tvN’s Wed-Thu series My Ajusshi ended its run on May 17 with a 7.352 percent nationwide viewership, a figure that reflects the drama’s popularity among the Korean audience. In Seoul area, the number is even higher, at a whopping 8.170 percent!

The series premiered with a decent nationwide viewership of 3.923 percent but overall it didn’t get off to a smooth start as it was hounded by controversies from the very beginning, even before it aired its pilot episode. The drama aims to portray how emotionally scarred people heal each other, centering on the relationship between a man in his 40s (played by Lee Sun-kyun, 43) and a woman in her early 20s (IU, 25). The series, however, was criticized for setting up a couple with an 18-year age gap.

Despite the criticism, the drama went on to record high ratings as weeks went by, surpassing 4 % on episode 2 and pulling in over 5 % halfway through the show. The viewership kept on increasing since then until it reached its peak at 7 percent, which made the overall average rating equal to 4.982 percent or approximately 5 percent. The drama is now one of the highest-rated cable series in 2018, joining Misty and Something In The Rain (also known as Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food).

To dispel concerns about the series, the producer and cast of the drama held a media briefing on April 11, 2018, appealing to the public to see the drama’s sincerity. This might have encouraged even higher viewership but the important result of the briefing is something else. The viewers should have understood that the almost 20-year age gap does not matter because the drama is not a love story, but a human story about people who are enduring the burden of their lives and helping each other. This fact, according to PD Kim Won-suk, helped him persuade IU to accept the role during the casting phase when IU was reluctant to accept the offer.

My Ajusshi’s finale, which aired from 9:20 p.m. to 10:50 p.m., was broadcast successfully notwithstanding the tough competition it had to face given that the free-to-air dramas like Suits and Switch air from 10 to 11 p.m.