When TVXQ member Max makes his major acting debut in SBS ’ new series , “ Paradise Ranch , ” on Jan . 24 , the public will most likely wonder whether or not he will be able to break the losing streak of fellow TVXQ member U - Know ’ s and member - gone - independent Park Yoo - chun ’ s respective television series debuts . U - Know made his small screen debut in MBC ’ s “ No Limit ” in 2009 , a series that brought in abysmal ratings . Then , approximately one year later , Park Yoo - chun , currently part of JYJ ( the boy band formed by three TVXQ idols - gone - independent ) starred in KBS ’ “ Seonggyungwan Scandal . ” While Park cemented his reputation as a bona - fide thespian , the series failed to nab high ratings . Now it is Max ’ s turn to take on his debut lead role . Having racked up minor acting experience primarily through a boy band - pushing - TV drama film , he is now jumping right into the thick of things by tackling the role of a divorced chaebol heir who finds himself living with his ex - wife ( played by fellow S . M . Entertainment artist Lee Yeon - hee ) on a ranch on Jeju Island . The cast of SBS ’ new Monday and Tuesday night series “ Paradise Ranch ” ( from left ) — actress Yoo Hana , TVXQ ’ s Max , S . M . ’ s Lee Yeon - hee and actor Joo Sang - wook — attend the drama ’ s press conference on Tuesday in Seoul . ( Lee Sang - sub / The Korea Herald ) Like U - Know ’ s “ No Limit , ” “ Paradise Ranch ” is a joint collaboration between S . M . Entertainment and a production company . This time around , Samhwa Networks -- the production company behind the hit KBS series , ' Bread , Love and Dreams ' -- has joined hands with S . M . Furthermore , like “ No Limit , ” where S . M . artists U - Know and Ara played the leads , Max and Lee Yeon - hee will be fronting the upcoming drama . Filming for “ Paradise Ranch ” ran from December 2009 to May 2010 for approximately six months . According to “ Paradise Ranch ” director Kim Chul - kyu , Kim and team had not originally planned to film the entire series in advance . At the drama ’ s press conference on Tuesday , Max referenced the months spent filming : “ For about a half a year we filmed the series on Jeju Island . Because it was my first time acting , I learned a lot . ” Director Kim -- who created a stir when he jumped on board SBS ’ hit series , “ Dae Mul , ” after it started airing -- admitted that he was initially “ worried about whether or not Max would be able to pull off the lead role . ” “ Luckily , Max has a knack for acting , ” said Kim . “ He became natural at it very quickly . ” Max , who showed up to the press event decked out in black , said : “ This was my first time acting , so I did feel anxious about it . ” “ What I am really relieved about is that when the series starts airing next Monday and Tuesday , I will be in Japan , ” he confessed . “ I feel like I did my best , though my acting skills may be somewhat lacking , and so I have no regrets . ” In regards to upcoming kiss scenes in the series , Max revealed : “ Acting in itself makes me nervous , so when there was a kiss scene , I would get even more nervous , and wouldn ’ t be able to eat properly and would continually use mouthwash that day . ” “ I enjoyed watching Max get nervous , ” co - star Lee quipped , revealing that their upcoming kiss scene is “ cute . ” During the press conference , reporters were asked to refrain from throwing out questions about JYJ , thereby preventing discussion of the scandal - driven buzz surrounding the five idols . What started off as a lawsuit filed against S . M . Entertainment by Park Yoo - chun , Kim Jae - joong and Kim Jun - su over their 13 - year contract in July 2009 led to the trio kicking off their debut as a three - member group called JYJ late last year . After JYJ released their first album , titled “ The Beginning , ” S . M . Entertainment ’ s three - less TVXQ -- currently helmed by U - Know and Max -- dropped their controversially - titled album , “ Keep Your Head Down , ” on the masses on Jan . 5 . The album , which jumped to the top of the charts , fueled anticipation of a potential battle of the bands between JYJ and TVXQ , with rumors spreading that the title of the S . M . duo ’ s new release was an indirect and aggressive warning to JYJ , telling the trio to keep their heads down . In the midst of all this , all five idols have been forging ahead , with Kim Jun - su slated to star in a musical starting February and U - Know in the upcoming television drama , “ Poseidon , ” with Park Yoo - chun coming off his role in ' Seonggyungwan Scandal , ' and Kim Jae - joong having put in an award - winning performance in a Japanese drama . “ Paradise Ranch ” starts airing Jan . 24 on Mondays and Tuesdays on SBS at 8 : 50 p . m . By Jean Oh ( oh _ jean @ heraldm . com )