The Good 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). It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.
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.
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.
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. 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 awakens with the mind of a child. Lee Kyung-hoon as child Choi Kang-ho 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. 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. 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. Jung Woong-in as Oh Tae-soo: a former prosecutor and member of the National Assembly. Hong Bi-ra as Oh Ha-yeong: Tae-soo's only daughter and Kang-ho's fiancée. Choi Soon-jin as Manager So Ji-seok: Woo-byeok's employee. Park Cheon as Assistant Manager Cha Seung-eon: Woo-byeok's employee.
People in Jowoo-ri Kim Won-hae as Son Yong-rak: the head of his village. Park Bo-kyung as the wife of Son Yong-rak. Kang Mal-geum as Jung Gum-ja: Mi-joo's mother. Seo Yi-sook as Park Sung-ae: Sam-sik's mother who runs a mill with her husband. Jang Won-young as Mr. Bang: Sam-sik's father and mill owner. 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. Park Da-on as Seo-jin: Kang-ho and Mi-joo's son and Ye-jin's twin brother. Ki So-yu as Ye-jin: Kang-ho and Mi-joo's daughter and Seo-jin's twin sister. 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.
Extended Joshua Newton as Andrea: a foreign part-time worker on Young-soon's farm. Oh Ha-nee as Seon-yung: Mi-joo's nail art partner. Kim Seon-bin as Kang-ho's classmate at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. 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. Sung Nak-kyung as Cho Young-jae: the owner of the raw fish restaurant. Kim Yong-jun as Kang-ho's investigator when he was a prosecutor. Lee Gyu-hoe as Bae Seon-jang: a gambling house boss. Jo Young-gyu as Woo-byeok's lawyer.
Special appearances Cho Jin-woong as Choi Hae-sik, Young-soon's late husband. Shin Seung-ho as a civil servant in the livestock division. Seo Dong-hyun as wedding photographer. Ryu Seung-ryong as a tailor. Lee Ah-jin as Kang-ho's blind date.
Reception Viewership
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea)Nielsen Korea ratings:
Nationwide Seoul 1 April 26, 2023 2 April 27, 2023 4.310% 4.836% 3 May 3, 2023 5.706% 6.428% 4 May 4, 2023 7.033% 7.596% 5 May 10, 2023 6.670% 6.666% 6 May 11, 2023 7.701% 8.056% 7 May 17, 2023 7.494% 8.153% 8 May 18, 2023 8.446% 9.526% 9 May 24, 2023 9.439% 9.604% 10 May 25, 2023 9.956% 10.553% 11 May 31, 2023 10.257% 10.648% 12 June 1, 2023 10.998% 12.339% 13 June 7, 2023 10.592% 11.097% 14 June 8, 2023 Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
Accolades Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Baeksang Arts Awards 2024 Best Drama The Good Bad Mother Best Actress Ra Mi-ran Best Supporting Actress Kang Mal-geum Best Screenplay Bae Se-young
Listicle Publisher Year Listicle Placement Time 2023 The 10 Best Korean Dramas of 2023 on Netflix
References
External links