'The Winning Try' (written by Lim Jin-ah, directed by Jang Young-seok), a comic growth sports drama, follows the unpredictable oddball director Joo Ga-ram and the always-last Hanyang High School rugby team as they race towards national championship victory. With the launch of this well-made sports drama, following the success of 'Hot Stove League' and 'Racket Boys', anticipation was high even before its broadcast.
In the first and second episodes aired on the 25th and 26th, the story unfolded delightfully with the arrival of eccentric coach Joo Ga-ram (played by Yoon Kye-sang) at Hanyang High School. Particularly, the vibrant portrayal of coach 'Crazy Bright Eyes' Ga-ram and the seven unique members of the Hanyang High School rugby team, and their underdog narrative of achieving their first try against a strong team, provided a thrilling catharsis.
After 'The Winning Try' aired, viewers who felt the exhilarating and heart-pounding joy similar to when watching 'Hot Stove League' emerged, proving once again the strength of SBS in sports dramas. The appearance of the eccentric coach 'Crazy Bright Eyes' Ga-ram leading the team to its first The Winning Try and the transformation of the perennial last-place Hanyang High School rugby team delivered overwhelming emotion. Added to this were the freshness and coolness of the youths, who, though still clumsy, sincerely threw themselves into their love for rugby. Their pure affection for rugby and their unstoppable challenge to overcome obstacles and succeed in 'The Winning Trying' united viewers in support.
Following the broadcast, various social media and online communities were flooded with reactions like "Every episode fills my heart," "The youth version of 'Hot Stove League', drama 'The Winning Try' is a hit," "SBS does sports dramas right," "Can't help but love the rugby team," "I'm already a rugby mom," "I'll support them until the rugby team wins and hangs their banner at Hanyang High School," "The characters come to life."
With this, 'The Winning Try' has officially revved up its sprint from the first week with remarkable buzz and accompanying ratings increase. Recording a peak rating of 4.8% in its first episode for a promising start, 'The Winning Try' reached a new high with a peak rating of 6.3% in its second episode, showing a rising trend in viewership (according to Nielsen Korea). Moreover, as of the 28th, it quickly climbed to 2nd place in the domestic TV series rankings on the global OTT platform Netflix, raising expectations for it to break through numerous obstacles and stand tall at the top. From the start, the drama 'The Winning Try' has successfully captured the hearts of viewers, making the anticipation for the thrilling moments it will bring in the future even more keen.
'The Winning Try' airs every Friday and Saturday night at 9:50 PM.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)