A Conflict Between “One Dollar Lawyer’s” Writer And Production Company Is Alleged To Have Caused The K-Drama’s Shortened Run
According to a Newsen report, the decision to cancel episodes of the popular K-Drama One Dollar Lawyer was due to a rift between the drama’s writer and the show’s production studio.
Previously we reported on audience’s malcontent and confusion regarding SBS‘s hit drama One Dollar Lawyer’s decision to shorten the drama from sixteen episodes to twelve.
Fans of the drama criticized the choice, stating that shortening a popular drama was unprecedented and that the decision was even more puzzling considering SBS’s recent struggle to attract viewers.
The drama is shown every Friday-Saturday, but they lowered the drama’s episode count from 16 to 12, citing an effort to boost quality. (This is unprecedented. Although it is common for failed dramas to end early, canceling a drama that attracts so many sponsors can only mean there are production issues)
— Netizen
For context, SBS’s One Dollar Lawyer has become Korea’s most-watched primetime drama, with its most recent episode bringing in a viewership rating of 13.6%
According to a news article by Newsen, released on November 9, the reason for the cancelation is due to an alleged conflict between the show’s writer and its production company.
One Dollar Lawyer’s puzzling decision to cancel episodes and shorten the show is believed to be due to a conflict between the show’s writer and its production company.
— Newsen
According to the article, an insider familiar with the situation stated that the conflict arose when the production studio started caring more about the company’s profits rather than the drama.
The conflict began when SBS’s subsidiary production company, StudioS, began prioritizing the company’s ratings and profits and has since led to this situation.
— Insider
The insider explained that while it was inevitable for some differences to occur between creators, usually, the parties are able to come together with the goal of creating a great product. In this instance, however, this was not the case.
It’s inevitable for there to be some conflict between writers, producers, and actors. However, they are usually able to come together and compromise for the common goal of creating quality content, but StudioS failed to do this virtuously. It’s hard to point the finger at one party, and everyone involved is to blame.
— Insider
The insider also stated that there was a power struggle that manifested itself in ways that affected the whole team.
Ever since episodes 5-6, there was a bit of conflict that grew into a power struggle which divulged into late scripts, sending scripts back for revisions, and filming delays.
— Insider
News outlet Wikitree reached out to StudioS, which denied knowledge of the allegations.
We haven’t heard anything pertaining to the allegations. We have nothing to say.
— StudioS
X-Sports News also reported that the production company denied the allegations as”False.”
SBS’s One Dollar Lawyer is a drama featuring actors Nam Goong Min, Kim Ji Eun, Choi Dae Hoon, and Park Jin Woo. The drama has been wildly successful and has been praised for its writing and production quality. The drama revolves around acclaimed lawyer Chun Ji Hoon (Nam Goong Min), who is a lawyer that charges clients ₩1,000 KRW (about $0.73 USD) while being haunted by his dark past, and lawyer Baek Mari (Kim Ji Eun) and a paralegal (Park Jin Woo) who sticks by his side.
