The Massive Scope of the Failure of When the Stars Gossip Leads the Overall Trend of Money Losses and Struggles in the K-drama Industry with tvN and CJ E&M Taking Big Hits
There is a very comprehensive and in depth Nate news article (here) going into detail with hard numbers on why the breadth and scope of the failure of space romance K-drama When the Stars Gossip will have “heads will roll” and “things must change” type ramifications across the industry. So let’s get to it as I explain the highlights of this article (my comments in italics) on what the failures are with the drama: (1) Stars is the first tvN weekend drama in 6-years to hit 1% ratings since Melting Me Softly, (2) it’s also fallen of the Netflix top 10 by the second week of streaming, (3) none of the uploaded videos to tvN’s Youtube channel have over 100K views, (4) the production started at 10 billion won and went up to 50 billion won with Lee Min Ho and Gong Hyo Jin’s salaries and will end between 60-70 billion won after post-production work and special effects, (5) initially it was aimed to be a Netflix original but Netflix refused, then tvN held it back waiting for Mainland China to lift the ban on Korean entertainment believing Lee Min Ho was super popular there, but in the end tvN couldn’t wait any longer, (6) the premise of an OB/GYN going to space to artificially inseminate the lazy sperm left by the dead son of a chaebol (hahahah, even writing this out is lolz) was far-fetched, (7) despite being billed as a romance, the chemistry between the lead doctor and space commander was not good and their emotional line was not relatable (to any human) and the bed scene at the end of episode 8 was not touching and instead bizarre with old-fashioned CGI special effects (double lolz), (8) supporting characters did not have good story lines and many feel miscast, (9) the directing was choppy and would transition suddenly like being cut off, (10) this will be a big stain for both leads – Lee Min Ho for having a series of dramas not do as well in ratings as expected for an actor of his level, other than good reviews for Pachinko, and Gong Hyo Jin finally getting called out for acting the same way every time, this time even more obvious and blatant.
CJ E&M is also struggling, last year despite the success of Queen of Tears it ended the year in the red due to Jeongnyeon: A Star is Born – Kim Tae Ri‘s salary was too high, equal to Kim Soo Hyun for QoT, but that drama made 54 billion won in revenue/profit whereas Jeongnyeon did not make a profit. The drama got strong domestic ratings and reviews but poor overseas viewership on Disney+ and overseas is where K-dramas expect to make their money back. This news article ends by saying going forward, tvN will return to the Wed-Thurs time slot and hope to produce more dramas but each at a lower budget so it can sell more CFs due to increased time slots but not be hampered by huge budgets. Due to the changes in the industry landscape, the only thing the production companies can do is manage and contain production costs and that will be the top directive this year and beyond. Last few years as costs on productions sky rocketed, it ended up being a double-edged sword as only Netflix could afford to pay the prices needed to sell the drama at a profit for the production. By lowering costs, the productions hope it will once again expand the pool of potential buyers for the dramas and everyone can benefit from it.
IMO the problem is somewhat universal. You can hear more or less the same complaints about the entertainment industy all around the world. I was reading an article on Guardian couple of weeks ago and there it was said it is getting extremely hard to produce high quality series in Britain and there the blame was placed on the streaming platform and high production costs. I think the main problem is lack of good script. Even internationally successfull works are remakes (Dune for istance). I don’t know is it they have run out of ideas or what. But most of the series I recently watched (from all around the world) seem visually attractive but empty, unnatural and fabricated. There was a time when the story was rich to such a level that it got to you, kept you remembering the dialogues. But nowadays the entertainment industry resembles fast fashion to me. They are shinny in the outside mainly count on their popular cast (usually with lots of followers) or high quality visual effects to gain audience or worse include lots of violence. Yet they come and go without making an influence. Interestingly the series I recently watched and liked was low-budgeted production but had robust stories. I don’t know, after all I am in my late 30s maybe the younger generation have a different taste.
Adaptation and remakes of already successful source material are a better bet than something completely new. With increasing production costs there is this risk avoidance strategy to not produce something the audience isn’t familiar with. So, everything feels bland and mostly unexciting. I do not think it’s a lack of good ideas. It’s the requirements decision makers put on scripts and the fear of not strike the mass audience taste that cripples even well intended productions to be slaughtered before release. If you cater to all tastes at once nothing will be enjoyable. I also read a Hollywood critic mention that nobody is allowed to be intellectually overchallenged anymore and things are supposed to be simple that everybody can follow and as many people as possible are willing to pay/ subscribe and see it.
I’m not watching WTSG. What I read is insane. Like taking blindly a bit of diffrent ingredients that a popular, wisk them choppily together, sprikle it with repulsive elements and then half-baked them, expecting them to be a 3 start courses menu. Ugh!
Oh my god, I agree in so many levels! I’m so craving for remakes or old style dramas where you couldn’t stop watching, I even feel I haven’t finished watching any drama for the past years, they get boring AF and I tend to drop them. To be honest the last drama that made me feel in the same way as I used to was: HATE TO LOVE YOU. Incredibly simple yet had that same effect K-dramas used to have on me.
I have to agree with you based on my own experience of watching international shows from K drama, Japanese drama, Thai drama, Chinese drama,,Turkish drama I feel like what made shows simple yet magical seems to be missing. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s like a story had a heart and had characters that you rooted for, and instance chemistry btw lead couples which seems to be missing in so many shows now it’s just gloss. There is just focus on sci-fi effects or locations or putting random big stars together whether they have chemistry or not.. I mean, let’s use Lee min Ho as an example in boys before flowers and I know that’s based on a super hit manga . But this was my first kdrama back in 2009 and Say what you will about that show, but it was So very addictive that I remember staying up multiple nights a day suffering at work trying to watch the show wanting to click next episode to know what happened. LMH was charismatic and mesmerizing. Scene was true for so many other shows. You are beautiful for example had an insane plot, and yet it was able to manage somehow making into a strangely addictive show. And now I seem to just zone out after a few episodes in so many shows Or a show starts out great and then by episode seven I’m wondering what the hell happened to the characters I liked all the story that I lacked and it just declines. Half the shows that are rated 9/10 on my drama list I go to watch and wonder who was rating these because they have none of the charm of the older shows. I really think a lot of it has to do with writing And casting names who might be big stars/singers, but not great actors or alternatively have no chemistry with each other.
Agree on all accounts. I did watch the k dramas you mentioned and as you said in spite of their flaws they had some element of sincerity that kept you attrcted. Sighs. Nowadays I find myself mostly watching documentaries instead.
Absolutely agree on those points. And in fact watched both those shows again recently desperate for something to watch. Both still addictive
imo it because drama stop having actual jerk protagonist that changes for the entire drama. BBF start with an actual jerk goo joon pyo, not a misunderstand softie or someone who was always good all along.
He was humbled in the most high school way and then in turn changes for the better.
KDrama did not have a good villain, if you look at the drama with profit, the glory, queen of tears and to an extend lovely runner. The protagonist have all clear villain, in terms of actual person or the circumstances where they are racing against circumstances. Exploratory drama with slice of life element wasn’t always the rating magnet.
They are what we call nowadays “red flag” when this is the spice of the drama.
They are flawed but they tugs your heart
It’s because company like to bet on remakes that already done well than a completely new script. These days I found myself watching lower budget kdrama and I felt myself back in kdrama age pre covid. Sure it’s not perfect, but no drama is ever is
Getting my popcorn ready
Financial consideration aside, Koala can have her own opinion dismissing WTSG to an epic fail. It’s personal preference, not objective, although I admit Koala’s taste in line with the majority LOL. I still read quite a few positive reviews praising the drama innovative, and the acting sincere and touching. Well, I have already said enough about my personal review of the drama. Verbose to repeat here in order to argue against Koala that doesn’t benefit me as someone seeking to be entertained only LOL.
As to the business aspects, like the first comment suggested, it seems a universal issue that the current filming industry is just short of creativity and substance. Hollywood has this shallow profiteer mindset to drive original creativity into franchised replicas boring to the blackhole. But these franchises such as Marvel and DC almost always topped box office year after year. People are outgrowing these PG-13 but there are still kids in the upcoming generations loving these franchises LOL. Therefore, the markets are always there for the franchised movies relying heavily on CGI that is pretty expensive to produce with good quality. While enormous financial resources have to be spent on production costs like CGI, they would have to be paid at a price of comprising other quality. While CGI is thriving in the filming industry, the writers guild may suffer from underpay. So they went on strike two years ago and the filming industry is still suffering now. In the past, we saw award winners sorta in line with big box offices too. But now, usually critically acclaimed films are indie, not box office winners. There is a huge disconnect between the market and true performing art.
