Over the past month, tvN has launched four new shows, but none have managed to surpass 3% viewership. Despite offering diverse themes such as travel, food, sports, and variety formats with star-studded lineups, critics noted a lack of freshness and entertainment value.
Since November, tvN has introduced programs like “The ways of tasting” with Kim Go-eun and Lee Ji-ah on a culinary travel adventure, “Little giant strikers” a youth soccer team on display, the Sunday variety show “Nice guys”AND “Rent in Finland”which follows actors as they adapt to rural life in Finland.
However, the results were disappointing:
• “The ways of tasting“ started with a modest 1.1% of viewers for the first two episodes and dropped to 0.7% in the third. Although it aimed to pair whiskey and food during trips through South Korea and Taiwan, the lack of depth and originality left audiences unimpressed.
• “Small giant strikers“ it was reminiscent of the popular show of the past “Shoot the fly Dori”but with a women’s football team instead of a men’s. Featuring the daughters of famous soccer stars, the show started with a 2.0% rating but dropped to 1.8% in the second episode, far below its predecessor’s 3.5% peak.
• “Nice guys”presented as a new Sunday variety hit, which also underperformed. With a cast including Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Dong-hyun, Lee Yi-kyung, Shin Seung-ho and Oh Sang-wook, and produced by a former “2 days and 1 night” PD, the show tried to gain attention by featuring BTS Jin as a guest in its first episode. However, the show’s missions and cultural exploration felt too similar “2 days and 1 night”resulting in a lack of originality. The split team format in the first episode also hindered the chemistry between the cast members.
• “Rent in Finland”starring Cha Eun-woo, Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, and Kwak Dong-yeon, it achieved a viewership rating of 3.3% for its debut episode. The show documents the actors adapting to rural Finnish life without electricity, Wi-Fi or running water. Although Cha Eun-woo stood out with his charm and good looks, especially after revealing his equally charming younger brother, the overall chemistry and novelty of the cast failed to captivate viewers.
Despite the visual appeal and star-studded lineups, a lack of engaging content continues to plague tvN’s variety shows. As the end of the year approaches, the network faces disappointment from a slew of underperforming programs that leave their annual report cards less than stellar.
Source: TenAsia
