The SBS legal series "Defendant" remained as the frontrunner among competitor primetime dramas in the Monday-Tuesday TV rating race. Meanwhile, the MBC historical series "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People" also posted impressive ratings, while "Hwarang" saw a dip in viewership shares.
Ji Sung's drama "Defendant" retained its spot as the highly-rated drama in the Monday-Tuesday primetime broadcast schedule. The SBS drama's sixth episode registered double-digit ratings of 15.3 percent and 18.3 percent, according to data from TNMS and Nielsen Korea, respectively, as cited by Soompi.
"Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People" nabbed the second place with its episode 4 posting the drama's highest TV rating to date. Based on Nielsen Korea's data, the said episode gained a viewership share of 12.3 percent.
The star-studded KBS series "Hwarang" landed at third place and even saw a decline in TV ratings. Episode 16 reached 7.9 percent which is 0.7 percentage points lower than episode 15.
In other news, the SBS legal drama recently reached high real-time ratings following a tense scene between Jung Woo (Ji) and Sung Kyu (Kim Min Suk). Featured in "Defendant" episode 6, Sung Kyu stopped Jung Woo from committing suicide when he revealed that he killed the former prosecutor's wife and daughter.
Aired on Feb. 6, the gripping scene registered peak real-time ratings of 23.28 percent, according to Nielsen Korea, as cited by South Korean news outlet Asiae. The said real-time viewership share also marked the SBS drama's highest TV rating since it released its first episode in January.
"Defendant," also known as "Innocent Defendant," tells the story of the successful prosecutor Jung Woo whose life changed when he was accused of murdering his own wife and daughter. Despite having no memory of the incident, Jung Woo was sent to prison to pay for his alleged crime.
With the amnesiac prosecutor-turned-prisoner wrongly accused of the murder, Jung Woo must discover what really happened to avoid a death sentence and clear his name. However, the said protagonist will face a fierce battle against powerful individuals in his quest to learn the truth.
"Defendant" airs every Monday and Tuesday on SBS. Watch a clip from the said drama below: