[HanCinema's News] "Captivating the King" Caps Off Modest Success on tvN

With opening ratings of only 3.977%, "Captivating the King" was not an immediate huge hit when its first episode premiered on January 21st. The show was in an awkward spot as, despite the relative fame of lead actors Cho Jung-seok and Shin Se-kyung, it had been several years since either had appeared in a leading role in a project. What's more, the blend of sinister politics with a romantic storyline in an era of Joseon royalty was not an especially intuitive genre mash-up.

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But finishing with 7.763% ratings on March 3rd, "Captivating the King" demonstrates that even a show without a flashy concept and stars can find an audience. What's more, these relatively low expectations has made "Captivating the King" feel successful despite fairly modest numbers. By contrast, "Doctor Slump" in the same timeslot started out with 4.06% ratings and currently has a series high rating of 8.173%.

These are not bad numbers, but "Doctor Slump" had higher expectations, and Park Shin-hye is indisputedly a star who viewers have been more eager to see return than Shin Se-kyung. Yet in addition to largely being tied in television ratings, "Captivating the King" and "Doctor Slump" have also had comparable viewer numbers on Netflix. Even as "Doctor Slump" seems positioned to do better in the long run, it's clear as now as ever that there's room for variety in the South Korean serial drama market.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Captivating the King" is directed by Jo Nam-gook, Jung Ji-young, written by Kim Seon-deok, and features Cho Jung-seok, Shin Se-kyung, Lee Sin-young, Choi Dae-hoon, Lee Gyu-hoe, Yang Kyung-won. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2024/01/21~2024/03/03, Sat, Sun 21:20 on Netflix, TVING, tvN.