# Good Manager

Good Manager (Korean: 김과장; Hanja: 金科長; RR: Kimgwajang; lit. Chief Kim) 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 (KST) for 20 episodes.

## 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 (Jiro Kim)
    Kim Sung-ryong used to be a small-time accountant from Gunsan, a small city in North Jeolla Province, working for a mobster. He was investigated every year for accounting fraud and tax evasion but was proven innocent every time. Then, he got accepted to TQ as the chief of their accounting department.
* Nam Sang-mi as Yoon Ha-Kyung (Hannah Yoon)
    A strong and ethical woman. She is the assistant manager of TQ's accounting department.
* Lee Jun-ho as Seo Yul
    Seo Yul used to be an ace prosecutor until the chairman of the TQ group appointed him to be the Director for Finance.
* Jung Hye-sung as Hong Ga-eun (Gail Hong)
    A police officer working undercover as an intern of the Finance department, who was hired as a spy by a prosecutor.

### 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 (Dino Park)
* 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 (Mario Park)

#### 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 (Ep. 1, 20)
* Lee Sang-hoon
* Song Yeong-gil
* Jung Kyung-ho as man blackmailing Kim Sung-ryong
* Lee Si-eon as Prosecutor Park Yong-tae (Ep. 20)
* Kim Kang-hoon as Kim Sung-ryong (young)
* Choi Jae-Hwan as Joong Gun, union leader (Ep. 5)
* Park Ji-il as Head of department Choi Ik-joong (Ep. 17)

## 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. Korea Times said that the drama "has the ability to tell uncomfortable stories (story of embezzlement cases, mass layoffs and other societal issues regarding fierce competition) in a witty way".

## Ratings

In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | Average audience share | Average audience share | Average audience share |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | TNmS | TNmS | AGB Nielsen | AGB Nielsen |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul | Nationwide | Seoul |
| 1 | January 25, 2017 | 6.6% (19th) | 7.1% (19th) | 7.8% (17th) | 7.7% (15th) |
| 2 | January 26, 2017 | 6.3% (20th) | 6.5% (18th) | 7.2% (18th) | 7.2% (15th) |
| 3 | February 1, 2017 | 11.7% (7th) | 13.3% (4th) | 12.8% (5th) | 12.8% (5th) |
| 4 | February 2, 2017 | 11.5% (7th) | 13.3% (4th) | 13.8% (4th) | 14.1% (4th) |
| 5 | February 8, 2017 | 13.2% (4th) | 15.5% (4th) | 15.5% (4th) | 15.8% (4th) |
| 6 | February 9, 2017 | 12.1% (6th) | 12.9% (4th) | 16.7% (4th) | 17.6% (3rd) |
| 7 | February 15, 2017 | 13.1% (4th) | 15.0% (4th) | 16.1% (4th) | 16.3% (4th) |
| 8 | February 16, 2017 | 13.7% (4th) | 15.6% (4th) | 17.6% (4th) | 17.3% (4th) |
| 9 | February 22, 2017 | 15.5% (4th) | 16.2% (4th) | 17.8% (3rd) | 18.0% (3rd) |
| 10 | February 23, 2017 | 15.2% (4th) | 15.6% (4th) | 17.2% (4th) | 17.3% (3rd) |
| 11 | March 1, 2017 | 15.6% (4th) | 17.0% (3rd) | 18.4% (3rd) | 19.2% (3rd) |
| 12 | March 2, 2017 | 16.3% (4th) | 17.8% (3rd) | 18.4% (3rd) | 18.5% (3rd) |
| 13 | March 8, 2017 | 15.3% (4th) | 16.2% (4th) | 16.8% (4th) | 16.8% (4th) |
| 14 | March 9, 2017 | 14.3% (4th) | 14.9% (4th) | 17.1% (4th) | 16.9% (3rd) |
| 15 | March 15, 2017 | 14.6% (4th) | 16.1% (3rd) | 18.4% (4th) | 19.1% (3rd) |
| 16 | March 16, 2017 | 16.2% (4th) | 18.1% (3rd) | 17.1% (4th) | 17.6% (3rd) |
| 17 | March 22, 2017 | 17.4% (4th) | 19.7% (4th) | 17.4% (4th) | 17.5% (4th) |
| 18 | March 23, 2017 | 16.0% (4th) | 17.3% (3rd) | 17.0% (4th) | 17.5% (3rd) |
| 19 | March 29, 2017 | 17.0% (4th) | 18.6% (3rd) | 16.9% (4th) | 16.8% (4th) |
| 20 | March 30, 2017 | 18.0% (4th) | 18.7% (3rd) | 17.2% (4th) | 17.8% (3rd) |
| Average | Average | 14.0% | 15.3% | 15.9% | 16.1% |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2017 | 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor | Namkoong Min | Nominated |
| 2017 | 44th Korean Broadcasting Awards | Actor Award | Namkoong Min | Won |
| 2017 | 10th Korea Drama Awards | Best Drama | Good Manager | Nominated |
| 2017 | 10th Korea Drama Awards | Best Production Director | Lee Jang-soo | Won |
| 2017 | 10th Korea Drama Awards | Best Screenplay | Lee Eun-jin | Nominated |
| 2017 | 10th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Namkoong Min | Nominated |
| 2017 | 10th Korea Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress | Lee Il-hwa | Won |
| 2017 | 10th Korea Drama Awards | Best Original Soundtrack | DinDin (Must Be The Money) | Won |
| 2017 | 1st The Seoul Awards | Best Actor | Namkoong Min | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Namkoong Min | Won |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Lee Jun-ho | Won |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Namkoong Min | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | Nam Sang-mi | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Dong Ha | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kim Won-hae | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Lee Il-hwa | Won |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Jung Hye-sung | Won |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Seo Jeong-yeon | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actor | Kim Seon-ho | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actor | Lee Jun-ho | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Lim Hwa-young | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Netizen Award – Male | Namkoong Min | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Netizen Award – Male | Lee Jun-ho | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best Couple Award | Namkoong Min & Nam Sang-mi | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st KBS Drama Awards | Best Couple Award | Namkoong Min & Lee Jun-ho | Won |
| 2018 | 30th Korea Producer Awards | Best Drama | Good Manager | Won |

## 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.