“K-Drama Tropes in ChatGPT Prompt”— Netflix’s Love Next Door Faces Backlash Over Script Quality

The Netflix K-drama Love Next Door, featuring stars Jung So-min, Jung Hae-in, Kim Ji-eun, and Yoon Ji-on, has faced online backlash due to its perceived subpar script writing.

This romantic comedy centers around the lives of two friends, Choi Seung-hyo (played by Jung Hae-in) and Bae Seok-ryu (portrayed by Jung So-min), who grew up together because their mothers were close friends.

The romance between Choi Seung-hyo and Bae Seok-ryu reignites in their 30s after a period of separation caused by their jobs. The tvN drama was highly awaited, thanks to its talented cast, including Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in, and has sparked discussion on social media due to its narrative.

However, both South Korean netizens and international viewers have shared their critiques after watching the released episodes, expressing their dissatisfaction with Love Next Door.

Many viewers claim that the writing is poorly executed and feel that the skills of Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min are underutilized.

“Currently on episode 7 of Love Next Door, and the writing feels so disjointed and honestly boring. It seems like they fed K-drama tropes into ChatGPT for a script. It has so much potential, and I absolutely love Hae-in and So-min, but this is disappointing.”- a netizen commented.

“The writing is weak, but episodes 10-11 are really good! Finally, we’ve got a rom-com featuring a great pairing that I adore.”- a user shared.

“I’m so disappointed with #LoveNextDoor. It’s a romantic comedy where I don’t want the leads to be together, which is a bad sign. The writing choices make no sense.”- another user added.

Viewers have also criticized the subplots of Love Next Door for lacking coherence.

“Speaking my truth: I think Love Next Door is just not a great show. The writing is bizarre, and the characters seem hastily thrown together. The show is banking entirely on the actors’ star power, and the script has been incredibly weak.”- a user expressed.

“If I may nitpick, can someone inform the LND writers that Africa is a continent? Referring to ‘France, Africa…’ as if it’s a single country is just outdated!”- a fan remarked.

“I feel bad for the actors of LND. The writing is atrocious for such a highly anticipated drama. This script is a disaster.”- another fan stated.

Love Next Door achieves its highest viewership ratings with recent episodes

Love Next Door, directed by the Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha duo Shin Ha-eun and Yoon Je-won, features a script by Shin Ha-eun, known for The Crowned Clown and Argon, and direction by Yoo Je-won, recognized for Doom at Your Service, Crash Course in Romance, and more.

On September 21 and 22, tvN and Netflix released episodes 11 and 12 of Love Next Door, respectively. As reported by Nielsen Korea, the drama achieved its highest ever ratings with episode 12, reaching an impressive 7.3% nationwide viewership rating. It also topped the ratings for shows airing in the same time slot across all channels.

Previously, episode 11 recorded an average rating of 6% nationwide and dominated its time-slot.

Love Next Door airs every Saturday and Sunday at 10:20 KST on tvN, followed by availability on Netflix for international audiences.

Source