The highly promoted Tvn drama “When the Stars Gossip”, invoiced as the first “Space Drama” of Korea with a large budget and a constant cast from stars, was unable to satisfy expectations.
Despite its high profile cast, including Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Min I have and impressive Space CGI, the show fought to capture the interest of the spectators. In preview with a rate of spectators of 3.3%, since then it has dropped less than 1%, without signs of improvement. Despite the short ranking in the Netflix top 10, it came out of the list.
The poor reception of the drama led to a drop in the prices of the shares for CJ Enm and Studio Dragon. The production team recognized the complex narrative of the show and mixed reactions, also by publishing an explanatory video to face criticism. The lack of emotional connection, sudden emotional changes in the zero gravity field and an unrealistic love story were the main points of criticism. Spectators accustomed to traditional romantic comedies fought to commit themselves to the unique concept.
While the production team underlined the uniqueness of space as an environment, the inability of the show to provide an exciting emotional spa or convince the spectators of its premise raises questions about the fact that it can recover. This marks the first time in four years when a TV drama has had an evaluation of spectators below 1%. The future of “When the Stars Gossip” and its ability to resonate with the spectators remains uncertain.
