[News] Dream High considers extension by 1 episode or more.

[News] Dream High considers extension by 1 episode or more.
Cr. - javabeans

Dream High, which is the current leader in the Monday-Tuesday ratings race, is considering extending its run by one episode, according to a rep with the drama’s production team on January 26.

This is no surprise, since the drama was pre-empted this week to make room for the Korea-Japan soccer game in the 2011 Asia Cup. That puts the broadcasting schedule off by one episode, pushing back its scheduled finale episode (the 16th) one more week to a Monday. To even out the airing schedule and to keep the following drama from starting off askew, KBS is in talks to bring the total to 17 episodes, which would put the finale on Tuesday, March 1.

In fact, KBS has put in a request with producers for a larger extension as well. With Dream High bringing KBS back No.1 in the Monday-Tuesday timeslot after being last-place for a while (Mary Stayed Out All Night, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Gumiho: Tale of the Fox’s Child), the broadcaster seems happy to give the drama a longer run.

However, an additional extension is looking unlikely at the moment, because casting a large number of idol stars means that the shooting schedule is under especially tight constraints. Often, idol actors are juggling crammed schedules as they balance drama shoots with pop-star duties, and therefore their post-drama schedules are already filled.

That’s too bad, because for once I think an extension could actually work, narratively if not logistically. With 7 episodes aired, there’s still time to rework the pacing, and the structure of Dream High’s episodic stories is conducive to additions. We already have mini-arcs that play out over two or three episodes (the assembling of the Misfit Mafia, the Rebel Showcase), so it wouldn’t be so difficult to add one more mini-arc. Alas, I think 17 is probably going to be our final count.

The drama slated to follow Dream High is the police drama Crime Squad, starring Kim Seung-woo and Song Il-kuk.