‘Are You Human Too?’ debuts at top of weekly TV chart

This image provided by KBS 2TV shows a poster for “Are You Human Too?” (Yonhap)

This image provided by tvN shows the channel’s new television series “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim.” (Yonhap)

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) — KBS 2TV’s science fiction series “Are You Human Too?” topped the weekly TV chart, data showed Tuesday.

The high-budget drama about a robot with artificial intelligence that stands in for an unconscious man recorded a score of 272.1 on the weekly Content Power Index (CPI) for June 4-10.

The drama, which premiered June 4, centers around Nam Shin, a third-generation chaebol heir who falls into a coma following an accident, and his mother, who creates a robot duplicate of him called Nam Shin III.

Actor Seo Kang-joon plays the double role of the sick man and the robot, while Gong Seung-yeon plays the man’s bodyguard, Kang So-bong.

In a recent meeting with local media, producer Cha Young-hoon said while the series features a robot, the story is, in essence, about a power struggle within the chaebol family and motherly love. He complimented Seo on his double role performance.

“I am very satisfied with his acting. I told him that he showed his best. If the drama doesn’t take off, it will be all my fault,” he said.

The 8th episode, aired on June 12, garnered 9.9 percent in viewership rating — the highest so far for the drama.

Meanwhile, the second spot was taken by tvN’s romantic comedy “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim,” which also debuted on the chart and received a CPI rating of 260.

The story is about narcissist chaebol heir Lee Young-joon — played by Park Seo-joon — who tries to stops his perfect secretary of nine years, Kim Mi-so — played by Park Min-young — from leaving him.

The 16-part drama is based on the popular novel of the same name by Jang Kyung-yoon. The online novel was viewed 50 million times in total. It was also made into an online comic, or “webtoon” as they are known in South Korea, that garnered more than 200 million views.

The CPI, created by CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the level of popularity, social media trending and influence on consumer behavior of entertainment TV programs aired on three major terrestrial networks — MBC, SBS and KBS — and seven cable channels owned by CJ E&M, including tvN, Mnet and OCN, during prime time. JTBC, another cable network that airs some highly popular entertainment shows and dramas, was not included in the survey.