"Scarlet Heart Ryeo" is nearing the end of its 20-episode run but the SBS drama has yet to break the 10 percent TV ratings mark. Recently, South Korean actor Lee Joon Gi shared his thoughts about the show's low viewership share despite its star-studded cast.
The SBS historical drama has been unsuccessful in its attempt to gain a strong lead in the race for high TV ratings since it aired its first episode in late August. Lee's series posted viewership shares that ranged from 5 percent to 9 percent. For a weekday primetime drama, the said percentages are considered low.
In an interview with Singles magazine, as cited by All Kpop, cast member Lee admitted that he felt saddened about the drama's poor performance. Despite the cast and crew members' hard work,
"Scarlet Heart Ryeo" was unable to reach the same level of success as its original Chinese version.
However, several fans and critics took notice of Lee's impressive acting in the SBS drama. Viewers may have shared some positive feedback about the actor's acting abilities but the South Korean celebrity was not as appreciative.
Lee even made mention of how he reviewed some of the scenes in the SBS drama to look for potential areas to improve on. As an actor with a lead role in the said historical series, Lee felt that it was part of his responsibility to ensure the drama's success.
The "Arang and the Magistrate" star is just one of the South Korean celebrities who joined the said SBS drama project. Lee portrays a Goryeo prince named So who is the fourth son of the King. Other cast members include the Kpop singer IU as Su, "Misaeng" actor Kang Ha Neul as the 8th prince Wook and more.
Meanwhile, "Scarlet Heart Ryeo" had a promising start and even topped a contents power index during the first week of September. The SBS drama registered 294.3 points on the said index and even surpassed the popular KBS drama "Moonlight Drawn by Clouds," according to CJ E&M, as cited by Korea Herald.
In other news, the historical series' episode 15 that was released on Oct. 11 posted a nationwide viewership share of 8.2 percent. However, the SBS drama's episode 16 dropped 2.3 percentage points. Aired on Oct. 18, the said episode only registered a TV rating of 5.9 percent, according to Nielsen Korea.
"Scarlet Heart Ryeo" airs every Monday and Tuesday on SBS. Watch the drama's upcoming episode 17 below: