A highly-anticipated Korean drama led by two idol-turned-actors has earned the dishonor of rating in the 0% range.
Premiered on the 6th, the 6th episode of Still Shining aired on the 20th scored 0.9%, marking the lowest rating among JTBC’s Friday dramas. This is the first time since the exclusive Friday drama timeslot began that ratings have dropped below 1%.
Still Shining is a classic melodrama starring GOT7‘s Park Jinyoung and former IZ*ONE‘s Kim Minju. It portrays youths sharing their own world, becoming each other’s trust and guiding light in life. Before airing, the casting strategy, featuring idol-turned-actors and a youth romance, garnered attention. However, contrary to expectations, ratings have declined since the start. From 2.1% in the first episode, it fell below 1% by episode 3 and never recovered, eventually dipping into the 0% range.
JTBC’s Friday dramas have generally struggled since their launch last year. The Nice Guy, starring Lee Dong Wook and Lee Sung Kyung from July-August last year, hit a low of 1.7%. My Youth which attracted attention with Song Joong Ki and Chun Woo Hee also failed to meet expectations with a low of 1.5%. Even Seo Hyun Jin, considered a reliable actress, couldn’t break the trend. Love Me which ended this January recorded a low of 1.1%, continuing the challenges in the Friday drama lineup. Despite casts with strong name value repeatedly appearing, ratings rebound proved difficult.
Experts analyze that Still Shining, led by relatively low-profile and less-experienced actors Park Jinyoung and Kim Minju, naturally faced a tougher start. However, this did not mean there were no points of expectation regarding casting.
Park Jinyoung received his best reviews as an actor since his debut through last year’s tvN drama Our Unwritten Seoul, entering his prime as an actor, choosing Still Shining as his next project after about a year. Kim Minju took on her first lead role after 8 years since debuting as a member of girl group IZ*ONE, making a serious challenge as an actress. Both actors were appreciated as a fresh combo targeting younger audiences, but were unable to translate this into rating increases.
The cause of poor performance is attributed more to scheduling and genre mismatch than to the quality of the production or actors’ abilities. In a trend favoring stimulating, fast-consumed content, gentle melodramas struggle to capture viewers’ choices. Especially on Friday nights, the dominance of suspense and genre series that trigger dopamine contrasts sharply with the emotionally paced Still Shining. Some even suggest that binge-watching two consecutive episodes could be burdensome in an age normalized by short-form content consumption.
Competition from shows airing at the same time also added pressure. SBS’s Phantom Lawyer starring Yoo Yeon Seok, airing at 9:50pm Fridays, is an omnibus adventure series structured to be easy to follow from the middle. Viewers seeking light entertainment moved to the competitor, which industry insiders say contributed to Still Shining‘s rating decline.
Since launching Friday dramas last year, JTBC has consistently presented melodrama-centered works. Despite casting trending actors like Song Joong Ki, Chun Woo Hee, and Seo Hyun Jin, the results fell short of expectations, prompting a change with a relatively young rookie cast this time. However, the content still focused on a gentle love story, and the strategy targeting younger viewers did not appear effective. Ratings ultimately dropped into the single digits.
Simultaneous release on OTT platforms was also cited as a factor reducing live broadcast viewership. Still Shining is currently streaming on global platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, which lessened the need for viewers to watch during the broadcast slot. While this strategy may have aimed to secure a global viewership base and expand accessibility from the production’s perspective, it appears to have negatively impacted domestic ratings.
One year after launching JTBC Friday dramas, the result is a single-digit rating. With complex factors spanning scheduling strategies, genre choices, and changes in viewing environments intertwined, attention is focused on the future direction of the Friday drama lineup.