As the weeks go by, and the dramas go by, ratings continue to surprise me… in how low they’ve gotten. I think we’ve all figured out by now that online streaming is mostly to blame, but I still find it sad for the cast and crew. I mean, I’m not watching Let Me Hear Your Song, but does it really deserve 2 percent ratings week after week?
I was also surprised to see finales getting relatively low numbers. Wednesday-Thursday shows Justice and Doctor Detective ended with 7 percent and 3.9 percent respectively — on two big networks. As always, cable took the lead, as Class of Lies ended with an impressive 4.8 percent.
Over the weekend, we had medical drama Doctor John, which ended with pretty good numbers, too. Still, considering this was a Ji Sung drama, I was expecting something a little higher. At least one thing went as expected: historical fantasy Arthdal Chronicles returned to finish its run and came out with 6.1 percent.
Drama viewership ratings for the week of Sep. 2-8, 2019
| Ep. # | Station | Rating | |
| Monday, Sep. 2 | |||
| Let Me Hear Your Song | 17 | KBS | 2.5% |
| Let Me Hear Your Song | 18 | KBS | 2.8% |
| Welcome 2 Life | 17 | MBC | 3.8% |
| Welcome 2 Life | 18 | MBC | 4.8% |
| A Moment at Eighteen | 13 | JTBC | 3.8% |
| The Great Show | 3 | tvN | 3.1% |
| Tuesday, Sep. 3 | |||
| Let Me Hear Your Song | 19 | KBS | 2.4% |
| Let Me Hear Your Song | 20 | KBS | 2.5% |
| Welcome 2 Life | 19 | MBC | 4.0% |
| Welcome 2 Life | 20 | MBC | 4.9% |
| A Moment at Eighteen | 14 | JTBC | 3.8% |
| The Great Show | 4 | tvN | 3.0% |
| Wednesday, Sep. 4 | |||
| Justice | 29 | KBS | 6.0% |
| Justice | 30 | KBS | 6.4% |
| Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung | 29 | MBC | 3.7% |
| Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung | 30 | MBC | 5.5% |
| Doctor Detective | 15 | SBS | 3.4% |
| Class of Lies | 15 | OCN | 4.3% |
| When the Devil Calls Your Name | 11 | tvN | 1.8% |
| Thursday, Sep. 5 | |||
| Justice | 31 | KBS | 3.4% |
| Justice | 32 | KBS | 7.0% |
| Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung | 31 | MBC | 4.0% |
| Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung | 32 | MBC | 5.4% |
| Doctor Detective | 16 | SBS | 3.9% |
| Class of Lies | 16 | OCN | 4.8% |
| When the Devil Calls Your Name | 12 | tvN | 1.6% |
| Friday, Sep. 6 | |||
| Doctor John | 29 | SBS | 6.3% |
| Doctor John | 30 | SBS | 8.1% |
| Be Melodramatic | 9 | JTBC | 1.5% |
| Saturday, Sep. 7 | |||
| Mother of Mine | 97 | KBS | 28.4% |
| Mother of Mine | 98 | KBS | 32.3% |
| Golden Garden | 29 | MBC | 5.0% |
| Golden Garden | 30 | MBC | 8.3% |
| Golden Garden | 31 | MBC | 8.5% |
| Golden Garden | 32 | MBC | 9.5% |
| Doctor John | 31 | SBS | 6.7% |
| Doctor John | 32 | SBS | 10.2% |
| Be Melodramatic | 10 | JTBC | 1.8% |
| Hell Is Other People | 3 | OCN | 3.2% |
| Arthdal Chronicles | 13 | tvN | 6.1% |
| Sunday, Sep. 8 | |||
| Mother of Mine | 99 | KBS | 29.0% |
| Mother of Mine | 100 | KBS | 34.3% |
| Hell Is Other People | 4 | OCN | 3.1% |
| Arthdal Chronicles | 14 | tvN | 7.2% |