The Greatest Love (South Korean TV series)
| The Greatest Love | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Promotional poster for The Greatest Love | |
| Hangul | 최고의 사랑 |
| Hanja | 最高의 사랑 |
| Literal meaning | Best Love |
| Revised Romanization | Choegoui Sarang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oegoŭi Sarang |
| Genre | |
| Written by | Hong Mi-ran Hong Jung-eun |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Kim Jin-man |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | MBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | MBC TV |
| Release | May 4 – June 23, 2011 |
The Greatest Love (Korean: 최고의 사랑; Hanja: 最高의 사랑; RR: Choegoui Sarang; MR: Ch'oegoŭi Sarang; lit. Best Love) is a 2011 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Cha Seung-won, Gong Hyo-jin, Yoon Kye-sang and Yoo In-na. Telling a story about true love in the fake world of entertainment, it aired on MBC from May 4 to June 23, 2011, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 16 episodes.[1][2]
Synopsis
[edit]Gu Ae-jung (Gong Hyo-jin) was the most popular member of girl group Kukbo Sonyeo, literally meaning "National Treasure Girls," some 10 years ago, but fell from grace after becoming embroiled in scandals. She makes appearances on television programs to eke out a living for her troublemaker father and brother.
On the other hand, Dokko Jin (Cha Seung-won) is the most beloved star in the nation, topping all kinds of popularity polls and appearing in many commercials, but has several character flaws. Ae-jung discovers a secret about Jin by chance and reveals it on a talk show, incurring his fury. However, their ill-fated relationship unfolds in an unexpected way as Jin falls for Ae-jung and tries to win her heart.[3]
Kang Se-ri (Yoo In-na) is the ex band-mate of Ae-jung. But whereas Ae-jung was more famous in her heyday and Se-ri was a nobody, now Se-ri is one of the most popular celebrities. She dated Dokko Jin for a short time, but despite their breakup, they continue to pretend that they're still dating to avoid negative publicity. Se-ri is also the host of popular TV dating show Couple Making Season 3.[4]
Yoon Pil-joo (Yoon Kye-sang) is a well-mannered, thoughtful and a caring doctor of Oriental medicine. He has no interest in celebrities and their outrageous lives. Under pressure from his mother, he agrees to appear on a TV dating show, but after finding out that Ae-jung will also be appearing on the same show, he is eager to participate in the show and meet her.[3][4] Fictional dating show Couple Making Season 3 is based on MBC’s real variety program We Got Married, where they throw celebrities into fake relationships for the cameras. The concept is a competition-based mat-seon program, essentially setting up people on blind dates for the purposes of finding a marriage partner. The major difference is that in Couple Making, celebrity ladies compete over a non-celebrity eligible bachelor who gives them roses to prevent their elimination (a la The Bachelor), which is how Yoon Pil-joo ends up as a contestant on the show.
The mix of the main characters’ mismatched personalities with the necessity to maintain (or recoup in Ae-jung's case) public sentiment makes for great hijinks and drama, not to mention an interesting meta social commentary on the entertainment industry and the star-making and -breaking power of image.[5]
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Cha Seung-won as Dokko Jin
- Gong Hyo-jin as Gu Ae-jung
- Yoon Kye-sang as Yoon Pil-joo
- Yoo In-na as Kang Se-ri
Supporting
[edit]- Yang Han-yeol as Gu Hyung-kyu (Ae-jung's nephew)
- Jung Joon-ha as Gu Ae-hwan (Ae-jung's brother/manager)
- Lee Hee-jin as Jenny
- Im Ji-kyu as Kim Jae-seok (Jin's manager)
- Choi Hwa-jung as Representative Moon (president of Jin's agency)
- Bae Seul-ki as Han Mi-na
- Jung Man-sik as Manager Jang
- Choi Sung-min as Kim Eun-ho (Couple Making PD)
- Kim Mi-jin as Han Myung-jung (Couple Making writer)
- Park Won-sook as Pil-joo's mother
- Han Jin-hee as Gu Ja-chul (Ae-jung's father)
- Jeong Gyu-soo as Cardiac surgeon
- Ryu Hyo-young as Harumi
- In Gyo-jin[a] as Mi-na's husband
Special appearances
[edit]|
Episode 1 Episodes 1–2 (Quiz to Change the World)
|
Episodes 3–4 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 14 (Section TV)
Episode 15–16 (Ideal Type World Cup)
|
Production
[edit]The series was written by Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran, known collectively as the "Hong sisters",[6][7] who also wrote other Korean dramas such as Sassy Girl Chun-hyang (2005), My Girl (2005), Couple or Trouble (2006), Hong Gil-dong (2008), You're Beautiful (2009) and My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010). According to director Park Hong-kyun (who previously helmed Queen Seondeok), the Hong sisters' adeptness at character comedy is how The Greatest Love hoped to differentiate itself from other trendy dramas airing on Korean television in Spring 2011.
