Reasons Why “Apartment 404,” Starring BLACKPINK’s Jennie, Is Flopping

TvN’s new Korean variety show Apartment 404 was highly anticipated due to its all-star cast, including beloved MC Yoo Jae Suk and BLACKPINK‘s Jennie.

Six residents try to uncover unprecedented incidents and mysteries in apartments in South Korea in this true-story mystery variety show that transcends time and space! Each episode will be based on real events and have a unique setting in a different period and location, stimulating viewers’ investigative skills and memories of each era. Who will be the main character who will solve the secret?

— tvN via MyDramaList

Despite the initial hype and phenomenal cast, it has not brought in the expected viewership. Instead, it continues to suffer a declining rate of viewers in South Korea.

Looking at all three episodes released so far, Apartment 404 has steadily decreased. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode aired on February 23 garnered a 2.7% viewership, which went down to 2.1% for the second one (March 1) and reached 1.7% for the third (March 8).

This went viral on the online community TheQoo, sparking mixed reactions. While some were surprised, many were not, saying that it was “boring.”

• “It was kind of boring TT.”
• “It’s just not fun.”
• “I watched it just for the sake of it, and it wasn’t funny…It was fun when they did it once in a while on ‘Running Man,’ but these spy and identity reveal games being played again and again has made it boring.”
• “I like to watch it while eating, it’s fun for me.”
• “Even tvN is struggling with entertainment shows, I see. These days, even if you have all kinds of celebrities on popular entertainment shows, seeing how they only get 1-2% makes me realize it’s getting tough in that field.”
• “It was fun for me though? Even if I miss the real-time airing, I watch the re-runs. I hope they do this show for a long time.”
• “It’s really boring. The format is too poorly constructed to work in today’s day and age. I was going to watch it because I liked the cast, but I gave up after watching episode 1.”

Now, netizens are also taking the discussion to Reddit. OP (Original Poster) and commenters naturally couldn’t help but compare the show to previous Korean variety shows, especially those featuring Yoo Jae Suk. Many netizens think that Apartment 404 feels repetitive. They want to see something fresh.

is Apartment 404 Variety show a flop?
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One theory for bad ratings is that Apartment 404 was targeted at young people. Yet, the younger generation doesn’t watch much television. Rather, they stream or even watch clips online later.

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Not everyone agreed with this. Instead, they blamed the pacing, how “scripted” it is, and the game choices.

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What most could agree on, though, is that overall, Apartment 404 just felt “boring” and “dry.”

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What do you think?

Apartment 404 is currently available for streaming on tvN, TVING, and Prime Video.