CJ E&M just released Content Power Index (CPI) ranking on Sept. 12, Monday. SBS's historical drama, "Scarlet Heart: Ryeo," is crowned the most influential television show for the first week of September, in spite of being behind on viewer ratings.
SBS's "Scarlet Heart: Ryeo" took the first place with a record of 164.70 total points, while KBS 2TV's "Moonlight Drawn By Clouds" managed to secure the second place with 274.4 points, according to CJ E&M, as cited by The Kpop Herald. MBC's hit variety show "Infinite Challenge" settled in the fourth place, while the Wednesdays & Thursdays drama "W" came in the fifth spot with 220.8 points.
The news comes as a surprise for the cast and crew of the SBS historical drama, considering "Scarlet Heart: Ryeo" only has 5.7 to 7 percent viewership rating, as opposed to its Monday-Tuesday competitor, "Moonlight Drawn By Clouds," who just broke through the 20 percent rating mark.
Helmed by Kim Kyu-Tae, "Scarlet Heart: Ryeo" takes after a 21st-century woman, Ko Ha-Jin (IU), who encountered a total eclipse of the sun that sent her back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty during King Taejo's (Jo Min-Ki) reign. She found herself trapped in the body of a 16-year old Hae Soo, who is the cousin of the 8th Prince wife, Lady Hae (Park Shi-Eun).
Stranded in the past, Hae Soo acquainted with King Taejo's other sons, including the fearsome 4th prince, Wang Soo (Lee Joon-Gi), who hides his face behind a mask and is given the derogatory label "wolf dog" by the others. The two of them later fall in love.
"Through Hae Soo, viewers will be able to experience what it is like for a 21st-century person to enter the Goryeo period," a representative from the drama said in a statement obtained by Soompi. "They can enjoy watching her learn to adapt and grow."
The 20-episode historical drama is based on Tong Hua's debut novel "Startling by Each Step" (Bu Bu Jing Xin). Other stars include Kang Ha-Neul, Hong Jong-Hyun, Nam Joo-Hyuk, EXO's Baekhyun, Ji Soo, Yoon Sun-Woo, Kang Han-Na, Jin Ki-Joo, Seohyun and Jo Min-Gi.
Check out SBS's "Scarlet Heart: Ryeo" below: