Good Manager () is a South Korean television drama starring Namkoong Min, Nam Sang-mi, Lee Jun-ho, and Jung Hye-sung. It aired on KBS2 from January 25 to March 30, 2017, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 (KST) for 20 episodes.
Synopsis Kim Sung-ryong, a certified public accountant who becomes a middle manager at TQ Group company in order to embezzle a large sum of money, ends up fighting for his employees' fundamental rights.
Cast Main Namkoong Min as Kim Sung-ryong (Jiro Kim) Kim Sung-ryong used to be a small-time accountant from Gunsan, a small city in North Jeolla Province, working for a mobster. He was investigated every year for accounting fraud and tax evasion but was proven innocent every time. Then, he got accepted to TQ as the chief of their accounting department. Nam Sang-mi as Yoon Ha-Kyung (Hannah Yoon) A strong and ethical woman. She is the assistant manager of TQ's accounting department. Lee Jun-ho as Seo Yul Seo Yul used to be an ace prosecutor until the chairman of the TQ group appointed him to be the Director for Finance. Jung Hye-sung as Hong Ga-eun (Gail Hong) A police officer working undercover as an intern of the Finance department, who was hired as a spy by a prosecutor.
Supporting TQ Group Business Operation Department
Kim Won-hae as Choo Nam-ho Kim Kang-hyun as Lee Jae-joon Jo Hyun-sik as Won Ki-ok Ryu Hye-rin as Bing Hee-jin Seo Ye-hwa as Je-ri Kim Seon-ho as Sun Sang-tae
People at TQ Group
Park Yeong-gyu as Park Hyun-do (Dino Park) Lee Il-hwa as Jang Yoo-sun Seo Jeong-yeon as Jo Min-young Jung Suk-yong as Ko Man-geun Kim Min-sang as Lee Kang-shik Hwang Young-hee as Uhm Keum-shim Kim Jae-hwa as Na Hee-yong Dong Ha as Park Myung-suk (Mario Park)
People at Seoul Central District Prosecutors
Jung Moon-sung as Han Dong-hoon Nam Sung-joon as Lee Suk-soo
People at Gunsan Lim Hwa-young as Oh Kwang-suk
Extended
Lee Sung-wook Park Kwang-jae Jeon Ye-seo Nam Sang-baek Choi Kyu-shik Choi Jae-sub Eom Ji-man Jo Jae-won Heo Sun-haeng Lee Yoon-sang
Special appearances
Kim Eung-soo as Bae Deok-po, gang leader (Ep. 1, 20) Lee Sang-hoon Song Yeong-gil Jung Kyung-ho as man blackmailing Kim Sung-ryong Lee Si-eon as Prosecutor Park Yong-tae (Ep. 20) Kim Kang-hoon as Kim Sung-ryong (young) Choi Jae-Hwan as Joong Gun, union leader (Ep. 5) Park Ji-il as Head of department Choi Ik-joong (Ep. 17)
Production First script reading took place on December 15, 2016, at KBS Annex Broadcasting Station in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea.
Original soundtrack
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Reception Despite competing against big-budget drama Saimdang, Light's Diary in the same time slot and having no big-name stars, the drama managed to top ratings during its run and enjoyed explosive popularity. It received positive reviews for its punchy and satirical lines on the corrupt corporate owners and the society, which resonated with the viewers; and the multifaceted performance of lead actor Namkoong Min, whose perfect amalgamation of character creation and acting saves "Good Manager" from what could have been an average office crime comedy.The Korea Times said that the drama "has the ability to tell uncomfortable stories (story of embezzlement cases, mass layoffs and other societal issues regarding fierce competition) in a witty way".
Ratings In this table, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings.
Original broadcast dateAverage audience shareTNmSAGB NielsenNationwideSeoulNationwideSeoul1January 25, 20176.6% 7.1% 7.8% 7.7% 2January 26, 2017 3February 1, 201711.7% 13.3% 12.8% 12.8% 4February 2, 201711.5% 13.3% 13.8% 14.1% 5February 8, 201713.2% 15.5% 15.5% 15.8% 6February 9, 201712.1% 12.9% 16.7% 17.6% 7February 15, 201713.1% 15.0% 16.1% 16.3% 8February 16, 201713.7% 15.6% 17.6% 17.3% 9February 22, 201715.5% 16.2% 17.8% 18.0% 10February 23, 201715.2% 15.6% 17.2% 17.3% 11March 1, 201715.6% 17.0% 12March 2, 201716.3% 17.8% 18.5% 13March 8, 201715.3% 16.2% 16.8% 16.8% 14March 9, 201714.3% 14.9% 17.1% 16.9% 15March 15, 201714.6% 16.1% 19.1% 16March 16, 201716.2% 18.1% 17.1% 17.6% 17March 22, 201717.4% 17.4% 17.5% 18March 23, 201716.0% 17.3% 17.0% 17.5% 19March 29, 201717.0% 18.6% 16.9% 16.8% 20March 30, 2017 18.7% 17.2% 17.8% Average
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result2017 Best ActorNamkoong Min Actor Award Best Drama Good Manager Best Production Director Lee Jang-soo Best Screenplay Lee Eun-jin Top Excellence Award, Actor Namkoong Min Excellence Award, Actress Lee Il-hwa Best Original Soundtrack DinDin (Must Be The Money) Best Actor Namkoong Min Top Excellence Award, Actor Namkoong Min Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama Lee Jun-ho Namkoong Min Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Nam Sang-mi Best Supporting Actor Dong Ha Kim Won-hae Best Supporting Actress Lee Il-hwa Jung Hye-sung Seo Jeong-yeon Best New Actor Kim Seon-ho Lee Jun-ho Best New Actress Lim Hwa-young Netizen Award – Male Namkoong Min Lee Jun-ho Best Couple Award Namkoong Min & Nam Sang-mi Namkoong Min & Lee Jun-ho 2018 Best Drama Good Manager
Adaptation It was announced on March 24, 2017, that KBS Media will publish a book titled "Chief Kim's Work Book" set to be released in April related to the drama that will contain great tips for work life. The book will feature the drama's best scenes, best lines, and all of the illustrated episode endings. The illustrations will be drawn by webtoon artist Yang Kyung-soo, who partnered with the drama to create the ending scenes for each episode. This project is the first collaboration between a drama and a webtoon.
References
External links