For a space sci-fi drama like WTSG, it’s particularly difficult to wisely manage financial balance among different production needs. This is one Kdrama that has better visual effects. I have no complaints about the beautiful cinematography while in the past, most Asian dramas had shoddy graphic work. The camera work was all brilliant so far. It’s possible the CGI of WTSG was very very costly that the rest of the filming costs might have only shared that much of leftover from their treasury. I am not critical of the directing or the acting. They are fine. However, I’m not completely comfortable with some parts of the writing, specifically frequent reference of mating and sex or whatnot LOL. Kdrama romance lovers most likely are turned off by the love lines that might appear… cringe worthy. LOL. Why defining and advertising the drama as a space romance? It’s not romantic at all although I appreciate other messages fleshed out by the script. WTSG is more a black comedy and satire (which I like) than a rom com. It’s even far-fetched to say it’s a romance. I don’t know how much the writer was paid for this drama. Could she be underpaid?
obviously whether someone likes a drama or not is personal preference and theres always going to be people who like or dislike the drama. where the majority falls is what matters. the financial considerations, ratings, and data objectively say this is an epic fail. for you to say “financial consideration aside” this is Koala’s personal opinion is stupid. you basically took out one of the main objective criteria to make your point lol
I am not hating lmh but there fact he is popular actor known for his looks not for acting I am not saying he is bad actor but generally speaking what he know in k-industry. Drama failure doesn’t effect him because he got money and he have massive fan support whereas wtsg writer doesn’t have. If we look on lmh career carefully remake, popular writer,best selling novel, famous webtoon has given guarantee success whereas his own choice of script always is always questions mark? But tvn and Netflix both playing hypocrisy with wtsg atleast ljw drama bulgasal 40 billion won was flop and even ljw has no star power but still great connection with bht entertainment boss whereas Netflix original can spend 60 billion won drama 2025 with iu and pbg & 80 billion won drama with shk and gong yoo which is also much risky but still overall Netflix don’t believe on lmh stardom
Sorry for complaining again. Years ago I changed my username (it was a dumb name) and since then I have the feeling it takes a bit before my comments are shown. What also delays my comments further is when I use copy and paste. As a non-English native, I sometimes struggle while looking up the correct spelling etc. It’s easier to do this in Notes and then use copy and paste here. Usually, I’m too lazy or don’t have time to do it, though.
I’m telling this, because the issue has increase unproportional with the new website. It doesn’t only take longer than it already did to have my comments appear, sometimes they are not showing at all. Additionally, most of the time the newest article isn’t there, and I’m stuck a couple of days behind. Even while refreshing countless times.
Funny, these comment is showing, but my earlier comment to @Gelar is not
Read your reply and I definitely agree. I was thinking what would happen when AI (possibly) take over?
regarding your struggle with new website I share the same issue. I use to open the website in “Incognito tab” in Firefox (Chrome doesn’t work).
I don’t know about your other issues but I can help you with getting the newest articles on koalaplayground.
ok do this. All the articles on this sites are written by ockoala, so to make sure you are getting the latest articles everyday you visit the site click on any link where it says by ockoala. The website will give you the latest articles/posts every time.
We all wish we could get the latest post every day by just refreshing but it’s not that way. So remember click on link ockoala on any post, and you will the latest post guaranteed.
I have been sensing the paradigm shift in kdrama industry since 2016 when Netflix launched in SK. The OTT business model disrupted the public big three and major cable channels significantly. Coupled with the pandemic era disruptions, delays, rising financial costs and new SK labor laws, they have created massive damage. Netflix and Disney’s willingness to pay top money to secure A list stars created tremendous pressure on local production companies to compete with them. Moving forward, I think SK production companies will move to hiring less famous artistes or those top listers who are willing to take a significant pay cut while big budget prestige dramas will be reduced significantly. The SK film industry will be going the same direction in my personal opinion if they don’t adapt. If Deepseek open source model can disrupt and challenge the US big tech AI companies at a fraction of the cost, SK drama industry must learn to innovate too. Crisis can be turned into opportunities.
To counter the film decline, more indie type films with well written fresh storylines may be able to sustain the industry. The talent is not the issue but salary is a contentious issue. That’s why I can’t really sympathize when big name stars are lamenting people are not going to the cinemas anymore to watch their movies. It’s like scolding consumers during the Asian 87 financial crisis why they didn’t support film industry when people barely able to get jobs. Reading local articles on Naver, most viewers have lost appetite watching reality shows where highly paid stars going on overseas healing trips or starring in depressing themed movies.
