The protagonists of weekend television are changing. Until recently, power struggles among the wealthy and dazzling romances captivated viewers. Now, fathers who throw themselves into danger to protect their daughters and residents' association heads who stand up for apartment dwellers — ordinary "middle-aged men" — are taking center stage.
In particular, SBS's "Brave New World" and JTBC's "New Employee Chairman Kang" each surpassed 10% ratings, leading a renewed golden age of weekend television. Though different in tone, the two shared a common focus on power, desire, and romance centered on the wealthy. With both succeeding back-to-back, the chaebol narrative was seen as resonating once again.
But the mood of the follow-up dramas is markedly different. SBS is presenting the action drama "Manager Kim," while JTBC is offering the slice-of-life comedy "Apartment," staging another weekend showdown. What they share is putting an ordinary middle-aged man front and center instead of a wealthy tycoon.
SBS's "Manager Kim" is a revenge action drama based on the webtoon of the same name, starring So Ji-sub, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Choi Dae-hoon. It depicts an ordinary father transforming into the most dangerous figure in the world to win back his only daughter. So Ji-sub plays Manager Kim, a former secret agent once deployed on numerous special operations who now works ordinarily at a small savings bank. The desperate struggle of a family man who risks everything to protect his loved ones, the exhilarating action, and the performances of the "Ahvengers" (a play on "ahjussi," meaning middle-aged man, and "Avengers") played by So Ji-sub, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Choi Dae-hoon are the points to watch.
Viewer response has indeed been hot. "Manager Kim," which premiered on the 26th, recorded a nationwide average rating of 15.7% and a peak rating of 18% by its second episode, taking the No. 1 spot among weekly miniseries. Breaking 15% ratings within two episodes is the first such case in about five years, since "The Penthouse 3" in 2021.
JTBC's "Apartment" also features a distinctive "middle-aged hero." Ji Sung, who has established himself as a "guarantee of success" through works such as "Judge Lee Han-young," takes the lead role, raising expectations. The drama unfolds as a slice-of-life comedy, telling the story of Hae-gang (Ji Sung), a former gang boss who jumps into the residents' association chairman election to seize hidden large sums of money within the apartment complex, and digs into various corruption alongside the residents. The premise draws particular interest by highlighting the lack of oversight on management fees — charged under names such as cleaning service fees, consignment management fees, and long-term repair reserves — in apartments where more than half of Korea's population lives. Hae-gang, who becomes the residents' association chairman to seize a long-term repair reserve fund amounting to 17.8 billion won, comes face to face with an enormous truth as he grows increasingly sincere about apartment affairs. The drama seeks differentiation by unraveling corruption surrounding apartment management fees — something he had never paid attention to before — through a comic premise, while heading toward a satisfying ending of poetic justice. The drama premieres July 11.
In this way, the keyword of weekend television is shifting away from figures of great ability or immense wealth toward ordinary family men who move to protect their families and help their neighbors. Though the genres of action and comedy differ, attention is focused on whether the exploits of middle-aged men living with their feet planted in reality will earn viewers' empathy.
Meanwhile, MBC's "Fifty Percent," which featured Shin Ha-kyun, Oh Jung-se, and Heo Sung-tae and depicted the renewed challenges of middle-aged people who have lived battered by time and reality, concluded on the 27th with a 5% rating.
