SBS’s Thursday drama, "The Killing Vote," concluded its 15-week run without a ratings rebound until its final episode.
On November 16th, the show aired its last episode, leaving it with an open ending by resetting the national death penalty vote.
The episode recorded a nationwide viewer rating of 3.1% and 2.9% in the Seoul area. Originally planned as a Mon-Tue drama, "The Killing Vote" was temporarily suspended after the conclusion of "The Secret Romantic Guesthouse."
As a result, SBS moved the show to Thursday, airing only one episode per week, starting from August 10th.
The first episode started strong with a rating of 4.1%. However, the show experienced three consecutive delays due to the broadcast of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2023 KBO League playoffs, resulting in significant drops in viewership.
After two weeks of cancellations on September 28th and October 5th, episode 8 fell to the 2% range.
While the rating did increase slightly later on, it never surpassed 3% until the final episode. Thus, the rating of the first episode ultimately became the drama's highest rating record. "The Killing Vote" generated high anticipation as the comeback project of actress Lim Ji Yeon, who gained popularity through her roles in "The Glory" and "Lies Hidden in My Garden."
Additionally, with the inclusion of veteran actors like Park Hae Jin and Park Sung Woong, the drama was expected to be well-crafted. "The Killing Vote" is an intense genre drama that features characters with both good and evil qualities, brutal murders, and conveys heavy messages.
The most important mission was to create high immersion and maintain it until the end. However, the broadcasting plan of releasing only one episode per week hindered viewers from fully enjoying the show due to the long waiting time.
Despite its poor ratings performance, the drama received favorable reviews for its fresh material and the cast's passionate acting performances.
For Lim Ji Yeon, "The Killing Vote" may be seen as a regrettable project, but it demonstrated her versatility by breaking away from her villain image and portraying a righteous police officer.
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