The Good Bad Mother
2023 South Korean television series
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The Good Bad Mother (Korean: 나쁜엄마; lit. 'Bad Mother') is a 2023 South Korean television series directed by Shim Na-yeon, and starring Ra Mi-ran, Lee Do-hyun, Ahn Eun-jin and Yoo In-soo. It aired from April 26 to June 8, 2023 on JTBC's Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:30 (KST).[5][6] It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.[7]
| The Good Bad Mother | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 나쁜엄마 |
| Lit. | Bad Mom |
| RR | Nappeuneomma |
| MR | Nappŭnŏmma |
| Genre | |
| Developed by | SLL (planning)[4] |
| Written by | Bae Se-young[4] |
| Directed by | Shim Na-yeon[4] |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Ha Geun-young |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Kim So-jung |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 70–80 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | JTBC |
| Release | April 26 – June 8, 2023 |
The series was a commercial hit and became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history. It also set a new record for the highest ratings achieved by any Wednesday–Thursday drama in JTBC history.[8]
Synopsis
A tragic accident leaves an ambitious prosecutor with the mind of a child and paraplegic, forcing him and his mother to embark on a journey to heal their relationship.[9]
Cast
Main
- Ra Mi-ran as Jin Young-soon: a single mother who runs a pig farm, and has lived a tenacious life to protect her child. It is revealed that she indoctrinates and push her son to success to avenge his father's death.[10]
- Kang Bo-kyung as teenage Jin Young-soon
- Lee Do-hyun as Choi Kang-ho: Young-soon's son who works as a prosecutor and has a cold-hearted personality. He suffers from amnesia after an unexpected accident and returns as a child.[10]
- Lee Kyung-hoon as child Choi Kang-ho[11]
- Bae Jae-hyun as teenage Choi Kang-ho
- Ahn Eun-jin as Lee Mi-joo: a nail artist who is Kang-ho's old friend and ex-girlfriend.[10]
- Jeon Si-hyun as child Lee Mi-joo
- Yoo In-soo as Bang Sam-sik: the troublemaker of the village and thief. He has been in love with Mi-joo since childhood.[12]
- Kim Jun-hee as child Bang Sam-sik
Supporting
The Axis of Crimes
- Choi Moo-sung as Song Woo-byeok: CEO of Woobyeok Group and the main antagonist of the series. He is responsible for Kang-ho's father death.[13]
- Jung Woong-in as Oh Tae-soo: a former prosecutor and member of the National Assembly.[14]
- Hong Bi-ra as Oh Ha-yeong: Tae-soo's only daughter and Kang-ho's fiancée.[13]
- Choi Soon-jin as Manager So Ji-seok: Woo-byeok's employee.[15]
- Park Cheon as Assistant Manager Cha Seung-eon: Woo-byeok's employee.[16]
People in Jowoo-ri
- Kim Won-hae as Son Yong-rak: the head of his village.[13]
- Park Bo-kyung as the wife of Son Yong-rak.[17][18]
- Kang Mal-geum as Jung Gum-ja: Mi-joo's mother.[13]
- Seo Yi-sook as Park Sung-ae: Sam-sik's mother who runs a mill with her husband.[19]
- Jang Won-young as Mr. Bang: Sam-sik's father and mill owner.[13]
- Lee Sang-hoon as Mr. Yang: He is involved in many fields in Jowoo-ri, such as brewery owner, shaman flower fairy, real estate, and boarding house owner.[17]
- Park Da-on as Seo-jin: Kang-ho and Mi-joo's son and Ye-jin's twin brother.[13]
- Ki So-yu as Ye-jin: Kang-ho and Mi-joo's daughter and Seo-jin's twin sister.[13]
- Baek Hyun-jin as Trot Baek / Baek Hoon-ah: a composer who was forced to return to his hometown after being involved in various issues.[13]
Extended
- Joshua Newton as Andrea: a foreign part-time worker on Young-soon's farm.[20]
- Oh Ha-nee as Seon-yung: Mi-joo's nail art partner.[21]
- Kim Seon-bin as Kang-ho's classmate at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.[22]
- Nam Mi-jung as Sun-young's mother.
- Kim Ji-woong as Lee Ji-woong: Ha-yeong's fiancé.
- Ki Eun-se as Hwang Soo-hyun: Tae-soo's secretary.[23]
- Sung Nak-kyung as Cho Young-jae: the owner of the raw fish restaurant.[23]
- Kim Yong-jun as Kang-ho's investigator when he was a prosecutor.[24]
- Lee Gyu-hoe as Bae Seon-jang: a gambling house boss.[25]
- Jo Young-gyu as Woo-byeok's lawyer.[26]
Special appearances
- Cho Jin-woong as Choi Hae-sik, Young-soon's late husband.[27]
- Shin Seung-ho as a civil servant in the livestock division.[28]
- Seo Dong-hyun as wedding photographer.[29]
- Ryu Seung-ryong as a tailor.[30]
- Lee Ah-jin as Kang-ho's blind date.
Reception
Viewership
The Good Bad Mother : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[31]
| Season | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |||
| 1 | 0.779 | 0.934 | 1.156 | 1.415 | 1.378 | 1.588 | 1.568 | 1.837 | 1.946 | 2.123 | 2.132 | 2.396 | 2.277 | 2.669 | 1.728 | |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[31] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | April 26, 2023 | 3.588% (3rd) | 4.166% (1st) |
| 2 | April 27, 2023 | 4.310% (4th) | 4.836% (3rd) |
| 3 | May 3, 2023 | 5.706% (1st) | 6.428% (1st) |
| 4 | May 4, 2023 | 7.033% (1st) | 7.596% (1st) |
| 5 | May 10, 2023 | 6.670% (1st) | 6.666% (1st) |
| 6 | May 11, 2023 | 7.701% (2nd) | 8.056% (1st) |
| 7 | May 17, 2023 | 7.494% (1st) | 8.153% (1st) |
| 8 | May 18, 2023 | 8.446% (1st) | 9.526% (1st) |
| 9 | May 24, 2023 | 9.439% (1st) | 9.604% (1st) |
| 10 | May 25, 2023 | 9.956% (1st) | 10.553% (1st) |
| 11 | May 31, 2023 | 10.257% (1st) | 10.648% (1st) |
| 12 | June 1, 2023 | 10.998% (1st) | 12.339% (1st) |
| 13 | June 7, 2023 | 10.592% (1st) | 11.097% (1st) |
| 14 | June 8, 2023 | 12.032% (1st) | 13.604% (1st) |
| Average | 8.159% | 8.805% | |
Accolades
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2024 | Best Drama | The Good Bad Mother | Nominated | [32] |
| Best Actress | Ra Mi-ran | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kang Mal-geum | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Bae Se-young | Nominated |
