5 "Disappointing" K-Drama Series That Viewers Stopped Watching In January 2025

When an exciting, new show is announced, K-Drama fans eagerly add it to their watch lists. Unfortunately, some highly anticipated new series, as well as previously released series, fell flat for viewers in January.

1. When the Stars Gossip

This all-star Netflix series is a science fiction romance starring Lee Min Ho, Gong Hyo Jin, Oh Jung Se, and more. A fateful encounter between an astronaut and a space tourist on a space station leads to love.

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According to some viewers, When the Stars Gossip did not live up to the hype. Its out-of-this-world budget was wasted on a “weak plot” and lackluster characters.

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2. Motel California

This MBC coming-of-age romance stars Lee Se Young, Na In Woo, Choi Min Soo, Kim Tae Hyeong, and Choi Hee Jin. Motel California, based on the novel Home, Bitter Home by Shim Yoon Seo, tells the story of a woman who reunites with her first love in her hometown. She hasn’t seen him since she fled in the middle of the night twelve years ago to pursue her dreams.

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Some viewers had trouble getting invested in the characters, including the male and female leads.

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3. When the Phone Rings

In this Netflix romance thriller, everything changes for an unhappily married couple who wed for convenience after the wife–a court sign language interpreter–is kidnapped.

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Ever since When the Phone Rings aired in November of 2024, reactions have been mixed at best. It has frequently made its way into viewers’ monthly list of disappointing K-Dramas. Viewers who stopped watching the “flawed” series in January took issue with the female lead’s kidnappings, nonsensical storytelling, and more.

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4. Boys Over Flowers

Boys Over Flowers is by far the oldest K-Drama to make this list. This 2009 series follows a working-class student who becomes entangled with F4, a quartet of wealthy boys, at their elite high school. Boys Over Flowers is widely regarded as a cultural phenomenon that attracted high viewership ratings and buzz, but not everyone is a fan.

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Viewers who picked up (and dropped) the series in January felt that it didn’t age well. Whether it’s 2009 or 2025, bully romances certainly aren’t for everybody!

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5. Love Scout

This SBS romance stars Han Ji Min, Lee Joon Hyuk, Kim Do Hoon, and Kim Yoon Hye. In this tender love story, Han Ji Min plays the CEO of a headhunter company, who falls for her affectionate secretary (Lee Joon Hyuk).

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The premise of the show is promising, but some viewers struggled to get through the first few episodes because the plot and/or the dynamic between the leads.