Worst Ever? 20 Of The Lowest-Rated K-Dramas Of All Time
Namu Wiki determines the lowest-rated K-Dramas based on if the viewership rating is 0% for more than two episodes. So, even if a K-Drama rated well on average or did well in its first couple of weeks, it could still get some of the lowest ratings.
Check out 20 of the lowest-rated K-Dramas from the past eight years below. They might surprise you.
1. Bubble Gum
2015 tvN K-Drama Bubble Gum aired on Mondays and Tuesdays. This 16-episode series focuses on friends-to-lovers Park Ri Hwan (Lee Dong Wook) and Kim Haeng Ah (Jung Ryeo Won).
Episode 13 recorded its lowest rating of 0.710%.
2. Ex-Girlfriends’ Club
Ex-Girlfriends’ Club is another tvN K-Drama from 2015, but it aired on Fridays and Saturdays. It was originally meant to have 16 episodes, but it was cut to only 12 episodes due to poor ratings. The story focuses on Webtoon writer Bang Myung Soo (Byun Yo Han), whose story about his exes gets adapted into a film by his ex-girlfriend, film producer Kim Soo Jin’s (Song Ji Hyo) company.
Despite its premiere high of 1.16%, it recorded low ratings the rest of the time. Episode 11 recorded its lowest rating of 0.629%. Its average rating was 0.79%.
3. Hogu’s Love
2015 tvN K-Drama Hogu’s Love aired on Mondays and Tuesdays with a total of 16 episodes. Adapted from a Daum webtoon of the same name, it follows clueless Ho Gu (Choi Woo Shik), who pursues his first love, athlete Do Do Hee (After School‘s Uee), but she’s hiding a secret.
Episode 5 recorded its lowest rating of 0.772%. It stayed relatively low, only breaking into 1% occasionally. It averaged 1.096%.
4. Heart to Heart
The same Coffee Prince writer-director duo, Lee Jung Ah and Lee Yoon Jung, released the 2015 tvN K-Drama Heart to Heart. This 16-episode show focused on romances of characters, insecure yet egocentric psychiatrist Go Yi Seok (Chun Jung Myung) and confident Cha Hong Do (Choi Kang Hee), who suffers from sociophobia.
Episode 2 recorded its lowest rating of 0.945%, but Episode 7 actually recorded an incredible 2.45%. It averaged 1.52%.
5. Entourage
Entourage is a 2016 black comedy-drama adapted by tvN from the American television series of the same name, starring Lee Kwang Soo, Cho Jin Woong, Seo Kang Joon, Park Jeong Min, Lee Dong Hwi, with many celebrity cameos. It focuses on an actor who depends on his friend group.
It started strong with over 2% rating (TNmS recorded 2.8% actually). It scored very low ratings in South Korea with an average of 1.004% and 1.3% (AGB Nielsen and TNmS, respectively), likely due to the atypical dark humor or even the American concept. Episode 6 recorded its lowest rating with 0.617% on AGB Nielsen and 0.8% TNmS.
6. Tomorrow, with You
2017 tvN K-Drama Tomorrow, with You aired on Fridays and Saturdays. This fantasy romance focuses on CEO Yoo So Joon (Lee Je Hoon) and his wife, photographer Song Ma Rin (Shin Min A).
Tomorrow, with You also had an incredible start but didn’t do too well overall. It premiered with an average 3.9% viewership rating, but midway, it has a recorded low of 0.868%. AGB Nielsen and TNmS ultimately gave it an overall average rating of 1.728% and 1.9%, respectively.
7. Dae Jang Geum Is Watching
MBC K-Drama Dae Jang Geum Is Watching began airing its episodes on Thursdays in fall 2018 and aired its finale in January 2019. It focuses on the hectic lives of siblings, salesman Han San Hae (Shin Dong Wook), sister Han Jin Mi (Lee Yul Eum), and maknae Han Jeong Sik (Kim Hyun Joon).
The drama premiered with its highest rating of 1.8%, but Part 1 of its finale recorded its lowest rating of 0.6%. Its average nationwide rating is 1.1%.
8. About Time
2018 tvN K-Drama About Time aired on Mondays and Tuesdays. Aspiring musical actress Choi Michaela (Lee Sung Kyung), who can see people’s life spans, falls for chaebol Lee Do Ha (Lee Sang Yoon) after realizing her life clock stops when they’re together.
Episode 9 recorded its lowest rating of 0.887%, while Episode 2 was its highest at 2.103%. Its average nationwide rating was 1.586%.
9. A Poem a Day
TvN’s 2018 medical K-Drama A Poem A Day starred Lee Yu Bi, Lee Joon Hyuk, and Jang Dong Yoon. Airing on Mondays and Tuesdays, it followed the lives of those who work in a hospital together.
Episode 9 was also A Poem a Day‘s lowest rated with 0.768%. Its average was just over 1%.
10. When the Devil Calls Your Name
2019 tvN K-Drama When the Devil Calls Your Name was inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe‘s tragic play Faust. The show focuses on the composer Ha Rip/Seo Dong Cheon (Jung Kyung Ho), who sold his soul to a devil, and actor Mo Tae Gang/Ryu (Park Sung Woong), who a devil possesses.
Its nationwide rating for its premiere was an admirable 3.066%, but Episode 14 recorded its lowest at 0.945%. Thanks to its strong start, it still has a good average of 1.936%.
11. Live On
2021 JTBC K-Drama Live On touches on hot topics of social media, lookism, etc., in a high school setting. It stars Jung Da Bin, Hwang Min Hyun, Noh Jong Hyun, Yang Hye Ji, Yeonwoo, and Choi Byung-chan in this story about love and friendship.
