The show adapts a Swedish series and centers on a family's wounds and the slow work of rebuilding love and trust.
The early drop reveals a gap between structural factors in Friday scheduling and audience expectations around a star-led comeback.
However, the show's ultimate fate will hinge on whether storytelling quality and scheduling or marketing can spark a midseason rebound.
Seo Hyun-jin's return: recovery or crisis?
Overview
The series started with low ratings.
On Dec. 19, 2025, JTBC aired Love Me as part of its Friday drama block; episode 1 registered 2.2% and episode 2 dropped to 1.5% (audience share figures commonly used in Korea).
The original is a Swedish drama that follows an ordinary family as they discover new love and try to repair old hurts.
Seo Hyun-jin returns as obstetrician-gynecologist Seo Jun-gyeong (ob-gyn, a doctor who cares for pregnancy and reproductive health), and the cast includes acclaimed actors Yoo Jae-myung and Yoon Se-a among others.
Background
At heart, this is a family story.
Love Me tries to unpack each family member's private wounds with careful, character-driven scenes.
Seo Jun-gyeong left home after feeling guilty about her mother’s car accident and now lives with a quiet, contained loneliness.
Her father, Jin-ho, experiences a shift in his marriage that opens a complicated emotional connection with Jin Ja-young.
Production and airing structure
The Friday double-episode format matters.
The series is 12 episodes long, shot between Feb. 4 and July 29, 2025, and premiered in mid-December.
JTBC's Friday series often schedules two episodes back-to-back, which can magnify viewer drop-off after the first episode.
Therefore early numbers may reflect scheduling behavior as much as a show's intrinsic appeal.
Causes: layered and complex
Multiple factors overlap.
First, expectations were high: Seo Hyun-jin has a strong track record on broadcast and cable, so viewers hoped for a compelling romantic lead.
Second, the series' deliberate pace and quiet emotional work may come across as slow to viewers used to faster plot beats.
Third, Friday-night viewing habits and competition from other programs likely played a role.
Positive reading
There is room for optimism.
Seo Hyun-jin's measured emotional acting anchors the series.
She avoids theatrical displays and instead layers small, quiet moments that translate the original's tone into a Korean setting.
Scenes that show Seo Jun-gyeong's small routines and inner solitude have already resonated with a portion of viewers.
A strong ensemble—Yoo Jae-myung, Yoon Se-a, Jang Hye-jin, and Lee Si-woo—helps connect each character's arc to the central family thread.
Meanwhile, melodramas often build momentum through word of mouth.
Even with a slow start, a series can be reevaluated if later episodes sharpen storytelling and emotional stakes.
If the adaptation preserves the original's structural strengths and commits to credible psychological detail, critics and viewers might rediscover the show.
Family themes—parent-child, spouses, and reunion—are broadly relatable and can expand the audience over time.
In addition, network strategy matters.
JTBC can use online platforms, adjust OTT release timing, and schedule replays to capture late viewers.
When scheduling, marketing, and content quality align, early weakness can turn into a growth trajectory.
Therefore it is premature to write off the series based on first-week figures alone.
Negative reading
There are warning signs.
A low 2% start followed by a drop into the 1% range is a hard signal to ignore.
Despite Seo Hyun-jin's name recognition and a strong cast, the slide between episode 1 and 2 suggests problems beyond scheduling.
Melodrama lives on emotional connection and immersion; some early reactions point to thin narrative momentum and uneven tension.
Critics note moments that feel fragmentary rather than richly layered.
On the other hand, the Friday double-episode format raises the stakes for episode-to-episode hold rates. This production showed a notable gap between episodes 1 and 2, which hurts audience retention.
Viewer behavior is often inertial: after a steep second-episode drop, recovery becomes harder because people choose where to spend limited attention and time.
If competing shows offer faster payoffs or more immediate emotional reward, Love Me may struggle to be chosen in that slot.
Absent quick corrective moves by the creative team and the network, the drama risks fading from viewers' attention.
Furthermore, if adaptation choices fail to transplant the original's mood into a Korean context, the show may not build a stable long-term audience.
Loss of the original's pacing or tone during localization can close off emotional entry points for viewers.
Therefore the current low ratings might reflect structural issues in storytelling, not just a temporary scheduling hiccup.
Neutral stance
Judgment should wait.
Both sides have merit: scheduling is a plausible explanation, and so is the critique about narrative friction.
Ratings patterns also intersect with changing content habits, platform shifts, and a more fragmented audience.
A short snapshot of numbers is insufficient for a final verdict. Meanwhile, producers should study feedback carefully and plan medium-term adjustments.
Audience and market context
Understanding who the viewers are matters.
Factors such as work-family balance and attention to mental health shape how audiences respond to domestic dramas.
Contemporary viewers often want to read a character's social context alongside their romantic arc. Thus, a drama that treats family conflict and reconciliation with nuance can tap into current conversations.
In contrast, if emotional density is low or story links feel loose, the series may be vulnerable to short-form clip culture and fast online consumption patterns.
Conclusion
The next episodes will decide the story.
Seo Hyun-jin's comeback, Love Me, began with weak ratings, but a turnaround is possible if narrative craftsmanship, episode pacing, and network strategy improve.
However, the sharp drop between episodes 1 and 2 is a clear warning: the creative team must clarify pacing, strengthen emotional through-lines, and deepen viewer touchpoints.
Ultimately, ratings measure not just artistic quality but also scheduling, marketing, and modern viewing habits.
Key takeaways: first, Seo Hyun-jin's performance can be an asset. Second, the Friday double-episode format increases rating volatility. Third, long-term success depends on storytelling depth and audience-retention tactics.
Which side do you lean toward—optimism or concern? Share your thoughts.