Smart producers, writers and directors must know how to read the mood of consumers domestically and internationally. It’s not rocket science why certain kdramas just hit huge and some just bombed. It’s basic marketing 101.
I totally welcome the possibility of hiring less known actors in order to accomodate the rising production cost. At least we will have more fresh faces.
Tbh, dramas with lesser known actors can benefit a lot too given that expectations won’t be sky high and if it happened to be a hit, the hype would be even bigger. We have seen that with LR and WTPR.
At this rate, a guarantee hits for TVN is either a Kim Eun Sook’s or Park Ji Eun’s penned dramas.
The King Eternal Monarch penned by Kim Eun Sook was a big flop.
@Alexa, am glad you agreed. Over the years, I have seen talented experienced actors and actresses being overlooked in role selections that go to far less talented ones but bcoz they come with a bigger international base they get first dibs.
I am hoping older experienced beloved ones like Yoon Eun Hye make a comeback. Seeing her back as a host makes me very hopeful. Imagine her with Ju Ji Hoon in Trauma Code Season 2! Others I would like seeing more of is Jang Geun Suk, Yoo Seung Ho, Jung Il Woo and Yeon Woo Jin.
Less known actresses that caught my eyes include Kang Mina, Pyo Ye Jin and Lee Yi Dam. It’s also time to get Moon Chae Won back. I want to see her paired with Lee Joon Hyuk. My other dream pairing is Han Hyo Joo and Yoo Yeon Seok in an action yet character driven drama. This is to make up for their movie characters’ badly written storyline. I throw in Daniel Henney or Yoo Teo as the villain. If tvN and SD ever lack creative ideas or fresh stories, just consult the millions of kdramas lovers worldwide haha.
I agree, going with more hyped but pretty-face actors do not always pay. In this case is Lee Min Ho. Going with Lim Ji Yeon (The Tale of Lady Ok) and Lee Joon Hyuk (Love Scout) has paid off for JTBC and SBS, as these two actors have been underrated for so long. Look at the highest respective ratings: 11.4% and 13.5% show that they have done a really good job. All you need is a good old script, good old directing and decent acting.
@PY The problem is that the minute an actor becomes popular or has a hit their cost goes up. Every successive drama they do becomes more and more expensive as their popularity rises which pushes up the cost further. Take BWS for example, when he did LR his cost was very low which is why tvn made a profit from it but his next drama with IU will cost a lot more especially with his salary now 10x more tha before. Him and IU will most likely get paid a similar amount which means the drama cost will be heavily inflated. Even with Netflix buying it the costs won’t be evened out without PPL which the drama will be fully packed with for sure since they both have 10-15 endorsements each. Not all dramas can feature less known actors because PPL money and overseas sales are critical for profits. Its easy to say all this but neither LJY or LJH are lesser known actors they were just typecast and fortunately have broken out of that mould. Their salaries have now shot up and they’ve become prestige actors. This cycles is endless and its right for high value actors to continue to dominate dramas and movies since their name has value and everyone knows them.
I think the timeline is more that first TVN and JTBC disrupted the big 3 terrestrial channels between 2016-18 then in 2019 Netflix Originals launched for the first time and created a huge buzz. Next Covid cam along and the 52 hour work week was implemented almost simultaneously so pre production started to become a norm pushing up production costs as what previously took 3 months to film and now took 6-7 months to film. Then Netflix started to see small success with Kingdom, Love Alarm and Extra Curricular in its early years while terrestrial channels saw a sharp decline in viewership due to the rise of trot forcing them to change time slots and reduce programming. SBS launched the Fri-Sat slot with Fiery Priest and saw a potential in the time slot. They then went to create these action almost superhero-ish dramas like Model Taxi, One Dollar Lawyer, Dr Romantic, Flexx Cop etc and figured out a formula that works went into the seasonal format to keep these IPs running while putting some romance dramas here and there. MBC also managed to find some good content between shortened historical romance dramas and cheesy romantic makjang like When the Phone Rings which is working out well for them but they are not over stretching on their time slots. KBS on the other hand should just retire its channel. They’ve definitely run out of ideas. Netflix post the massive success of Squid Game has invested heavily in not just Kdrama but have become shadows that control the market overall prioritising some actors over others thereby affecting the market value of some actors who are unable to land coveted roles as Netflix refuses to buy drama unless its own favourites are part of the cast. One can see clearly how this has benefited certain actor agencies over others whose stars even rookies are all Netflix accessible.
