The series 'Twelve', starring actor Ma Dong-seok, has concluded with a disappointing viewership rating of 2.4%.
The KBS weekend series and Disney+ series 'Twelve', which aired its final episode on the 14th, tells the story of twelve angels fighting against evil forces to protect the human world.
In the final episode, a fierce battle unfolded surrounding the twelve zodiac angels and the evil force, Samin (played by Kim Chan-hyung). After an intense showdown, the angels ultimately defeated the evil forces, bringing light back to the human world and achieving a happy ending.
Before its release, 'Twelve' garnered attention as Ma Dong-seok, who has been recognized as a ten-million actor through the 'Crime City' film series, participated in both the lead role and planning. The concept of featuring the twelve zodiac signs as heroes also sparked curiosity.
However, 'Twelve' recorded a viewership rating of 8.1% (based on Nielsen Korea) for its first episode, followed by a decline to 5.9% in the second episode. Ultimately, it ended with a viewership rating of 2.4% in the eighth episode, marking its lowest rating.
'Twelve' lost momentum against an unexpected strong competitor, tvN's drama 'The Tyrant's Chef'. 'The Tyrant's Chef' has been breaking its own viewership records with a light-hearted narrative and the fantastic chemistry between Lim Yoon-a and Lee Chae-min.
Of course, it cannot solely blame its competitors. 'Twelve' failed to captivate viewers on its own. From the first episode, critiques pointed out that Ma Dong-seok's unique humor and action, which were seen in the 'Crime City' series, felt stale, and the scattered plot diminished viewer engagement.
The twelve angel characters, inspired by the twelve zodiac signs, also did not come across as particularly appealing. While the material and ideas were good, the clumsy storytelling and below-par CGI left much to be desired. The seemingly random product placements also disrupted immersion.
In the end, 'Twelve', which continued its downward trend, concluded amidst the indifference of home viewers.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
