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miss h
October 11, 2020 at 8:08 AM
Happy for the cast and crew. It's a good drama.
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lackingfive
October 11, 2020 at 7:36 PM
lies of lies always been stable high ratings drama from small channel
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2 panshel
October 11, 2020 at 6:02 AM
tvN dominating the ratings. Record of Youth has been a hit since it premiered, and despite the dip in its second episode, Tale of the Nine Tailed is off to a great start.
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OldLawyer
October 11, 2020 at 10:05 AM
TALE OF THE NINE-TAILED is good.
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panshel
October 11, 2020 at 9:15 PM
Hopefully, its ratings rise.
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3 Ilovecoffee&rain
October 11, 2020 at 7:31 AM
I am loving Zombie Detective so much! It has been quite some time since I saw a good comedy in the k-dramaland. I wonder why is it not getting more views? And I didn't know Choi Jin Hyuk could do a comedy role! He is extremely hot, but he is absolutely killing it in this drama. The last good comedy I saw was the Fiery priest. Are there any good comedy k-dramas recommendations? I would love to have more laughs!
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Fly Colours
October 11, 2020 at 10:50 AM
Still haven't watched The Fiery Priest but it's on my list! I'm also finding Zombie Detective a riot. Last week completed Psychopath Diary and recommend it for some dark humor and quirky characters. It took me some effort to get past the first two episodes, but then comedy properly kicks in
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ilovecoffee&rain
October 11, 2020 at 9:35 PM
I would really recommend you to watch Fiery Priest. Kim Nam Gil is a hoot on that one! But I was blown away by Honey Lee. Her performance was awesome. It is rare to see an actress who has a definite comic presence alongside a pretty face. It took me till 4th episode to get hooked and then it was heel of a ride!
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Fly Colours
October 11, 2020 at 11:22 PM
I'll keep that in mind when I give FP a try.
Found Honey Lee extremely beautiful in Rebel and she gave amazing music and dance performances in that drama. She was really funny in Extreme Job too! What an accomplished artist 💚
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Ilovecoffee&rain
October 13, 2020 at 10:28 AM
Thanks for the recommendation! Will check it out.
windsun33
October 11, 2020 at 11:24 AM
I was put off by the official description of Zombie Detective, and just started watching it yesterday. Not at all what the description says.
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Ilovecoffee&rain
October 13, 2020 at 10:23 AM
More than the description, I was put off by the poster. It looked the usual thriller type of k-dramas which I wanted a break from. But when I started watching it, I was so surprised by the whacky comedy.
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shichybot
October 11, 2020 at 5:21 PM
Welcome to Waikiki had me laughing as well as Pegasus Market 😂
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Ilovecoffee&rain
October 13, 2020 at 10:25 AM
Then I will definitely add these two in my list. Thanks!
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Ayalynn
October 13, 2020 at 8:05 AM
Oh definitely Pegasus Market as @shichybot recommended!
Fiery Priest is amazing. So so so good!
And I recommended Good Manager (Chief Kim) also if you haven't watched that yet. Written by the same writer of Fiery Priest.
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Ilovecoffee&rain
October 13, 2020 at 10:27 AM
Oh, I have watched Chief Kim and I really really liked it. Became a fan of Nam Goong Min after that. But my favorite is Fiery Priest. That drama is so much fun to watch.
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4 Asi
October 11, 2020 at 10:16 AM
What happened to KBS this year? Their ratings are embarrassing.
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Screentime
October 11, 2020 at 5:31 PM
It doesn't look like they have adjusted to the new constraints.
To me, it feels like they are trying to make the same style of week night dramas from 3 years ago but the policy/funding model has radically changed and just doesn't support the same types of production.
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soulsearch12
October 12, 2020 at 3:29 AM
Wait care to explain on the "but the policy/funding model has radically changed and just doesn't support the same types of production."
Are you talking about 1 episode being split into 2 parts now for advertising money? Or lack of public funding for these shows now?
IA that KBS has been sticking to generic shows expect a few this yr, (Into the Ring was a gem/Zombie Detective) but in S.K, the general public unfortunately don't care. It sucked that ITR never was on those Top 10 Lists (Maybe 1st wk), which is another way to gauge a show's interest in S.K.
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lackingfive
October 11, 2020 at 7:36 PM
kbs don't have any good drama this year...it's unbelievable considered how successful they were last year with camellia and doctor prisoner
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mindy
October 11, 2020 at 7:56 PM
Comment was deleted
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Kairoskat 💐
October 11, 2020 at 8:14 PM
They have good dramas. It's just people aren't watching live or not watching. A drama being good or bad is subjective. Ratings just indicate public interest at that point of time. KBS is still winning the daily drama and weekender slot, so all is good for them I guess.
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lackingfive
October 11, 2020 at 8:21 PM
i do think most of the time ratings do shows if drama is good..especially in 2020 you can see how people are very selective and most of high ratings drama are good...kbs only survive with their long series this year but not miniseries
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soulsearch12
October 11, 2020 at 10:05 PM
After hearing MBC axed the Mon/Tue slot, and SBS has postponed Mon/Tue or is it Wed/Thur lol slot till a certain date. It seems like channels are becoming more aware and cutting back.
There's so many shows now (good or bad) on so many diff. channels that sometimes one needs to cut back to re-assess. I'm uber curious where the K-drama channels will be in 5 yrs from now esp. with Kakao M coming in/Netflix building more original series.
Sucks for upcoming/rookie actors since it means less roles/opportunity to move up with the slots being axed/dramas being cut back. Only a few dramas now do excellently (H.P/WOTM/CLOY/I.C) in regards to their budget.
Kairoskat 💐
October 11, 2020 at 10:13 PM
It is an indicator but ultimately good or bad is subjective. Some are not good but there are dramas that have good content and are highly entertaining, unfortunately it is not reflected in ratings and it ends up being labeled a bad drama, which is just sad.
Asi
October 12, 2020 at 1:02 AM
Saying something is good or bad is subjective only makes sense if you're recommending something to a close group. When it comes to popular culture the mass opinion tends to be more important. Dramas and movies can't make money based on the subjective opinion of a few. If a drama doesn't perform on both ratings and buzz its a flop as far as industry standards and masses are concerned. This year all KBS dramas have been flops unfortunately.
Asi
October 11, 2020 at 10:00 PM
I don't think that's true. None of their dramas are charting on popularity lists either. Last year they had ALM, WTCB, TTON and DP which managed to both chart on popularity lists and pull in ratings. KBS isn't even close to their performance last year. People aren't just not watching them live they aren't watching any of their dramas period. This is embarrassing for KBS.
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lackingfive
October 12, 2020 at 6:51 PM
this is true...i saw so many posts on korean sites saying kbs and mbc are not doing well year...sbs still managed to survive at least they still have few dramas that hits double digits
Kurama
October 11, 2020 at 9:18 PM
I don't agree. Memorials (or Into the Ring) and How to Buy a Friend were really good.
KBS focus on weekender and daily dramas.
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Ayalynn
October 11, 2020 at 9:37 PM
And Zombie Detective too!
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Kurama
October 11, 2020 at 11:40 PM
I agree. But it's not over and sometimes the second part can be disapointing. So I reserve my jugdement :p
Asi
October 11, 2020 at 10:02 PM
Nobody in Korea watched those shows so the best you can say is that a minority enjoyed it but it was panned by the majority. Their quality has diminished from last year.
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Kurama
October 11, 2020 at 11:39 PM
Quality is not about buzz. I don't speak about ratings, I'm talking about how good they were.
Asi
October 12, 2020 at 12:53 AM
Quality has to be accessed somewhere. If not buzz then ratings. It has to have something other wise it is bad quality if most people don't watch it. EY, WAYS 2015 and WFKBJ are the best examples of dramas that are quality despite low ratings because they have the international fame and buzz to support it.
Kurama
October 12, 2020 at 1:12 AM
@Asi quality is nothing about buzz or ratings. The fact people are watching it or not doesn't mean quality. A lot of buzzy dramas were not good like TKEM, Arthdal Chronicles, etc.
Asi
October 12, 2020 at 3:38 AM
People are watching it is exactly the definition of quality. 10 people on the internet watching a drama or movie means nothing to the producers, actors or channels. They don't care about the minority viewers nor do the critics. Good dramas all create buzz and high profile dramas create negative buzz when they fail but they still create buzz. KBS dramas didn't create any buzz or ratings. Spending time and money on something almost nobody watches is much worse. TKEM made a ton of money from just Netflix and LMH became more popular than he already was. Numbers represent success or failure not the opinions of a few.
Asi
October 11, 2020 at 10:05 PM
Lat year was their year. They had most of the popular dramas and none of their dramas had flopped. This year everything they put out till now has flopped.
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soulsearch12
October 11, 2020 at 9:58 PM
All the Big 3 Network Channels have seen diminishing returns. For an advertiser the weekday time-slots are where they make the most money. I'm a bit shocked too, WTCB/Doctor Prisoner did excellent for them. I think like anything, luck, timing, talent, and what strucks out in S.K at the moment. SBS is the only main network channel doing well, with their weekday shows hitting double digits. Other than their weekenders, I can't think of any new KBS that'll do well maybe You Cheat, You Die?
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Asi
October 11, 2020 at 10:11 PM
MBC declined a few years back and has never recovered. SBS deleted a whole time slot because it wasn't working and created a new one with mixed results. KBS was holding on till last year but declined sharply this year and none of their upcoming dramas are catching public interest.
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soulsearch12
October 11, 2020 at 10:21 PM
MBC is so sad in terms of dramas, b/c they used to be King of ratings. Dunno what occurred for them to lose their mojo?! Even She Was Pretty got 20% ratings and that was 5 yrs ago. Never Twice their weekender didn't do so hot compared to KBS, but in 2015/16 their Weekender Geum Da got over 30%.
Like I said before, there are some that do well, so people still watch tv, but it has to be a show that grabs S.K/pop culture atm. If not, a lot fall down the waistline. Which means more variety shows since its cheap/fast to produce :/ Who knows in 3-5 yrs what'll happen? Will viewership continue to decline like the U.S or stay stagnant?
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Asi
October 12, 2020 at 12:58 AM
MBC ratings by now have stagnated and it neither move up nor down. They don't put in either effort or budget in their productions. KBS ratings were uneven but are now declining while SBS is uneven. By next year things might start to stagnate for both channels. The only place to be if you want a successful drama is TVN or JTBC. TV Chosun, Channel A and MBN might be dark horses in the future.
soulsearch12
October 12, 2020 at 1:11 AM
@Asi
IA. Ratings talk is very fun to talk about imo. MBC doesn't do big budget shows (Different Dreams didn't do so hot). Sometimes they do try though (Extraordinary You/Love With Flaws), but they don't have that much $$ compared to the other 2, so they give more chances to newer actors which I like.
KBS is uneven, last yr they did well but this yr ouch. They are safe, not much risk takers. Meanwhile SBS, they at least take some risks and do big budget shows.
tvN/JTBC are neck in neck rn. Altho tvN has the slight edge, as they've big conglomerate $$. Netflix popping up makes it more interesting, they've the $$/worldwide rep, and Big movie stars/respected writers/PD on board.
Channel A hit it with Lie of Lies (But they only do a few dramas) TV Chosun's saeguek dramas do well, but again not much, like MBN. MBN is a dark horse, they seem to get big/rising stars and ratings have been rising. Time will tell...
Asi
October 12, 2020 at 3:49 AM
In the last 5 years the rating landscape changed drastically. MBC relies on the small dramas doing miraculously while SBS throws money behind star power and a few high concept scripts. KBS this year gave up. They enjoyed too much success from their 2019 dramas but put poor quality dramas this whole year. Their drama awards will be awarding which drama has the lowest ratings. TVN has more money but JTBC has the edge on quality and dark horse ratings winners. TV Chosun has the most potential if they keep putting out high quality saeguek dramas. MBN and Channel A are focused more on makjang dramas but their quality is improving.
Asi
October 12, 2020 at 4:17 AM
Broadcasters can't compete with Netflix so they've joined hands with it. Iqiyi is trying to gain some market share but its pointless. Nobody will sign up for yet another streaming service especially when Viki is putting out the same dramas for free. Netflix is a wall when it comes to access and every single one of their Korean original dramas has been successful. If you want high budget quality content with real acting talent go to Netflix.
soulsearch12
October 12, 2020 at 3:08 PM
@Asi Mbc gave up, sometimes they do have some nice gems but I think they know they been doing poorly for a while now. Everyone in Korea is aware how bad Mbc drama do.
Kbs is the national channel in Korea but like Mbc plays it safe most of the time. Sbs at least takes some risks and they get big names and budget. It showed because Hyena, good casting, Alice, dr Kim 2, and stove league did double digits.
Tv chosun, channel a, and Mbn at potential dark horses, but their input is small and Makjang based that there not much diversity there. Either they stagnate or go down or go up, but that’s if they diversify themselves.
Iqiyi, ia is trying to get in but it won’t work. Waaves creates by the big 3, has 15 million subscribers which is excellent. However, Netflix is giving them a run for its $$. Not having to abide by censors helps a lot too. Just curious how long the Netflix reign would continue.
lackingfive
October 12, 2020 at 6:58 PM
same..i don't think i've watched any kbs drama this year..i guess it's depends on production and actors too..last year they have so many big talented names..maybe covid really affected their budget and work process :(( mbc has 365 it's good but the ratings were still low..sbs is the public channel that doing okay this year
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soulsearch12
October 12, 2020 at 7:51 PM
Covid affected a lot of entertainment, APOYM with Jung Hae In got cut to 12 when other shows got 16 episodes despite similar ratings.
