tvN's new Monday-Tuesday drama ‘The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’ (directed by Kim Yong-wan, written by Yang Ji-hoon, planned by CJ ENM, produced by Studio Dragon, Dexter Pictures, and Eo Content Group) is showing the effectiveness of an amulet to cure 'Monday blues' just in its first week of airing.
The drama, which premiered on the 23rd, has made a dazzling start by capturing both viewership ratings and buzz. The first episode recorded a solid start with a rating of 4.3% (based on Nielsen Korea nationwide), and the second episode aired on the 24th saw a 0.1%p increase to 4.4%, setting a new personal best rating.
Viewer reactions are enthusiastic. Immediately after the first broadcast, it trended on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and various communities have been flooded with praise for the direction, script structure, and the actors' outstanding performances.
In particular, in the second episode, when Baek Gyeon-woo (played by Choo Young-woo) falls into despair after losing his only family member, his grandmother, the scene where Park Seong-ah (played by Jo Yi-hyun), who rushes in wearing a traditional outfit, stops Gyeon-woo from pushing her away and shouts, “I will save you,” became the highlight of the ending, generating a strong response.
As a result, some viewers are excited about the narrative, which is similar to last year's hit ‘Jumping with Seon-jae’, expressing their anticipation for future developments in this 'redemptive' romance.
What is the reason behind ‘The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’ gaining popularity and showing signs of a syndrome just in its first week of airing?
An industry insider stated, “Recently, the viewing patterns of younger audiences have shifted to OTT platforms, leading to a lack of somewhat old-fashioned materials for middle-aged viewers on TV channels. In contrast, ‘The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’ perfectly combines fresh romance and occult elements, which I believe is a winning factor that has drawn younger viewers back to TV.”
In fact, ‘The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’ recorded a 2.0% rating among viewers aged 20-49 during its first broadcast, marking the highest figure among tvN's Monday-Tuesday dramas this year.
The internal response at CJ ENM is also encouraging. Park Sang-hyuk, executive director of CJ ENM's media business division, who predicted ‘The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’ would be the second ‘Jumping with Seon-jae’, stated in an interview with Maeil Business Star Today, “While I had high expectations for ‘The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’ due to its excellent script, I was also worried because the protagonist is a high school student and it has occult elements. However, I am really happy that those concerns have been blown away by such good results.”
Expressing gratitude for the viewers' discerning taste in recognizing a good work from the start, Director Park stated, “In the future, tvN will continue to meet viewers with bold and new attempts.”
He also added, “'The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl' gets more interesting as the episodes progress. I hope viewers will continue to watch.”
The first week start was ‘smooth sailing’. It remains to be seen whether ‘Gyeon-woo’ can surpass the second ‘Seon-jae’ and create even greater buzz and impact.
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
