‘As expected, Namgoong Min’ – The Actor who proves his worth with every drama choice; ‘Lovers’ leads MBC Friday-Saturday Drama with Record-Breaking Ratings

The phrase ‘As expected, Namgoong Min‘ naturally comes to mind. The drama choices of the trusted actor Namgoong Min have hit the mark once again. Namgoong Min’s leadership in ‘Lover’ has become the savior of MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama, which had been struggling in the 2% range, by setting new records with each episode.

After the successive successes of ‘Stove League,’ ‘Black Sun,’ and ‘The One-Dollar Attorney,’ Namgoong Min proved his worth by winning trophies at both the SBS Acting Awards and MBC Acting Awards.

Returning to historical dramas after a decade since ‘Gu Am Heo Joon’ (2013), Namgoong Min’s MBC TV Friday-Saturday drama ‘Lover’ narrates the story of ‘Lee Jang-hyeon’ (Namgoong Min) and ‘Yoo Gil-chae’ (Ahn Eun-jin) as they navigate love, hardship, and hope amid the tumultuous times of the Byeongjahoran era. Namgoong Min continued his collaboration with director Kim Sung-yong, following their work on ‘Black Sun’ (2021).

Lee Jang-hyeon is a perfect man with intelligence, masculinity, a compelling narrative, and a pure affection that focuses solely on one woman. The heartrending love between the male lead, Lee Jang-hyeon, who falls into a love as fateful as a war, and Yoo Gil-chae, who endures the cruel war of Byeongjahoran and sincerely mourns for a fellow soldier, is depicted poignantly.

Namgoong Min remarked, “Among the aspects I consider important when portraying various characters, one is creating a suitable appearance and style that matches the character.” He added, “From appearance to character, everything should be harmonized to enhance concentration in acting. In this work, I paid a lot of attention to this aspect. Also, since it’s been a decade since I’ve done a historical drama, I put a lot of effort into adapting my speech, atmosphere, and actions to fit the period. This is to ensure that even the unfamiliar aspects feel natural in my own style.” His response sheds light on how Namgoong Min has become one of South Korea’s top actors and the meticulous efforts he put into the drama ‘Lover.’

According to Nielsen Korea, reflecting the drama’s hot rising trend, the 5th episode of ‘Lover’ that aired on the 18th recorded a nationwide viewership of 8.4%, marking a significant increase of 3.2% compared to the previous episode. Furthermore, the 6th episode that aired on the 19th recorded 8.8%, continuing the upward trend. This viewership increase on a Saturday, when various dramas are broadcasted across terrestrial, cable, and satellite channels, holds greater significance.

According to the TV Prominence ranking (August 14th to 20th) announced by Good Data Corporation on the 21st, MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama ‘Lover’ saw a 62.4% increase in its prominence index compared to the previous week, securing the top spot in overall program prominence. ‘Lover’ also maintained its top position in Friday-Saturday drama prominence for two consecutive weeks.

In terms of the prominence of drama cast members, lead actor Namgoong Min maintained the top spot for two consecutive weeks, while Ahn Eun-jin secured the second spot. Moreover, they swept various prominence indicators. They held the top position in the number of news articles related to the drama, VON post/comment counts, and video view counts.

Above all, Namgoong Min’s acting prowess that brings all these elements together cannot be overlooked. His robust acting skills and captivating presence that enhance the narrative’s completeness are vigorously driving the success of the drama, ‘Lover.’ The ‘Namgoong Min’ phenomenon has started once again with the drama ‘Lover,’ and its momentum remains strong. As the drama moves beyond its midpoint, it garners more attention on whether ‘Lover,’ which has gained even greater momentum, can surpass a 10% viewership rating.

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