Bravo! 40-50s Actresses in the Lead

In the first half of 2023, the small screen was dominated by actresses it is no exaggeration. In recent years, female-centered narratives have dominated the drama market, and actresses in their 40s and 50s with both star and acting skills have stood out. It is quite different from the days when the main roles were given to young juniors over the years and their roles were limited to someone's mother.

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Song Hye-kyo (42), who led the Netflix original series "The Glory" craze, Jeon Do-yeon (51), who showed the potential of 'K-Ajumma' in tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama "Crash Course in Romance", Lee Bo-young (44), who proved trustworthy in "Agency", Uhm Jung-hwa (54) who created a new life character with "Doctor Cha" and Ra Mi-ran (48) who showed ardent motherly love in "The Good Bad Mother" are who we are talking about.

◆ Bravo Song Hye-kyo! "The Glory" takes over globally

Song Hye-kyo hit the small screen with "The Glory" in the first half of this year. "The Glory" depicts a meticulous and desperate revenge of a woman who has been shattered by school violence in her childhood. It drew attention even before the broadcast as hit-maker Kim Eun-sook reunited with Song Hye-kyo after the 2016 drama "Descendants of the Sun". Song Hye-kyo played the role of Moon Dong-eun, a victim of school violence in the drama. Unlike her appearance which was mainly seen as the main character of romance, she transformed into an incarnation of revenge. "The Glory" topped Netflix's global top 10 TV (non-English) category thanks to the passionate performances of actors including Song Hye-kyo and Kim Eun-sook's unique writing skills. Song Hye-kyo said, "Bravo, that's cool! He also left famous lines such as 'Park Yeon-jin' and 'Yeon-jin, I'm very excited right now'.

◆ Jeon Do-yeon, the original rom-com queen makes it big with "Crash Course in Romance"

The original rom-com goddess is back. Jeon Do-yeon returned to the screen after about a year and two months with "Crash Course in Romance". It depicts a sweet and bitter romance between the owner of a national side dish store and a Korean math instructor on the battlefield of private education. In this work, Jeon Do-yeon plays the role of Nam Haeng-seon, the owner of a side dish store, and works with Jung Kyung-ho, who plays Choi Chi-yeol, a one-strike lecturer. Jeon Do-yeon's romantic comedy performance was the first in 18 years since "Lovers in Prague". Jeon Do-yeon, who has made a strong impression as a thematic and heavy character in recent years, showed off her sweet chemistry with Jung Kyung-ho, who is 10 years younger than her, taking full advantage of her unique lovely charm to overshadow the gap of time. "Crash Course in Romance" which started with 4% of the first episode (based on Nielsen Korea's nationwide paid households), ended with a high rating of 17% with a steady rise.

◆ Lee Bo-young, a great job in "Agency"

Lee Bo-young raised her value with her passionate performance in "Agency". "Agency" is an office drama that depicts the process of an orphan who became the first female executive of an advertising agency VC group to create her career beyond the first and to the best position. Lee Bo-young plays the role of an orphan who is so thorough that she is called a 'money-sociopath'. She focuses on performance and skills and only runs toward money and success. Lee Bo-young, who plays a goal-oriented career woman, captivated viewers with her strong acting transformation. "Agency", which realistically expresses office workers' in-house politics, raised viewership from 4.8% to 16%, and Lee Bo-young, who performed well, was recognized as the No. 1 contributor to ratings.

◆ Uhm Jung-hwa, new life character in "Doctor Cha"

All-around entertainer Uhm Jung-hwa added another representative work as "Doctor Cha". It is a drama about Cha Jung-sook's torn life from a 20-year housewife to a 1-year resident. Uhm Jung-hwa plays Cha Jung-sook, a career-short housewife who sacrificed her career as a doctor for her family, giving viewers laughter and empathy. It is evaluated that Uhm Jung-hwa's potential, which has accumulated acting skills by appearing in numerous works for more than 30 years, has once again shone. In the drama, she also had a pleasant couple chemistry with Kim Byung-chul, who plays her husband Seo In-ho. "Doctor Cha" who melted the growth period of 'ajumma' Cha Jung-sook in the medical genre, broke the highest viewer rating (18.5%) of JTBC dramas this year with Uhm Jung-hwa's brilliant passionate performance. Uhm Jung-hwa rewrote her life character as Cha Jung-sook.

◆ "The Good Bad Mother" Ra Mi-ran's excellent performance

Ra Mi-ran proved the true value of a famous actress through "The Good Bad Mother". It is a touching healing comedy in which Jin Young-soon, who had no choice but to become a bad mother for her child, and her son Choi Kang-ho, who became a child mentally, find lost happiness. Jin Yeong-soon, played by Ra Mi-ran, is a character who loses her husband in her final trimester, runs a pig farm alone, and raises her son as a prosecutor. However, even her son was diagnosed with full-body paralysis due to a mysterious traffic accident, and Jin Yeong-soon was diagnosed with a limited time with stomach cancer, stimulating viewers' tear glands. Ra Mi-ran was well-received for portraying Jin Yeong-soon, who lived such a difficult life, with a wide spectrum of acting. As a famous actress, she added immersion with in-depth emotional acting. "The Good Bad Mother" surpassed double-digit ratings within eleven episodes of the show, achieving a successful conclusion with a 12% viewer rating in the final episode.