By Maladubu 
A drama so lost in space, even NASA couldn’t save it.
A Show That Had It All and Did Nothing with It
With a main cast of Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin, writer Seo Sook-hyang (known for dramas like My Love from the Star), director Park Shin-woo (who has directed dramas such as Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born), and an enormous budget of 50 billion won, When the Stars Gossip was a highly anticipated show when it was first announced in 2022. Years went by, and the drama was stuck in development limbo while fans moved on with their lives. Only the true hardcore fans continued to look forward to it, and even they were disappointed. With a finale rating of 2.55% (a small recovery from its lowest 1.78% rating—yikes), the disappointment was truly universal.
The Problems That Plagued the Series from Day One
1. Confusing Plotlines
From the outset, When the Stars Gossip struggled with a convoluted narrative. What was marketed as “Korea’s first space rom-com” was neither about space or romance. The series attempted to establish a “romantic” storyline between an obstetrician-gynecologist space tourist and a perfectionist astronaut aboard a space station. However, the plot was muddled with unnecessary subplots, such as secret embryo experiments (because why not?) and corporate espionage, leaving viewers perplexed, disengaged, and a bit lost in space—literally.
2. Bland Character Development
The two main characters, Gong Ryong (Lee Min-ho) and Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin), lacked depth and growth. Gong Ryong’s backstory as a disgraced OG-GYN with a hidden agenda was so underdeveloped that it made it hard to care about his motives. Eve Kim’s portrayal as a strict, rule-abiding commander offered little insight into her personal struggles or desires, making her feel more robotic than a sci-fi AI. Supporting characters like Choi Go-eun (Han Ji-eun), the CEO of MZ Electronics and Ryong’s fiancée, and Kang Kang-su (Oh Jung-se), were reduced to one-dimensional roles, serving merely as plot devices without meaningful arcs. That space sex scene didn’t add anything to anyone’s development and was so lost in the plot as they all were.
3. Pacing Issues – The Eternal Drag
Each episode felt like it lasted 72 hours. Important plot points were rushed, while unnecessary filler scenes dragged on forever. I lost count of how many times I zoned out, only to snap back and realize I hadn’t missed a single thing. Watching this felt like an endurance test.
4. Forced Romance and Zero Emotional Payoff
The show expected us to root for a romance that had all the passion of a lukewarm cup of convenience store coffee. The chemistry was so lacking that I was genuinely more invested in the side characters’ love lives—or even the fate of an extra walking in the background. Fate may have brought the leads together, but even destiny couldn’t make them interesting.
Final Thoughts: Watch or Skip?
Look, if you enjoy some accidental Korean ASMR (the OST is actually decent), watching plot holes deepen by the second, and being personally victimized by terrible writing, then sure, go for it. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and find a better use of your time—like rewatching My Queen for the tenth time. Or staring at a wall. That would probably be more entertaining.