MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “The Call” has garnered explosive reactions since its first broadcast, attracting significant attention in the global market. Following the airing of episodes 1 and 2 on the 22nd and 23rd, the drama has climbed to the top ranks on various ranking sites and buzz indicators, capturing viewers’ keen interest.
Dominating Netflix Global Charts
According to FlixPatrol’s tally, “The Call” rose to 4th place worldwide in Netflix’s ‘TV SHOW’ category just one week after its release. Even more impressive is that it ranked 1st in the ‘TV SHOW’ category in 31 countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Qatar, Kuwait, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. This result once again proves the global competitiveness of Korean dramas.
High Rankings in Buzz Indicators
In the 3rd week of November’s buzz rankings announced by Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex, “The Call” ranked 2nd overall in the TV-OTT drama category. In the cast buzz category, lead actors Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin ranked 4th and 5th respectively, while the drama topped the news category and placed 2nd in the VON (Voice of Netizen) category, demonstrating comprehensive popularity.
Strong Performance on OTT Platforms
“The Call” also stood out in the 4th week of November’s integrated content ranking announced by Kinolights, an OTT content integrated search platform. It ranked 3rd in the OTT integrated content ranking, 1st on Netflix, and 2nd on Wavve, generating high expectations for upcoming episodes with its hot reception right from the first broadcast.
Yoo Yeon-seok’s Stellar Performance Captivates Viewers
In “The Call,” Yoo Yeon-seok plays Baek Sa-eon, the youngest presidential spokesperson and the business husband of Hong Hee-joo (played by Chae Soo-bin). His performance, perfectly embodying the character of presidential spokesperson Baek Sa-eon who commands attention with a clear and firm tone, has been highly praised by viewers.Yoo Yeon-seok reportedly received special training from MBC announcer Jeon Jong-hwan for this role. As a result, he vividly portrays Sa-eon, the perfect youngest presidential spokesperson in all aspects including family background, appearance, and ability. His acting in the emergency briefing scene during a crisis situation left a particularly strong impression.
Intriguing Plot Development
The drama depicts the secret romance thriller of a show-window couple in their third year of a strategic marriage, which begins with a threatening phone call. Episodes 1 and 2 heightened tension with scenes such as Hee-joo seemingly being kidnapped and Sa-eon catching this on CCTV. The ending of episode 2, with Sa-eon’s line “There’s no way there’s a Hong Hee-joo I don’t know about. Will you take it off, or should I do it for you?” particularly piqued viewers’ curiosity.Yoo Yeon-seok is enhancing viewers’ immersion by three-dimensionally expressing complex emotions such as suspicion, anger, and confusion. While elegantly portraying the emotions of a cool and rational character, he’s also perfectly executing external styling including hairstyle and suit fit, once again proving his reputation as a ‘trustworthy actor’.
Personal Impression: Anticipating Future Developments
“The Call” has been capturing viewers’ attention with its strong impression from the first broadcast. The chemistry between Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin is particularly noteworthy, raising curiosity about how this couple’s relationship will change.Moreover, the combination of the strategic marriage theme and the thriller elements starting with the threatening phone call is intriguing. It’s exciting to see how these elements will develop, and how Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin will evolve their characters.It’s also encouraging that this drama is gaining attention worldwide through Netflix. It seems to be another opportunity to prove the global competitiveness of Korean dramas, and we hope it will be loved in even more countries in the future.
“The Call” Viewership Ratings
The viewership ratings of “The Call” are also noteworthy. The first episode recorded a nationwide rating of 5.5%, marking a fresh start. In particular, the scene where the kidnapper threatens Hee-joo and the final scene where Sa-eon receives the threatening call and becomes enraged recorded the highest viewership rating of 6.1%.
| Episode | Viewership Rating (Nationwide) | Peak Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.5% | 6.1% |
These ratings indicate that “The Call” is attracting viewers’ interest. There’s anticipation for whether it will record higher ratings in future episodes.
Drama Adaptation Capturing the Charm of the Original Web Novel
“The Call” is based on the popular Kakao Page web novel of the same name. The drama maintains the charm of the original while toning down provocative content and introducing new characters to double the interest.Director Park Sang-woo hinted about the drama, saying, “It starts as a thriller, but there’s a warm sentiment in the latter half.” This is receiving positive evaluations for maintaining the strengths of the original while adding unique characteristics to the drama.
Anticipating Future Developments
“The Call” is expected to show even more exciting developments in the future. The changing relationship between Baek Sa-eon and Hong Hee-joo, played by Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin, and the truth behind the threatening calls are expected to be major points of interest.Moreover, given that the drama is gaining attention worldwide through Netflix, it’s anticipated to attract more global viewers in the future. It’s expected to be an opportunity to once again confirm the global status of Korean dramas.Episode 3 of “The Call” will air on Friday, November 29th at 9:50 PM on MBC. As future developments are highly anticipated, it’s worth noting what new records this drama will set.Broadcast Information: MBC Friday-Saturday Drama “The Call”
Broadcast Date: Every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM#TheCall #YooYeonseok #ChaeSoobin #MBCDrama #Netflix #GlobalChart #RomanceThriller #FridaySaturdayDrama #KoreanDrama #DramaReview
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