Jang Seo-hee, 'Queen of Revenge Drama' disgraceful exit

The ‘queen of revenge’ has become a thing of the past. Actress Jang Seo-hee left the show in disgrace due to low viewership ratings despite returning to the small screen after five years.

MBC's daily drama 'The Witch's Game', which ended on the 14th, depicts a bloody confrontation between a mother and daughter who fall victim to a great evil. Jang Seo-hee's return to MBC's daily drama 20 years after 'Mermaid Girl' attracted much anticipation even before it aired.

For Jang Seo-hee, ‘Mermaid Lady’ has a special meaning. Writer Im Seong-han's 'Mermaid Lady' was Jang Seo-hee's first lead role since her debut, and she quickly emerged as a leading actress, recording the highest viewership rating of 47.9%. Afterwards, she received great love as Goo Eun-jae, who made a fortune and was revived in 'Temptation of a Wife', and renewed her life's character. Afterwards, she appeared in daily dramas such as 'Cuckoo's Nest' (24.2%) and 'Sister is Alive!' (24%). Each episode recorded huge viewership ratings and established itself as a guaranteed box office hit.

However, the impact of Jang Seo-hee, who returned to the small screen after five years, was not as strong as before. The viewership rating for the first episode was 6.2%, which was lower than the 7.6% rating for the last episode of the previous work, 'House of Secrets.' Afterwards, it continued to decline, and the lowest viewership rating fell to the 4% range. This was the lowest figure among daily dramas currently being broadcast.

Jang Seo-hee, who continued the legend of undefeated box office success, suffered the bitter taste of defeat with 'The Witch's Game'. The last episode also recorded 5.8%, and the highest viewer rating had to be satisfied with 6.7% (episode 93).

The work that takes over the MBC daily drama baton that Jang Seo-hee also failed to carry is ‘A Destiny in Heaven.’ 'A Destiny in Heaven', which will be aired for the first time today (17th), is the story of a father and daughter who became enemies due to a tragedy caused by their father's wrong desires and finally realize their heavenly love.

Actor Kim Yoo-seok plays the role of Kang Chi-hwan, a villain who abandoned his former lover and child and married the daughter of a wealthy man in order to gain wealth and power. Jeon Hye-yeon and Jung Woo-yeon play the roles of Kang Chi-hwan's two daughters. At the production presentation held earlier, Kim Yoo-seok expressed confidence, "I was satisfied with the process to the point where I thought, 'Was there such a scale? Was there even an attempt like this?'

Director Kim Jin-hyung also pledged, “I will reward you with viewership ratings.” However, will newcomer Jeon Hye-yeon be able to revive the MBC daily drama that Jang Seo-hee also failed to produce? This is why concerns about ‘heaven’s kindness’ outweigh expectations.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr