Good Manager

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 for 20 episodes.

WWW Official Site

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
Nam Sang-mi as Yoon Ha-Kyung
Lee Jun-ho as Seo Yul
Jung Hye-sung as Hong Ga-eun

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
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

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
Lee Sang-hoon
Song Yeong-gil
Jung Kyung-ho as man blackmailing Kim Sung-ryong
Lee Si-eon as Prosecutor Park Yong-tae
Kim Kang-hoon as Kim Sung-ryong
Choi Jae-Hwan as Joong Gun, union leader
Park Ji-il as Head of department Choi Ik-joong

Production

First script reading took place on December 15, 2016 at KBS Annex Broadcasting Station in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea.

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 in a witty way".

Ratings

In this table, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings.

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.