Poll: Are Ratings the Best way to Judge a drama?

[Sleepy Owl]

Poll: Are Ratings the Best way to Judge a drama?

 

 

Chingus, most of us watch dramas almost everyday, some busy binge-watching some dramas, some watching the dailies or some just like me have got at least one ongoing drama airing each day. Of course before watching a drama we can't just say if the drama is good or not, but once we are done watching we come to such conclusions. Question is, how do we judge if a drama is good? What is this common property that can tell if a drama was good or not?

 

Ratings could be an answer. Many check out the ratings for already aired dramas before deciding to watch them. While the ratings give us some insight about the popularity of the dramas, do they really help us tell us if a drama is good or not? Are ratings to be trusted in such cases? 

 

 

Just for this, we EOs have come up with this event. We have top 15 JTBC and tvN dramas in the order of their ratings. We want you to choose top 4 options where you agree with the dramas' place based on ratings in the list.

 

We look forward to your top 15 tvN and JTBC dramas (or just top 15 dramas), and also the answer to "What is a good drama?" question. 

 

Here's the EOs' answers to that question,

 

@partyon Noona's answer 

Spoiler

A good drama is highly subjective for each person. For me, a good drama is one that has a great story that keeps me invested and glued to my seat. Great actors are key to making a drama successful in my eyes. The ending must not suck. If it's a thriller, the plot must be complex enough so that I won't be able to guess the killer in the first episode. Abs, shower scenes and hot oppas are a big plus too. haha "

 

@agenth's answer

Spoiler

For the details, it depends on the genre. 

However, all dramas must obey following formula: 

breathtaking cinematography  + engaging story/plot  + skillful acting that translates into cast chemistry. 

 

A drama that is filled with eyecandy, but has a poor plot will be dropped. A drama that has an interesting take on a story, but where the execution is lacking, will be dropped (be it due to bad writing or bad acting). I will be overjoyed when the drama offers a great cast with witty dialogue, where the music is elegantly tied to the story (not disrupting it). The drama doesn't have to invent the wheel - a simple story can be thrilling to watch, when it is a feast for the mind, body and soul. More often it happens that someone tries to be unique, but the drama comes off as crazy and off the rails.

 

In a nutshell: I enjoy a drama that is entertaining and won't get on my nerves.

 

@confusedheart's answer

Spoiler

Ratings are over-rated.   Jokes apart, for me, a good drama is one that narrates a human interest story with a satisfying ending.  I don't much care about  actors or cinematography or even OST. They are a bonus for me.

 

@Sleepy Owl's answer

Spoiler

For me, a good drama is the one which does not make me FF. If that is the case, it means that the plot is interesting enough, with very less "not so useful" scenes. The cinematography, direction, writing and execution is also very important. I get disappointed very easily when they pull off an illogical scene. For me the plot got to be logical enough.

 

The writing should be good. The way they write the characters, do their character development, and also their involvement in the plot. I usually don't like it when the plot is lead centric with the side characters not contributing much to the plot. Also, the villain should be very well written in a drama for me to categorize it really good. A well written villain makes the drama memorable for me. 

 

The ending need not be a happy one, but should make sense and be the best ending corresponding the plot. If it is good enough and has left a good impression on me, I will get back to re-watch the drama. So if I re-watch a drama, it means that I found that drama good enough for that. 

 

So Chingus, we look forward to your "top 15 list" and comments. Happy voting 

 

 

The Poll is open till 31st October 2021

 

PS: We chose these 2 networks mainly because, JTBC just recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, while tvN is celebrating its 15th anniversary. 

 

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have suggestions for events. 

Your Friendly neighborhood and resident EOs,

@partyon, @agenth, @confusedheart, @Sleepy Owl 

 

Tagging: 

Spoiler

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[MayanEcho]

Thanks for tagging @Sleepy Owl! I only watched one of the drama choices, LOL! But I voted those that pals were sharing and talking about so much online - I think I don't have to watch those dramas anymore, hahaha!

[LeftCoastOppa]

12 hours ago, Sleepy Owl said:

While the ratings give us some insight about the popularity of the dramas, do they really help us tell us if a drama is good or not? Are ratings to be trusted in such cases? 

