Kim Bujang hit 22.3% ratings — and it almost aired on MBC

Kim Bujang on SBS pulled 22.3% ratings by episode six (Nielsen Korea, national basis). The show cleared 21% as early as episode four. It airs Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM and wraps its original 10-episode run on the 25th, though SBS confirmed on the 14th that two special episodes are coming, with details still being worked out.

So Ji-sub returns to broadcast television for the first time since Master's Sun in 2012.

But the ratings don't tell the whole story. Production company Fantasia pitched Kim Bujang to MBC first. Talks moved deep into scheduling before the two sides hit a wall over production costs. SBS subsidiary Studio S picked it up instead.

The miss stings for MBC. The network lost the period drama Jeongyeoni to tvN in 2024. Its Friday-Saturday slot now runs Killers' Shopping Mall, which has tanked to 1% — directly opposite Kim Bujang's 20%-plus numbers. (MBC's Moving did hit 5.7% in the same slot, for what it's worth.)

On Netflix's Tudum chart, Kim Bujang logged 9.1 million views for July 6–12, ranking first in non-English shows for a second straight week. True Education, starring Kim Mu-yeol, came second with 3.6 million views.