“When the Stars Gossip” Flops Domestically but Thrives Internationally Thanks to Lee Min-ho
Despite the star-studded cast including Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin and a massive budget of 500 billion won, the show started with a 3.3% viewership rating in its first episode, increased to 3.9% in the second, and then dropped to the 2% range in the third and fourth episodes.
In contrast, the SBS weekend drama “Love Scout” began with a 5.2% rating and broke 10% by its third episode, and JTBC’s “The Tale of Lady Ok” also surpassed 10%. This stark difference in ratings highlights the challenges faced by “When The Stars Gossip.”
The drama’s failure is attributed to several factors. The creators’ claim of “the first-ever depiction of a zero-gravity space station in a Korean drama” didn’t appeal to viewers. While the combination of science fiction, romantic comedy, and space office genres was innovative, it didn’t resonate with the audience. Despite the attempt to introduce something new in a genre that often features infidelity and melodrama, the show failed to win over viewers.
Another issue is the inflated expectations due to the 500 billion won production budget. The show used impressive CGI and VFX to depict space, with over 10 billion won spent just on special effects, generating expectations that the show couldn’t meet. The high budget made the low viewership even more embarrassing.
Unnecessary bed scenes also detracted from the storytelling. From the first episode, there were unexpected bed scenes involving Lee Min-ho and Han Ji-eun, as well as Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Joo-heon, while a fly’s mating scene in the space station led to awkward laughter. Other bizarre “mating” topics like distorted sperm and ectopic pregnancies were also featured. The preview for the fourth episode even included a bed scene between Lee El and Kim Joo-heon. The series risked becoming known more for awkward scenes than for its plot, with even the writers of past hits like “Pasta” and “Don’t Dare To Dream” seemingly losing their charm.
The failure of “When The Stars Gossip” has further destabilized CJ ENM, threatening its reputation as a leading entertainment company. While competing with Netflix and other broadcasters for original content, CJ ENM has seen its stock plummet from 70,000 won to the historic low of 50,000 won. With lowered expectations for this year’s performance, securities firms have reduced their target stock prices for CJ ENM. KB Securities revised its operating profit estimate for CJ ENM to 227 billion won, down 24%, lowering its target stock price from 80,000 won to 70,000 won. Samsung Securities also lowered the target stock price from 91,000 won to 78,000 won.
Meanwhile, “When the Stars Gossip” entered the top 8 of Netflix’s Global Non-English Series rankings within just two weeks of its global release, seemingly thanks to the influence of Hallyu star Lee Min-ho.
According to Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Series rankings for the week of January 6~12, “When the Stars Gossip” secured the 8th spot globally, amassing 2.4 million views and 10.8 million cumulative viewing hours.
The global OTT content ranking service FlixPatrol also reported that the drama entered the Top 10 in 55 countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan, India and Saudi Arabia, ranking 8th in Netflix’s Global TV Show Top 10 category.
The drama has drawn attention from international media outlets as well. U.S.-based review platform Decider described it on January 6 as a “very watchable drama” due to its “excellent lead actors and fantastic visual effects”. The review particularly praised the visuals, highlighting the realistic portrayal of floating scenes.
Another U.S. entertainment outlet, Screen Rant, published a review on January 7 stating, “‘When the Stars Gossip’ has received positive reactions for its outstanding cast, chemistry between the leads, and intriguing storyline.” The review added, “Through its first two episodes, ‘When the Stars Gossip’ proves its potential to become an excellent K-drama, leaving viewers eager for the next episodes.”
On IMDb, global viewers also shared glowing reviews of the drama. Comments included, “Dynamic and engaging storyline, exceptional graphics, stunning comic-like scenes, excellent acting, and outstanding musical accompaniment”, “It’s been a while since a drama invested this much effort to delight the audience visually”, “The space station feels incredibly realistic, and the performances set there are equally authentic. Fantastic cast”…