 

For me, the answer is absolutely not - thats not to say I ignore ratings entirely, but more often than not, I've already chosen to watch a drama, before I even check the ratings.

 

A few examples why I don't put alot of faith in ratings -

 

- A Piece Of Your Mind.  I was completely immersed in this drama, the story, the actors, the music, and then suddenly after 12 episodes it was ended - until I checked the threads here, I had no idea it was being cut short due to poor ratings.  This was my first lesson in not putting full faith in ratings - I loved (and still do) this drama

 

- Vagabond.  This drama was awesome, except for that ending - I have nothing against "open endings" but Vagabond didn't even have that - It literally ended where it started.  Now if they had immediately announced there was a season 2, it would've been fine, but there was no such announcement ... and I came very close to throwing a chair through my monitor   Ratings here are deceiving, you get ensnared with an outstanding story, cast, and OST, only to be essentially abandoned at the end.

 

- Lost.  This drama had the most difficult first episode to get through, I have personally ever experienced.  Yet this drama took an outstanding cast, a moving OST, and wove a deeply touching melancholic masterpiece, that I might have missed if I based my choices solely on ratings

 

 

Don't be afraid to look beyond the ratings -

[liddi]

Ratings can be very subjective, very much driven by viewer culture and preferences. Not to mention the ratings we often see are mostly reflective of domestic viewership, rather than its international audiences. I've had my fair share of dramas which hold such a special place in my heart, yet are considered pretty much a ratings failure domestically. And I definitely cannot understand the popularity of some other dramas, which to me, pale in comparison to the ones I love in the same timeslot. Two people can watch the same drama where one would rave and rant about the incomprehensible plot, poor production or subpar acting etc while the other would find so much to praise and enjoy about it. It all boils down to personal preferences. For me, my choice of viewing fare is almost always based on first, the scriptwriter, followed by the director, and lastly the cast. The script is foremost in my opinion as it is a structure around which everything else is built on. I've had my fair share of dramas where I went in because of the cast, but ultimately dropping it like a hot potato, railing at the hours I wasted because of a ridiculous plot or poor acting (the 2nd of which is as much the responsibility of the director as it is the actors). 

 

Long story short. Ultimately, while it is without doubt a bonus when a drama that I truly love enjoys strong ratings, and better still, are acknowledged as such with awards and accolades, ratings alone do not make or break a drama for me.

[Sleepy Owl]

13 minutes ago, liddi said:

Long story short. Ultimately, while it is without doubt a bonus when a drama that I truly love enjoys strong ratings, and better still, are acknowledged as such with awards and accolades, ratings alone do not make or break a drama for me.

 

I agree with you Chingu that it is good to see the drama we are liking doing well in ratings since it means other are acknowledging how good it is 

 

@LeftCoastOppa, @MayanEcho Chingus, yes, even I don't judge the dramas based on ratings. I do check them before watching a drama though, but it is usually only to see how it did domestically. What do you think makes a drama good then? If not based on ratings, then how would you define a good drama? 

[larus]

I don`t watch dramas just because of a hype. I used to joke how I chose dramas that doesn`t have high ratings. No, the ratings doesn`t matter when I like a drama. That`s why I chose live watching Miss Korea and not My Love From The Stars, Two Weeks and not My Master`s Sun, and I was not curious about Crash Landing on You. Perhaps I will watch those succesful rating dramas one day but I am not in a hurry. 

 

 

[Lmangla]

I would say yes and no to the question "do ratings matter?". 

so yes, ratings do matter. I have watched dramas that have 40% ratings (KBS weekend/daily dramas; as well as dramas from the hallyu wave era). the ratings were absolutely deserved. they had a great cast with good expressions, a good story that was addictive, cinematography and good OST. basically a win in every department.  

so no, ratings do not influence my choice. there is no way I am watching any hospital drama including hospital playlist. I don't care if the actors are nice and storyline is touching. I find any visit to the doctors tiring and stressful and have zero interest watching that on TV. neither do I watch all these human interest dramas because I watch dramas to be entertained and have a break from real life. if I want human interest, I will watch documentaries.

so give me the slaps, the absurd twists and turns, the random abs and tears tauntrums. let me yell and laugh at my TV / computer screen. let me discuss with chingus on the thread on how stupid the drama is and roast the characters for their stupidity. give me the snark and laughs! 

