tvN's "When the Stars Gossip" is turning out to be a big disappointment despite its huge investment and star power. After pouring a massive 50 billion KRW into the production, the drama is barely holding on, with ratings in the 2% range.
The drama, which stars Gong Hyo Jin as Eve, a boss on a zero-gravity space station, and Lee Min Ho as Gongryong, a mysterious visitor with a secret mission, started off with some buzz.
However, it quickly fell flat with viewership numbers starting at just 3.3% for the first episode and dropping to a disappointing 2% by episodes 3 and 4.
For comparison, SBS’s "My Perfect Secretary" started at 5.2% and quickly surged past 10%, while JTBC’s "The Tale of Lady Ok" also crossed 10%. Even tvN’s "Queen of Tears" was a much bigger hit, starting at 5.9% and peaking at a staggering 24.9%.
So, what went wrong? There are several reasons why this space-themed drama failed to land with viewers. First, the much-hyped "first-ever zero-gravity space station in a Korean drama" concept just didn’t catch on.
While mixing sci-fi, romantic comedy, and space office genres sounded unique, it turned out to be too much of a mismatch for the audience. Despite the fresh take on often-repetitive themes like infidelity, it failed to win viewers’ hearts.
Second, the gigantic 50 billion KRW production cost created sky-high expectations that just weren’t met. The space station scenes and zero-gravity effects, which used over 10 billion KRW for VFX, raised hopes for a groundbreaking project, but the reality has been underwhelming.
As the saying goes, "The higher the expectation, the bigger the disappointment," and the low ratings make this even more embarrassing.
On top of that, some unnecessary and distracting sex scenes have left fans questioning the direction of the show. From random bed scenes between Lee Min Ho and Han Ji Eun to Gong Hyo Jin and Kim Joo Hun, the plot feels lost amid bizarre and awkward moments.
Even space scenes involving fruit flies mating or strange concepts like distorted sperm have added to the confusion.
In fact, in episode 4’s preview, viewers saw another bed scene between Lee El and Kim Joo Hun, leading some to wonder if Kim Joo Hun’s armpit hair will become the most memorable part of the drama.
The flop of "When the Stars Gossip" is also causing major trouble for CJ ENM, which is already struggling to keep up with competitors like Netflix.
The company’s stock has seen a sharp decline, dropping from 70,000 KRW to a low of 50,000 KRW. As a result, several securities firms are slashing CJ ENM's profit estimates and lowering their target stock prices, further reflecting the bleak outlook for the entertainment giant.
With lowered expectations for 2025, it’s clear that "When the Stars Gossip" has left a lasting impact that CJ ENM wasn’t expecting.
Source: [1]
