[News] The Musical inches closer toward securing a timeslot.

[News] The Musical inches closer toward securing a timeslot.
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The latest news about The Musical, the drama that’s been in limbo for nearly a year, is that broadcasters are in still in talks regarding a possible premiere. There has been some unconfirmed talk about the drama getting a timeslot on SBS following Miracle Audition, which is scheduled to go off the air in October. However, SBS has countered those rumors with the statement that they haven’t decided anything yet.

So, ultimately the news is that there’s no concrete news yet. But any talk is better than the months of radio silence we’ve had, right? Interestingly, though, the rumored premiere would put The Musical in an unusual timeslot: Rather than joining the regular weekly prime-time lineup, it would broadcast on Fridays at 11pm.

The talk was likely spurred by the fact that there are two months of unclaimed airtime between the end of Miracle Audition (which wraps October 14) and the beginning of another reality show, Survival Audition K-pop Star, which is set for December. But it’s a curious choice, since dramas don’t currently air on Fridays outside of cable television and one-acts like KBS’s Drama Special.

On one hand, putting a miniseries like The Musical into a Friday slot can seem like an experiment in “reviving the Friday drama” (as some reports put it); there were a few Friday shows in years past that did pretty well with audiences, such as My Sweet Seoul and Scales of Providence. But it can also seem like it’s just shoving it off in the corner to burn off the episodes.

It’s similar to Birdie Buddy being picked up by cable channel tvN after languishing for a year; it’s great that the drama will finally see the light of day, but the victory is qualified since it’s heading to a less-watched, less visible platform.

The drama is mostly done with production, though I’m surprised to hear that The Musical currently has four episodes left to film. The thing began shooting a year ago, but with no premiere date pressuring them and stars busy with other projects — Gu Hye-sun has her feature film and Daniel Choi shot Baby-Faced Beauty in the interim — I suppose they’ve taken their time. Let’s hope it pays off.