Lee Min-ho’s Drama Flopped — Now Another tvN Drama Tanks with 1% Ratings

2025-04-07 16:15

tvN continues to struggle with its weekend drama slate

The finale of tvN’s weekend drama The Potato Lab wrapped on April 6 with a nationwide viewership rating of just 1.79%, falling short of even its underperforming predecessor. The drama marked yet another disappointing finish for tvN, despite a 50 billion KRW production budget.

After the ratings failure of its high-budget predecessor When the Stars Gossip (starring Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin), expectations were high for The Potato Lab to turn the tide. Unfortunately, the drama ended with a lackluster 1.79% nationwide rating and 1.71% in the Seoul metro area, according to Nielsen Korea.

Even worse, it fell short of When the Stars Gossip’s already low finale rating of 2.6%, reaffirming the ongoing crisis in tvN’s once-powerful weekend drama lineup.

Finale Ending Scene of The Potato Lab. / YouTube, tvN Diggle

📺 Big Expectations, Bigger Disappointment

From the beginning, The Potato Lab was touted as the "savior" of tvN’s weekend slot. To boost anticipation, the network aired a variety special titled Potato Three Meals a week before the premiere and ramped up marketing efforts.

But the premiere opened at just 1.7%, and although the show peaked at 2.0% by episodes 4, 8, and 9, it never sustained momentum. Ratings fell as low as 1.1% in episode 5 — making it the first tvN weekend drama since 2017 to debut in the 1% range.

tvN's The Potato Lab Scene Screenshot. / Courtesy of tvN

📊 While Rivals Rise, tvN Slips

The contrast with competing shows couldn’t be sharper. SBS’s Buried Hearts (starring Park Hyung-sik) reached a series high of 14.6%, while JTBC’s The Art of Negotiation (starring Lee Je-hoon) surged from 3.3% in its premiere to 8.8% by its 10th episode.

With both public broadcasters and cable rivals rising, The Potato Lab failed to break through in content, planning, or promotion — exiting quietly and missing its opportunity to revive tvN’s weekend lineup.

The Potato Lab Episode 12 Highlight. / YouTube, tvN DRAMA

💬 Viewers Praise the Story but Mourn the Ratings

Despite the low ratings, many viewers expressed heartfelt appreciation for the show. On Naver Talk, fans commented:

“It’s my personal No. 1 drama of the year.”

“It was so warm and healing — it deserved better.”

“There aren’t many dramas like this anymore. What a shame.”

🥔 A Soft Ending with Bittersweet Closure

In the final episode, main characters So Baek-ho (Kang Tae-oh) and Kim Mi-kyung (Lee Sun-bin) overcame their emotional rift and reconciled. Baek-ho offered a sincere apology for his selfish past, and Mi-kyung accepted his honesty. The series ended on a hopeful note, flashing forward three years to show the couple happily running a guesthouse and potato research center together.

The Potato Lab Ending Scene. / YouTube, tvN Diggle

🔄 What’s Next for tvN?

Up next is Resident Playbook (also known as Wise Resident Life), premiering April 12. A spinoff of the hit Hospital Playlist series, this drama focuses not on professors but on first-year residents navigating the realities of medical life. Directed by Shin Won-ho and written by Lee Woo-jung, the show features Go Youn-jung, Shin Si-ah, and Kang Yoo-seok in lead roles.

Given its delay due to last year’s medical resident strike, the drama’s portrayal of Korea’s current healthcare climate will be closely watched — and could determine whether tvN’s weekend lineup finds its next breakout hit.