Wednesday-Thursday SBS drama Protect the Boss starring Choi Kang-hee, Ji Sung, Wang Ji-hye and Kim Jaejoong, has been confirmed for a 2-episode extension, bringing the final episode count up to 18. That means an extra week for all the chaebol-and-secretary-slash-bodyguard hijinks galore.

There’s been talk of an extension, though the ratings for the show are in that mid-teens range, where it’s not quite a runaway hit, but it’s been performing solidly throughout. The Princess’s Man has taken a firm lead in the Wed-Thu primetime slot, recording 21.1% ratings this week, while Boss has kept a steady second place, this week coming in around 14.8%. (Plenty of shows extend with 14-17% range, though 20% is the new benchmark. Remember ye olden days of 50% ratings?) Anyway, it makes sense that an extension was in the cards for the show since it’s been critically well-received despite being in second place.

That pushes follow-up drama Tree With Deep Roots back another week, which will certainly benefit the high-budget production. Tree is the highly anticipated sageuk from the writers of Queen Seon-deok, about the life of King Sejong the Great, starring Jang Hyuk, Han Seok-kyu, Shin Se-kyung, and Song Joong-ki.

That means Tree premieres October 5, which oddly enough puts its premiere date right up against the last week of ratings leader The Princess’s Man. You don’t battle a new sageuk with an established sageuk — it’s the same audience! I suppose they’ll just take a hit for the first week, but if I were SBS, I’d air a special or something till the coast was clear. Amirite?

Credit;
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/09/protect-the-boss-confirms-extension/