[HanCinema's News] "Good Job" Hopes to Cement ENA's Reputation for Scripted Programming

With closing ratings of 17.534%, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has been the big hit of the drama season, and one rendered all the more surprising by the fact that it aired on ENA, a new cable network with no real reputation to speak of. ENA itself was caught off-guard by the sheer scale of legal drama's success, and belatedly sought out a replacement for its timeslot. They settled on "Good Job" which had already been slated to air on the South Korean streaming service Seezn.

Advertisement

Both ENA and Seezn are owned by KT, making the schedule addition a relatively simple one. But there are other reasons why "Good Job" was selected as opposed to another drama slated for KT platforms. The mystery romance drama reunites actors Jung Il-woo and Kwon Yuri. The two are best known for their roles on "Bossam: Steal the Fate" which aired on MBN back in 2021. "Bossam: Steal the Fate" was another unexpected hit, opening with 3.132% ratings and ending with 9.759%.

The compelling chemistry of the leads was one reason for the success of the historical drama. But ultimately, MBN couldn't use "Bossam: Steal the Fate" to change their brand. MBN has only aired one scripted drama since then. "Sponsor" opened with ratings of 1.166% and closed with ratings of 0.931%. MBN likely couldn't make good use of branding synergy as the romantic thriller was wholly different from the historical setting of "Bossam: Steal the Fate" with a different core audience.

While "Bossam: Steal the Fate" viewers tended to be older, Jung Il-woo and Kwon Yuri themselves are in their mid-thirties- and there's every reason to believe their chemistry will be just as strong in a story aimed at younger audiences. With ratings of 2.322%, "Good Job" is unsurprisingly facing a fairly big dip from the climax of "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" in its timeslot. Still, there is plenty of opportunity for growth in the coming weeks.

Written by William Schwartz