MBC/KBS sometimes have underrated gems that flop domestically and/or positive reviews. I wonder how much it costs for smaller shows, I assume 3-5 million $$?
People are busy, have short attention spans, and are more picky so some stream later or just binge it. I def. think that streaming will be the way in the future, and network channels will decrease their amount as a result.
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lackingfive
October 12, 2020 at 8:28 PM
ohh that drama wasn't doing well i think it's good idea they cut the eps too for the sake of production staffs too
i'm not sure about the budget but still even for smaller shows it definitely costs millions..if netflix invest on them at least they can cover back their low ratings on tv and get profit through netflix
2020 people only want to watch good shows with good plot and acting..some spend more time at home but they only chose what they want to watch..i think streaming definitely will help the industry in the future
Kairoskat 💐
October 12, 2020 at 8:39 PM
> 2020 people only want to watch good shows with good plot and acting
Yes to this. But good plot and acting does not guarantee good ratings. So many underrated drama gems out there.
5 lackingfive
October 11, 2020 at 7:34 PM
it's official Missing:the other side has highest average rating out of all ocn dramas this year! i'm so happy for them! they deserved this! i will never forget this drama and this combination of all great casting especially best legends duo heo joonho and gosoo
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Ayalynn
October 11, 2020 at 9:43 PM
What a great drama. I really loved it.
Ha-Joon and Song Geon-Hee (Thomas) were fantastic too!
Sooooo sad it's over. I wish it had 16 episodes.
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lackingfive
October 12, 2020 at 6:52 PM
yesss their main male leads are all good at acting! one of best dramas this year...yeah too bad they only have 12 eps
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bong-soo
October 12, 2020 at 3:15 PM
Congratulations to cast and crew of MISSING. I believe the 4.811% rating for episode12-final is the highest episode rating for an OCN drama this year.
Still to come to give a run for its money is SEARCH (Jang Dong-yoon) which will air Oct. 17 and will be available on Viki.
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lackingfive
October 12, 2020 at 7:01 PM
yes it is!! according to soompi! i haven't watch ocn drama since life on mars i can't believe they managed to make me cry and warmed my heart with Missing
Can't wait for Search too!!! it's looks like such interesting concept
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Ayalynn
October 12, 2020 at 8:32 PM
I'm a fan of OCN dramas.
I'm looking forward to Search and also Amazing Rumor that is coming after Search.
Employees who have special abilities of a noodle shop fight against evil spirits.
Sounds like Mystic pop-up bar a little bit and another dead people theme!
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lackingfive
October 12, 2020 at 10:56 PM
ocn drama has dope genre but sometimes too heavy for my heart hahaha
oh yes!!! these two looks promising...i can't wait to check out Search
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theimprintonmynose
October 12, 2020 at 4:23 PM
It's such a well produced drama and all the characters are likeable too, except for the villains ofc. I haven't watched the last 2 episodes yet and I'm not ready to say goodbye to Thomas and wook yet. I think they will reveal how Thomas died in the end judging from some IG posts I've seen. I'm not ready 😢
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lackingfive
October 12, 2020 at 7:06 PM
it's so well made from writing, directing and acting..i still haven't watch last few eps too i heard last ep is too sad...another thing that i love about this drama is how they made every character have good chemistry with each other ;;;; i'm so gonna miss them
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6 Jingbee
October 11, 2020 at 9:01 PM
Surprised that people are still watching Alice..
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soulsearch12
October 11, 2020 at 10:00 PM
It got way better the past 2 weeks, esp. this week after the story finally moved forward after it got a bit stagnant in the last few episodes.
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Jingbee
October 12, 2020 at 2:22 AM
Good then... I hope they have also done away with the romantic notions..and just focused on the time travel story.. it did start with a good premise..
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soulsearch12
October 12, 2020 at 2:29 AM
Oh they do put an end to for GOOD!! Now we move on to the bigger picture. Things are about to get very serious for everyone involved. I just want the show to finish STRONG!!
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7 theimprintonmynose
October 12, 2020 at 4:16 PM
Wow. All of them are single digits except for 1 weekend drama. And the only channel doing well is tvn, maybe OCN too but they only airing 1 drama? I enjoyed Missing alot btw. Can someone tell me what drama will replace it now that it ended?
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