Park Min Young‘s drama “Confidence Queen” has moved to a new broadcast time after facing very low viewership numbers. The show will now air at the same time as Kim Da-mi‘s new drama “A Hundred Memories”, setting up a direct competition on weekend television.
The change was announced on September 15 by TV Chosun on its official social media. The drama will now air every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 p.m. KST, a shift from its previous 9:10 p.m. slot. This decision comes as “Confidence Queen” struggled to attract viewers, with its ratings dropping to as low as 0.9% for its fourth episode. The show started with a 1.1% rating for its first episode but has not been able to keep its audience .
The show’s previous time slot put it in direct competition with tvN‘s very popular drama “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty,” which stars YoonA and Lee Chae Min. That drama has been doing extremely well, reaching a high of 15.4% in ratings. This made it very hard for “Confidence Queen” to find its audience .
New Time Slot Brings New Competition
With its new broadcast time, “Confidence Queen” now faces a different competitor: JTBC‘s “A Hundred Memories,” which stars Kim Da-mi, Shin Ye-eun, and Heo Nam-jun. This drama airs at 10:40 p.m. KST on the same days, meaning the two shows now air almost at the same time .
“A Hundred Memories” has had a stronger start, with its first episode getting a 3.280% rating and its second episode rising to 3.587%. The show is set in the 1980s and tells the story of two bus attendants who become friends while dealing with love, dreams, and personal growth. Kim Da-mi plays Go Young-rye, a hardworking bus attendant who supports her mother and dreams of going to university. Shin Ye-eun plays Seo Jong-hee, a confident newcomer, and Heo Nam-jun plays Han Jae-pil, the son of a wealthy department store owner who becomes the object of both women’s affection .
Why Confidence Queen Struggled
“Confidence Queen” is a Korean adaptation of the Japanese drama “The Confidence Man JP.” It features Park Min Young as Yoon Yi Rang, a clever con artist with a high IQ who leads a team of scammers. Park Hee Soon plays James, a master of disguise, and Joo Jong Hyuk plays Myung Gu Ho, the youngest team member. Together, they play tricks on dishonest people .
Despite its interesting story and well-known cast, the drama has not been able to keep viewers. After starting at 1.1%, ratings rose slightly to 1.5% for the second episode but then fell to 1.0% for the third episode and 0.9% for the fourth. The show’s colorful cons and Park Min Young’s bold makeup have been noticed, but they weren’t enough to win against “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” .
In a recent episode, the team targeted a corrupt art critic played by Lee Yi Kyung, who previously acted with Park Min Young in “Marry My Husband.” New stills showed Park Min Young’s character flirting with Lee Yi Kyung’s character during a dinner date, trying to trick him. The production team said, “Park Min Young and Lee Yi Kyung’s strong and instinctive teamwork resulted in hilarious and explosive back-and-forth chemistry” .
How Fans Are Reacting
Online, viewers have shared mixed feelings about “Confidence Queen.” Some fans of Park Min Young have expressed disappointment. One viewer mentioned, “I have been in love with Park Min Young since Healer… this one is disappointing.” Another said, “Worst series ever from my favourite Korean Actress,” criticizing the opening episode as “unbelievable and badly written” .
However, not all reviews are negative. Some viewers feel the show gets better after the first episode. One fan noted, “Confidence Queen offers a refreshing twist to the typical drama genre.” They added that the lead character’s behavior, which might seem over-the-top at first, starts to make sense as her backstory is revealed. The chemistry among the three leads has also been praised .
The Big Picture for Weekend Dramas
The competition in weekend drama time slots is fierce. “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” has become a big hit, making it tough for other shows in the same slot. By moving to 10:30 p.m., “Confidence Queen” hopes to find viewers who are free later in the evening. However, it now has to compete with “A Hundred Memories,” which has already built a steady audience in its 10:40 p.m. slot .
“A Hundred Memories” benefits from a strong emotional story and positive word-of-mouth. The drama has been praised for its portrayal of friendship and dreams in the 1980s, a time period that resonates with many viewers. Kim Da-mi’s performance, in particular, has been highlighted as she plays a character battling motion sickness while working on a bus to support her family .
More About Confidence Queen
The next episode of “Confidence Queen” will air on September 20 at its new time. The show is available on TV Chosun and Coupang Play in Korea, and internationally on Amazon Prime Video in 240 countries and regions .
The production team is likely hoping that the time change will help improve ratings. With many stories still to be told, it remains to be seen if the shift will allow the show to find its audience and recover from its slow start .
