Two rival TV series in neck-and-neck competition on weekly TV chart

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) — New MBC television series “Children of Nobody” debuted at the top of the weekly TV chart, data showed Wednesday.

The mystery thriller, which premiered on Nov. 21, recorded a Content Power Index (CPI) score of 266.3 for the week of Nov. 19-25.

Starring Kim Sun-a, the drama tells the story of a woman who suddenly becomes involved in a mysterious incident and sets out to find the truth behind it, using poems as clues.

Another Wednesday-Thursday series, “The Last Empress,” which aired its first episode on the same day on SBS, trailed the chart-topper closely, with a CPI score of 265.4.

A poster for “Children of Nobody,” courtesy of MBC (Yonhap)

Set in present-day Korea, still governed by a constitutional monarchy, musical actress Oh Ssu-ni marries Emperor Lee Hyuk. In the palace, she sets out a journey to find real love and happiness following a murder case. Jang Na-ra plays the actress, and Shin Sung-rok takes the role of the cold-blooded Emperor.

In terms of viewership, “The Last Empress” beat “Children of Nobody” by 8.5 to 5.5 percent for the latest episodes broadcast last Thursday, according to Nielsen Korea.

The CPI, created by CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the level of popularity, social media presence and influence on consumer behavior of entertainment TV programs aired on the three major terrestrial networks — MBC, SBS and KBS — and the seven cable channels owned by CJ ENM, including tvN, Mnet and OCN, during prime time. JTBC, another cable network that air