[madmad min]

Lets See, Ratings are Only applicable to Native People Trend and what they like/prefer. I have seen American, British, Korean , Chinese, Japanese and Turkish Shows and I am not a Native of either.

What works for their Sensibilities might no be the same for me.

Case in example there is a Japanese drama called Mita,The Housekeeper its an all time rating champion (one of those) having 40% ratings when it aired. Its completely a melodrama. I would have dropped it midway it went monotonous.

Another example shows that are not so popular in China those are slice of life (Mr. Fighting Starring Sandra Ma and DengLun) end up being loved excessively in Korea and Japan (it won Seoul International Drama Award and is Repeatedly aired in Japan because they love this show).

 

Ratings are native and country specific too. I see dramas which suit my palate so No ratings cannot be the sole guarantor of a good drama.

[lila21]

No, I don't depend on ratings but my choice of what really grips me. I found years ago when I first started watching dramas that there are gems in the low rated dramas. Such as one historical "The Blade and The Petal". I enjoyed that drama of the battle of wills and story of revenge and love between children of families who were enemies. The actors were superb, not much talking but their actions  conveyed more than what they said. The other one was "The Assembly". It seemed I was the only one posting comments but I enjoyed that drama immensely. So, no ratings are not a reliable good gauge for drama watching and we are all different.

[MayanEcho]

48 minutes ago, Sleepy Owl said:

What do you think makes a drama good then? If not based on ratings, then how would you define a good drama? 

 

The most obvious would be, if the drama gets nominated for local and international awards or recognitions regardless of ratings or reviews. Second, it's still officially aired by other media networks years after initial broadcasting. Third, if it goes international via right to air licenses, not just through web viewing. 

 

I'm sure all of us would agree that the most important part - acting - should be on point. 

 

Personally, I rather think it's a good drama when the viewers would willingly re-watch the drama, or that several scenes leave lasting impressions they become points of discussions...or memes. The BGM and OST should also be great and matching to the drama theme. If the music couldn't "reach" or "entice" me enough, it's difficult for me to still watch. 

[willenette]

*** Of course, Crash Landing On You for me - hahaha -

 

Drama's ratings and plot summery are important to me, although watching the trailer is the best way to judge it and then I decide. Normally trailer contains the scenes, which either creates anticipation about the drama or highlights the stunning visuals from the drama. The actors give me an idea. I know my preferences. I think everyone has personal preferences. I check the reviews in papers, magazines and YouTube. . Sometimes you’d be surprised by how you like a particular drama/movie without any reason, but that is indeed rare. These all play a major role in how I judge a drama  before I watch it.

In K-entertainment, writers are occasionally late with their scripts; it has become a habit to continually edit the script to optimize ratings. The cast are able to keep going for the sake of ratings. Ratings bring along recognition, and recognition is directly associated with CF contracts for actors/actresses. For them, this could be a sufficiently sweet reward for lost sleep during filming.The reasons behind the tight K-shooting schedule lie in the desired flexibility to respond to viewer feedback. Because the process of shooting and airing simultaneously allows writers to change storylines according to viewer preferences, it ultimately results in better ratings and profits for the show. It has been regarded as one of the strong points of K-dramas that have led the Korean wave throughout Asia for a decade, because script writers and producers can receive real-time feedback from viewers and change the plot to meet their demands and preferences. In the ratings war, producers tend to watch the audience’s reactions. If needed, the script will be modified, or even completely re-written. South Korea is certainly not alone in the extremes that it will go to for ratings. The rating contributes to the sponsor. That's the entertainment industry for you.

[madmad min]

14 hours ago, Sleepy Owl said:

Question is, how do we judge if a drama is good? What is this common property that can tell if a drama was good or not?

 

My Go to answer

Reviews of Non Bias viewers <You can actually spot those out of people who review them lol>

Production House

Director

Scriptwriter

Actors

Genre

 

Drama being considered good is subjective though IMO. But from what I have seen now we live in OTT platform era so first watch it yourself then decide is the Go to Mantra.

 

Eg : I did not like WWWSK or CLOY but people loved it

I loved LOTBS and Still 17 , very very few people talk about it and one is almost unknown.

