MBC’s Man Who Dies To Live continues to dominate the competition among Wednesday-Thursday dramas, setting another record on August 9 despite the premiere of a new drama over at KBS. According to Nielsen Korea, the latest episode of the series achieved an all-time high nationwide rating of 11.2 % and defeated the pilot episode of Manhole: Feel So Good by a big margin.

The comedy family drama hit the double-digit rating for the first time notwithstanding the premiere of Manhole, its new rival which recorded only 3.1 % and got defeated by an 8.1 percentage point difference. This large gap in ratings is the biggest to date this year among prime time dramas airing on free-to-air networks. SBS’s Reunited Worlds, meanwhile, posted 6.5 % in audience share and has remained on the second spot behind Man Who Dies To Live.

Man Who Dies To Live maintains its winning streak that started right from its first broadcast. It garnered 9.1 % for its first episode and had an impressive record in the following weeks despite the controversy it faced regarding its inappropriate depiction of Islamic culture in some of its scenes. It even topped the content power index (CPI) ranking from July 17 to 23 and solidified its status as the most popular television show in Korea during the said period amid the calls from international viewers who condemned the drama to boycott the entire series. CPI was developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea to measure the popularity of TV programs based on page views of related news stories, related online search, and buzz on social media.

The 24-episode drama stars Choi Min-soo as a father who has lived and amassed a massive success in a fictional Middle East country and returns to South Korea after several decades to reconnect with her estranged daughter, played by Kang Ye-won. It airs every Wednesdays and Thursdays until August 24, after which Hospital Ship will take over.