The new KBS 2TV drama series airing on Monday and Tuesday entitled "Boys over Flowers" (screenplay Yoon Ji-ryeon, producer Jeon Gi-sang) is off to a good start, stealing the hearts of teenage girls.
Ratings pollster TNS Media Korea says the drama's first installment that aired Monday scored 14.3% in viewer ratings while AGB Nielsen Media Research estimated the figure at 13.7%.
The previous drama aired at this hour, "The World They Live In" starring top stars Hyeon Bin and Song Hye-gyo, posted 7.7% in its first show and an overall dismal average of 6.1%.
By gender and age group, teenage girls were the most avid viewers of "Boys over Flowers" with 19% ratings, believed to be attributable to the cast of handsome young male actors including Kim Hyeon-jung, the heartthrob of the boy band SS501. The comic-based storyline is also engaging.
After the first show, some pointed out the awkward acting of a few of the actors and some exaggeration in the story, but most viewers said the drama was better than what they expected. Some 4000 postings were up on the drama's Web site by Tuesday morning, many comparing the Korean version to the original comic.
The drama "East of Eden," airing in the same time slot on MBC, posted 27.3% ratings and the SBS wine drama "Terroir" which once surpassed 10% ratings slid to 7.6%.
Another drama on KBS 1TV, "Youth Admiration" based on the same-titled literary novel, recorded viewer ratings of 10.8%.
Source: KBS Global