Though the drama draws from gossip people hear about celebrities, Cha Seung-won said during the drama's press conference that he also wanted to show a bright, healthy side of the entertainment scene in Korea. He admitted that entertainers do hide behind their image due to their job. "However, this drama will show they are just genuine people off-camera," Cha said. Yoon Kye-sang added that, "The script is very realistic, giving a fun sneak peek into what is going on behind the scenes."[3][8] Cha has described his comedic acting as technical while his co-star Gong Hyo-jin's is more naturalistic and reactive. They believe they struck a good balance between their two acting styles, which benefited the drama greatly.[9][10][11][12][13]
Filming
[edit]Several of the locations used in the drama are Cafe Monet in Pyeongchang-dong (ostensibly run by Gu Ae-jung's friend Jenny), Kim Jong Young Museum (which served as Dokko Jin's luxurious house), Lotte World Magic Island (setting of Dokko Jin's love confession), D Square Gallery in Nonhyeon-dong (as Dokko Jin's management agency), and Choonwondang Museum of Korean Medicine in Jongno-gu (as Yoon Pil-joo's clinic).[14][15]
Product placement (PPL) were integrated into the characters' storylines, and the drama's popularity resulted in increased sales of products such as smartphones LG Optimus Black and Optimus Big, social networking service Me2day, and energy drink VitaminWater. But the production received a warning from the Broadcasting Commission for what it termed the drama's "egregious" use of PPL.[16]
Original soundtrack
[edit]| The Greatest Love Original Sound Track | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | July 15, 2011 |
| Genre | Pop, K-pop, soundtrack, R&B |
| Label | The Grove Entertainment LOEN Entertainment |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "리얼러브송" (Real Love Song) | K.Will | |
| 2. | "내 사람이라서" (Because You're My Man) | G.NA | |
| 3. | "두근두근" (Pit-a-Pat[17]) | Sunny Hill[18] | |
| 4. | "내 손을 잡아" (Hold My Hand) | IU | |
| 5. | "나를 잊지 말아요" (Don't Forget Me) | Huh Gak | |
| 6. | "눈물나게 사랑해" (Loving You Makes Me Cry[19]) | Big Mama Soul | |
| 7. | "아이캔't 드링크" (I Can't Drink) | Baek Ji-young | |
| 8. | "LOVE LOVE" | Choi Su-jin | |
| 9. | "Hero (Inst.)" | Various Artists | |
| 10. | "Destiny (Inst.)" | Various Artists | |
| 11. | "네잎클로버 (Inst.)" (Four-leaf Clover (Inst.)) | Various Artists | |
| 12. | "Good Boy (Inst.)" | Various Artists | |
| 13. | "사랑은 (Inst.)" (Love (Inst.)) | Various Artists |
Ratings
[edit]The Greatest Love posted an average viewership rating of 16.6 percent on Total National Multimedia Statistics' (TNmS) chart and 19.5 percent on AGB Nielsen Media Research's (AGB) poll, with its final episode reaching 21 percent on AGB's survey to surpass the 20 percent mark for the first time. It topped the Wednesdays and Thursdays primetime TV chart for five consecutive weeks.[20]
| Ep. | Broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS (%)[21] | AGB Nielsen (%)[22] | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul | Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | May 4, 2011 | 6.5% | 8.6% | 8.4% | 10.0% |
| 2 | May 5, 2011 | 7.1% | 9.6% | 9.7% | 11.5% |
| 3 | May 11, 2011 | 8.6% | 11.2% | 12.1% | 13.6% |
| 4 | May 12, 2011 | 9.7% | 12.3% | 13.9% | 17.1% |
| 5 | May 18, 2011 | 10.4% | 13.9% | 14.0% | 16.2% |
| 6 | May 19, 2011 | 10.2% | 12.7% | 15.1% | 17.5% |
| 7 | May 25, 2011 | 14.4% | 17.9% | 17.4% | 19.8% |
| 8 | May 26, 2011 | 15.2% | 18.0% | 17.9% | 20.2% |
| 9 | June 1, 2011 | 14.4% | 17.0% | 17.8% | 20.3% |
| 10 | June 2, 2011 | 13.8% | 17.4% | 18.4% | 21.2% |
| 11 | June 8, 2011 | 14.3% | 17.3% | 18.4% | 21.3% |
| 12 | June 9, 2011 | 14.6% | 18.5% | 18.4% | 20.9% |
| 13 | June 15, 2011 | 13.1% | 17.7% | 17.8% | 20.4% |
| 14 | June 16, 2011 | 14.5% | 18.1% | 17.9% | 20.1% |
| 15 | June 22, 2011 | 15.9% | 19.3% | 18.0% | 21.3% |
| 16 | June 23, 2011 | 17.4% | 21.2% | 21.0% | 23.7% |
| Average | 12.5% | 15.7% | 16.0% | 18.4% | |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Best Drama | The Greatest Love | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Cha Seung-won | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Gong Hyo-jin | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Yoo In-na | Nominated | ||
| Best Writer(s) | Hong Mi-ran, Hong Jung-eun | Nominated | ||
| Best OST | "Don't Forget Me" by Huh Gak | Won | ||
| Best OST | "Pit-a-Pat" by Sunny Hill | Won | ||
| Best OST | "Don't Forget Me" by Huh Gak | Nominated | ||
38th Korea Broadcasting Awards |
Best Actor | Cha Seung-won | Won | |
24th Grimae Awards[25] |
Best Actor | Cha Seung-won | Won | |
| Drama of the Year | The Greatest Love | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Cha Seung-won | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Gong Hyo-jin | Won | ||
| Best New Actor in a Miniseries | Yoon Kye-sang | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress in a Miniseries | Yoo In-na | Nominated | ||
| Best Young Actor | Yang Han-yeol | Won | ||
| Writer(s) of the Year | Hong Mi-ran, Hong Jung-eun | Won | ||
| Popularity Award, Actor | Cha Seung-won | Nominated | ||
| Popularity Award, Actress | Gong Hyo-jin | Won | ||
| Best Couple Award | Cha Seung-won and Gong Hyo-jin | Won | ||
| 2012 | Silver Prize, Miniseries category | The Greatest Love | Won | |
| Best Drama | The Greatest Love | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor (TV) | Cha Seung-won | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress (TV) | Gong Hyo-jin | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay (TV) | Hong Mi-ran, Hong Jung-eun | Nominated | ||
| 7th Seoul International Drama Awards | Outstanding Korean Drama | The Greatest Love | Nominated |
Comic adaptation
[edit]Comic book publisher Tooni Plus released the first two books of The Greatest Love in April 2012. The firm expects to boost Korean comic books' sales abroad with drama-based comic books.[30]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Credited as Do Yi-sung.
References
[edit]- ^ Hong, Lucia (March 30, 2011). "Actress Kong Hyo-jin cast for upcoming MBC TV series". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Hwang, Hyo-jin (April 29, 2011). "PREVIEW: MBC TV series The Greatest Love". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c Kwon, Mee-yoo (May 3, 2011). "TV soap to peek into celebrity life". The Korea Times. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ a b "Synopsis and Character Descriptions". MBC Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ Hwang, Hyo-jin (May 13, 2011). "REVIEW: MBC TV series The Greatest Love - 1st & 2nd Episode". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Choi, Ji-eun (June 23, 2011). 홍자매 "<최고의 사랑>은 땅에 붙인 이야기로 시작하고 싶었다" [Interview with the Hong Sisters]. 10Asia (in Korean). Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ 홍자매 단독인터뷰: ① "'최고사'는 '개콘'같은 드라마". Sports Chosun (in Korean). June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ "Today's Photo: April 29, 2011". The Chosun Ilbo. April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
- ^ "Cha Seung-won: I am Dokko Jin". Dramabeans. May 22, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
- ^ Lee, Ji-hye (June 27, 2011). "Interview: Actor Cha Seung-won". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Beck, Una (July 8, 2011). "Interview: Actress Kong Hyo-jin - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Lee, Ji-hye (June 25, 2011). "Crashing into wedding shop scene of MBC The Greatest Love". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Jones, Julie (April 21, 2014). "Gong Hyo Jin Talks About Her Funny Appealing Leading Men". KDramaStars. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Yoon, Seo-hyun (September 24, 2011). "Trace the steps of your favorite drama stars". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Kang, Michelle (August 8, 2011). "Seoul shows its dramatic side". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Yoon, Ja-young (October 3, 2011). "Product placement in full swing". The Korea Times. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
- ^ also translated as "Thump Thump"
- ^ Hwang, Hyo-jin (July 20, 2011). "Interview with SunnyHill - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ also translated as "Gee, I Love You"
- ^ Kim, Heidi (June 24, 2011). "MBC The Greatest Love exits after 5th straight win on TV chart". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
- ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
- ^ "Winners of the 2011 Korea Drama Awards". Korea Tourism Organization. October 10, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
- ^ "Winners from the 2011 Melon Music Awards". Koreaboo. November 24, 2011. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
- ^ "Cha Seung-won confident about the MBC Grand Award". Hancinema. December 11, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (January 2, 2012). "The Greatest Love snags 7 honors at 2011 MBC Drama Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Suk, Monica (March 23, 2012). "MBC's The Greatest Love wins silver at 2012 NY TV Festival". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Suk, Monica (August 27, 2012). "6 TV series that were inches away from clinching SDA nomination". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Kwon, Mee-yoo (April 27, 2012). "Kim Soo-hyun wins Paeksang awards". The Korea Times. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ Suk, Monica (April 17, 2012). "MBC's The Greatest Love, The Moon Embracing the Sun to be produced into comic book". 10Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in Korean)
- The Greatest Love at HanCinema
- The Greatest Love at IMDb