SBS postpones There Is a Chance following Oh Ha-young controversy

SBS has postponed the February 2027 scheduled broadcast of There Is a Chance due to controversy regarding actress Oh Ha-young's great-grandfather, prompting the network to substitute the slot with the baseball drama Full Count.

SBS, which has been maintaining a successful streak with its Friday-Saturday dramas 'Agent Kim Reactivated' and 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia', is facing an unexpected variable. The scheduling of the highly anticipated upcoming drama 'There Is a Chance' has been postponed following controversy regarding the pro-Japanese activities of actress Oh Ha-young's great-grandfather. As the broadcast of the work becomes uncertain, SBS has moved to minimize the gap by substituting it with the baseball drama 'Full Count', starring Kim Rae-won and Park Hoon.

According to SBS on the 19th, the scheduling for 'There Is a Chance', which was originally slated to air in February 2027, has been adjusted. This is interpreted as being influenced by the controversy surrounding the pro-Japanese actions of the lead actress Oh Ha-young's great-grandfather. "It is true that the drama scheduling has been adjusted," SBS stated, adding, "As it is a work produced by numerous staff and cast members, we are considering various options from multiple angles, but a specific scheduling time has not yet been confirmed."

This change in scheduling is not merely a delay for a single production. In the drama industry, where large production costs, long preparation periods, and the labor of many production staff are involved, scheduling disruptions can affect a broadcaster's entire lineup. This decision is particularly significant as SBS has been proving its competitiveness with a series of high ratings for its Friday-Saturday dramas. An unexpected gap has emerged at a time when the network needs to stably place its next works to maintain its hit momentum.

SBS's Friday-Saturday dramas have recently demonstrated a strong presence with powerful ratings. 'Agent Kim Reactivated', starring So Ji-sub, which ended this past July, was a success, recording a peak rating of 23.1%. The follow-up, 'Flex X Cop 2', also maintained viewer interest with a peak of 11.8%. The currently airing 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia', starring Kim Ji-won, is also on an upward trend, with its fourth episode aired on the 17th recording an 18.5% rating, increasing expectations for its success.

With major works achieving such results, SBS planned to maintain its momentum through its follow-up lineup. Following 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia', 'Good Partner 2' starring Jang Na-ra and 'Awakening' starring Lee Joon-hyuk were scheduled to air, with 'There Is a Chance' planned for next February. However, due to the schedule change, SBS has decided to fill that slot with 'Full Count'. The network now faces the task of filling the gap of the next work while simultaneously sustaining its rising viewership.

'Full Count' is a drama centered on the competition for the manager position of the professional baseball club Stars. Kim Rae-won plays acting manager Hwang Jin-ho, and Park Hoon plays pitching coach Jo Dong-hui, who is mentioned as a candidate for the next manager. The drama is expected to depict the fierce survival competition in the world of professional baseball through the internal power dynamics of the club and the confrontations between characters. Beyond simple wins and losses in sports matches, the core of the story is expected to be the conflicts and choices made to secure positions within an organization.

Kim Rae-won's return is also a highly anticipated element. He returns to an SBS drama approximately four years after 'The First Responders 2' aired in 2023. Interest is focused on what kind of acting Kim Rae-won, who has left a strong impression in genre works, will show this time on the stage of a professional baseball club. The confrontational relationship with Park Hoon is also a major point of interest that will dictate the tension of the drama.

The decision by SBS to select a baseball drama may also be influenced by the success of past hits. The 2019 drama 'Stove League', starring Namkoong Min, showed new possibilities for sports dramas through the story of a professional baseball club's management. By putting club management, roster composition, and internal organizational conflicts at the forefront rather than game scenes, the work received a great response, recording a 19.1% rating in its final episode. It is cited as a case that attracted not only sports fans but also general viewers by using baseball as a subject.

Unlike 'Stove League', which dealt with overall club management, 'Full Count' places weight on the competition for the manager position and the confrontations between individuals. The key will be differentiation in that even when using the same subject of baseball, a completely different narrative can be created depending on which characters and conflicts are placed at the center. The core of the ratings competition is expected to be how convincingly the drama can melt the power struggles within an organization and the tension of human relationships into the familiar subject of baseball.

Of course, the success of 'Stove League' does not guarantee the success of 'Full Count'. Utilizing the genre advantages of past hits and creating a new story that viewers can immerse themselves in again are separate issues. The acting chemistry between Kim Rae-won and Park Hoon, the density of the conflict over the manager position, and character narratives that viewers unfamiliar with baseball can empathize with are expected to determine the success or failure of the work.

'There Is a Chance', which faced scheduling issues due to the controversy over Oh Ha-young's family history, has placed a burden on the production team and cast as the future broadcast timing has not been confirmed. On the other hand, expectations are concentrated on 'Full Count' to continue the hit momentum of SBS's Friday-Saturday dramas amidst the unexpected scheduling change. Whether it will be a new player to continue the upward trend created by 'Agent Kim Reactivated' and 'Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia', or remain a substitute work filling a scheduling gap, ultimately depends on the competitiveness of the work itself.

SBS, which has built a solid lineup by producing successive hits, has thrown a new decisive move in the face of unexpected variables. Attention is focused on whether 'Full Count', aiming for another hit legend with a baseball drama, can play the role of a relief pitcher alongside Kim Rae-won's return.

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