KBS Sageuk The Red Sleeve Cuff with 8.8% Ratings Vaults Over SBS Competitor Now, We are Breaking Up with 7.0% in Episode 5

In the least surprising news ever, really just when and not if, episode 5 broke apart the competition in the Fri-Sat time slot between two direct prime time drama competitors. Both KBS sageuk The Red Sleeve Cuff and SBS romance Now, We are Breaking Up air at 10 pm and neither is a cable channel so it’s available to anyone who wants to watch on television but need to pick a channel. Breaking Up has been ahead in ratings since the two dramas premiered on the same day but in the beginning of this third week of airing, episodes 5 for the dramas swapped the lead position as the reviews and momentum for these two dramas in the prior week indicated would likely happen. Red Sleeve got 8.8% and Breaking Up brought in 7.0%. I can’t predict whether the pole position would be maintained permanently going forward or there may be jostling and swaps but it’s clear that Breaking Up just can’t build a ground swell of interest and positive feedback as each episode continues to get really mixed reviews and a sense that the fans aren’t building in size but those who have given up on the story are dropping off.