At the end of the day, it’s a fresh storyline and interesting characters that hook me and countless others. Kdrama writers may be out of work soon as all producers have to do is to hire cheaper assistant writers to adapt webtoons or webnovels competently. No need for big name writers or big name stars. I was initially drawn to WTPR as it’s the first ever kdrama to have a “mute” female lead. The sign language interpreter role is such a novelty that had me watching it as soon as it aired. Sure it turned cheesy makjang as it progressed but the source material is already wattpad coded to the hilt so I know what to expect, lol. Dramas like Good Partners and Trauma Code do well because they are written by a real life lawyer and physician respectively. Others like Attorney Woo is a hit because of the novelty of an autistic lawyer role which is a first and brilliantly portrayed by PEB plus relatable issue raised in each episode.
Let’s just say I agree with the conclusion of this issue so this drama is good for something lol. I would a thousand times over prefer high quality low budget dramas over blockbuster disasters. There will always be a few exceptions for writers like PJE or KES, or specific S tier actors, but in general, 70B for 1 drama is insanity. Doubly so when it’s as trash and unmarketable as WTSG.
As for salaries of stars, I feel like they should get paid as long as that pay reflects in the results. Most of the time, they are a big part of reason a drama has said results in the first place. I think it’s a little hard to compare JN to QOT considering the former is a period drama where PPL is limited. Also, tvN sold it to Disney which in general is difficult to access depending on where you are so the global reach is just not there. If true, I do like that KTR got paid as much as KSH (even if the latter took a rather large pay cut). They are both widely recognized as top actors of their gen and can carry a drama at the back of their names alone. They are well decorated in terms of major awards and were also the top 2 in last year’s Gallup. I think it’s totally fair and reflective of that star power.
Anyway, outside of the lower budget solution, they should probably also monitor the quality of dramas they are approving. WTSG and MMS are both so godawful in the writing department, it should never have gone through the offering stage. tvN should’ve been a bit more diligent in scrutinizing scripts and if they expect something to be a Netflix original, they should’ve waited for the green light before pushing through. I can imagine heads rolling because what a massive and expensive failure.
En fait, tout tourne autour de l’argent . Les productions avec pour thème l’espace n’ont jamais été ma tasse de thé , mais il y a public . WTSG a trouvé une niche de fans mais hélas pas d’audience et par conséquent pas le rendement souhaité . là est le problème . Car Disney, Netflix, …ne font que des contenus qu’ils vendent comme originaux ce qui est trompeur , ils essaient de produire des contenus qui vont plaire à leurs abonnés en se basant sur ce qui a déjà été fait et qui a plu, tout comme Disney le fait avec Marvel, Georges Lucas,…le risque c’est d’appauvrir la diversité, l’élargissement des horizons des téléspectateurs . Un truc qui marche va être dupliqué jusqu’à provoquer la lassitude . c’est la même chose dans d’autres domaines culturels . Avec WTSG ils auront au moins essayé ! N’oublions pas non plus que ce qui est décrié aujourd’hui sera peut être culte plus tard . My so called life was a gem but failed when Dawson’s creek a drama about teenagers who talk as philosophers worked . Does it mean that it was a better show, not at all .
I tried to google translate your comment but isn’t allowed to even copy paste LOL.
Koala should include a function like Youtube for users to interpret any languages in their own.
Sorry,@Hl @Somebody i wanted to write in french to share a few things , i’ll just say it as it will be hard for me to explain all.
The drama may be not my cup of tea , it’s a financial flop ,it didn’t appeal audience but it has his fanbase that saw something in it and we should respect that . in the past some international works were big flops and decades later became cult . At least we can’t deny that they try to give to korean viewers something new . Once again, i understand that a lot of money was waisted , perhaps they should have cast rookie actors but they wanted to give the best chances by casting big names which is understable . I know that the world is all about money but when it comes to creation sometimes taking risks to offer something different to viewers is good if not they will be trapped in the same system as Disney did with Marvel or Georges Lucas franchise, people got tired and they didn’t reach the incredible number of entries of the first movies ! I will say the same about dramas , when one becomes popular producers tend to duplicate the same formula until the nauseous feeling . Creations should also be made to broaden the horizons of viewers . This time they failed , no need to continue to shoot at the ambulance !
