TV Chosun has revived its Monday-Tuesday drama slot for the first time in a staggering 13 years, launching the new series Since There Is No Next Life. Starring a dazzling lineup of Kim Hee-sun, Han Hye-jin, and Jin Seo-yeon, the drama garnered significant anticipation from viewers even before its premiere. With a major broadcast network (comprehensive programming channel) throwing its hat back into the Monday-Tuesday drama competition after such a long time, all eyes were on its debut. It particularly drew massive attention as the comeback project for the 'Queen of Ratings,' Kim Hee-sun.
An interesting war of nerves unfolded at the production press conference held before the drama's launch. Lead actress Kim Hee-sun directly "sniped" at the competing drama, Hateful Love. When a reporter asked Kim Hee-sun about a ratings pledge, following a similar pledge made by Lee Jung-jae of Hateful Love, she retorted with her characteristic confidence, "Do you really empathize with the romance between those two over there?" This was a powerful expression of her strong belief that her own drama could provide viewers with far more realistic and profound empathy.
However, with the first two episodes having aired, viewer reactions regarding the initial fun factor are mixed. Frankly, despite Kim Hee-sun's confident remarks, some assessments suggest that Hateful Love, with its strong comedic elements, actually had more charm in attracting viewers. While Since There Is No Next Life aims for empathy by telling the stories of women in their 40s, it left something to be desired in terms of its initial narrative grip.
The plot of Since There Is No Next Life can, in fact, feel somewhat conventional. The story, which deals with the work, love, friendship, and the realities of married life for women entering their 40s, is a theme that has been repeatedly explored in countless dramas. Rather than any particularly shocking or novel premise, it focuses on presenting facets of life that we are already familiar with. However, a drama's success does not solely depend on the novelty of its material.
The key lies in how deeply and relatably the familiar story is told. Most dramas ultimately operate within a range of emotions we all understand, and Since There Is No Next Life is no exception. Its format, revolving around three women, is one of the 'successful formulas' commonly seen not only in Korean dramas but also in Chinese dramas. The question is whether it possesses that "special something" to capture the audience's hearts using this familiarity as its weapon.
The drama illuminates the diverse spectrum of one's 40s through three women. The protagonists are Yi Il-ri (Jin Seo-yeon), who lives a single life while building a glamorous career; Gu Ju-yeong (Han Hye-jin), who is married and struggling to conceive a child she desperately wants; and Jo Na-jeong (Kim Hee-sun), who naturally became a "career-interrupted woman" (gyeongdan-nyeo) to raise her two children after marriage. They are each in different situations but are passing through the inflection point of life known as their 40s together.
These three are best friends of 20 years. Although their busy lives prevent them from meeting as often as they used to, they are intimate friends who know each other's lives inside and out. In the first episode, the three friends plan to meet at a nice restaurant—not at home—for the first time in a while to celebrate Jo Na-jeong's birthday. However, even this simple plan is shattered by the wall of reality.
The plan goes awry when Jo Na-jeong's husband, No Won-bin (Yoon Park), suddenly has to work and cannot look after the children. Eventually, Jo Na-jeong shows up at the restaurant with her kids, who proceed to turn the place into chaos. To make matters worse, one of her children even commits the accident of touching the buttocks of another customer, Song Ye-na (Go Won-hee), turning the birthday party into a mess of apologies and damage control. During this chaos, it is revealed that Jo Na-jeong and Song Ye-na were formerly a senior and junior in the same shopping host industry, creating a strange tension.
Jo Na-jeong, currently a full-time homemaker, has maintained that she has no intention of working again, focusing solely on housework and childcare. However, after coincidentally filling in for an interview about the re-employment of career-interrupted women, the dormant ambition in her heart begins to awaken. A desire to reclaim the name and career she had forgotten starts to bud. As if on cue, a problem with the jeonse (lump-sum deposit) lease on her home arises, making "money" a realistic trigger that fuels her desire to work again.
Just in time, Jo Na-jeong sees an announcement that they are hiring new shopping hosts, and after some hesitation, she decides to apply. The drama is expected to center on Jo Na-jeong's journey of overcoming numerous hardships to reclaim her place in the professional world. Of course, alongside her story, the drama will also portray the joys and sorrows experienced by Yi Il-ri and Gu Ju-yeong as women in their 40s. As the project was reportedly changed from a story about women in their 30s to one about women in their 40s, it remains to be seen if it can elicit even deeper, realistic empathy. However, the fact that its ratings dropped sharply from a 2.2% start to 1.3% by the second episode in the Seoul metropolitan area is a clear warning sign. The drama must unravel its familiar material with unfamiliar sensitivity and insight to win back the hearts of viewers.
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