South Korean dramas had a huge Saturday night on August 15. Three major shows pulled in their best numbers yet. MBC’s “A Bona Fide Killer” finally crossed the double-digit mark. KBS 2TV’s “Love on the Menu” stayed on top as the most-watched program of the entire day. And tvN’s “Spooky in Love” recorded its strongest Saturday performance so far.
Here is a closer look at how each drama performed and what made these episodes stand out.
A Bona Fide Killer Breaks Double-Digit Ratings
“A Bona Fide Killer” has officially entered double-digit territory. The MBC Friday-Saturday drama reached a new personal best only three weeks after its premiere. According to Nielsen Korea, the sixth episode, which aired on August 15, recorded a nationwide household rating of 10.2% and 9.8% in the Seoul metropolitan area.
This marks a 0.4 percentage point increase from the fifth episode’s 9.8% rating on August 14. The drama also ranked first in its time slot across all channels.
One scene pushed the real-time peak rating even higher to 11.8%. The moment showed characters Lee Dong-jin (Lee Sang-i) and Beom Seong-hoon (Choi Woo-sung) hearing news about a “one-shot, two-kill” operation and rushing to the scene.
The drama also performed well among younger viewers. It recorded a 3.5% rating among the key 20-54 demographic and ranked first among all programs broadcast that day in that category.
The sixth episode continued to showcase the teamwork around Yoo Bo Na, played by Gong Hyo Jin, while revealing more about Kwon Tae Sung, played by Jung Joon Won. The episode featured another successful operation and an emotional moment for Kwon Tae Sung, who expressed his frustration over feeling unable to punish people he believed had escaped consequences.
“Bad people should be punished, but there’s nothing I can do,” Kwon Tae Sung said through tears.
The episode ended by revealing more about the characters’ past connection. It showed a flashback of Kwon Tae Sung visiting Yoo Bo Na while heavily intoxicated five years ago, crying about the same frustration. The cliffhanger showed Yoo Bo Na, dressed as a Red Devil, discovering Kwon Tae Sung collapsed and bleeding.
Jung Joon Won previously faced criticism from some viewers over his behavior during a variety show appearance. Gong Hyo Jin later showed support for her co-star. However, there is no evidence that the controversy or her response directly affected the drama’s ratings.
The drama started with a 7.4% rating for its premiere on July 31. Episode 2 rose to 8.0%. Episode 4 reached 9.4%. Episode 5 hit 9.8%. And now Episode 6 has crossed the double-digit mark with 10.2%.
Love On The Menu Leads Saturday Lineup
KBS 2TV’s “Love on the Menu” remained the most-watched program of Saturday. The romance drama starring Ha Seok Jin and EXID’s Hani (Ahn Hee Yeon) earned an average nationwide rating of 14.2% for its latest Saturday episode.
This marks a new Saturday high for the drama. Saturday episodes have typically performed lower than Sunday episodes for this show. The drama has been on a steady rise since its premiere.
“Love on the Menu” premiered on July 25 with an average nationwide rating of 11.7% for its first episode. It was the second most-watched show of that Saturday, bested only by the finale of “Agent Kim Reactivated”. Episode 2 climbed to 13.0%. Episode 3 stayed at 11.7%. Episode 4 reached 13.4%. Episode 5 hit 14.1%. Episode 6 jumped to 15.1% on Sunday.
The drama has become the single most-watched program of the night on multiple occasions. It continues to dominate its Saturday-Sunday time slot on KBS 2TV.
Spooky In Love Reaches New Saturday High
tvN’s “Spooky in Love” also set a new Saturday record. The supernatural romance drama starring Park Eun Bin and Yang Se Jong earned a nationwide average of 6.1% for its ninth episode on August 15.
The drama ranked No. 1 in its time slot across all channels, including public broadcasters, in both nationwide and metropolitan ratings. It also took first place in its time slot among viewers aged 20 to 49.
The episode peaked at 7.6% nationwide and 7.5% in the Seoul metropolitan area. This marks the drama’s highest Saturday performance to date.
The latest episode focused on Cheon Yeo Ri (Park Eun Bin) and Ma Kang Wook (Yang Se Jong) as their relationship became stronger after officially becoming a couple. Yeo Ri faced pressure surrounding her position at Reina Hotel, and Kang Wook stayed by her side and helped her through the difficult situation.
One particularly romantic moment came when Kang Wook unexpectedly appeared overseas to help Yeo Ri at a crucial time. Wearing matching gloves, the two held hands and smiled at each other.
“Spooky in Love” premiered on July 18 with a 3.0% rating for its first episode. Episode 2 jumped to 5.3%. Episode 3 recorded 4.350%. Episode 4 hit 5.810%. Episode 6 reached 6.0%. And now Episode 9 has set a new Saturday high with 6.1%.
The drama airs every Saturday and Sunday on tvN. It has shown consistent growth since its premiere.
Related:
Other Saturday Night Performances
JTBC’s “The Apartment Job” also performed well on Saturday. The show matched its previous Saturday best of 5.4% ahead of its series finale.
SBS’s “Flex X Cop 2” rose to an average nationwide rating of 5.7% for its fourth episode. This came after the drama hit an all-time low of 5.1% for its third episode.
Saturday night proved to be a strong night for Korean dramas across multiple channels. All three major shows delivered their best Saturday numbers, showing the strong competition in the weekend drama lineup.
“A Bona Fide Killer” airs on MBC every Friday and Saturday. “Love on the Menu” airs on KBS 2TV every Saturday and Sunday. “Spooky in Love” airs on tvN every Saturday and Sunday. All three shows are available with subtitles on streaming platforms like Viki.
Also Read: A Shop For Killers 2 and A Bona Fide Killer Dominate Korean Drama Buzz Rankings
Stay updated with the latest K-drama ratings and entertainment news from Korea and around the world. For more updates on your favorite shows and stars, keep following VvipTimes.
Leave a Reply