Kim Soo Hyun And IU Romance In K-Drama ‘Producer’ Dramatically Increased, Yet Ratings Dramatically Dropped

May was a great month for debuts of early summertime K-dramas. For example, Mask, starring Ju Ji Hoon as Min Woo and Soo Ae playing dual roles as both Byeon Ji Sook and Seo Eun Ha, is dominating the ratings. This is because its direction and strong acting — especially by Soo whose two characters are as different as day and night — are heavily praised.

Mask isn’t the only K-drama getting attention as of late. Producer made its debut with a strong viewership too, possibly because Kim Soo Hyun is in it (who is extremely popular in China). Unfortunately for the K-drama, it actually saw ratings dramatically drop despite the romance between the characters played by Kim and IU dramatically increasing.

For those who are unfamiliar with the basic plot of Producer, it is about a man named Baek Seung Chan (Kim Soo Hyun) who decides to work at the entertainment division of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) because of his secret crush on a KBS employee. Just the initial premise of the plot was entertaining to viewers, pinnacled by the airing of the May 29, 2015, episode of Producer recording a rating of 11.2 percent, as reported by KDrama Stars. Eventually, ratings would increase beyond 13 percent.

Now, the ratings have dramatically dropped as recorded by Nielson Korea. Apparently, the June 5, 2015, episode of Producer recorded an 11.7 percent in nationwide viewership. Now most people wouldn’t say that’s bad considering that the May 29 episode was considered its biggest ratings record at 11.2 percent at the time, but given the fact the previous episode was rated at 13.5 percent, that is dramatic.

Despite the drop, there was one dramatic increase in Producer this episode: the romance between Baek Seung Chang and Cindy. Without fully spoiling the episode, Cindy turns to Baek for support over the complications of her personal life. Baek is initially reluctant to help but eventually does. Eventually, Cindy reveals details of her tragic past which, in turn, draws her closer to Baek. The episode ended on a high-note for fans, as shown in the video below (though it is suggested for those who don’t like spoilers not to press play).

Producer airs on KBS in South Korea on both Friday and Saturday at 9:15 p.m. KST. For those who don’t have KBS, it can be viewed for free (with ads) on DramaFever.

[Image via Producer KBS Promotions]