I honestly do not understand the lack of interest in the Korean crime action drama Stealer: The Treasure Keeper.
Not only is the show beautifully filmed, with superb high-action stunts, and wonderful performances by every main lead, it is extremely well-written, funny and highly entertaining.
Imagine my disappointment then to see the latest Nielsen Korea ratings for Stealer: The Treasure Keeper, Episode 11 this morning — the drama’s next-to-last episode — and to discover the episode earned the drama its lowest rating of the series.
Nationwide in Korea, at least, as apparently Seoul viewers have a little more sense.
According to those ratings, Stealer: The Treasure Keeper, Episode 11 earned just 1.93 percent of viewers in its time slot nationwide last night, which is a drop of .39 percent from its previous episode, and less than half the viewership of that of its first episode.
In Seoul, viewers are a little more interested in the drama, with Stealer: The Treasure Keeper, Episode 11 earning 2.28 percent in its time slot.
That rating is only .24 percent lower than the drama’s previous episode, although still less than half the percentage rating of its first.
Of course, the drama does air on tvN, a South Korean cable TV channel, so the number of viewers of any drama will be lower than they would have been if the show aired on a public TV station.
But… to see this wonderfully cast drama be so little appreciated has been one of my disappointments of the current drama season.
Who stars in Stealer: The Treasure Keeper?
Stealer: The Treasure Keeper has a superb main cast comprising Joo Won, Lee Joo Woo, Jo Han Chul, Kim Jae Won, and Choi Hwa Jung.
Choi Hwa Jung and Jo Han Chul have been especially exceptional.
The performance of Lee Deok Hwa, who plays the villain in the drama — Kim Young Soo — has also been fun to watch.
The final episode of the drama will air tonight on tvN at 22:30 (KST), and then show up on TVING soon after.
And yes, one of the mistakes tvN made with this drama was not offering it on a highly-watched western streaming service like Netflix, as western audiences would have loved this.
Watch the preview for the final episode of Stealer: The Treasure Keeper from tvN drama below.
Yes, it is in Korean with no English subtitles but, if you have been watching this wonderful series, you will easily get the gist.