 

Not every TTeokbokki Texture suits your Gums and Teeth is all I am saying.  

[lebeaucouple]

I think most viewers already highlighted the key points of what should a good drama contain about. The quality of drama depends on the individual preferences and cultural values.

 

I use IMDb site as a good reference to choose drama or movies to watch, any critique scores below 7/10, i will not spend time to watch.

 

There are quite a number of kdrama overhyped that get high rating (I shall not mention here), and some dramas underrated, a good example is "Beautiful World", 8.3/10 in IMDb site, such a beautiful and meaningful storyline, even better than "Sky Castle". Many have overlooked this good drama, sad to say.

 

I used IMDb scoring as a benchmark, most of the time that they rated the drama/movie content, it did not disappoint me after watching them. They are mostly good drama to watch.

 

In addition, I need to emphasize that any top class actor/actress who has acted in a drama does not guarantee a high-quality drama, because it really depends on the screenwriter, director and production staff. I have seen some top class actors acted on some movies or drama but did not give good result because of lacking good substances of script writing.

 

Conversely, if a good script is given to an ordinary actor/actress and with low budget production, it can still produce unexpected results. So I found that the credit should first go to the screenwriter and director, and then follow by the actors and production crews.

 

High Rating does not always equal to good quality of drama.

 

High Rating involves with many different elements (besides the actors, screenwriter, director, cinematography, OST, etc), in my opinion, it comes with two additional key elements : LUCK and HYPED. Without these two, the drama or movies will not make BIG money. A classic example is the "Squid Game" - the director Hwang, cum screenwriter, did not expect his produced work became worldwide popular drama, first ranking in Netflix. 

 

 

 

 

[andy78]

15 hours ago, Sleepy Owl said:

So Chingus, we look forward to your "top 15 list" and comments. Happy voting 

 

i voted!!!Thanks for calling me

35 minutes ago, madmad min said:

Drama being considered good is subjective

i feel the same

[LeftCoastOppa]

2 hours ago, Sleepy Owl said:

What do you think makes a drama good then? If not based on ratings, then how would you define a good drama? 

 

For Me, there are a multitude of characteristics that make up a good drama - all are not necessary, but the more it has the better I tend to find it.

 

All of this being purely subjective of course -

 

- Main Leads that connect both Romantically as well as Comedic-ally - Good Example CLOY, Se-Ri and Jeung-Hyuk  Hotel Del Luna, Man-Wol & Chan-Sung, KTEM  Lee-Gon & Tae-Eul

 

- Second Leads that can steal the show ... and often do - CLOY, Seo-Dan & Seung-Jun,  Run On, Dan-Ah & Yeong-Hwa, Dinner Mate,  KEANU & A-Young (technically, they're Third Leads)    

 

- Credible Intelligent and/or Maniacal Villains that actually make you worry - Vagabond, Edward Park.  IOTNBO, Haeng-Ja (Moon-Youngs Mother) Sisyphus:The Myth, Sigma

 

- OST's that add the final touch to incredible scenes -  Chocolate, Ep 12 final scene when the ML FINALLY recognizes the FL. (music: Just Look For You - Ailee)  More Than Friends, Ep 16 exhibition hall scene where the FL comes to realize she still loves the ML ... and then he appears  (music: Instrumental, title&artist unknown)  IOTNBO Ep 5 final scene, where through a montage flashback its revealed that the ML has always known the FL's real identity and he returns to find her on the balcony of the house he last saw her as a child  (music: In Your Time -Lee Suhyun)  ... and finally this bit of Kdrama lore, made all the more epic by the accompanying soundtrack - 

 

 

 

 

It also helps if the PPL can be kept to a minimum, least offensive level

 

 

 

 

[SilverDawn]

16 hours ago, Sleepy Owl said:

 

 

@agenth's answer

  Hide contents

For the details, it depends on the genre. 

However, all dramas must obey following formula: 

breathtaking cinematography  + engaging story/plot  + skillful acting that translates into cast chemistry. 

 

 

 

 

For me this answer is spot on! And I will add BGM.  

 

Though I have seen dramas where cinematography left much to be desired, still I enjoyed the drama because the story and chemistry between actors was so good. 

 

I watched 3 of the dramas listed above. Other recent Korean dramas I really enjoyed where:

 

It's okay not to be okay

King, eternal monarch

Move to heaven

Tale of the nine tailed

My name

 

Older ones: A korean Odyssey and ofcourse Goblin

 

Chinese dramas...

 

Eternal love, ten miles of peach blossom, and Eternal love of dream.

These dramas have it all! Stunning cinematography, great BGM, actors who own their roles... In their genre these dramas are hard to beat imo.

 

[nohamahamoud2002]

The vote didn't mention Navillera

[Sleepy Owl]

3 hours ago, larus said:

I don`t watch dramas just because of a hype. I used to joke how I chose dramas that doesn`t have high ratings. No, the ratings doesn`t matter when I like a drama. That`s why I chose live watching Miss Korea and not My Love From The Stars, Two Weeks and not My Master`s Sun, and I was not curious about Crash Landing on You. Perhaps I will watch those succesful rating dramas one day but I am not in a hurry. 

 

 

I watched "Two Weeks" and it was a great watch for me. Same with "Master's Sun" although when I watched it I didn't know it was a hit. CLOY too had an interesting plot which made me watch it. 

 

3 hours ago, Lmangla said:

so give me the slaps, the absurd twists and turns, the random abs and tears tauntrums. let me yell and laugh at my TV / computer screen. let me discuss with chingus on the thread on how stupid the drama is and roast the characters for their stupidity. give me the snark and laughs! 

 

 

Noona, did you just say ABS? 

 

Weren't you the person who would check out the shower heads and shampoo brands when the showrunners would throw shower scene for the fan service 

 

3 hours ago, madmad min said:

Lets See, Ratings are Only applicable to Native People Trend and what they like/prefer. I have seen American, British, Korean , Chinese, Japanese and Turkish Shows and I am not a Native of either.

 

 

I do agree with you on this one. But a lot of times, the ratings play an important role in these dramas getting aired in other countries. So while it is not the best way to decide if a drama is good, I think it is still among the ways to get the drama judged statistically to decide how good it was. 

 

@lila21 I understand you completely. I have watched many low rated dramas, and loved them a lot. A lot of them have become my favorites, the most recent one being "On The Verge of Insanity". 

 

2 hours ago, willenette said:

Drama's ratings and plot summery are important to me, although watching the trailer is the best way to judge it and then I decide. Normally trailer contains the scenes, which either creates anticipation about the drama or highlights the stunning visuals from the drama. The actors give me an idea. I know my preferences. I think everyone has personal preferences. I check the reviews in papers, magazines and YouTube. . Sometimes you’d be surprised by how you like a particular drama/movie without any reason, but that is indeed rare. These all play a major role in how I judge a drama  before I watch it. 

 

 

Yeah, for me the first thing to make me interested in a drama is plot summary. After that it is the cast (sometimes cast come up first in case of a certain actors/actresses) and I sometimes don't even watch trailer 

But trailer is surely an important factor, since I watched "Squid Game" trailer and while I was already interested in that drama, I got more interested in it. Same has happened with some other dramas, but I very rarely watch the trailers for dramas. 

 

1 hour ago, madmad min said:

 

Eg : I did not like WWWSK or CLOY but people loved it

I loved LOTBS and Still 17 , very very few people talk about it and one is almost unknown.

 

Still 17 is among my most favorite dramas. I loved how light and good that drama was 

1 hour ago, madmad min said:

My Go to answer

Reviews of Non Bias viewers <You can actually spot those out of people who review them lol>

Production House

Director

Scriptwriter

Actors

Genre

 

I have hardly read any reviews before going for dramas. I usually go to the person who has already watched it to get their overall review on it. Of course it will be biased, but then again I go to the people who have the same taste in kdramas as me. So it helps usually. 

 

I don't look in Production house as well. But I do check the scriptwriter first. There are some scriptwriters who I want to avoid and if I see those names, I just skip the drama. I check the actors, genre as well, but if I find the plot interesting enough, and the writer is not from my backlist, I usually check out the drama. 

 

1 hour ago, lebeaucouple said:

There are quite a number of kdrama overhyped that get high rating (I shall not mention here), and some dramas underrated, a good example is "Beautiful World", 8.3/10 in IMDb site, such a beautiful and meaningful storyline, even better than "Sky Castle". Many have overlooked this good drama, sad to say.

