I think it is harder for me to be in a slump now that my cable provider has like 5channels offering Korean content from dramas,entertainment shows and movies. But I only have 24hrs In a day of which more than half is for working,sleeping and #reallife. This means I have recorded shows frm my cable channels left unwatched like Woman Of Dignity and Good Wife. #powerladies shows does not pull a lady.

But those I do follow will follow them religiously albeit on the weekend catch up.#friendsarewhoandrelationshipsare what.

I watched football and Motogp instead of drama. I start to follow top league European. But it might be due to the quality of recent drama. I start to watch old drama I've never seen like evasive agency enquiry and I quit from kdrama slump immediately.

The slump is real.

I've started so many dramas this year and given up on them half-way: Man to Man, Suspicious Partner, Bride of Habaek, Live Up to Your Name. I finished Man to Man, but couldn't be bothered to finish the rest.

They promise so much, but end up something else altogether. The Dumbness Factor is a major reason why I can't finish all the dramas I've started this year. Characters act in ways that confound the human mind. It takes immense patience and the suspension of logic to watch a drama to its entirety, and unfortunately, I don't have either.

I have resorted to rewatching old dramas - Winter Sonata, Stairway to Heaven, Beautiful Days, My Lovely Samsoon. Winter Sonata is just lovely, and sad and Stairway to Heaven evoked remembered pain and made me cry. Beautiful Days left me unmoved...I remember being so affected by it when I watched it years ago....while My Lovely Samsoon was funny but I didn't feel the urge to finish it, unlike before.

But old dramas last only for a while, and after that, I decided to watch US movies. I watched a slew of movies I had not watched before: special mention to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: haunting and so hard to watch in parts. Then I started on the TV shows: Timeless, Anne with an E, and now, Reign. Reign is getting annoying, and I'm only on the third episode, but the guy playing Francis is so cute I have to keep watching.

Existentialism in deed. Everything speaks to me on a spiritual level. I haven't properly watched a drama for months, and being the resident "kdrama-expert" at work, whenever people ask me for drama recommendation it feels like a little part of me dies inside whenever i have to say "I haven't watched any kdramas lately".

I tried to "cure" the slump by watching C-dramas but halfway through the series can't help but compare it to K-dramas, and how it would be executed differently if it was remade by Korea.

I've officially been in a Kdrama slump for 4 weeks now... Not long by any account, but I'm hoping I snap out of it sooner rather than later.

As always, javabeans' writing is such a pleasure to read! Can you and Girlfriday do some of your "dialogue" posts, where you are basically having an online conversation with one another?? I've requested them so many times, and, and...am still waiting!

Oh my goodness, @javabeans, this is also exactly how I feel. I have a lot of dramas to watch/finish, but I can’t bring myself to go back to them right now. Neither am I compelled to start anything new. It’s been quite a while since there’s a nice drama that has caught my interest (this year, actually. Nothing really exciting)! Revolutionary Love looks promising, and maybe I’ll give While You Were Sleeping a try… but this period was so unlike last year, when dramas were coming at us left and right (MDBC, KBJ, Goblin, etc).

Oh gawd, this is so funny but so real. When drama slump hits, I turn to variety shows. And vice versa. But I fear the day when I hit double slumps. *shudders* (Maybe I'll have my life back when that happens. Maybe.)

1: Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Hwarang, Heartstrings (for me it was probably 2 eps left but I just couldn't be bothered 😭)
Now, currently having massive withdrawal symptoms after Live Up To Your Name ended last Sunday 💔 While You Were Sleeping is supposed to help cure it but somehow ep 2 was a bit iffy so hoping it will be better this week. Same goes for Temperature of Love, I love both leads but somehow I cannot make myself watch the drama (sigh). Currently, watching I Live Alone and Live Up To Your Name clips on YouTube just because 😅

Javabeans absolutely diagnosed my problem. I've been wondering for a month as to why I am no longer interested in dramas despite the stellar cast, intricate plot, dreamy cinematofraphy and what not.
PS: I decided to register at DB after 3 years despite being an avid reader just to comment on this article.

You're so right, jb !

TOTALLY FEELING THE LIST. I've been watching dramas for close to 10 years, and yes, slumps do happen once in a while. I have a FOMO feelings but thank god there is nobody around me who watches drama as keenly as I am, so I am not tempted to watch any of those trending series. It's just when I browsed through dramabeans that I'm feeling that FOMO again. Sigh. But how can I steer away from dramabeans? It's so integrated in my daily browsing activity already. 😅

Oh my god! I am not alone. This is a phase, right? It will pass, right? I will have my joy of life back, right?

Get. Out.
Get out of my head!
Lalalalala.
Lala... La....

24. your daughter hooks you up to BeatEVO YG app on your phone and 6 days later you are at Level 22 Manager - and practically know all the rhythms to almost every YG group recorded...

i just noticed the tag : existentialism.

19. You have a life to live.

9. When you start making fictional pairing in your head because the ones that are happening doesn't make any sense. Which is exactly what I do when dramas like UF or BOTWG are out. Like I literally did this when the drama news of KRW and SSK was published some days back lol. Most of the time my biggest reason of slump is this, when I don't see the chemistry between the protagonists. So when javabeans said,

Maybe one-tenth is enough, you think. There is some appeal still alive. But… then you remember Suzy. Minus five appeals.

That's exactly my feeling. Number 8 also resonates much. Somehow the big pile of useless things that you're working on, even if you decide to take a break, the worthless show wouldn't manage to make your mood any better.
This does make me wonder though, is the Hallyu wave dying down? Like back in 2013 when I started watching kdramas, it was totally a rage, and after I finished all the lists of 20 Korean dramas you should must watch from google or the school romantic comedy Korean dramas, cohabitation dramas, flower boy series, after all that was over, and I was back with the ongoing shows, that's when the real draw began. I have felt this often, but writers don't take much time anymore to write a quality drama, or even if they do rarely, the actors are a big hot mess. I can't even count how many times this year or the year before I was disappointed with the actor choices in few popular writer's dramas. So maybe those golden era writers from the past needs to come back and start writing again. :/ Or maybe the writers are suffering from slump too, or from lack of ideas/ inspirations. I don't mind watching less dramas if the quality is higher or the end product is something that will again make me addicted to KDramas. I remember back in those days I used to make a list of dramas that actually were worthy of re-watching or like you watched this one show and you realize whoa, this is not like the other shows, this one pulls on the heartstrings and make you forget the idea of time and real life lol. I don't get that feeling anymore honestly lol. Now it's mostly pretty and fluff, but the inner content is missing, I don't remember any show in the recent years that is rewatch worthy. So there, maybe like Hollywood the era of KDramas will end one day too. Though the prospect of that happening terrorizes me but, everything comes to an end and maybe our beloved KDramas are not past that either.😕🙁

Me after reading a couple of points: Oh its nice it matches my mood, I'll just write a "I'm in a slump too" in the comments. \^.^/

Me halfway through: OMG this is gold! Should I print this out, & hang it in my room(?) (lol) #relatable

Me after reading the whole post: Is @javabeans a ninja? or a psychic? or a true philosopher? Or maybe she's a bit of everything?! OR is she a super advanced alien???? Coz she knows it all o.o

And finally, Me after reading the comments : is every beanie here related to everyone else? Are we soulmates destined to find each other at DB??? Or are we all clones??? \O.O/ How does everyone's opinion match in perfect sync???? how??????

The gummy bears... I was just consuming gummy bears while I ponder my kdrama options.

😅😅😅

Aww, sorry to hear about the drama slump @javabeans and many of our fellow Beanies are going through.

Here's to hoping that things get better soon.

Hang in there @javabeans. ☺ it is hard when your hobby, also becoming your job. It sucks the fun out of it. Take a vacation, go to place where no internet connection, or just do nothing, just watching the cloud or feeling the wind or the hear the sound of it. It is okay to not to watch drama, or not to write about them. No body is dying, life goes on. We are still here when you'll decide to come back. Aja! Sending you much love.

I've experienced this slump for some time.. not exactly slump maybe since I still watch kdramas on regular basis but it's really hard for me to watch one drama and stick through the end. When I was in kdrama maniac stage, I visited DB everyday, read recaps religiously even if I didn't watch the drama, visited countless kdrama portals/sites, soompi forums, spend countless hours of kdrama watching and analyzing every single thing. But now I feel I couldn't care less with them all. I still find one or two shows quite enjoyable (Live Up To Your Name, Temperature of Love, School 2017) but it's really hard for me to return to the maniac level. I hope there will be something to end this slump... probably when my faves Moon Geun Young and Ji Chang Wook (2 years later) making a comeback?

You've nailed it again @javabeans! I've been stuck in this cycle since WLFKBJ ended and only managed to come out of it for Chief Kim and FIS (my 1st weekend drama :D )
I started to watch a couple of dramas this season but have dropped more than half of them (although I know I'd probably still enjoy them; I just couldn't be bothered :( )If not for AOY2, I would really have been stuck in that time loop. Watching a drama RAW means that hope of finding that lovin' feelin' is burning strong :) WYWS in first 2 eps showed signs that it could be THE ONE but I'm just gonna wait till a couple of weeks have passed cause I've been burnt one too many times this season.

Are we spoiled by good dramas last time that most of us are on drama slump? Lol Anyways, I happened to catch up K-variety during this time.

Dear @javabeans * pat, pat, pat * I won't ask if you're ok. Cos' if you were- your post wouldn't sound so serious. Seriously funny to read for us maybe but not a joke when you're in a drama slump.

I have no solution. I just checked my external HD where I keep the dramas I want to rewatch. And I only have 3 for 2017. I was in a slump after Forest of secrets and read about 50 books.

I went from about 10-15 hrs of Kdrama per week, after all I need my nightly dose to nothing. Or maybe 2 hrs- and when your 2 hours are Bad Thief, Good Thief- it means things are dire.

So I just marathoned Lovers in Bloom. And since it's ain't that great but I managed over 70 episodes in 4 days it meant I was desperate to be zoned out.

There is still NO GOOD drama to watch at present. So no solution. I am not even commenting on " what we're watching " on DB because of this. I am watching more Cabot, Baby Bus and Cocomong with my kids than Kdramas. In fact, I last heard a Tayo song more often than I heard an OST. So there.

I am FORCING myself to watch the dramas which I have been waiting for months but I can't bring myself to. I ventured into JDramas for the meantime and I'm enjoying it. I miss Kdramas tho so please somebody save me.

*Sigh* I wish I could take this in the spirit of fun it was surely written in, but it just sounds like you are profoundly burnt-out, and I can't even prescribe dramas, which is my go to sop for all my emotional ills. When dramas don't do the trick I tend to spend enormous amounts of time staring mindlessly at cute cat videos until I can smile again, then onto the pet reunited with master videos that make me smile And cry. It's about that time that I can start delving into the world of fiction again, my first love books. No matter the severity of the slump I still miss dramas and the rush of excitement a new sounding premise can bring . I guess all I can say is "Fighting" until you bring back that lovin' feeling

This has been me lately, or was until I managed to try While You Were Sleeping. It brought back all my Kdrama love. I still can't get myself to finish all the dramas I've started though. I'm glad to know other people go through this. The thought of never feeling the same excitement about Kdrama was depressing af.

It's crazy but I kinda enjoy being in [K]drama slump. I re-ran old dramas, including the good ol' J-drama, Code Blue and re-run previous seasons only to get suuuuuper excited knowing that season 3 was on air (starting last July, just ended few weeks ago) and that there'll be a movie in 2018! And naturally watched all dramas that has Yamappi.
Also, currently watching The Good Doctor with Freddie Highmore and Young Sheldon (anyone?)
I finally understand the saying, 'when a door closes, there are always windows open'.

oh so this is called slump !! Thank God!! that means i will come out of it eventually !!

I was in denial.I said I was just too busy with work and school. No time to watch as many as I used to but with the few hours I could,I end up skimming through 2-3 dramas or variety shows.

But then only numbers 2 and 3 aren't applicable to me and numbers 4, 5 & 7 just hit too close to home.This is bad.

me before I started watching Temperature of Love.

i feel you jb ... drama slump is real when you can't ne bothered with more than few episode of dots and you don't watch anything again and goblin comes i couldnt even bring myself to watch a single ep. i'm sure it's all sort of wonderful.

only watched circle bcs of beanies raving, school 2017 for girlfryday squeeing bcs my taste is so similar to gf.

and king in love for yoona . thats it . am i on variety slump too ? i rewatched noona over flowers and three meals a day when seung gi guessed . thats because i found out puppy is out this month and i missed him . honesly no variety is intresting enough to check out .

I alternate between doing almost nothing with my free time but reading and doing almost nothing but watching dramas. It's a constant back and forth. I dread the day when I get into a book slump and a drama slump AT THE SAME TIME. Hasn't happened yet, though. While You Were Sleeping is tomorrow :))))

I see my own drama slumps as opportunities to save on money to cancel subscriptions to streaming sites. Then all of a sudden a new drama comes along then I have to re-subscribe.

I can totally relate to almost all the signs, but thankfully movies were my savior. I could catch up on some brilliant movies and never got bored in my drama slump moment.

This post is so timely. With LUTYN done, I have zero kdramas to look forward to now. Have kdramas in my watch-to list but dont feel like watching any atm. *siggghhh*

so...it's not only me who's in drama slump.
pray really hard for lee jong suk to save me from this slump T.T

#10 exactly. I've heard many good things about Padam, Padam and have gone to go watch it many times and just haven't worked myself up to actually watch it.

#9 I was thinking just this morning I should rewatch Healer or Pinocchio but then I was like 'eh, not feeling it'.

My slump is because I have 2 episodes left on 7 Day Queen and 6 episodes into Rescue Me but have to wait 2 weeks before I can watch more (since me and my Mom watch it together and we get together every other weekend).

Author Javabeans-nim, not sure if you will read this.
I've been a lurker for the longest time but I created an account (and favourited a few dramas while crafting this message).

But I do hope that you will come out of your slump.
Burnout when devotion to any craft is present is .. all-too-real and dangerous.

If I may share what I did when I was totally burnt out from 7-day work weeks for continuous years:

Get a good rest, sleep in more.
Write down what makes you happy, or fulfilled. As fleeting as those emotions sometimes may seem.
And go do it! :)

Life and the small things;
the evoked emotions that arise from watching dramas,
the pride in writing yet another excellent literary piece known as a recap.

You have built a great community and I think it will not be far-fetched to say that this site means alot of things to alot of us; the happy memories and having a virtual shoulder to cry on.

Please be healthy and happy.
I sincerely believe that is what most of us would want for you.

너가 행복하길 바라 :D

Have a major kdrama slump. Haven't been watching any drama since Do Bong Soon. I am enjoying watching Produce 101 season 2 and 3mad more. Hoping Bogum coming back to drama scene soon to cure me and get me interested in kdrama again.