‘Crowned Clown’ tops TV chart

Cable channel tvN’s new semiweekly drama series "The Crowned Clown" topped the weekly TV program chart in its opening week, data showed Wednesday.

The Monday-Tuesday series, which aired its first episode Jan. 7, earned a Content Power Index (CPI) score of 267.5 for the week of Jan. 7-13, landing atop the index, according to the chart data released by CJ ENM and Nielsen Korea.

“The Crowned Clown” is based on the 2012 megahit film “Masquerade,” starring Lee Byung-hun.

Young, rising actor Yeo Jin-goo was cast to play Lee’s cinematic dual role of the Joseon Dynasty king, Gwanghae, and a humble acrobat, who poses as the king in the face of external threats.

The first two episodes recorded nearly 6 percent viewer ratings, the highest number for any tvN series for the Monday-Tuesday slot, driven by Yeo’s fluid conversion between the true king who slowly goes crazy amid the fear of being dethroned and the clown king who has a natural sense of justice and humility.

“(The series) put focus on maximizing its entertainment side in order to lower the entry barrier for a history drama so it can attract an audience in the age range of 20-49,” the program’s production team said.

A dynamic clown scene, as well as the special featuring of a royal court and the traditional dress "hanbok," were used as part of that effort, according to the team. The tvN drama series “Encounter” took second place, stepping down from last week’s No. 1, garnering a 252.5 CPI score, followed by the tvN drama series “Memories of the Alhambra,” which recorded a 248.8 CPI figure.