The teaser for Sweet Home season 3 undoubtedly garnered a lot of attention ahead of its July 19 premiere on Netflix, with lead actors like Song Kang, Lee Jin Uk, Lee Si Young, Lee Do Hyun, and Go Min Si returning. However, when the South Korean apocalyptic horror series breathed life back into Kim Carnby and Hwang Young Chan’s beloved Never Webtoon for a third and final installment, the result wasn’t all bark and bite. Right after its premiere, the series’ name dominated Good Data Corporation’s weekly trending K-drama chart for the third week of July (TV-OTT), but it still failed to reach the top rank.
SBS’s Good Partner , starring Jang Na Ra and Nam Ji Hyun, won big.
In its second week of release on Netflix, the third season of Sweet Home slipped down in the Top 10 discussion to the 7th spot (TV-OTT). However, Good Partner continued to maintain its strong dominance on the charts in the fourth week of July. Following in its footsteps, tvN’s latest romantic comedy, Serendipity’s Embrace, starring Kim So Hyun and Chae Jong Hyeop, has moved up to the second spot from its previous seventh spot.
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Reasons why Sweet Home 3 fell on the weekly chart
The exclusive Fundex report for the third week of July revealed that none of the 19 original K-dramas released on the OTT platform managed to top the buzz charts. Sweet Home suffered due to a steady decline in buzz for the thriller genre in dramas, a shift that South Korean TV network tvN has particularly noticed and has pivoted towards multi-genre shows with a greater emphasis on romantic comedies. Shows like Queen of Tears, Lovely Runner and the ongoing Serendipity’s Embrace are evidence of this thematic shift, which has also yielded promising results on the buzz charts.
Either way, the Netflix original series failed to meet audience expectations. Studies showed that over 90% of initial reactions to the show in its first week of release were negative. Furthermore, introducing many unfamiliar and unnecessary characters hindered viewers’ efforts to warm up to the show. Critics also dragged the disorganized storyline, which lacked any kind of focus, blurring the distinction between main and supporting characters.
The show also failed miserably on the visual front, including disappointing CGI. According to an analysis of online public opinion provided by Good Data Corporation, fans were critical of the show as a whole, with some even calling it “too cluttered” or “boring.”
Comments such as “The biggest problem is that too many uninteresting characters have been introduced” and “They should have focused on the main characters, but they included too many different stories” were a priority. Furthermore, viewers felt they should have only watched Season 1. Skipping the second and third parts seemed to them “the best option”. Many viewers watched it simply to kill time and catch a glimpse of some of their favorite actors, while generally craving the originality and overall vibe of Season 1.
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Competing OTT titles in the fourth week of July
While Sweet Home Season 3 slipped to seventh place, Disney Plus’ Red Swan starring Rain and Kim Ha Neul remained at sixth place. Meanwhile, the upcoming thriller series on U+ Mobile TV (will be available on Disney Plus in select regions), No Way Out: The Roulette, also debuted at #9 on the top 10 chart. Set to premiere on Wednesday, July 31, the mystery K-drama stars Cho Jin Woong (The Handmaiden), Yoo Jae Myung (Itaewon Class), Kim Mu Yeol (The Roundup: Punishment), Yum Jung Ah (Sky Castle), and others.
On the other hand, JTBC’s Miss Night and Day continued its 5-week run as one of the most-watched non-English shows worldwide on Netflix. While it was at #6, Sweet Home Season went one step ahead at #5 during its first week on the Global Top 10 Chart (July 15 – July 21).
Although Lee Do Hyun’s return to Netflix with Sweet Home was not as good as expected, his leading role in one of the most successful Korean films of the year – Xhuma – marked another victory on Netflix after its OTT premiere in South Korea. Starring Choi Min Sik, Kim Go Eun and Yoo Hae Jin, the mystery-themed horror film celebrated its victory on the top 10 list of most watched films in South Korea in its first week.
Top 10 K-dramas that gained the most buzz this July 4th week
| TV-OTT | TV |
| 1. Good partner (#1 first) | 1. Good partner |
| 2. Serendipity’s Embrace (#7 previously) | 2. An Embrace of Serendipity |
| 3. My Sweet Mobster (#3 previously) | 3. My Lovely Mobster |
| 4. Miss Night and Day (#4 previously) | 4. Miss Night and Day |
| 5. Auditors (#5 before) | 5. Auditor |
| 6. Red Swan (#6 previously) | 6. The Love Next Door |
| 7. Sweet Home Season 3 (#2 first) | 7. Suji and Uri |
| 8. The Love Next Door | 8. Beauty and Mr. Romantic |
| 9. No Way Out: Roulette | 9. Snow White’s Revenge |
| 10. Suji and Uri (#9 previously) | 10. Brave Yong Soo-jung |
Top 10 Drama Actors Who Gained The Most Talk This Week In July
| artist | k drama |
| 1. Uhm Tae Goo | my lovely mobster [JTBC] |
| 2. Chae Jon Hyeop | An Embrace of Serendipity [tvN] |
| 3. Kim So-Hyun | An Embrace of Serendipity [tvN] |
| 4. Han Sun Hwa | my lovely mobster [JTBC] |
| 5. Shin Ha Kyun | Auditor [tvN] |
| 6. Jung Na Ra | Good companion [SBS] |
| 7. Jeong Eun Ji | miss night and day [JTBC] |
| 8. Lee Jung Eun | miss night and day [JTBC] |
| 9. Kim Ha Neul | Red Swan [Disney Plus] |
| 10. Nam Ji Hyun | Good companion [SBS] |
