SBS’s Thursday drama, "The Killing Vote," concluded its 15-week run without a ratings rebound until its final episode.

On November 16th, the show aired its last episode, leaving it with an open ending by resetting the national death penalty vote.

The episode recorded a nationwide viewer rating of 3.1% and 2.9% in the Seoul area. Originally planned as a Mon-Tue drama, "The Killing Vote" was temporarily suspended after the conclusion of "The Secret Romantic Guesthouse."

As a result, SBS moved the show to Thursday, airing only one episode per week, starting from August 10th.

The first episode started strong with a rating of 4.1%. However, the show experienced three consecutive delays due to the broadcast of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2023 KBO League playoffs, resulting in significant drops in viewership.

After two weeks of cancellations on September 28th and October 5th, episode 8 fell to the 2% range.

While the rating did increase slightly later on, it never surpassed 3% until the final episode. Thus, the rating of the first episode ultimately became the drama's highest rating record. "The Killing Vote" generated high anticipation as the comeback project of actress Lim Ji Yeon, who gained popularity through her roles in "The Glory" and "Lies Hidden in My Garden."

Additionally, with the inclusion of veteran actors like Park Hae Jin and Park Sung Woong, the drama was expected to be well-crafted. "The Killing Vote" is an intense genre drama that features characters with both good and evil qualities, brutal murders, and conveys heavy messages.

The most important mission was to create high immersion and maintain it until the end. However, the broadcasting plan of releasing only one episode per week hindered viewers from fully enjoying the show due to the long waiting time.

Despite its poor ratings performance, the drama received favorable reviews for its fresh material and the cast's passionate acting performances.

For Lim Ji Yeon, "The Killing Vote" may be seen as a regrettable project, but it demonstrated her versatility by breaking away from her villain image and portraying a righteous police officer.

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Lee Jun Young recently opened up about the emotional toll of playing a villain—and how one powerful scene made him break down in tears behind the scenes.

On the May 1st episode of KBS 2TV’s variety show Problem Child in House, Lee Jun Young appeared alongside co-star Jung Eun Ji to promote their new KBS drama Pump Up the Healthy Love.

During the show, Lee Jun Young was asked about the most unforgettable villain he’s played. He chose his role as Han Su Gang in the film Brave Citizen.

He explained, “It was really tough to film. I had to act like I was leading school violence, and there was even a scene where I bullied a grandmother.”

The hosts were surprised, pointing out how kind and gentle he seems in real life. Lee Jun Young shared how he transforms for such roles.

“I try to act as bad as I can, but sometimes the director says, ‘You still look too nice.’ Then I focus even harder and adjust right away.”

He also revealed that filming one particular scene hit him hard emotionally. “My real grandmother was sick at the time,” he said.

“In one scene, there’s a grandma selling gimbap, and I ad-libbed by stubbing a cigarette out on the gimbap. I was really into character, but after filming, I just broke down. So many thoughts came to me and I started crying.”

Fans praised his dedication to acting but also felt moved by how deeply the role affected him. Lee Jun Young’s honesty gave a raw look at how even fictional roles can hit close to home.

Source: [1]