Comment above reads: “In fact, it’s all about money. Space themed productions are never my cup of tea but it has an audience. WTSG (actors) has a niche of fans but unfortunately no audience and therefore not the desired returns. That’s the problem. Because Netflix, Disney etc . only nakes content that they sell as original, which is misleading they try to produce content that pleases the subscribers based on what’s done and had been popular. Just like what it did with Marvel, Star Wars. There’s a problem with diversity and broadening of audience views. Something that works will be duplicated until the audience gets sick of it. It is the same everywhere else. WTSG have at least tried. Let’s not forget that what is criticized today might be a cult hit later. My so called life was a gem….
Thanks @Chris!!!
@Chris, many thanks too.
@Cahill, well said. Star Wars, Spiderman, and other Marvel movies etc. have become cults that kids just inherited from their grandparents and parents and this goes on and on until everyone perhaps gets fed up LOL. Don’t know when though LOL.
If kdrama can produce something like Star Wars, I will be thrilled. At least WTSG is refreshing to me as opposed to other Kdramas that kept recycling old tropes. Nonetheless, there are very few elements of fantasy which is my favorite genre. With CGI and cinematography having done right this time in WTSG, K-ent may be able to use WTSG as a stepping stone to up their game and produce something as fascinating as Star Wars someday.
@Chris Thanks for traducing so well my comment, i was really happy that someone took his preciuos time to do it .
This means it will be difficult to see big names in korean produced drama anymore as they can’t pay them. And netflix can pay them but they can’t make a good pg13 drama for a life of them, so I’ll just keep up with cdramas.
I doubt that. Especially in a time when less and less dramas are produced every year and movies have almost completely dried up it’s impossible for star actors to become invisible. I think everyone is misunderstanding what TVn means by smaller budget dramas. It means that they will give one smal time slot to the B list stars and some rookies from major agencies like BH, SOOP, Artist agency, Goldmedalist and Namoo to breakout and become Hallyu stars like Cha Eunwoo but their prime time slots will continue to be given to big name stars like Song Hyekyo, Jun Jihyun, Lee Byunghyun, Kim Taeri, Lee Jongsuk, Yoo Yeonseok, Hyun Bin, Son Yejin etc etc.. The Mon – Tue slots will be given to rising stars with higher pay checks than rookies but who are still trying to establish a footing like Moon Gayoung, Ahn Bohyun, Ahn Hyoseop etc. What they’ll also do more of is pair expensive actors/actress with younger rising stars to even out the budget. This will continue until they earn back some profit then they’ll be back to the old system of Hallyu stars and big budget dramas because people still love dramas like CLOY and QoT.
I guess we won’t see lee min ho in new drama unless he take a pay cut.
“The drama got strong domestic ratings and reviews but poor overseas viewership .. and overseas is where [K-dramas] expect to make their money back.”
This can be said similarly with Kpop honestly where a lot of B-list groups get more international hype than in SK. That’s where a lot of entertainment companies get some sort of profit. And conversely, a drama can get so-so SK ratings but get catapulted to top overseas viewership with a reasonable budget.
I think the formula of the good drama TRIFECTA (acting, directing, storytelling) still stands until now. It’s just that either there’s an imbalance in one of these or everyone’s attention and focus are shot to hell. Maybe a mix of both. I’m still lamenting over how there’s not a lot of good J-dramas this past decade. It’s sad.
Disney+ is really bad at promoting their dramas. They translated nothing on their youtube channel. It’s sad for Jeongnyong because the actresses were great!
I don’t tink you need a lot of money to do a good drama, but instead a good scenario with a PD with a vision.
Disney+ is really bad at promotion but surprisingly, they have stellar drama line ups this year. Let’s see how they will fare. I bet more on the starpower of those lineups.
Even with great promotion, I don’t find Jeongnyeon having much appeal to overseas audience. I don’t find many that actually have interest in korean pansori.
Anyway, to me good dramas depends a lot on writing and directing. Korea has incredible pool of talents, so worry not abt casting lesser known actors with much less salary. Big names like LMH still can’t save a lousy written drama.
