“Imitation” Records Extremely Low Viewership Ratings Despite Having An Idol-Filled Cast

There may be numerous factors behind it.

The highly anticipated Korean drama Imitation finally aired its first episode and it has received less than stellar results.

“Imitation” poster | KBS2

The idol-filled K-drama Imitation has been the talk of the town since news began to spread about its cast and plot line. The K-drama excited fans from all over the K-Pop realm due to its line-up. Jun from U-KISSJiyeon from T-araYunho and San from ATEEZChani and Hwiyoung from SF9Im Nayoung who was a former member of I.O.I and PRISTIN and more are a part of this star studded cast. With the impressive line-up, fans and netizens had high hopes for Imitation but unfortunately, the K-drama has seen a less than impressive start to their series.

Boys Republic’s Suwoong, ATEEZ’s Seonghwa, San and Yunho for “Imitation” boy group, “Sparkling” | KBS2

According to reports, the first episode of the KBS2 drama recorded a a 1% viewership rating for the first half of the episode, and a 0.9% rating for the second half of the episode. Due to its impressive cast and its adaption from the webtoon with the same name, Imitation had high expectations from the start, but has failed to live up to the expectations with its first episode.

After these reports, fans discussed why they believe the series may be failing to see success. The series airs at 11:10 PM KST on Friday evenings, which fans believe may be a big factor in the drama’s low viewership ratings. In addition to that, netizens believe that Imitation‘s targeted audience is more accustomed to using online viewing platforms rather than television broadcasts, which may also contribute to the overall low ratings of the series.

“Imitation” webtoon poster | Kakaopage

Imitation follows the stories of idol singers and their lives within the entertainment industry, from the good, the bad, and the ugly. It also tells the story of a secret budding romance between a girl group member and a boy group member.

Still from “Imitation” | Kakao Entertainment

The series began on May 7 and will air new episodes every Friday on KBS2 at 11:10KST.

Source: WikiTree and Image