10 Famous K-Dramas That Aren't Worth the Hype (But You Still Need to Watch Them)

The K-drama industry is one of the most popular nowadays, and it seems like new shows are being released, if not every day, then certainly every week. Of course, not all of them end up on the top lists, but there are still a lot of shows that received a great deal of buzz upon their release.

However, as usual, one person's best is another's worst, so even if the most popular shows were perfectly received by many fans, it doesn't mean they are ultimate successes, because there will always be certain people who claim it wasn't worth watching. Here are ten of the best examples of that.

1. King The Land (2023)

We will start with this popular K-drama that actually has a lot of fans. But what the veterans of the genre say is that only a newcomer to the whole South Korean TV world will like this one. The story of the show is about Cheon Sa Rang and Goo Won who manage to find a way to save their romance in the inheritance war that Goo Won ended up in. What the haters of the show mention most is that the story is unrelatable and even ridiculous.

2. Love Alarm (2019 - 2021)

It's no news that South Korean dramas usually last one season, and if the show has more than one chapter, it means that it was truly great. However, audiences agree that this wasn't the case with Love Alarm. The fans of the genre really hated both seasons, while most of them still admit that they were hooked on the plot of the rom-com. What disappointed them and made the series a definite "no" was the finale.

3. True Beauty (2020)

The rom-com is about a young girl Lim Ju Gyeong, who was so insecure about her appearance that she basically became a makeup artist for herself. Since the day she found out how to be pretty, she swore she would never show her true face, but a guy actually managed to see her bare face and fall in love with her, helping her realize her true beauty.

Most of the viewers said that the show is garbage because of how boring and predictable the plot is. Not to mention that the main characters seemed pretty dull and cringeworthy.

4. It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (2020)

This is actually a show that has a solid fandom ready to fight anyone who dares to badmouth it. And we have to say that there are literally wars on the internet, with both sides of viewers trying to prove their point. While the fans say that this is a masterpiece that deals with serious issues of mental health that every person should watch, there are many viewers who claim that it's actually impossible to watch the show because of the bad acting and terrible character writing. However, they agree that the plot of the show is not all bad.

5. Nevertheless (2021)

Those against this K-drama mention that the show is only worth watching if you have some kind of toxic relationship problems in real life. That way, you can relate to the problems highlighted in the show and maybe have fun trying to use the solutions offered in the series.

The rest of the viewers are sorry they wasted their time on this ridiculous rom-com because it was too boring. The only thing that kept them from abandoning the show in the first place were the subplots.

6. Doona! (2023)

The first thing that made viewers tune in to the show was the fact that Bae Suzy played the lead role in the series. And that was the end of what was positive about this K-drama. Her character was actually very annoying, as the viewers say. But that's not the worst part: what made viewers hate the show was the fact that they didn't understand it. Every other comment in every Reddit thread is "wtf was that?” And we just feel it.

7. Strong Girl Nam-soon (2023)

This 2023 show was presumably created after the success of another series with a similar premise, 2017's Strong Girl Bong-soon. And that fact alone was enough to cause the new show's downfall. Viewers were hoping to get a new, exciting drama, but instead they ended up watching the low-quality substitute, where there's no character development at all.

8. Descendants Of The Sun (2016)

Many viewers claim to have made several attempts to watch the show, but each time they started it, they failed miserably. The reason is that the build-up to literally any action is just too slow and you get tired of watching and waiting for whatever is going to happen. At the center of this K-drama is a romance between Kang Mo Yeon and Yoo Shi Jin, but even love couldn't save this show from ending up as a huge disappointment.

9. Itaewon Class (2020)

While school dramas are usually considered to be light and entertaining to watch, this one failed all expectations and ended up being another no-go show. Viewers say that the premise of a complicated kid whose life becomes even more complicated after the death of his father is too predictable. And even if the show had some sparks along the way, the ending that the writers created just killed it.

10. The Heirs (2013)

This K-drama is quite old, so you probably won't even consider watching it anyway, but we feel the need to warn you. The series is a rom-com with a forbidden love storyline. Viewers said that it was hard to watch mainly because of the cringe-worthy kissing scenes.