Highly Acclaimed Series End with Record-Breaking 7.9% viewership for the Final Episode
- A Korean adaptation of Designated Survivor, the series is co-produced by Studio Dragon and Entertainment One
- Successfully Ended Broadcast after Recording the Highest Viewer Rating for the Final Episode
[Seoul ? August 23, 2019] Studio Dragon of Korea (CEO Jinnie Choi) has launched a remake of the American drama, ‘Designated Survivor’, originally produced by Entertainment One (eOne). ‘Designated Survivor: 60 Days’ was introduced in Korea through tvN channel and is currently streaming in Netflix. It has been successfully aired and also received high acclaim from the viewers, setting a record-breaking average rating of 6.2%, and a peak rating of 7.9% viewer rating for its final episode.
Co-produced by Studio Dragon, South Korea's largest drama production and global independent studio eOne, ‘Designated Survivor: 60 Days’ is a Korean adaptation of the Kiefer Sutherland-led drama ‘Designated Survivor’.
The highly popular American drama, ‘Designated Survivor’ already had many fans in Korea before the remake. Since its remake was decided, it received immense attention about how the unique plot would be reinterpreted, and which actors would be cast for the new story. The anticipation grew higher as an employee of Studio Dragon commented, “While maintaining the basic structure of the original drama, we revised the characters and episodes according to the affairs of Korea. It will be a new and entertaining story with different charms from the original drama.”
In the midst of great attention from the Korean viewers, ‘Designated Survivor: 60 Days’ was first aired on July 1st, and its viewer ratings started to increase rapidly. The first episode recorded an average rating of 3.4%, which increased to more than 4% for the second episode. On the 12th episode, it broke the previous record by recording an average rating of 4.8% and a peak rating of 6.4%. The last episode recorded an average rating of 6.2% and a peak rating of 7.9% before successfully finishing its broadcast. The average viewing time started at 28 minutes and increased to a maximum of 40 minutes in the end, which proved the drama’s high popularity. This series recorded the highest rating among all of the year’s tvN dramas that aired on weekdays.
Unlike the original drama, the affairs of Korea are reflected in the new story, and the main character turns into the Acting President. Park Mu-jin (Ji Jin-hee) is given a limited time of 60 days. Within this time, he needs to find the mastermind behind a terrorist attack and save the country from the crisis it faces before the presidential election takes place. The continued difficulties he faces add more tension as the episodes unfold, drawing the viewers deeper into the story.
One of the main reasons for the success of ‘Designated Survivor: 60 Days’ is ‘excellent localization’. eOne, the producer of the original drama, and Studio Dragon carried out a close discussion with each other regarding the script, taking into consideration important factors such as Korea’s law system, political and diplomatic situation, and national sentiment. By focusing on ‘localization’, the key to remaking a drama, they maintained the strength of the original story and added Korea’s internal affairs in a detailed and sophisticated manner, and established the originality of ‘Designated Survivor: 60 Days’.
The second reason for the success of ‘Designated Survivor: 60 Days’ is its ‘casting’. Ji Jin-hee, who plays the role of the Acting President Park Mu-jin, is a charismatic actor with a dignified image, stable tone of voice, and in-depth acting ability. Especially, the appearance of Han Ju-seung (Huh Joon-ho), a character not in the original story but added to the Korean episodes as the Chief Presidential Secretary of the previous government, received enthusiastic reactions from the viewers. Furthermore, the allies of Park Mu-jin such as the Senior Administrator of the Presidential Secretariat Cha Yeong-jin (Son Suk-ku), the Minister of Environment Jeong Su-jeong (Choi Yoon-young), the Acting Spokesperson Kim Nam-wook (Actor Lee Mu-saeng), and other members from the National Intelligence Service and Park’s political rivals all display superb acting to provide viewers with ample entertainment.
Studio Dragon commented after the last episode, “The positive comments from the fans of the original ‘Designated Survivor’ have encouraged us greatly in producing this drama. We believe that this remake has set an excellent example of a successful synergy between the original drama and localization.”
Studio Dragon is Korea’s top drama studio that boasts high planning and producing capabilities for dramas as well as an efficient system. It is planning on preparing and launching 28 new dramas in 2019 and is expanding its scale each year. It also leads Korea’s cultural contents market through collaboration with competent creator groups, star directors, and writers. Studio Dragon’s main works include ‘GUARDIAN: THE LONELY AND GREAT GOD’, ‘MR. SUNSHINE’, ‘MEMORIES OF THE ALHAMBRA’, and more. Also, Mother(2018) was officially chosen to compete at the Canneseries and was highly praised for its quality.
Official Homepage http://www.studiodragon.net/en/
Netflix is the world's leading Internet entertainment service with 151 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen.Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specialises in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. The Company’s diversified expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales; family programming, merchandising and licensing; digital content; and live entertainment. Through its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world.
Entertainment One’s robust network includes international feature film distribution company Sierra/Affinity; Amblin Partners with DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; Makeready with Brad Weston; unscripted television production companies Whizz Kid Entertainment and Renegade 83; live entertainment leaders Round Room Live; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; innovative music platform Audio Network; and award-winning emerging content and technology studio Secret Location.