 

I used IMDb scoring as a benchmark, most of the time that they rated the drama/movie content, it did not disappoint me after watching them. They are mostly good drama to watch.

 

I have not watched either of the dramas. But seeing your comment, I will check out "Beautiful World" when I have time. Of course "Sky Castle" is already in my watchlist too. But I didn't watch it yet. 

 

I do check out IMDb but not always. 

 

1 hour ago, andy78 said:

i voted!!!Thanks for calling me

2 hours ago, madmad min said:

 

Great Chingu 

So what makes a drama good for you? Also what are your top 15 dramas?

 

1 hour ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

All of this being purely subjective of course -

 

- Main Leads that connect both Romantically as well as Comedic-ally - Good Example CLOY, Se-Ri and Jeung-Hyuk  Hotel Del Luna, Man-Wol & Chan-Sung, KTEM  Lee-Gon & Tae-Eul

 

- Second Leads that can steal the show ... and often do - CLOY, Seo-Dan & Seung-Jun,  Run On, Dan-Ah & Yeong-Hwa, Dinner Mate,  KEANU & A-Young (technically, they're Third Leads)    

 

- Credible Intelligent and/or Maniacal Villains that actually make you worry - Vagabond, Edward Park.  IOTNBO, Haeng-Ja (Moon-Youngs Mother) Sisyphus:The Myth, Sigma

 

I completely agree with you here Chingu. For me the second leads, and side characters plot involvement, character development is as important as it is the same for the leads. Also the villain should be very well written and smart. 

 

36 minutes ago, nohamahamoud2002 said:

The vote didn't mention Navillera

 

Sorry Chingu, but we have picked top 15 tvN and JTBC dramas based on their viewership ratings, that's why this drama was not part of the list. 

 

4 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

- A Piece Of Your Mind.  I was completely immersed in this drama, the story, the actors, the music, and then suddenly after 12 episodes it was ended - until I checked the threads here, I had no idea it was being cut short due to poor ratings.  This was my first lesson in not putting full faith in ratings - I loved (and still do) this drama

 

 

I understand how you feel Chingu, since the same has happened to many dramas. For me, I was loving "Beautiful Mind" and then due to low ratings they made it a 14 episodes drama which made the writers rush the endings instead. 

 

59 minutes ago, SilverDawn said:

I watched 3 of the dramas listed above. Other recent Korean dramas I really enjoyed where:

 

It's okay not to be okay

King, eternal monarch

Move to heaven

Tale of the nine tailed

My name

 

I liked watching those dramas as well. Since we had planned to include top 15 tvN and JTBC dramas based on ratings, we couldn't include them 

 

Chingus, I look forward to your top 15 dramas as well. It can be any drama, need not be Kdrama and also from any network. I will be sharing mine shortly as well 

[Lmangla]

10 minutes ago, Sleepy Owl said:

Noona, did you just say ABS? 

 

Weren't you the person who would check out the shower heads and shampoo brands when the showrunners would throw shower scene for the fan service

kekeke... I find the fan service as amusing as slaps. 

[sweetroad]

Good questions as always EOs!

 

I agree with many of you that ratings don't necessarily matter. For me it's more word of mouth and an intriguing storyline.

 

Also, it can boil down to a few questions:

 

1. Do I want to see these people in something right now? In the case of FTLY the answer was Yes, I want to see Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara in something right now. Mostly because I'd never seen them in anything but people always talk about them. Same with Hometown Cha Cha Cha - I'd never seen Shin Min Ah in a drama but I had wanted to and this one looked fun.

 

2. Am I interested in this story at this point in time? With IOTNBO, my first drama exactly a year ago, among all the other kdramas that Netflix had on offer, IOTNBO had the most intriguing characters and story.

 

3. And since I'm still relatively new to kdramas, the question of, What has stood the test of time? has been important to me. I don't have a lot of time to spend on mediocre dramas - I just want to watch the best! - so I always welcome hearing what other people have liked and remembered over time. And in the case of new, upcoming dramas, I'm interested in hearing about the screenwriters, actors, and directors that other chingus are excited about.

 

It's also helpful if they're available on Viki or Netflix, since it's kind of a pain to track them down otherwise.