5 K-Dramas where even the big stars couldn't save the show: Queen of Tears to Love Next Door

Stepping into dangerous waters here, but let’s be real, in recent years, some K-Dramas hit peak ratings yet ended up overloaded with characters and storylines, trying to do it all but delivering very little. Sometimes, you’re stuck with two confused leads who would’ve been better off just staying friends, but the script insists they end up together anyway.

Take a guess which ones made that mistake. Meanwhile, here are 5 dramas that definitely didn’t deserve half the hype, or the ratings, they got.

This even beat Crash Landing on You with its ratings, but it had none of the sweetness, joy or rush of delight that CLOY brought. Instead, we had to contend with Kim Soo-hyun's rather selfish, self-centred Baek Hyun-woo, who...wait for it...celebrates his wife's terminal disease, on hearing it. It's passed off as humour folks. The story follows their marriage and eventual reconciliation, but also stuffed so many storylines and uneccessary villains into it, along with a contrived male lead, that you just wished to call it quits after a point.

As one Reddit commenter grimly summed it up, Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min’s characters really should’ve just stayed friends. The story follows two childhood friends, and to be fair, their friendship in the early days is genuinely touching to watch. Jung So-min’s Bae Seok-ryu cheers on Choi Seunghyo (played by Hae-in) at his swim meets, stands up to his bullies, and even nags him into eating his vegetables. It’s sweet, earnest, and believable.

But of course, he starts falling for her, just in time for her to leave for the U.S. Years later, she returns, and they reconnect… only for Seunghyo to turn into a moody, surly mess who spends most of his time snapping at her. The chemistry fizzles fast, and by the time they actually get together, you’re too irritated to care.

A story full of missed opportunities, and one that would’ve been far better if they had just kept the friendship.

And the audience didn't gain much either. No Gain, No Love follows the story of a determined female lead, played by Shin Min-ah, climbing the corporate ladder, navigating office politics and complicated relationships along the way. She’s hardworking, ambitious, and ready to prove herself, but her journey is anything but smooth. The male lead is the classic “green flag” type, dependable but painfully bland , while the secondary couple starts off as side characters and then suddenly become the focus. What begins as a promising workplace romance derails in the final act, with plot twists that feel messy and characters acting out of character.

Memories of the Alhambra, starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye, promised a mind-bending blend of fantasy, thriller, and romance set against the stunning backdrop of Spain’s Alhambra Palace. On paper, it sounded like a recipe for addictive binge-watching — a gripping AR game mystery mixed with high-stakes drama. Yet, after several rounds of sword-fighting and ominous music, you end up as confused as Park Shin-hye, wondering what really is happening.

The pacing was as uneven as a glitchy game, dragging in some episodes and rushing through major plot points in others. The narrative jumped between timelines, realities, and characters so often it left viewers scratching their heads rather than biting their nails. The suspense that should have kept you glued to the screen instead turned into confusion, with key motivations and story threads left dangling. Moreover, the romance never finds its footing, and you get a drama that promised a thrilling quest but delivered a frustrating maze. In short: a great concept that didn’t quite level up. And let's not get started on that ending.

Yumi's Cells starring Kim Go-eun was thoroughly enjoyable at first. The early episodes balanced humor, sweetness, and heart with just the right touch, keeping viewers entertained and invested. However, as the story progressed, some felt the pacing slowed and the plot meandered, leaving the initial spark a little dimmer. And Season 2 just did not hit the right notes.