“When the Stars Gossip” Faces Disappointing Ratings: Can It Recover from Its Tragic 1% Performance?
The highly promoted tvN drama “When the Stars Gossip,” billed as Korea’s first “space office drama” with a large budget and star-studded cast, has failed to meet expectations.
Despite its high-profile cast, including Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Min Ho, and impressive space CGI, the show has struggled to capture viewers’ interest. Premiering with a 3.3% viewership rate, it has since dropped to under 1%, with no signs of improvement. Despite briefly ranking in Netflix’s Top 10, it has fallen out of the list.
The drama’s poor reception has led to a drop in stock prices for CJ ENM and Studio Dragon. The production team acknowledged the show’s complex narrative and mixed reactions, even releasing an explanatory video to address critiques. The lack of emotional connection, sudden emotional shifts in the zero-gravity setting, and an unrealistic romance have been major points of criticism. Viewers accustomed to traditional romantic comedies have struggled to engage with the unique concept.
While the production team emphasized the uniqueness of space as a setting, the show’s failure to deliver a compelling emotional arc or convince viewers of its premise raises questions about whether it can recover. This marks the first time in four years that a tvN weekend drama has had a viewership rating below 1%. The future of “When the Stars Gossip” and its ability to resonate with viewers remains uncertain.
