Premiering on March 31, “The Divorce Insurance“ is a romantic comedy set in an insurance company’s innovative product development team that introduces the novel concept of “divorce insurance”.
The first episode started off with a nationwide Nielsen Korea rating of 3.2%, but the most recent fourth episode dropped to 1.4%. Although the overall tone is light with a comedic atmosphere, audience responses have been largely negative. Comments like “The humor feels forced and artificial” and “It tries to be funny, but it’s not” dominate the conversation.
Director Lee Won Suk, known for the film “Killing Romance”, previously showcased a distinct comedic flair and sensibility. “The Divorce Insurance” follows a similar tone, but many argue it misses the mark for mainstream TV drama viewers. While some claim “If you liked ‘Killing Romance’, you’ll enjoy ‘The Divorce Insurance’ too”, others believe it fails to connect with a broader audience.
There are opposing views that say it’s too early to label “The Divorce Insurance” a failure. The show’s premise — tackling divorce rather than traditional family narratives — is a rare and fresh concept in K-dramas, garnering praise for its originality. Additionally, the acting of Lee Dong Wook, Lee Joo Bin and Lee Kwang Soo is generally seen as solid. Some suggest that given more time for character development, the drama’s charm could come through more clearly.
Lee Dong Wook has built a career combining popularity and acting prowess through hits like tvN’s “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”, “Tale of the Nine Tailed” and Disney+’s “A Shop for Killers”. Notably, “Tale of the Nine Tailed” recorded 5.8% in season 1 and over 8% in “Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938”, demonstrating strong mass appeal despite being a genre series. However, in “The Divorce Insurance”, criticisms point to the character direction, dialogue tone and narrative pacing failing to highlight Lee Dong Wook’s strengths.
Given the situation, tvN is reportedly concerned. The network has recently failed to achieve significant results across a range of genre experiments, including “When the Stars Gossip”, “The Potato Lab” and “My Dearest Nemesis”. “The Divorce Insurance” is now another entry struggling to gain traction.
While a major narrative turning point has yet to occur, some believe that if future episodes succeed in building emotional depth and narrative density, the drama could still recover. However, without a noticeable rebound, the show may end with a disappointing viewership stuck in the 1% range.
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