4 Korean dramas starring A-listers that fail to live up to the hype (ft. Jeon Ji Hyun, Lee Young Ae, and more)

These Korean series have everything from a star-studded cast to huge budgets, but perhaps luck is not on their side.

Korean dramas in 2021 featuring comebacks to the small screen of many famous A-list actors were expected to earn record-breaking ratings for TV stations. However, not every drama with a star-studded cast is guaranteed to achieve much success. The following 4 dramas are prime examples. Despite getting the expectations to become the next TV blockbusters, they all end up with underwhelming performances. 

1. Jirisan

Jirisan is one of the most outstanding ongoing dramas. Not only does it mark the drama comeback of Jeon Ji Hyun, Jirisan also brings together an all-star cast including Joo Ji Hoon, Oh Jung Se, Sung Dong Il and the production crew behind the success of hit series like Signal, Kingdom. However, contrary to high expectations, Jirisan debuted to mixed reviews due to the confusing plot, poorly done CGI, and somewhat controversial performance of the two main actors.

2. Inspector Koo

Inspector Koo marks the return of another Korean A-list actress, Lee Young Ae after 4 years of absence from the small screen. Although she transforms herself by playing a cop with a different image from her previous roles, the drama continues to receive low viewership ratings. By the 4th episode, Inspector Koo only drew a rating of 2.7% nationwide despite its thrilling storyline. 

3. Sisyphus: The Myth

As the 10th anniversary project of jTBC station with a huge budget of up to 22 million USD, Sisyphus: The Myth is expected to become the next blockbuster of Korea’s TV industry.  However, this drama only has a low rating of 4.963% despite featuring two popular actors, Park Shin Hye and Jo Seung Woo. The reason for the failure of this drama probably comes from the unattractive script, poor technical effects and bad chemistry of the two main actors.

4. Lost

jTBC appears to be having bad luck because its dramas are consistently receiving low ratings, and Lost is no exception. Lost, jTBC’s 10 anniversary project, features two talented actors, Jeon Do Yeon and Ryu Jun Yeol. Nevertheless, Lost fails due to its boring script, and the theme runs counter to the current “healing” trend. Starting with a positive rating of 4.0%, the rating of this drama gradually drops to 2% and 1%.