‘When the Stars Gossip’: Even Lee Min Ho’s Bed Scene Can’t Lift the $38M Worth Space Drama’s Ratings

tvN’s new weekend series ‘When the Stars Gossip’ has been met with weak ratings, pulling in just 3% in its first two episodes despite reportedly costing 50 billion won (approximately $38 million) to produce.

According to Nielsen Korea, the romantic comedy, which premiered on Jan. 4, 2025, gained a little ground, climbing from 3.324 percent for the premiere to 3.883 percent for Episode 2.

WikiTree noted that it is still well below what had been expected for a series marketed as one of the year’s most-anticipated dramas.

‘When the Stars Gossip’ stars popular actors Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin in space station setting.

The drama has been in development for five years and has attracted buzz for its ambitious premise and high-profile cast.

Not even a much-talked-about bedroom scene with Lee Min-ho was enough to boost ratings, leading pundits to wonder whether the innovative setting and convoluted plot might have been too taxing on viewers.

A key scene in the second episode of the new series is a surgical operation on a lab rat in zero gravity, which illustrates the difficulties Commander Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin) will have to contend with as well as space tourist Dinosaur (Lee Min-ho).

The other plotline was the introduction of having to take an egg into space to artificially fertilize it, which hit snags when another character steals said egg.

Despite boasting high production values and a star-studded cast, “When the Stars Gossip” must now face low viewer ratings, maintaining its broadcast every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 pm, while the production team is forced to come up with content that will entice viewers and improve viewership over the coming weeks.