Marking its fiftieth anniversary since its very first inception in 1974, the MBC Drama Awards aired its prerecorded ceremony on January 5, having postponed its broadcast out of consideration for the victims of the recent Jeju Air tragedy. Hosted by Kim Sung-joo for the sixth year running, alongside Chae Soo-bin, the ceremony was a somber affair with attendees dressed mostly in black.
The highest recognition of the night was awarded to Han Seok-kyu for his nuanced emotional portrayal in Doubt, where he played a stoic father caught between his estranged daughter and his profiling instincts. Expressing his deepest condolences to the bereaved in his acceptance speech, Han Seok-kyu remarked that a core theme of his work has always been family, and that he hoped to convey the precious nature of family through his performance in Doubt.
In contrast to SBS’s boundless categories, MBC doled out its awards sparingly, keeping its winners list short and sweet. Black Out attained a quintuple crown across multiple categories, with ratings hit Knight Flower and talk of the town When the Phone Rings following close behind. MBC’s ceremony also paid tribute to the late Kim Soo-mi, who left behind a legacy of over half a century on screen — and perhaps it’s apt that Chief Detective 1958 took home the Drama of the Year award, given that the original series had been her first television work.
Daesang: Han Seok-kyu (Doubt)
Drama of the Year: Chief Detective 1958
Top Excellence Award:
Miniseries, Actor:
Yoo Yeon-seok (When the Phone Rings)
Lee Je-hoon (Chief Detective 1958)
Miniseries, Actress: Honey Lee (Knight Flower)
Daily/short-form, Actor: Seo Jun-young (The Brave Yong Su-jeong)
Daily/short-form, Actress:
Eom Hyun-kyung (The Brave Yong Su-jeong)
Oh Seung-ah (The Third Marriage)
Excellence Award:
Miniseries, Actor:
Lee Dong-hwi (Chief Detective 1958)
Lee Jong-won (Knight Flower)
Miniseries, Actress: Chae Soo-bin (When the Phone Rings)
Daily/short-form, Actor: Moon Ji-hoo (The Third Marriage)
Daily/short-form, Actress: Oh Se-young (The Third Marriage)
Best Couple Award:
Yoo Yeon-seok & Chae Soo-bin (When the Phone Rings)
Best Character Award:
Jung Sang-hoon (The Pork Cutlets)
Kwon Hae-hyo (Bittersweet Hell, Black Out)
Best Actor Award:
Byun Yo-han (Black Out)
Kim Nam-joo (Wonderful World)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Choi Bool-am
Special Plaque of Appreciation: Kim Soo-mi
Best Supporting Actor: Jo Jae-yoon (Knight Flower, Black Out)
Best Supporting Actress: Kim Mi-kyung (Knight Flower, Black Out)
Best New Actor:
Lee Ga-seob (Black Out)
Heo Nam-joon (When the Phone Rings)
Best New Actress: Chae Won-bin (Doubt)