Live On‘s highest-rated episode was its premiere at 1.302%, with its lowest being Episode 4 at 0.428%. Since it’s only 8 episodes, its average is just 0.687%
12. Sweet Munchies
Despite the 2020 JTBC K-Drama Sweet Munchies‘ storyline relying on gay representation, it is unfortunately not substantial enough to truly be a BL (Boy Love) K-Drama.
Park Jin-sung (Jung Il Woo), a chef who works at a late-night snack restaurant, is struggling to find money to pay for his father’s medical bills. When Kim Ah-jin (Kang Ji Young), a television assistant director who is one of his regular clients, asks him if he knows a gay chef who could star in her cooking program, he decides to lie about his sexual orientation and gets the part. Both become involved with fashion designer Kang Tae-wan (Lee Hak Joo) who seems to hide a secret of his own.
— Wikipedia
It premiered at its highest of 1.531% and ended at its lowest of 0.444%. This 12-episode drama averaged a nationwide rating of 0.775%.
13. Welcome
KBS2‘s 2020 K-Drama Welcome is based on the 2009–2010 Naver Webtoon of the same name and stars Shin Ye Eun as graphic designer Sol Ah and Kim Myung Soo as Hong Jo, a cat who can take human form.
This show which aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays has a recorded lowest single-episode rating of 0.8%. At the time, it beat previously low-rated KBS2 K-Dramas Manhole (2017) and Lovely Horribly (2018). Even its average rating of 1.7% was considered the worst until it was broken by the MBC K-Drama Oh My Ladylord…
14. Oh My Ladylord (also known as Oh! My Master)
Oh My Ladylord is a rom-com about screenwriter Han Bi Soo (Lee Min Ki) and top actress Oh Joo In (Nana), whose seemingly unromantic lives truly unfold once they become roommates.
Oh My Ladylord is considered an example of “Drama Kingdom” MBC’s “downfall” due to its incredibly low ratings. Despite its prime time slot on a free-to-air TV network, it averaged a 1.6% viewership rating, which is the second lowest for a drama in its position. The KBS2 K-Drama Love All Play ended up breaking the record, but they tied with the lowest-rated episode of 0.9%, which in Oh My Ladylord‘s case was Episode 12. Welcome still has them beat with the lowest figure of 0.8%.
15. Love All Play (also known as 493km for You and Going to You at a Speed of 493km)
This 2022 sports romance drama aired every Wednesday and Thursday with a total of 16 episodes, and it’s available to stream on Disney+ in some regions. It stars Park Ju Hyun, Chae Jong Hyeop, Park Ji Hyun, Kim Mu Jun, and Seo Ji Hye as mixed-doubles badminton players.
Despite its pilot receiving its highest rating of 1.9%, it went on to have the “lowest-ever peak” of 0.9% for prime-time free TV. As previously mentioned, it broke Oh My Ladylord‘s 1.6% average with 1.4%
16. Imitation
2021 KBS2 K-Drama Imitation is based on the webtoon of the same name, focused on the lives of K-Pop idols, including a romance between a member of the top boy group and a member of a rookie girl group. It starred real K-Pop idols from groups ATEEZ, SF9, and U-KISS.
Despite its all-star cast, it maintained relatively low ratings. Episode 6 is its lowest rating at 0.4%; overall, it only averaged 0.885% nationwide.
17. Nevertheless
2021 JTBC K-Drama Nevertheless aired on Saturdays and is adapted from the popular Naver Webtoon of the same name. It focuses on a toxic romance between Yoo Na Bi (Han So Hee) and Park Jae Eon (Song Kang).
Despite its high 2.5% rating at the beginning, Nevertheless recorded its lowest rating of 0.994% with Episode 8.
18. Idol: The Coup
12-episode 2021 JTBC K-Drama Idol: The Coup aired on Mondays and Tuesdays. It starred an ensemble cast of EXID’s Hani, Laboum’s Solbin, Han So Eun, WJSN’s (Cosmic Girls) Exy, Kim Ji Won, Kwak Si Yang, and Kim Min Kyu.
Ironically, the K-Drama focuses on the struggling K-Pop girl group Cotton Candy which needs one more shot before being disbanded. This K-Drama also wasn’t a hit as it recorded a low of 0.354% with Episode 7. Its average rating is only 0.601%.
19. Never Give Up
ENA’s 2022 K-Drama Never Give Up (also known as There is No Goo Pil-Soo) tells the story of two different men: middle-aged former boxer turned chicken shop owner Goo Pil Soo (Kwak Do Won) and 20-something app developer Jung Suk (Highlight‘s Doojoon), who end living and working together. It aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays and is available to watch via Netflix.
The 16-episode drama, unfortunately, was never able to climb into the 1% range (its finale recorded at 0.958%). Its premiere recorded its lowest rating of 0.45%.
20. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
You probably think we made a mistake right now, but wait and let us explain…
As you probably know already, this other ENA K-Drama that was released internationally on Netflix focused on rookie attorney Woo Young Woo (Park Eun Bin), who is on the Autism spectrum, and her relationships with her family and coworkers as they solve legal cases. It aired every Wednesday and Thursday in the summer of 2022.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo actually did set the highest ratings in ENA history. Its finale not only received a phenomenal 17.5% nationwide rating (According to Wikipedia, this is the “eighth highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history and seventh highest-rated television drama by number of viewers,” by the way) but it was a huge hit internationally too, including in the U.S. Still, Extraordinary Attorney Woo premiered with one of the lowest TV ratings that year with only 0.9% rating. Thanks to word-of-mouth, it became the popular, award-winning drama we know and love, and it is planned to have a Webtoon and second season. Let this be a lesson that it’s not always how you start but how you finish!
Now check out some of the highest-rated K-Dramas below.
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