tvN’s The Ordinary Jackpot has reached a new personal best in viewership ratings, while ENA’s new romance drama Between Steps officially entered the Monday-Tuesday drama lineup with its premiere.
During its fourth week on air, The Ordinary Jackpot delivered a surprising ratings turnaround on October 6.
Episodes 7 and 8 were broadcast back-to-back, with the two episodes producing dramatically different results.
While Episode 7 recorded the drama’s lowest rating so far, the following episode quickly bounced back to set a new record for the series.
According to Nielsen Korea, Episode 7 achieved an average nationwide rating of 3.1 percent.
This represented a significant drop from the previous week’s 5.0 percent rating, with the episode falling by 1.9 percentage points.
However, the drama immediately recovered with Episode 8.
The episode recorded an average nationwide rating of 5.9 percent, becoming The Ordinary Jackpot’s highest-rated episode since its premiere.
The Ordinary Jackpot Stages a Major Ratings Recovery
The back-to-back broadcast created an unusual ratings pattern for The Ordinary Jackpot.
After dropping to a series low of 3.1 percent, the drama managed to regain momentum just hours later with its strongest performance yet.
The series stars Lee Jun Hyuk as Gong Eun Tae, an ordinary sales employee whose life takes an unexpected turn after winning a lottery jackpot worth 1.3 billion won.
Rather than simply using the money to abandon his old life, Gong Eun Tae begins changing his perspective and the way he approaches both his career and personal relationships.
The drama previously showed strong momentum in its early weeks, with its second episode rising to 5.2 percent after premiering at 3.9 percent.
It also entered a close ratings battle with New Recruit 4: Sabotage during September, demonstrating its ability to compete strongly within its time slot.
Its latest 5.9 percent result gives the series another boost as it enters the second half of its run.
Between Steps Begins Its Romance Story
Meanwhile, ENA’s Between Steps joined the Monday-Tuesday drama race with its first episode on October 6.
The new romance drama premiered to an average nationwide rating of 1.8 percent.
Starring Kim So Hyun and Choo Young Woo, Between Steps follows two characters whose lives take unexpected turns before they find themselves connected.
Choo Young Woo plays Park Min Jae, a former swimmer who loses his right leg because of illness, while Kim So Hyun portrays Im Yoo Jin, a graduate student who is searching for a new direction after losing her way.
The drama is directed by the late Ahn Pan Seok, the acclaimed director behind romance dramas including Something in the Rain, One Spring Night, and The Midnight Romance in Hagwon.
With The Ordinary Jackpot reaching a new ratings high and Between Steps beginning its run, the Monday-Tuesday drama lineup is shaping up to be an interesting competition.
The coming episodes will reveal whether The Ordinary Jackpot can maintain its newfound momentum and whether Between Steps can gradually expand its audience.
