Studio Dragon dramas set new peak viewership records

Studio Dragon announced on the 20th that its dramas '100 Days of Deception' and 'Doctor X' both reached new peak viewership records following their fourth episodes, which aired on October 18 and October 17 respectively.

The tvN Saturday-Sunday drama '100 Days of Deception' and the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X' both set new personal peak viewership records after airing their fourth episodes on the same weekend. Although the two works differ in subject matter and genre, both involved Studio Dragon in their production. Studio Dragon announced on the 20th that the fourth episode of '100 Days of Deception', aired on the 18th, recorded a peak viewership of 10.6%, while the fourth episode of 'Doctor X', aired a day earlier on the 17th, reached a peak of 20.8%. The company noted that these figures represent the peak viewership per episode for both dramas.

'100 Days of Deception' tells the story of independence activists during the Japanese colonial period who send spies into core enemy institutions. 'Doctor X' is a medical drama set in a hospital. Both works reached their highest viewership records in their second week of broadcasting, and Studio Dragon shared the planning and development progress for each project. '100 Days of Deception' is a work that the writer conceived over a long period, while 'Doctor X' was reconstructed in terms of story and characters to suit the sensibilities of Korean viewers based on an original work.

New Peak Records for Both in Episode 4

According to Studio Dragon, the fourth episode of '100 Days of Deception' aired on October 18 and recorded a peak viewership of 10.6%. The fourth episode of 'Doctor X' aired one day earlier on October 17, showing a peak viewership of 20.8%. For both works, the peak viewership for their respective episodes surpassed their previous records. '100 Days of Deception' is a tvN Saturday-Sunday drama, and 'Doctor X' is an SBS Friday-Saturday drama, both scheduled for the weekend.

The two dramas differ not only in broadcaster and genre but also in their settings. '100 Days of Deception' is a period drama themed around independence movements, while 'Doctor X' is a medical drama dealing with power and practices within a hospital. Studio Dragon announced that these different works both aired their fourth episodes on the same weekend and broke their own records. These figures are the peak viewership per episode announced by the company, distinguishing them from average viewership.

A Period Drama Where Independence Fighters Plant Spies in the Government-General of Korea

'100 Days of Deception' is a work that writer Ryu Bo-ri conceived over approximately five years and began writing in earnest in 2023. Rather than a story of the Japanese colonial government planting spies in independence fighters, the central setting involves independence fighters sending spies into the heart of the enemy. The setting is the 1930s, and Lee Ga-gyeong, a spy for the National Salvation Corps, goes undercover as an interpreter for the Government-General of Korea to collect information. The character, who operates under the dual identities of an interpreter and a spy, is at the center of the drama.

Lee Ga-gyeong is played by Kim You-jung, and Sato Hideo is played by Park Jin-young. Kim Hyun-joo plays Yoo So-ran, and Lee Moo-saeng plays Yoo Philip. The character relationships include the connection between Lee Ga-gyeong and Sato Hideo, as well as the conflict between Yoo So-ran and Yoo Philip. Kim You-jung practiced with linguistic consulting for Japanese and English lines, and Park Jin-young also repeatedly practiced foreign language lines. Jin Seon-kyu plays the Japanese political affairs director Sato Shinichi; he reportedly stayed in Japan to practice his script and continued Japanese lessons even during filming.

Studio Dragon is introduced as having participated in the script planning and development of '100 Days of Deception' starting in 2024. This process involved the writer's conception and writing followed by the production company's development work. In the drama, Lee Ga-gyeong works as an interpreter at the Government-General of Korea, hiding her identity while gathering information for the independence movement. The interpretation situations, where the way certain words are delivered is linked to the mission, are presented as an element of the espionage story. The changing relationship with Sato Hideo and the conflicts between characters with different purposes unfold together.

A Medical Drama Adapting an Original Work for Domestic Sentiments

'Doctor X' tells the story of the genius freelance surgeon Gye Soo-jeong, who stands against the power and practices occurring at Guseo University Hospital. Gye Soo-jeong is played by Kim Ji-won. As a medical drama set in a hospital, the main narrative deals with the relationships and interests formed between individuals within the hospital. Since 2021, Studio Dragon has been working to reconstruct the story and characters based on the original work to fit the sensibilities of Korean viewers.

Supporting characters include Lee Jung-eun as Jang Hee-sook, Kim Woo-seok as intern Park Tae-gyeong, Heo Jun-seok as emergency medicine professor Kim Seong-jin, and Lee Jin-hee as anesthesiology professor Jo Won-jin. Son Hyun-joo plays the hospital director Boo Seung-gwon. The drama explores the relationship between Jang Hee-sook and Gye Soo-jeong, the interests of hospital director Boo Seung-gwon, and Gye Soo-jeong's past. Each character is set with different positions in the hospital and different relationships with Gye Soo-jeong.

Challenging the medical genre with this work, Kim Ji-won learned medical terminology and practiced suturing techniques. Gye Soo-jeong is introduced as a surgeon with excellent surgical skills who does not compromise with hospital practices. The power dynamics within the hospital and Gye Soo-jeong's past also form a pillar of the story. Studio Dragon's work to reconstruct the original story and characters for domestic viewers began in 2021. Compared to the script development of '100 Days of Deception' starting in 2024, the two works entered their planning and development processes at different times.

Different Production Progress and Company Performance

While both works involved Studio Dragon in their production, their starting points and development methods differ. '100 Days of Deception' was conceived by writer Ryu Bo-ri over about five years and written starting in 2023, with Studio Dragon participating in script planning and development in 2024. 'Doctor X' has been undergoing reconstruction of its story and characters since 2021 to suit Korean viewers based on the original work. One is a period drama depicting the spy operations of independence fighters, while the other is a story about a surgeon working in a university hospital.

Studio Dragon stated that since 2022, it has produced works that ranked number one globally on Netflix for five consecutive years, with a total of 10 works during that period. The company presented this in relation to its K-drama production achievements on the global stage. The two works that recently recorded their highest viewership are being broadcast on tvN and SBS, respectively. '100 Days of Deception' airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 PM, and 'Doctor X' is scheduled as an SBS Friday-Saturday drama.

Both dramas reached their highest viewership records in their second week of broadcasting after airing four episodes each. Studio Dragon announced the peak viewership of the two dramas along with the development progress of each work. '100 Days of Deception' airs on Saturdays and Sundays at 9:10 PM, while 'Doctor X' meets viewers with its Friday-Saturday scheduling.

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