tvN - a famous cable channel in Korea with many hit dramas such as "Queen of Tears", "Crash Landing on You", "Goblin"... is currently suffering the failure of "When the Stars Gossip" - a project set in space.
The film revolves around Gong Ryong (Lee Min Ho) - an obstetrician and gynecologist who stays at the space station for a few days as a tourist and Eve Kim (Gong Hyo Jin) - the space station's security commander.
The 16-episode series has aired 12 episodes so far. However, despite being promoted as a big "blockbuster" of tvN, produced over 5 years with a "huge" budget of 50 billion won (34 million USD) and the participation of famous actors, the work has recorded a series of negative reviews and dismal viewership ratings.
To date, the highest rating the drama has achieved is 3.8% and the lowest is 1.8% - marking the first time a tvN weekend drama has dropped below 2% in ratings in 6 years since Ji Chang Wook's "Melting Gently".
The Korea Herald (South Korea) reported that the failure of the project also had a significant impact on the stock prices of the producers - CJ ENM and Studio Dragon. Compared to December 2024, CJ ENM's stock in January 2025 fell about 15%, while Studio Dragon saw a 12% drop in the same period.
According to Korean newspapers, many viewers said that "Ask the Stars" is a "bland romance", the male lead Lee Min Ho's acting is one-dimensional, lacking depth, while the plot lacks coherence, and the dialogue is forced. For this reason, many Korean viewers stopped watching the film after the first two episodes.
Meanwhile, critics say the film's failure comes from a lack of narrative coherence and execution. While space dramas typically evoke expectations of adventure or suspense, "Ask the Stars" chooses a storytelling approach that is difficult to "touch emotionally."
"The concept of space is a setting that is quite unfamiliar to Korean audiences. At the same time, audiences have certain expectations for works with a space theme, after having seen many works from abroad - whether they are big adventures, thrilling suspense or action-packed scenes.
However, this work incorporates a tragic plot. Although that can be considered a typical approach of the Korean romance genre, it also creates a sense of inconsistency for many viewers," said pop culture critic Jung Duk Hyun.
The critic added that by definition, science fiction usually involves complex stories rooted in scientific concepts, and audiences can expect more of that. However, those elements are left aside in "Ask the Stars." While the film does have some space-related details, they are told in a superficial way.
