The new South Korean drama "Defendant" is poised to replicate the TV rating success achieved by "Legend of the Blue Sea" and the medical series "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim." The said SBS suspense drama might even surpass the said two productions' earlier peak ratings.
"Defendant" took over the primetime drama timeslot previously occupied by "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim." With a premiere episode that featured the drastic change in Jung Woo's (Ji Sung) life from a successful prosecutor with a happy family to a prison inmate found guilty of murdering his wife and child, viewers were introduced to the mental torture endured by the said protagonist.
Given the new SBS drama's intriguing plot, nationwide viewership shares from the premiere's 14.5 percent rose to the second episode's nearly 15 percent. Released on Jan. 24, episode 2 even posted peak real-time TV ratings of 19.6 percent, according to Nielsen Korea, as cited by Sports Chosun.
Meanwhile, "Defendant" episode 3 and episode 4 crossed the 15 percent mark with viewership shares of 17.3 percent and 18.7 percent, respectively. Across the Seoul metropolitan area, the said two episodes reached TV ratings of 18.2 percent and 20.8 percent.
With viewership ratings climbing to 20 percent, the new SBS drama is set to overtake the peak ratings posted by "Legend of the Blue Sea." Lee Min Ho's drama registered high ratings of 23 percent in Seoul and 21 percent nationwide.
At this time, it is also unclear whether "Defendant" will be able to match the rating milestone posted by its SBS timeslot predecessor "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim." The said medical drama ended its 20-episode run with a 27.6 percent viewership share across the South Korean nation and an impressive 29 percent TV rating in Seoul.
In other news, with the many mysteries surrounding some of the characters in the new SBS drama, many viewers expressed their frustration over the storyline. Recently, Ji Sung promised that the show's upcoming episodes will begin to unravel some of the characters' secrets, Yonhap News reported.
"Defendant" airs every Monday and Tuesday on SBS. Watch a teaser clip for the drama below: