# The Matchmakers (TV series)

The Matchmakers (Korean: 혼례대첩) is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Rowoon and Cho Yi-hyun. It aired on KBS2 from October 30 to December 25, 2023, every Monday and Tuesday at 21:45 (KST) for 16 episodes. It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea and, on Viki and Viu in selected regions.

## Synopsis

The series tells the story about a young widower, named Shim Jung-woo, and a young widow, named Jung Soon-deok, joining forces to marry off three unmarried women who represent the problem of "old maids" in Joseon.

## Cast
### Main

* Rowoon as Shim Jung-woo
    A Confucian scholar who becomes the youngest person to pass the state civil service examination.
* Cho Yi-hyun as Jung Soon-deok
    A widow and the second daughter-in-law of the Left State Councilor, she secretly works as Yeoju-daek, the best matchmaker and bangmul seller in Hanyang.

### Supporting
#### People around Shim Jung-woo

* Kim Hyun-mok as Kim Oh-bong
    Jung-woo's butler.
* Kim Geon-ho as Yoo Eui-won
    Jung-woo's doctor. He is a member of the State Council.
* Kim Yeon-woo as Shim Myung-woo
    Jung-woo's older brother.
* Lee Sang-gu as Shim Jin-ho
    Jung-woo's father.

#### People around Jung Soon-deok

* Heo Nam-jun as Jung Soon-gu
    Soon-deok's older brother. He works as a government inspector.
* Bang Eun-jung as Gae Dong-yi
    Soon-deok's maid who supports her double life.
The Left State Councilor's family
* Park Ji-young as Lady Park So-hyeon
    Soon-deok's mother-in-law.
* Lee Hae-young as Jo Yeong-bae
    Soon-deok's father-in-law who is the Left State Councilor.
* Lee Soon-won as Park Bok-ki
    Lady Park's younger brother who is a Minister of Military Affairs.
* Oh Ye-ju as Jo Ye-jin
    The famous daughter of the Jo family and Soon-deok's sister-in-law. She is considered Hanyang's best bride material with a lot of talent.
* Kim Si-woo as Jo Geun-seok
    The son of Soon-deok's deceased elder brother-in-law and the eldest grandson of the Jo family. Currently registered as Soon-deok's son.
* Park Seong-jin as Jo In-hyeon
    The deceased eldest son of the Left State Councilor.
* Yoon Yeo-won as Jo In-guk
    Soon-deok's deceased husband.
* Kim Ga-young as Sam-wol's mother
    The family maid and Lady Park's right-hand woman.

#### People in the palace

* Jo Han-chul as the King
    King of Joseon and Jung-woo's father-in-law.
* Jin Hee-kyung as the Queen
    The crown prince's mother.
* Hong Dong-young as Lee Jae
    The crown prince.
* Seo Jin-won as Do Seung-ji
    The king's closest right-hand man.
* Park Hyun-jung as Royal Noble Consort Sukbin Park
    Prince Jin-seong's mother and a concubine who was favored by the King.
* Kim Da-heein as Kim Moon-gun
    A minister.
* Hwiyoung as Lee Jwa-rang
    Park Bok-ki's close aide who is good at literary and martial arts.
* Park Chae-young as Princess Hyojeong
    Jung-woo's deceased wife.

#### The Maeng family

* Choi Hee-jin as Lady Cho
    Mother of the three Maeng sisters and a former matchmaker.
* Jung Shin-hye as Maeng Ha-na
    The eldest daughter of the Maeng sisters.
* Park Ji-won as Maeng Doo-ri
    The second daughter of the Maeng sisters who is known as Mak De-nyeo (a woman with a harsh tongue) due to her foul mouth.
* Jung Bo-min as Maeng Sam-soon
    The third daughter of Maeng sisters who is a novelist. She disguises herself as a man using the pen name "Hwa Rok".

#### Groom candidates

* Son Sang-yeon as Lee Si-yeol
    A Sungkyunkwan Confucian student and the eldest grandson of the Sungkyunkwan Daeseong family. He is considered the best groom material in Hanyang.
* Choi Kyeong-hoon as Yoon Bu-gyeom
    Jo Ye-jin's first love. He is an only son and orphan who farms with his grandparents.
* Bin Chan-wook as Heo Sook-hyun
    A scholar who dreams of becoming a colonel.
* Jung Woo-jae as Kim Jip
    A romanticist traveling around the eight provinces in search of a woman who will truly love him rather than his family.
* Cho Chang-hee as Jang Chun-bae
    He is using his wealth to find a young bride.
* Go Deok-won as Han Jong-bok
    He has been preparing for the civil service exam for 10 years. He is looking for a bride who can support him well.

#### People in the Hongwol Gaekju

* Park Hwan-hee as Yeoju-daek
    A merchant who makes and sells makeup. She lives in Hanyang with her daughter.
* Jeong Seung-gil as Hong Cheon-soo
    The owner of Hongwol Gaekju, who sets the trend for Hanyang noble ladies.
* Jeong Yeon as Mrs. Lee
    A member of the Bangmul Merchants.
* Jeong Ji-an as Masan-daek
    A member of the Bangmul Merchants.
* Park Bo-bae as Jonju-daek
    A member of the Bangmul Merchants.
* Lee So-e as Gaeseong-daek
    The youngest member of the Bangmul Merchants.
* Lee Ye-ju as Bok-hee
    Yeoju-daek's daughter.

#### Others

* Kim Dong-ho as Ahn Dong-gun
    A former sergeant, but nowadays he is a laborer who hunts down runaway slaves.
* Woo Hyun-joo as Lady Jung
    Lee Si-yeol's mother.
* Lee Chang-min as Mae Gol-seung
    A monk at Seonhwasa Temple.
* Jang Hye-jin as Lady Song
* Yang A-reum as Lee Cho-ok
    Maeng Ha-na's friend who supposedly committed suicide. Jung Soon-gu is investigating her death.

## Production
### Casting

On July 5, 2023, Rowoon and Cho Yi-hyun confirmed their appearances in the series.

## Reception
### Viewership

| Season | Season | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number |
| Season | Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| | 1 | 733 | 593 | 696 | 657 | 611 | 633 | N/A | 664 | 728 | 591 | 755 | 739 | 797 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Average TV viewership ratings :
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul |
| 1 | October 30, 2023 | 4.5% (13th) | 4.2% (12th) |
| 2 | October 31, 2023 | 3.6% (14th) | 3.4% (13th) |
| 3 | November 6, 2023 | 4.0% (17th) | 4.0% (15th) |
| 4 | November 7, 2023 | 3.9% (12th) | 3.7% (13th) |
| 5 | November 13, 2023 | 3.5% (18th) | 3.5% (16th) |
| 6 | November 14, 2023 | 3.7% (13th) | 3.4% (12th) |
| 7 | November 20, 2023 | 3.3% (21st) | 3.6% (16th) |
| 8 | November 27, 2023 | 3.9% (16th) | 4.1% (12th) |
| 9 | November 28, 2023 | 4.1% (12th) | 4.0% (10th) |
| 10 | December 4, 2023 | 3.4% (18th) | 3.4% (16th) |
| 11 | December 5, 2023 | 4.3% (13th) | 4.2% (9th) |
| 12 | December 11, 2023 | 4.3% (16th) | 4.3% (13th) |
| 13 | December 12, 2023 | 4.4% (10th) | 4.6% (9th) |
| 14 | December 18, 2023 | 5% (12th) | N/A |
| 15 | December 19, 2023 | 5% (10th) | N/A |
| 16 | December 25, 2023 | 5.8% (9th) | N/A |
| Average | Average | 4.2% | — |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. N/A denotes ratings that were not published. ||||

### Accolades

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2024 | Technical Award | Ha Ji-hee (Art direction) | Nominated | |