You need a lot of money to make a good drama if you cast someone like KTR or KSH because their salaries are 60% of the production cost. That’s where the problem is not because dramas are actually expensive to make. Star actors want massive salaries which are bleeding producers dry. If even Studio Dragon is seeing red then there is no hope for small production houses. Even young actors like SK and CEW cost as much as big name actresses like JJH and SHK. It’s actors that have become expensive not dramas throwing money at CGI.
if a drama is on Disney+ and especially if it’s as an exclusive, the odds are automatically against it gaining hit status because Disney+ has a long track record of hardly promoting their dramas and making them unavailable in half the countries that might be interested in kdramas. And then act like it’s the dramas’ fault for not being as big as Squid Game (which was at least available on Netflix in all 90+ countries!). Moving succeeded against those odds, it was an achievement.
I’m nervous for Tempest/Polaris (the upcoming Kang Dong Won/Jun Ji Hyun drama) prospects now, both its writer and PD have great track records but I don’t trust D+ not to mess it up somehow.
Seems like if producers want to cast 2 A-listers, they need to go the OTT route. If we think of all the upcoming dramas with 2 huge stars (GY/SHK, JJH/KDW, etc) they are through OTT. For now, I just can’t see tvN, JTBC or any of the terrestrial channels being able to afford a drama that has KSH/KTR for example. Not to mention a star writer on top of that. It’s just too expensive.
Personally I don’t like OTT exclusives. Apart from the genres and quality, the reach of regular tv is far and wide and in general, more accessible. Dramas need to be The Glory level popular to really feel an OTT exclusive’s impact. Even Moving, with all the praises and awards it got, is still not as well known as it should’ve been. I enjoy the hype and being swept away in the discussions for QOT/LR last year or Penthouse, World of the Married, Vincenzo, Red Sleeve, etc. in the past. That sort of buzz just isn’t there for most OTT. Maybe it’ll change this year with all the big dramas coming our way. I surely would hope so if more and more of the big stars are headed that way.
Another emerging trend is combo packages. An agency’s senior actor is offered a leading role with a rising/less well known junior or two less known artistes from same agency.
This is a clever strategy to ensure less famous artistes are not unemployed for a long period of time while their seniors are scoring regular roles. I notice this is done in cdramas too if I’m not mistaken. Below is a few examples I can think of. If there are more, please feel free to add to the list.
Petty Love – Lee Jung Jae + Lim Ji Yeon
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint – Shin Seung Ho + CSB
Pirates Last Royal Treasure – Lee Kwang Soo + CSB
Law Firm – Kim Beom + Ryu Hye Young
Tale of Nine Tailed – Lee Dong Wook + Kim Beom
WTPR – YYS + CSB
Cafe Minamdang – SIG + OYS + Kwon Soo Hyun
Twelve – SIG + Kang Mina
the combo you are mentioning is anything but new, companies have been doing that since the beginning of time to help their hookies get more recognition.
Frankly, if KSH and KTR both agree to do a drama together, that would automatically mean the script is amazing. Therefore, it could be worth the huge investment and can bring in returns likely higher than QOT. These two actors have so far never faltered in choosing the right drama script. So it’s a double yes, and an auto pick for most. It’ll be one of those blockbuster drama with a star writer and PD combo, but it can happen on cable and not just OTT. But it likely cannot be a period or historical and also needs to be romance focused. I’d be pretty up for this pairing if it ever happens.
True for some combos but Kim Beom is not exactly a “rookie” since he got famous in 2009 from BOF then kind of faded away. Lim Ji Yeon is also not a rookie anymore while Hye Young got recognized in Reply 88.
Nevertheless, it’s fun to see the wheeling dealing business aspects of k-ent and future big agencies combos like SOOP, Namoo & BH. They have a lot big stars so more choices/rotations to see.
WTSG is seriously miscast – mixing a plain jane with a pretty boy is like mixing ice cream and chicken soup. They should’ve either gone all in on visual overload – pairing Lee Min Ho with someone like Han Ji Min or Park Min Young (you still need to make them believable as a space commander and not cast say Yoona or Kim Yoo Jung), or go for the serious route and pair Gong Hyo Jin with a bit rougher looking guys like Ji Chang Wook o r Kim Dong Wook or Lee Jin Wook
Yes, I agree PMY as Eve would have worked if she would only sacrificed her same hairstyle to change things up a bit and have the script written by ChatGPT instead. It would have been a whole different outcome.
Visually, I love Yoona-Junho the most next to KSJ AHS. They got these ones right. Can’t wait for ORV to come in summer to see LMH AHS with Nana, Jisoo and CSB. That would spark off weeks of heated chemistry box office discussions. Lol.