Worth The Watch? The 5 K-Dramas With The Lowest Single-Episode Ratings In History

Making a K-Drama is difficult work. Anything, and we mean anything, can affect their ratings. A few examples are plots, time slots, actors/actresses, channels, movements/daily news, and so much more. However, it could also be a simple case of the series not being very good or boring.

Whatever the case, these 5 K-Dramas have landed themselves at the bottom. Although the entire series could be rated higher, these shows have episodes that have sunk lower than any K-Drama before them. But are they that bad?

We’ve provided the rating, the specific episode, the synopsis, and fans’ main complaints and praises so you can decide for yourself! After all, not everything at the bottom is bad!

5. Manhole [Episode 8: 1.4%]

Bong Pil (Kim Jae Joong) is an unemployed man who mooches off his parents while pretending to study for the civil service exam. Bong Pil eventually travels into the past through a manhole to stop the wedding of his lifelong crush, Soo Jin (Uee), set to happen one week into the future.

Fan Complaints: kind of idiotic at times, confusing, messy, last 6 episodes don’t make sense, the female lead is selfish

Fan Praises: interesting concept, entertaining side stories, great acting, unpredictable, light-hearted fun, great OST

4. Lovely Horribly [Episode 25: 1%]

An unusual fate binds a man and a woman: one’s happiness always results in the other’s misfortune. The two start writing a TV show together, and the events in the screenplay mysteriously begin occurring in real life.

Fan Complaints: plot becomes unnecessarily complicated, confusing, no chemistry, forgettable, awkward

Fan Praises: intriguing plot, HIGHLIGHT‘s Gikwang, good acting, hilarious, great chemistry

3. Welcome (Meow, The Secret Boy) [Episode 23: 0.8%]

As a graphic designer in her mid-twenties, Sol Ah (Shin Ye Eun) dreams of becoming a web-based comic author and has always had a love-hate relationship with cats. However, Sol Ah’s life changes fast when she brings home a friendly cat that turned out to be a human! The cat-human Hong Jo (Kim Myung Soo/INFINITE‘s L) becomes fond of Sol Ah and goes to great lengths to hide his human identity from her. 

Fan Complaints: forgettable, cut short due to low ratings, mediocre, concept is odd, simple, too long, boring

Fan Praises: cute, comforting, great acting, cute OST, light-hearted, the cat, simple, meaningful second lead character growth

2. Dae Jang Geum Is Watching [Episode 31: 0.6%]

This series imagines how the descendants of the famous female Joseon doctor and alleged culinary genius Dae Jang Geum might live today if they inherited some of her talents. San Hae (Shin Dong Wook) has been gifted with an excellent sense of taste which has made him a connoisseur of food. His younger sister, Jin Mi (Lee Yeol Eum), has been gifted with an exceptional sense of smell, and their younger brother, Jung Shik (Kim Hyun Joon), runs his own YouTube cooking channel. 

Fan Complaints: occasionally idiotic, occasionally over the top, the female lead is annoying, a little too long, sexist

Fan Praises: good romances, BTOB, actual recipes you can make, relaxing, light-hearted, cute

1. Imitation [Episode 6: 0.4%]

Lee Ma Ha (Jeong Ji Ho) is a member of the K-pop girl group Tea Party, which was formed by Ji Hak (former g.o.d‘s Danny Ahn), who was once the manager of the famous boy group Shax but resigned after the sudden disappearance of member Eun Jo (SF9‘s Chani). Before joining Tea Party, Ma Ha was a member of Omega III, which disbanded on its debut day due to a tragic incident involving a former trainee at the group’s company. This led Ma Ha to perform as an impersonator of the popular solo singer La Li Ma (former T-ARA’s Jiyeon).

Starting anew with Tea Party, Ma Ha repeatedly crosses paths with Kwon Ryuk (U-KISS‘s Jun), the most popular member of Shax, who is still haunted by Eun Jo’s disappearance. While Ryuk dislikes Ma Ha due to her imitation of Li Ma, the two eventually begin to grow interested in one another and start a secret relationship that could put both of their careers in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Lee Yu Jin (ATEEZ‘s Yunho), Ma Ha’s loyal friend who is the center of the rising boy group Sparkling, has been in love with Ma Ha since their trainee days. 

Fan Complaints: messy, the main leads (especially the female lead), felt like low budget/little effort, the styling for the actresses, the time slot (it’s a midnight K-Drama and right after The Penthouse)

Fan Praises: all of the idols who participated (from g.o.d, ATEEZ, SF9, T-ARA, U-KISS, Boys’ Republic, PRISTIN, JXR, and soloists), teaching fans more about the K-Pop industry, great acting, the main leads, funny, entertaining