K-drama The Heavenly Idol, Ep. 6 ratings sink in Korea – international audiences giving it high marks
Michelle Topham 
The Heavenly Idol, Episode 6 viewer numbers fall off a cliff
Having only watched a few minutes of Episode 1 so far, I am not going to comment on the K-drama The Heavenly Idol.
Except to say the show’s ratings for the just-aired-in-Korea sixth episode show a massive falling off of the audience since its’ first episode premiered in mid-February.
So much so, according to Nielsen Korea, The Heavenly Idol, Episode 6 ratings have the show sinking from an almost 3.1 percent audience share in its time slot for Episode 1 nationwide, down to a 1.4 percent last night.
That knocks the rom-com fantasy drama down from 2nd place in its time slot nationwide in Korea for Episode 1, to now in 4th place for The Heavenly Idol, Episode 6.
In Seoul, the drama plummeted around the same amount — from 3.4 percent for Episode 1 down to 1.7 percent for Episode 6.
Yes, The Heavenly Idol, Episode 6 is pulling in a little larger audience in Seoul than nationwide, but not by much.
With 10 more episodes yet to go, it will be interesting to see then if it can pull itself back up, or if the attention of Korean audiences is gone for good.
How are international audiences feeling about The Heavenly Idol?
On Viki, where it is currently streaming outside Korea, while that streaming platform doesn’t give away how many people are watching a show, the drama does have a 9.4 rating out of 10.
More than 1,000 people have left a rating so far, with most rating it between a 10 and an 8 and only a few showing a below 6 rating.
Even on My Drama List, whose users tend to be more critical than on other platforms, the fantasy drama is pulling in a respectable 8.2 out of 10 rating, which is quite high for folks there.
Meaning, while The Heavenly Idol may be falling out of favor with Koreans, international audiences seem to be enjoying it quite a bit.
The Heavenly Idol stars Kim Min Gue, Go Bo Gyeol and Lee Jang Woo.
My Drama List describes The Heavenly Idol plot like this (edited for coherence):
Pontifex Lembrary is widely regarded as having the most powerful divine power. In a fight against a devil, he is suddenly sent to a different world where he finds himself in a small dormitory possessing the body of Woo Yeon Woo.
Woo Yeon Woo is a member of an unpopular idol group called Wild Animal. They have been together for 3 years, but are on the verge of disbanding due to their lack of success.
Nine hours later, while still in Yeon Woo’s body, Pontifex Lembrary is placed on a stage with Wild Animal for a live performance at a broadcasting station. When the music begins to play, he shouts out, “I don’t know how to dance.”
Of course, the live broadcast is a disaster, but it does attract the attention of viewers and the media, and the soon-to-be-disbanded idol group is suddenly popular.
Watch the drama’s official trailer below and, if you are one of those enjoying the drama and sad to see The Heavenly Idol, Episode 6 ratings be so poor, keep your fingers crossed we will see an audience rebound in Korea soon.
About the Author
Rachel M. Reeves