[HanCinema's News] "My Demon" and "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" Fiercely Compete Despite Similar Subject Matter

In general, South Korean television networks tend to avoid having overly similar concept dramas compete with each other in the same timeslot, as serious genre fans will generally only watch one or the other. "My Demon" and "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" buck this trend, as both are supernatural romantic contract comedies, albeit one involving a demon and the other involving time travel. Logic would dictate that these shows would cannibalize each other's audiences.

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Yet the overlap between the two has been surprisingly small. Going purely by the numbers, "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" is the victor with a ratings high of 9.6% in its sixth episode. "My Demon" has only gotten as high as 4.7% in its most recent episode, both dramas having aired eight episodes. But this trend defies the online trends, where "My Demon" has earned significantly more interest in social media references.

Indeed, despite the similar subject matter, "My Demon" and "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" are going after deceptively different audiences. While romantic demons are all the rage with younger viewers, the ones less likely to watch live television, Joseon-styled nineteenth century romance is very much a topic of interest more for older viewers. The time travel element notwithstanding, "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" is much more of a social romance drama than a passion-based one.

The matter of tone should also be considered. The ratings for "My Demon" have largely been static, opening at 4.5% in its first episode. Viewers have, by and large, gotten what they expected. But "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" opened with only 5.6% ratings, in part because there are many different ways to execute the premise. A relatively low emphasis on the science fiction elements, as opposed to the social ones, has raised the drama's profile with its target audience.

Written by William Schwartz

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"My Demon" is directed by Kim Jang-han, Kwon Da-som, written by Choi Ah-il, and features Kim You-jung, Song Kang, Lee Sang-yi, Kim Hae-sook, Kim Tae-hoon, Lee Yoon-ji. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2023/11/24~Now airing, Fri, Sat 22:00 on Netflix, SBS, Wavve.

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"The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" is directed by Kang Chae-won, Park Sang-hoon-III, written by Go Nam-jeong, and features Lee Se-young, Bae In-hyuk, Yoo Seon-ho, Joo Hyun-young, Jin Kyung, Kim Yeo-jin. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2023/11/24~Now airing, Fri, Sat 21:50 on MBC.