₩50 Billion K-Drama Disaster—Flops to Worst Ratings Ever in a Shocking Finale

tvN’s big-budget weekend drama When The Stars Gossip has failed to turn the tide, ending its run with disappointing ratings and lukewarm reviews from viewers.

According to Nielsen Korea on February 24, the finale of When The Stars Gossip (written by Seo Sook-hyang, directed by Park Shin-woo), which aired the previous day, recorded a nationwide rating of 2.5%, matching the same figure in Seoul.

The sci-fi romance follows the story of Eve (Gong Hyo-jin), the boss of a zero-gravity space station, and Gong Ryong (Lee Min-ho), an unexpected visitor with a secret mission. With a staggering production budget of ₩50 billion, it was highly anticipated, especially as Gong Hyo-jin’s first drama after marriage and her on-screen romance with global Hallyu star Lee Min-ho. The supporting cast included talented actors like Oh Jung-se, Heo Nam-jun, and more, further heightening expectations. However, the drama ultimately failed to live up to its promise.

The show’s peak rating came early, hitting 3.9% in its second episode, only to decline steadily, dipping into the 1% range in later episodes. This made it one of tvN’s worst-performing weekend dramas in recent years, with the last 1%-range weekend drama being Melting Me Softly starring Ji Chang-wook in 2019. Since tvN moved its primetime drama slot from Fridays and Saturdays to weekends in 2017, this marks only the second time a weekend series has suffered such a steep ratings drop.

Despite praise for its visual elements and unique outer-space setting, the drama struggled with inconsistent storytelling and a lack of coherence. Many viewers had hoped for intense, gripping sequences set in a high-stakes space environment, but were instead met with cliché tropes and predictable plotlines that hampered engagement. Scenes involving a lottery-winning subplot and a “secret birth” twist were criticized as unnecessary, while the latter half of the drama lost its original sci-fi appeal. The chemistry between the leads failed to shine, and the slow, exposition-heavy start weighed down the pacing. Competing dramas airing at the same time also outperformed it, further diminishing its impact.

The finale took an even more unexpected turn—Gong Hyo-jin’s character, Eve, died after giving birth in space, shocking viewers. This tragic ending sparked backlash, with many criticizing the drama for an unsatisfying conclusion. Disappointed reactions flooded online communities:

"A rom-com where the female lead dies? What were they thinking?"

"I stuck with this for 16 episodes, and this is the ending we get?"

"Of all things, did they really have to kill Eve off?"

"This ending is such a letdown."

"Honestly, I wish I hadn’t watched at all."

"I feel betrayed by this finale."

"They completely ignored what the audience actually wanted."

In the final episode, Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin) gave birth on the space station but passed away shortly after. Despite realizing that her pelvic bone had been fractured, she kept it a secret and went through childbirth, only to die a day later. Gong Ryong (Lee Min-ho) was left reminiscing about their last moments together, recalling how the day of their child’s birth in space became one of the most meaningful yet heartbreaking moments of his life. The drama attempted to leave an emotional impact with its depiction of sacrifice and love in an extreme environment, but for many, it felt like an unnecessary tragedy.

Meanwhile, When The Stars Gossip will be followed by tvN’s upcoming weekend drama The Potato Lab, premiering on March 1. Starring Lee Sun-bin and Kang Tae-oh, the drama takes place in a peaceful rural village and follows a romance sparked by potatoes. Whether this new series will break the streak of low ratings remains to be seen.

📊 tvN’s When The Stars Gossip Ratings Trend (Nielsen Korea, Nationwide)

Ep. 1 (Jan 4): 3.3%

Ep. 2 (Jan 5): 3.9%

Ep. 3 (Jan 11): 2.2%

Ep. 4 (Jan 12): 2.8%

Ep. 5 (Jan 18): 1.8%

Ep. 6 (Jan 19): 2.9%

Ep. 7 (Jan 25): 1.8%

Ep. 8 (Jan 26): 2.2%

Ep. 9 (Feb 1): 2.1%

Ep. 10 (Feb 2): 2.7%

Ep. 11 (Feb 8): 1.9%

Ep. 12 (Feb 9): 2.1%

Ep. 13 (Feb 15): 1.9%

Ep. 14 (Feb 16): 1.9%

Ep. 15 (Feb 22): 1.8%

Ep. 16 (Feb 23): 2.5%