“Nevertheless” Fails To Live Up To Its Hype, As It Records Its Lowest Ratings Yet

JTBC‘s Nevertheless amassed hot attention at the news of its release for several different reasons. The K-Drama made headlines after it received a 19+ rating for its adult content, and to make things even more exciting for future viewers, two of South Korea’s hottest “it” actors Song Kang and Han So Hee were revealed as the two main leads. As the series garnered plenty of attention before its release, there was a lot of hype to live up to. Unfortunately, it seems that they have yet to meet the expectations.

“Nevertheless” poster featuring Han So Hee (left) and Song Kang (right) | JTBC

According to South Korea’s viewership ratings website Nielson Korea, Nevertheless‘ first episode, which aired on June 19 recorded a rating of 2.2%. This number is surprisingly low in comparison to the hype that had been built prior to the series’ premiere. However, the second episode, which aired a week later on June 26 had an even lower viewership rating of 1.3%, which stunned viewers and netizens even more.

Graph provided by “Nielson Korea” | Nielson Korea

And while the impressive cast and adult rating seemed to excite potential viewers of the JTBC K-Drama, it seems that it wasn’t enough in comparison to people’s expectations. Previously, Song Kang received mixed responses for his acting abilities that were showcased within the first episode of the series. Comments, such as “his acting is web-drama level at best” and “his voice isn’t meant for acting” began to circulate online, which netizens believe may have attributed to the low ranking of Nevertheless.

Still from “Nevertheless” | JTBC

With the recent airing of the second episode, however, it seems that netizens had more to say about the K-Drama and the overall acting abilities of not just Song Kang, but both of the leads.

| theqoo

• “1% is pretty bad.”
• “I can’t hear any of Han So Hee’s parts so I don’t understand people who say she’s better. I think the supporting actors’ acting is way better.”
• “It’s not just the acting that’s a problem, but the plot is an issue as well.”
• “Han So Hee isn’t too bad, but the overall vibe of the drama is frustrating so I can’t watch it.”
• “They’re not good at acting and to make matters worse, the male and female leads have no chemistry.”
• “You can’t even blame anybody because everyone is equally awful.”

Still from “Nevertheless” | JTBC

JTBC has been known for its impressive run of high viewership rating K-Dramas, such as Law School, Itaewon Class, SKY Castle, and The World of Married, which may be why the low viewership ratings of Nevertheless came as an even bigger surprise. In addition to that, Han So Hee experienced overnight popularity after her role in The World of Married, where she showed off her incredible acting skills. This JTBC K-drama has been credited with her success, as the actress catapulted into her mega-star status. This may have further contributed to the overall surprise of Nevertheless‘ 1.3% rating.

Han So Hee in “The World of Married” | JTBC

Nevertheless is based on a webtoon with the same name and it follows the story of two art students, Park Jae Eon (played by Song Kang) and Yoo Na Bi (played by Han So Hee.) They both have no interest in love, dating or relationships, yet they find themselves feeling pulled to one other. In a romantic “friends with benefits” type of storyline, the JTBC series received a 19+ rating for its adult content.

Only two episodes have been released on Netflix, so while the series has been receiving negative feedback thus far, there is still exponential room for a potential ratings breakthrough. You can catch new episodes of Nevertheless every Saturday on Netflix.