On November 11 SBS’s popular drama One Dollar Lawyer reached its finale, ending the show with rumors about internal conflict on the set of the drama.
The drama tells the story of a lawyer who has the best skills but only charges 1000 won as his attorney’s fee and his painful past.
First aired on September 23 with an audience rating of 8.1%, One Dollar Lawyer drew attention day by day and made its personal rating record with a rating of 15% when episode 8 was broadcasted.
However, after this episode, a downward trend began. First, episode 9, which was scheduled to air on September 21, was replaced by a special broadcast without a clear explanation and episodes 9 to 12 were broadcast only once a week.
Even though there were valid reasons such as a professional baseball broadcast and a period of national mourning due to the Itaewon disaster, the frequent absences of broadcasting caused viewers to leave.
In addition, on September 21, SBS said, “It is true that we had (produced) a 14-episode series in mind, but for a speedy development and a high-quality ending, we decided to end the 12-episode series.”
This caused suspicions and rumors arose that the early ending could be due to the discord between the production company Studio S and the writer.
Insiders also testified that it was like walking on thin ice for fear that the plate would break.
On November 9, an official from the crew said, “Conflicts and cracks that occurred as Studio S, a production company that was spun off from SBS, put more importance on the company’s performance and efficiency than the work, eventually created this problem.”
And added, “In any drama, there will be subtle differences and conflicts between writers, directors, actors, and production companies. But all of them are meant to create high-quality content, so we understand each other and make small concessions. In the process, Studio S failed to steer wisely. It is difficult to determine whose fault it is, and it is the shared responsibility of everyone who did not take it seriously.”
However, SBS claimed that the rumor is groundless.
Despite all these controversies and rumors, the drama made its final breaking its own highest ratings of 15.2%.
On November 12, the director of the drama Kim Jae Hyun shared his thoughts in an interview.
He said, “If I had to pick a reason why this drama was so good, I would like to give all the credit to the actors. They did more things than the script imagined and the director directed.”
Regarding the early final, he said, “I can’t say it’s anyone’s fault. We had a lot of discussions internally. It was the first time, but I realized that there are some things that cannot be done with heart and effort alone.”
Although the drama left disappointment behind, the viewers’ attention was hot which led to the expectation about the production of season 2.
When he asked about the possibility of season 2 he replied, “If the opportunity and conditions allow, and if the viewers want it, I want to do it someday.”
What do you think about One Dollar Lawyer? Will you watch if a second season comes?
