Most Disappointing Dramas
These are dramas that started out with a lot of potential, but which got lost along the way. Whether because the plot got messy, the characters felt flat and/or the message the drama conveyed was problematic, these are dramas which I ended up rating poorly due to bad execution probably as it crossed the halfway mark.
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1. The Story of Gumiho
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
The ML was actually its biggest flaw. When you have a character so powerful, the main antagonist doesn't even phase him, it's hard to connect with him; let alone root for a success that's set in iron-clad plot armor.
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2. The Spy Who Loved Me
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
For a drama with a great premise, an active and strong female lead, and action thrown in the mix, I thought this would be a wild ride. Yet forcing comedy into this became detrimental, as dangerous situations were hard to take seriously; especially as the ML and 2ML became a comedy due that didn't mesh well with the plot.
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3. Bad Papa
Korean Drama - 2018, 32 episodes
The ML in this one was so interesting. He seemed to have been walking the path of a tragic character; complete with a broken moral compass and his character becoming an opportunist. But in a last-ditch effort by an uncommitted writer/production to embrace the ML descending into darkness, he was given a cop-out to avoid facing the consequences his actions. The ending was truly and utterly disappointing.
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4. Alice
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
This is a show I dropped once it became clear that the FL would remain a "damsel in constant distress" coupled with the fact that production decided she would be the main love interest of her "alternate self's" son. Because no matter how much production tried to explain that the FL was not the same person as the ML's mom; the truth remains that genetically she would be the ML's mom. Yes, it's fiction... but my mind won't allow me to suspend that much disbelief.
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5. Born Again
Korean Drama - 2020, 32 episodes
The premise of this show was exciting, but the execution was so bad, it was a struggle to watch. Suffice to say, you could've replaced the FL with a small, fluffy kitten, and not only would the plot remain the same; but it would actually also make more sense!
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6. Rugal
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
Unfortunately, Rugal is a drama that demands you turn off your brain and just go with the flow. The writing is atrocious, the fights grew old fast, the plot is messy and inconsistent, the characters lack complexity... In fact, the only thing Rugal has going for it was the eye candy.
But even these leather-clad men aren't worth muscling through the diary of a fourteen-year-old who self-inserted into a fantasy where he's the center of the universe; men want to be his sidekicks, women want to bed him, enemies fall in love with him and everything happens based only on the "rule of cool".
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7. Private Life
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
Another show with an interesting premise. While the first couple of episodes had great potential, the convoluted plot coupled with a romance that felt out of place resulted in a boring drama that seemed to drag longer and longer each week.
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8. Doctor John
Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes
Great story with great a great cast which became inconsistent as it drew to an end. Problematic messages were embraced, antiquated tropes (Males should deal with their problems on their own, basically) were utilized and the Female Lead got a character regression that did a huge disservice to her story arc.
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9. Start-Up
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
This is a show that's still worth watching, but it landed on this list because the writer embraced truly problematic messages when it came to the main couple and the bases on which their relationship was built.
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10. DoDoSolSolLaLaSol
Korean Drama - 2020, 16 episodes
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11. Somebody
Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes