K-dramas have us laughing, crying, sighing, screaming, shouting, and sometimes, give us butterflies in our stomachs. Recently, Netflix has offered a new K-drama that has gotten us to fall in love more. The hit rom-com Kdrama King the Land has earned popularity and has taken the streaming platform by storm since its debut on June 17, 2023. This funny and romantic series is starred by two supergroup celebrities, YoonA (Lim Yoon-a) from Girls’ Generation and Junho (Lee Jun-ho) of 2PM, as staff of the same Hotel who initially quarrels and bicker but eventually grow into a romance. With the show almost coming to an end, Kdrama fans are left wondering – Is King the Land renewed for Season 2?
King the Land features one of the finest on-screen chemistry ever created in Kdrama history
Netflix’s King the Land features two amazing K-pop stars who turned into Kdrama idols. Girl’s Generation’s Lim Yoon-a portrays the Smile Queen and aspiring hotelier in the series. YoonA’s character, Cheon Sa-rang will be 2PM’s Lee Jun-ho’s (Gu-Won) love interest.
Gu Won, the firm and enigmatic heir to the King Hotel, slowly becomes attached to the beautiful and amazing Sa-rang. Despite their difference, the two create an undeniable chemistry everybody loved. But, could their relationship be in jeopardy?
Is “King the Land” renewed for Season 2?
As King the Land is just a couple of episodes away before season 1 concludes, fans are now wondering about and anticipating the show’s renewal for a second season. Unfortunately, no official confirmation had been made yet. But, there could be a few reasons why Netflix could potentially not give King the Land another season. Here’s why:
- King the Land had an all-time high in viewership during its first half. The show got a 12.3% viewership, which was significantly higher than any other show in Korea. However, when episode 11 aired, King the Land suffered a major drop in viewership. Sad to say, the series seems to be losing its touch and charm to the audience.
- The show is badly rated by IMDB with only 2.5/10 and RottenTomatoes which the show got a 17% audience rating. Safe to say that the viewers have been unsatisfied with the show in the second half.
- The story may come to an end with Gu Won and Sa-rang finally realizing they have feelings for each other. There seems to be nothing more to explore seems King the Land may have put all the cards on the table.
- During the premiere of episodes 7 and 8, the show got massive hate after an alleged cultural misrepresentation of the Arab culture. This has sparked questions about whether the community will cancel the show altogether.
Earlier this month, King the Land received massive online backlash for alleged cultural misrepresentation
JTCB’s ‘King the Land’ is in troubled waters after they find themselves in the middle of hellfire. The hit Netflix Kdrama just dropped its latest two episodes, episodes 7 and 8, but it’s not the ratings they are worried about. King the Land is currently facing online backlash for controversial Arab misrepresentation and alleged cultural inappropriation in the show.
Episodes 7 and 8 of the popular K-drama series ‘King the Land’ is widely receiving great reviews, but also intense online backlash and criticism. During those episodes, an Arab Prince from Dubai named Samir made an appearance as he stayed in King Hotel. Samir is one of Gu Won’s (Lee Junho’s) friends from when he was studying abroad. While staying in the hotel, Samir fell in love with Gu Won’s love interest, Cheon Sa Rang (YoonA), and created friction between him and his former friend Gu Won. But, that is not why the viewers were furious about the show.
The Arab community expressed their outrage about JTBC’s cultural insensitivity for these reasons:
- First, Samir (as shown in episode 7) was wearing traditional Arab attire while enjoying himself in a nightclub with women and alcohol. The character is portrayed as a womanizer who also enjoys barhopping and drinking alcohol. For the Arabs and Muslims, alcoholic drinks are prohibited and a man touching a woman is a big no-no.
- Second, the actor who was playing Samir was a non-Arab. He is played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi, who also starred in another hit Netflix Kdrama series Squid Game. This once again sparked madness amongst the viewers due to misrepresentation.
- Lastly, the depiction of the character in the show seems to be damaging the Arab culture and disrespecting their cultural beliefs. Moreover, stereotyping is a thing of the past, and the producers should have known better.
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