Categories: K-dramas

K-ent Continues to Ponder Over the Exceedingly Low Ratings of MBC Fri-Sat Fantasy Drama Tomorrow with Kim Hee Sun, Ro Woon, and Lee Soo Hyuk

The MBC Fri-Sat night fantasy grim reapers suicide prevention squad drama Tomorrow is getting headlines for all the wrong reasons, and the most fascinating thing is that this drama should work but isn’t working at all to such a noticeable degree it’s making pundit ponder what went wrong. The drama started off with a very promising 7.6% ratings but then took a steep nosedive down in the second episode to 3.5% and other than going up to 5.4% in episode 3 it’s been mired in the 2%-3% ratings range. The drama hit a new low in episode 10 with 2.5% ratings. When discussing the low ratings, there hasn’t been one central reason but the feedback hits on a few repeated points – the acting with the leads not bringing the emotional connection needed, which is especially crucial for a story what is depressing as it deals with people struggling in life and seeking death, and the directing is being panned as well for not adapting the source material to life in a way that makes viewers want to keep watching. What do you guys think? I’m sad Kim Hee Sun and her queen visuals with the punk pink hair can’t make this one work.

ockoala

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  • I actually quite enjoy this drama, KHS is bringing her A game into it but maybe the suicide theme is too heavy for korean viewers?? The cases might get easy resolutions but they are realistic situations that do touch the heart. Acting talent imo is never the main culprit of bad ratings unless it's too appalling from every single member of the cast, since many dramas with mid to terrible acting got decent numbers and only Rowoon seems a bit out of place in this show (he wasn't stellar in his previous drama either and it got good ratings so he's not ratings poison).

    • His Lipstick drama wallowed in 1% ratings. And TKA was hard-carried by PEB in every way (hence her getting the deserved Baeksang nom). So maybe he IS ratings poison, after all. LOL. But his crap acting isn't the only issue with this show. I agree with @Mimi's points below.

      • I enjoy viewing this Kdrama "Tomorrow" it's the waiting to see the upcoming episodes that's cause the ratings to drop! Even though it is fantasy, there's one thing that is factual about those who wish to prematurely end their lives, and that there are Guardians out there, be it Reapers or Angels helping them prevent such a tragedy and unnecessary loss of human life. It's what I love about "Tomorrow", a clear message how precious a life is! I rated a 10+! 👍🏻😉💜

    • He is rating poison because most of the scenes in King Affection is carried by the actress, plus the fact that the storyline is strong and we care for all the characters, who cares if the lipstick is pretty or not. Plus, Rowoon's character remain the same, I dropped it after 4. Plus, the solution is not that easy, despite having realistic issues. Suicide and bulimia need proper counselling and medical attention.

      • Wow!! If a show does well then it's all because of other actors and if it doesn't work well with ratings then it's entirely rowoon's fault lol
        One side you say you hv watched only 4 episodes then how do you his character remains same. Anyways
        I agree bulimia needs medical attention but do you actually get the whole idea of the show. They are grim reapers not professional counselors or doctors. This show teaches us how your words can do magic for those who wants to end their lives.we need to understand them and should make them feel loved!! Their problems are real. This drama tells us why people feel like giving up and what role we(without being professional) can play inorder to make them feel better.
        Show is not getting ratings as people just expect a show to provide a ready made solution.
        I hv seen many people who love this show so as you said who cares if the ratings (lipstick) is pretty or not !!

    • I believe they should add some suitable music to it. Also, they should allow themselves to deviate a bit from the webtoon, and make an episode dedicated to thr two leaders previous lives connection...Like : KHS is intervening in a case but gets in a dangerous situation, fsild to save her chsrge,and is saved by thr other tram leader..the shock brings back their love memories, end og episode.Next episode they continue their eork like nothing hsppened, but they keep looking at each other, etc. T

    • The king's affection is not that good like PEB is good but that's all.

      It's like saeguk drama that lack saeguk nuance but good enough as romcom.
      Rowon didn't even help to make it better.

      • The King's Affection was one of the best sageuk of 2021. It's the only one that told the story about the FL until the end and didn't switch for the ML like Red Sleeve, Lovers of the Red Sky or River Where The Moon Rises. The whole drama was about Hwi getting her identity back. The ML was a beta character, he had his part, he helped the FL. He was important too to make the FL evolving. But the story was about the FL and Park Eun-Bin was great in this role!

      • It is not that good but how come one of the actresses got selected for a Baeksang award. Rowoon is not the center of the show and the main focus of the story anyway.

      • For me, the FL's approach to suicidal people in the first few episodes put a bitter taste in my mouth that I just couldn't get over. That, and the "solutions" they found felt shallow. Even if they'd just put in a little aside that they were referring people to a counselor they have a deal with, I would have felt better about it.

        I don't think the ratings are any one actor's fault. I think it lacks a consistent tone and feels a little like forced happy endings for the people struggling with depression.

    • I agree. I look forward to each episode even though the solutions are too simplistic for such a serious mental illness. I have seen much worse acting and directing so agree most of the blame is on subject matter —similar to 39. Anyway, hope they finish well and viewers give them another chance.

  • There are a lot of problems.
    1. It's too simplistic, which makes me mad given the subject matter. I was done for good after the bulimia episode. The thing is if they just showed a 5 second scene at the end with the characters entering a therapist office or attending group counseling or something, it would be fine.
    2.There is no character development with the leads. Rowoon's character does not learn.
    3. Lee Soo-hyuk shows up for one scene in a lot of the episodes.
    4. They should have structured this more like Mystic Pop Up Bar. Have the case of the week but spend time making the audience care about the characters so the audience cares about what happened in the past.

    • I'm still watching it, but you've hit on all the weak spots I've noticed. On top of that, Saturday is completely packed with dramas. The drop in ratings isn't a surprise.

      Because there is no character development in the writing with the leads, the actors are sort of wasted, and there is a limit to how much more they can deliver than what's given. The reapers' stories also have little momentum. It's like we're 8 episodes into an 8-season long procedural from the US, but this drama needs to wrap up in 16 episodes. You can do case-of-the-week and still fit in backstories if the scenes and the suicidal-person-of-the-week's story were more succinct.

      There are some standout episodes, like the one with the veteran and the one with the dog.

    • Yeap, this show is simplistic from A-Z with no character development from Rowoon.Plus the way they solve the problems are too easy.

  • I really like this drama but it's not a drama easy to watch without taking breaks. The subjects are heavy. This drama adressed how these people ended in this state, it's not about the processus of healing. This processus is to long to be showns and it's not the role of Grimp Reaper neither. They're not therapists. But in the last episode about the rape, they showed how it wasn't only the rapist who made the victim suffered but her family, friend and the justice. As an audience, it reminds us our role too.

    The trio is really good together, each member has his own role.

    • I agree. I look forward to each episode even though the solutions are too simplistic for such a serious mental illness. I have seen much worse acting and directing so agree most of the blame is on subject matter —similar to 39. Anyway, hope they finish well and viewers give them another chance.

  • The drama is decent but its emotionally draining to watch and has simplistic take on a very complicated subject matter. The best part of this drama is Kim Hee Sun and Lee Soo Hyuk, they have so much chemistry. The writer director team should have recognized this fast enough and made changes to center the story a bit more on them. Rowoon is good but does nothing for me here. Emotionally most viewers are intrigued by Koo Ryeon and Joon Gil's back story, every frame they share has strong tension and we barely get them together on screen....they really should have focused more on that.

  • This is really a matter of direction. The characters are fine, the storyline is great. If Seems to me that direction is lost. A shame for the talents actors involved

    • I really love the show. I think it covers things well and the acting is wonderful. The one with the dog made us cry. Maybe in America we see things differently?

      • I couldn't agree more with you. I'm loving this drama, and it's hard for me to be so into a drama without cringing so hard. Perhaps because it lacks romance and I love that. I do hope they show us the lead Reapers past. I'm dying to see that. And I find Rowoon's acting fine, trust me, I've seen worse.

      • I agree, I really love this show almost every episode made me cry especially with the dog and the special send away of the older guy of his past life in the Korean War. I couldn’t stop crying. ❤️

  • The acting and cast is fine,i dont think there is any issue regarding the actors but the theme of the drama is quite complicated. It can't keep everybody glued but I still find it good especially KHS's acting and look.

  • I think the show definitely lacks something. It's frankly a bit dry and boring. I want more on the back stories of our reapers than the procedural day by day suicide cases they got going on.

    • I agree, they show us small glimpse of the reapers history and its frustrating cos you want it to move along. I did find all the suicide stories very emotional and especially the war veteran story really hurt. These issues are being highlighted well through this drama. In all the doom and gloom I do find Rawoon is the little Ray of light.

  • I like this drama. Fave episode would be the soldier grandpa and the puppy story.
    They do tend to make the problem solved with no deep and more exolore how, it's like bad editing.
    Thought that lee soo hyuk will show more in this but he just show up one or two time. He and KHS really intriguing and make me curious and on top of that they have the best acting in this.
    I find KRW really annoying. Never in each episode he doesn't make me want to have him vanished and replace with LSH instead. I don't know if it's his character or his acting or both.
    Hope this can be fix or not since I don't know if this drama already finished shooting.
    Last episode of rape case, yeah that's what I thought, it's not the SA that's every victim felt more hurting but the blame from everyone. Why must the victim be blame? And the worst is in korean society. Them with their man superior culture. Sigh

    • It's not KRW acting but his character, if you read the webtoon, his character more annoying rather than drama.

      But if we look the case, it's too realistic, like the bullying case, s*xual assault case, the society is worst like you said, esp when the perpetrator only got light punishment

  • I was very moved by each episode. In each episode it was very emotional for me. These topics should be acknowledged to people. Suicide and depression and bullying are very serious.

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