Lawyer Han Yu-ri (Nam Ji-hyun), representing the defendant in a divorce suit in the show "Good Partner," gets shocked after reading the plaintiff's messages that prove their infidelity. Courtesy of SBS Drama centers on 'how to divorce successfully' By KTimes The popularity of the TV series "Good Partner" is surging. The show premiered with a 7.
8 percent viewership rating on July 12, and it has since more than doubled, reaching 17.2 percent as of the latest episode that aired on Saturday. There are predictions that the drama could surpass a 20 percent viewership rating before it wraps up its 16-episode run.
Initially, "Good Partner" was not anticipated to be a major hit, given that the writer was a newcomer and legal dramas focusing on divorce had not attracted much attention in the past. Recent examples like JTBC's "Divorce Attorney Shin" and ENA's "Can I Be Someone Else?" saw single-digit ratings. However, "Good Partner" has found unexpected success by differentiating itself from past divorce dramas in two ways.
Cha Eun-kyung, right (played by Jang Na-ra), a divorce attorney, and her junior colleague Han Yu-ri (played by Nam Ji-hyun) in the drama "Good Partner." Courtesy of SBS Fresh take Unlike earlier dramas like "Marriage Clinic: Love and War" (1999-2014), which focused on extreme situations leading to the breakdown of marriages, "Good Partner" centers on the theme of "how to divorce well." For example, it features a storyline where a wife gives up custody of her two children in exchange for alimony after her husband's infidelity, saying, "The kids had a luxurious upbringing, attending English kindergartens and wearing designer clothes.
They won't have the same lifestyle if they stay with me." Instead of condemning the mother as heartless, "Good Partner" presents a different perspective, showing the complex realities through the character of Cha Eun-kyung (played by Jang Na-ra), a seasoned divorce lawyer with 17 years of experience. The show portrays custody loss as a temporary arrangement rather than a permanent separation.
Nam Ji-hyun, who plays junior lawyer Han Yoo-ri, said, "I felt like I was hit in the back of the head while reading the script. It's a story that only a writer with a background in divorce law could create." Choi Yu-na, a divorce attorney and writer of the drama "Good Partner.
" Korea Times file Workplace dynamics The drama also delves into workplace conflicts and growth, reminiscent of the popular drama "Misaeng" (2014). It showcases the clash between senior lawyer Cha Eun-kyung, who prioritizes results, and junior lawyer Han Yoo-ri, who values the process, highlighting generational conflicts within the workplace. According to Nielsen Korea, "Good Partner" has a higher viewership among 20-somethings compared to 30-somethings, unlike dramas like tvN's "Love Next Door" or JTBC's "Romance in the House," which have more 30-something viewers.
This suggests that young professionals in their 20s, who relate to the generational conflicts depicted in the drama, are drawn to "Good Partner." Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture critic, said, "The clash of values between the characters played by Jang Na-ra and Nam Ji-hyun naturally reflects today's workplace generational conflicts." How was a divorce courtroom drama written by a divorce lawyer conceived? The idea dates back to 2019 when lawyer Choi Yu-na began serializing a webtoon on Instagram titled "Marriage Red.
" The title implied a "red light" in a married couple's life, featuring stories of couples contemplating divorce. Impressed by the webtoon, a producer from Studio&NEW, a drama production company, proposed that Choi write a script for a TV series. Choi worked as a lawyer by day and wrote the script at night after putting her two children to bed.
It took her five years to complete the script. Studio&NEW, which planned "Good Partner," is known in the industry as a "training ground for legal professionals to debut as drama writers." The company also produced "Miss Hammurabi," the 2018 debut drama of Moon Yoo-seok, who was a sitting judge at the time.
Shin Sung-han (played by Cho Seung-woo), a divorce lawyer in the drama "Divorce Attorney Shin." Courtesy of JTBC TV Prefers Divorce Dramas Divorce-themed dramas are gaining popularity in the K-content market, particularly on TV. Recently, there have been over five such dramas released in the past year alone, including SBS's "Queen of Divorce.
" These shows have primarily been aired on television, while crime thrillers like "No Way Out: The Roulette," "The Frog," and "The Tyrant" are more common on streaming platforms. A production company executive said, "Broadcasters are more actively scheduling divorce-themed dramas to capture middle-aged TV viewers." The trend of producing divorce-themed content is also on the rise.
The production company MongJakSo is preparing to film a drama titled Divorce Insurance, which centers around a fictional story of an insurance company creating a divorce insurance product. An industry insider said, "Divorce-themed scripts are becoming more frequent in the market these days." According to the "2023 Marriage and Divorce Statistics" from Statistics Korea, there were approximately 190,000 marriages and 90,000 divorces, meaning one in every two married couples ends up divorced.
This social backdrop has fueled the rise of divorce-themed dramas. Kim Hun-sik, a professor at Jungwon University's College of Social Culture, said, "Divorce, once considered a distant issue, is becoming more normalized, leading to increased interest in content that deals with its crises and resolutions." Divorce is also becoming a more explicit topic in reality shows, but this trend has its downsides.
Pop culture critic Bok-gil noted, "Recent divorce-themed dramas often gain popularity by exhaustively showcasing the communication processes between divorced parties. In contrast, reality shows on divorce frequently reduce these complex issues to brief, conflict-driven clips, which makes it harder to engage in diverse and serious discussions about marriage." Oh Ha-ra (played by Kang So-ra), a star divorce lawyer in the drama "Can I be Someone Else?" / Courtesy of ENA This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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