Viewership for star-studded 'Lost' plummets over 'unconvincing story'

The JTBC melodrama series, “Lost,” hit its lowest rating so far, Saturday. Courtesy of C-JeS Entertainment and Dramahouse Studio

By Lee Gyu-lee

JTBC's melodrama series, “Lost,” starring award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon and actor Ryu Jun-yeol, has hit its lowest viewership rating so far with the latest episode, Saturday.

The ninth episode saw a 1.2 percent viewership rating, which was lower than last week's record low of 1.4 percent.

The network's 10th-anniversary project series had been highly anticipated by K-drama fans for its cast members and director. This series was the first small-screen appearance for actress Jeon in five years as well as the first TV series directed by filmmaker Hur Jin-ho, who is known for the leading period film, “Forbidden Dream” (2019), along with romance films “Christmas in August” (1998) and “April Snow” (2005).

The first episode kicked off with a 4.2-percent rating on Sept. 4. However, the ratings soon took a nosedive, falling below 2 percent by the fifth episode.

Written by Kim Ji-hye, whose works include romance movies, “My Love, My Bride” (2014) and “Architecture 101” (2012), the series follows the story of two people who feel adrift in life and encounter each other, making their lives better.

Bu-jung (Jeon), who once dreamed of becoming a good writer, is a ghostwriter living with her husband. Nothing ever worked out for her in life and she even loses her job as a ghostwriter. She starts to work as a house cleaner, but tries to keep it a secret from her family.

One day, she encounters handsome gigolo Kang-jae (Ryu), who runs a service for renting out family members, friends or romantic partners, in order to make a living. The two are attracted by the feelings of loneliness and emptiness reflected in each other.

Scenes from “Lost” / Korea Times file

The series, which closely follows the emotions of the actors, appears to have lost its charm due to a depressing, slow-paced storyline and the unconvincing subplots involving the characters.

“The biggest problem with 'Lost' is that I can't empathize with the lead character Bu-jung,” a user wrote on an online community forum. “It just feels like too much self-pity and it's too depressing.”

Another user wrote, “The series doesn't have a strong backstory or subplots to make it convincing enough for viewers to understand the characters and their emptiness… so it's hard for us to resonate with them and the plot.”

Some viewers even pointed out problems with Ryu's performance as a player who has irresistible charm with a broody aura. His portrayal of the multi-layered character with complex emotions failed to win the viewers' hearts.

Director Hur revealed during a press conference in early September that taking on the series to direct has been a challenge for him.

"I changed my mind to work up the courage to try it after reading such a good script,” he said. “Unlike movies, which start production after the script is completed, dramas start shooting as the scripts are still being written. So, there were feelings of curiosity and frustration from time to time. It literally felt like making three to four films at once.”

“Lost” airs on JTBC every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 p.m.