6 K-dramas with the lowest ratings in history: KBS’s series “flopped” despite starring famous idols
One of Korea’s biggest TV stations, KBS entered the history of viewership ratings for dramas in an unwanted way.
Whether a drama makes waves in the international market or goes viral on social media platforms, in Korea, the viewership rating is still a key factor to determine the drama’s success or failure. Despite being well invested in plot lines, along with quality cast and crews, even get broadcast in the prime time slots of the largest TV networks, the following 5 Korean dramas still record poor ratings.
1. Imitation (KBS2)
Although it was broadcast on the major station KBS2 and features a star-studded cast including famous K-pop idols such as Jiyeon (T-ara), Hwi Young and Chani (SF9), Lim Na Young (IOI), Lee Jun Young and Jongho (U-KISS), Yunho (ATEEZ), “Imitation” still regretfully broke the lowest drama rating record in the history of major broadcasting stations, with 0.4% in episode 6. “Imitation” not only had a disadvantage in its broadcast time frame, but also faced many criticisms over the lacking performance of the idol actors.
2. Dae Jang Geum Is Watching (MBC)
Before “Imitation” was released, the lowest drama rating of all time was held by MBC’s “Dae Jang Geum Is Watching” with 0.6% in episode 3. The biggest problem of this series is probably the cringeworthy and unnecessarily lengthy storylines. The drama was also involved in a controversy over sexism.
3. Meow The Secret Boy
“Meow The Secret Boy” stars Kim Myung Soo (Infinite’s L) and rookie actress Shin Ye Eun. Although a popular male idol and a rising actress were casted as the leads, the drama’s viewership rating was still “miserable” with 0.8% in the last episode. The drama’s failure is said to be due to its outdated script and unconvincing acting performances of the main couple.
4. Lovely Horribly
Starring the two experienced actors, Song Ji Hyo and Park Shi Hoo, “Lovely Horribly” was still considered a ‘flop’ with an average rating of around 1.0%. It seemed like the writer was too greedy when trying to combine too many genres, including comedy, romance, horror and detective, in one drama. Therefore, no specific details were emphasized to impress the viewers.
5. Manhole
Not only did “Manhole” reach the lowest rating in history (1.4%), it was also selected as the worst movie in 2017. This drama received lots of criticisms, from the childish storyline, clumsy editing, and the bad acting of the cast that consisted of mostly idol actors.
6. The Great Seducer
The last episode of “The Great Seducer” recorded the lowest rating in the history of MBC with 1.6%. Apart from its boring plot, the acting skill of Joy (Red Velvet) was also a big problem. Ever since the first episode, she received negative feedback for every scene she appeared in.
