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"The Undateables" K-Drama Concludes With Poor Viewership in South Korea and Internationally

Updated on July 22, 2018
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After almost three months' worth of time, The Undateables (also known as Handsome Guy and Jung-eum) -- a K-drama airing on the Seoul Broadcasting System -- concluded with the airing of its penultimate and final episodes. Despite being a solid romantic comedy featuring two well-known lead actors and a strong supporting ensemble, it wasn't that popular. As a matter of fact, The Undateables concluded with some of the lowest viewership ratings among other K-dramas airing this season.

There are two sets of viewership ratings that need to be accounted for when it comes to K-dramas presently. We will start with the domestic viewership ratings locally in South Korea. Provided by both TNS Media Korea and AGB Nielsen Korea, they show ratings for both the Seoul Capital Area and the entire nation.

 
TNmS Rating (Seoul)
TNmS Rating (Nation)
AGB Nielsen Rating (Seoul)
AGB Nielsen Rating (Nation)
1st Episode
6.9%
6.1%
6.1%
5.3%
Finale
Too low to record
Too low to record
Too low to record
Too low to record

Shown in the table above, there is a huge difference between the ratings of the first episode and the finale. If one were to look at the viewership timeline, it was slowly and surely going down.

Along with the aforementioned information, it should also be reported that none of the episodes were able to break double-digits in viewership through its course. In short, the entire K-drama averages in the single digits for both viewership rating companies and for both the nation and Seoul.

Internationally, The Undateables was thoroughly enjoyed by those who took the time to watch it, but it was not the most popular one among other K-dramas that were on air. Others like What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?, Rich Man Poor Woman, Are You Human Too?, and Lawless Lawyer interested international viewers more so than The Undateables.

Why did "The Undateables" not live up to expectations?

Anyone who kept up with The Undateables will tell you that the K-drama itself is very good. It has a solid story, features two popular actors -- Namgoong Min and Hwang Jung-eum -- as the leads, and the supporting cast ensemble was strong in their delivery. So what happened?

The first major reason was probably the fact it aired at the same exact days and time as What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? Even though the K-drama is currently airing on the Total Variety Network (tvN), it is so popular among its viewers that it was the number one K-drama for its days and time in South Korea and it was the most-watched K-drama on streaming sites for international fans. It also helps out that its main actors, Park Seo-joon and Park Min-young, are probably more popular than The Undateables main actors.

Source

Staying on the topic of actors, one of the reasons why Park Seo-joon and Park Min-young are so popular outside of their phenomenal chemistry is their girth in acting. It means both are able to adjust for a role instead of being pigeon-holed into a particular character or concept.

If we take the aforementioned into account, Hwang Jung-eum is probably the second reason why The Undateables didn't do so well. Don't get me wrong, she's a great actress especially when it comes to romcoms. That is why she is known as the Romcom Queen of K-dramas. However, she's played the same kind of character in her last three K-dramas. It is if you can interchange Jung-eum's last three characters from her last three K-dramas -- Yoo Jung-eum from The Undateables, Shim Bo-nui from Lucky Romance, and Kim Hye-jin from She Was Pretty -- in any of their K-dramas and it would be watching the same character through and through.

It is a shame that Hwang Jung-eum has been pigeon-holed into one particular character. She's proven she can act differently as she's played multiple parts in other K-dramas. But apparently that is not what she's being cast for.

Did you enjoy "The Undateables?"

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How can K-drama fans watch "The Undateables" after it airs?

Ultimately, The Undateables is a great K-drama and with time it may develop its own cult following. It no longer airs on Korean television but for international fans specifically in the U.S., it can be viewed on Rakuten Viki.

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