Over the past month, tvN has launched four new programs, but none have managed to surpass a 3% viewership rating. Despite offering diverse themes such as travel, food, sports, and variety formats with star-studded lineups, critics have noted a lack of freshness and entertainment value.
Since November, tvN has introduced shows like “The Ways of Tasting” featuring Kim Go-eun and Lee Ji-ah on a culinary travel adventure, “Little Giant Strikers” showcasing a youth soccer team, the Sunday variety show “Handsome Guys”, and “Rented in Finland”, which follows actors adapting to rural life in Finland.
However, the results have been underwhelming:
• “The Ways of Tasting” began with a modest 1.1% viewership for its first two episodes and dropped to 0.7% by the third. While it aimed to pair whiskey and food during travels across South Korea and Taiwan, the lack of depth and originality left audiences unimpressed.
• “Little Giant Strikers” was reminiscent of the popular past show “Fly Shoot Dori”, but with a female soccer team instead of boys. Featuring famous soccer stars’ daughters, the show started with a 2.0% rating but fell to 1.8% by the second episode, far below its predecessor’s peak of 3.5%.
• “Handsome Guys”, billed as a new Sunday variety hit, also underperformed. With a cast including Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Dong-hyun, Lee Yi-kyung, Shin Seung-ho, and Oh Sang-wook, and produced by a former “2 Days & 1 Night” PD, the show tried to attract attention by featuring BTS Jin as a guest in its first episode. However, the show’s missions and cultural exploration felt too similar to “2 Days & 1 Night”, resulting in a lack of originality. The divided team format in the first episode also hindered chemistry between cast members.
• “Rented In Finland”, starring Cha Eun-woo, Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, and Kwak Dong-yeon, garnered a 3.3% viewership rating for its debut episode. The show documents the actors adapting to rural Finnish life without electricity, Wi-Fi, or running water. While Cha Eun-woo stood out with his charm and good looks—particularly after revealing his equally handsome younger brother—the overall chemistry and novelty of the cast failed to captivate viewers.
Despite the visual appeal and star-studded lineups, the lack of engaging content continues to plague tvN’s variety shows. As the year-end approaches, the network faces disappointment with a string of underperforming programs, leaving their annual report card less than stellar.
Source: TenAsia
