Episode 6 of the Korean drama Bitter Sweet Hell aired last night on MBC in South Korea, with the ratings showing a slightly lower audience compared to the K-drama’s previous episode — but still steady compared to its run so far.
According to Nielsen Korea, Bitter Sweet Hell, Episode 6 achieved a nationwide viewership rating of 5.1 percent, which is lower than the 6.0 percent rating for Episode 5.
The drama premiered on May 24th, 2024, with Episode 1 achieving a rating of 6.0 percent of the audience.
Since then, the ratings have fluctuated between a low of 4.9 percent for Episode 4 and a high of 6.2 percent for Episode 3.
Bitter Sweet Hell performs better on Fridays than Saturdays
A closer look at the ratings for the Korean drama’s Saturday episodes compared to those airing on Friday also reveals an interesting trend.
The drama tends to perform slightly better on Saturdays, with an average rating of 5.5 percent for Saturday episodes, compared to an average of 5.3 percent for Friday episodes.
That, of course, is likely due to increased competition from other Korean dramas on Saturdays, and only the ongoing hit series Connection sharing the same airwaves on Fridays.
The relatively steady performance of Bitter Sweet Hell so far then, suggests that the drama has a loyal audience that continues to tune in each week.
However, the slight dip in ratings for Episode 6 may indicate that the drama is facing some challenges in attracting new viewers.
Looking ahead then, the ratings for the next few episodes of the Kim Hee Sun, and Lee Hye Young-led drama will be crucial in determining the overall success of the 12-episode drama.
The next episode of Bitter Sweet Hell airs later on tonight on MBC in Korea, with the drama not legally available in the west (bizarrely) until next Friday when its first episode will begin streaming on Viki.
Let’s see how it performs.