Despite its provocative theme and prime-time slot, MBC's weekend drama 'Mary Kills People' has come to a lackluster end with ratings stuck in the 1% range.
MBC's Friday-Saturday drama 'Mary Kills People,' which centered on the controversial subject of assisted dying, concluded with its final episode recording a 1.2% nationwide rating, according to Nielsen Korea on September 13. The drama had premiered with a solid 3.2% viewership, but ratings fell to 1.8% by episode three and never recovered from the 1% slump.
The series followed the story of Dr. Woo So Jung (played by Lee Bo Young), a physician who helps terminally ill patients end their suffering through assisted death. In the finale, Woo was shown volunteering at a welfare hospital for several years without directly assisting in deaths. However, she faced moral conflict when a patient in unbearable pain, whose only daughter had also passed away, came to her pleading for help. The show ended unresolved, leaving viewers with open-ended questions about the necessity and dangers of assisted dying.
Rated 19+ (Rated R) for mature audiences, 'Mary Kills People' drew attention as the first Korean drama to tackle assisted dying as its central theme, especially with acclaimed actress Lee Bo Young in the lead role. Yet, its heavy subject matter failed to hold mainstream viewers’ interest.
This marks another disappointing result for MBC in its prime-time Friday-Saturday drama slot (10 p.m.), following the earlier flop 'Crushology 101,' which at times fell into the 0% range. 'Mary Kills People' even recorded lower ratings than 'Big Bet' Season 1, which first aired on Disney+ before being broadcast on MBC.
MBC’s next Friday-Saturday drama will be 'To The Moon' starring Lee Sun Bin and Ra Mi Ran.
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