Hype can be a dangerous thing, and it can often lead to disappointment. I buy into the hype that I have for a drama, but I don't really buy into the hype that others create or have for it. I might sometimes check out a drama because of the amount of hype it has, but often I will just end up dropping it (case in point, I dropped Queen of Tears and Lovely Runner after 1 episode). Naturally, I like it when a drama I'm actively following and liking gets a lot of attention, but that attention can turn against the show too.

Sometimes we might be better off not really caring about the hype others create for a drama, or what others think about a drama, and instead just primarily caring about what we think of it. But that's easier said than done.

I am a bit contrary at times, so too much hype turns me off and makes me less likely to watch a show. However, sometimes an accumulation of positive grassroots reviews after a release will make me re-think my decision. Case in point - Twinkling Watermelon. I had no interest in it and didn’t think I would enjoy it, but it turns out everyone else was right and I was wrong.

As a general rule, I appreciate about half of the amount of hype a new show generally receives. I look forward to the casting news and the first trailer. I don’t care about the stills or the posters or the rest of it. The rest is overkill.

I'm more of "cult classic" girl than "trendy show with hottest actors atm" one. If anything, hype too intense easily scares me away from the show, esp if said hype largely built on tropes I know I don't like - like love triangles. Talking about kdramas specifically, certain shows are destined to be popular since writers/PDs/cast are announced and I just cannot agree with this "profiting off past merits" approach. No matter how talented my faves are, they all have their fair share of crappy dramas. So hardly anything turns me off more than attempts to equal hype to quality. Once former outweighs latter, I'm out too. But I'm a big girl and have long learned to keep such opinions largely to myself

I've hyped several dramas up to the premiere that I ended up not watching or dropping after the premiere week.

And, no. A high pre-drama hype does not guarantee that a drama lives up to the hype. Case in point: Amazing Troubleshooters, Survival: Escape of the Seven.

My favorite hype is (once the show has started) Beanie Hype 👍🏽

I do not mind the hype if its involving a drama that I am looking forward to watching or dramas with actors I like. But if it involves a drama I am not particularly interested in, I tend to tune out.

Pre drama hype does not usually guarantee a success. Since "hype" can get interest but if the drama is "bad" then they can easily lose the buzz it got at the beginning.

Sometimes I can gain interest in a drama that was not initially in my radar because of hype. But I stay because I like/love it, example with Twinkling Watermelon. Then there are those that I hype out because of one thing or another that I didnt like with the show.

Obviously actors are a major reason I’ll check out the premiere, but it’s really the writers and PDs that will make me hyped for a drama before it’s release. If Park Yeon-sun is writing a new drama you bet imma gonna be counting the days till it airs!

It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t consume any kdrama news outside dramabeans. So, I can barely tell if something is over hyped. Some shows definitely get enough attention that I look forward to it. But that doesn’t dictate which shows I watch or not. The genre, write, PD and actors determine my own hype for a show.
Beanies talking about a show gets my attention though. I might check out a show just for that even if it wasn’t in my radar.

I avoid all hype.
Never watch teasers, never watch previews. Skip any character posters or bts or any kind of promo.

I read the first announcement of a drama, and look at the script-reading pictures, and that's it.

So I can't even tell if hype guarantees quality as I don't even know how much a drama has been hyped! 😄

I think that the drama getting the most hype this year was Love Nex Door even more than QOT esp given both PD and writer worked together on Hometown Cha Cha Cha, another hyped drama.
For me, the more the hype the more the expectations. So, Love Next Door has a big challenge to live up to expectations.

Hype isn't the problem. The problem is when the hype affects the production or the story. Usually this starts with bad casting (usually an ex kpop idol) and then inconsistent direction that changes the story and makes the drama a mishmash of genres that doesn't make any sense. (Uncontrollably Fond, and the Heavenly Idol.)

I think the hype starts way too early which makes the wait seem extra long. Bogummy and IU in a drama due to drop in 2025 and we have been hearing about it and seeing first level promos since 2023😞

I have also been disappointed when the trailer and the actual drama are not matching either because the trailer shows all the best bits or because there is something they want to hide like the fact there is a thriller/mystery element. Summer strike trailers made it look like it would be an extended version of that lovely drama One day off. I don’t get why they don’t add something to make it obvious like Why her had the two male leads and her standing out in a sea of men in suits and on reflection that shot captured the tone of the drama perfectly.

Too much hype is only a problem for me when I had previous no interest in a show. For example Love next door. I am all in , because I love the leads and the story sounds interesting. On the other hand, Queen of interest was the opposite for me. I was neutral on the leads, but the initial discussions on the male lead and how he was happy about his wife dying was a complete turn-off for me. The hype only intensified my dislike. Who know, one day I might watch it.

I don't follow promos, and I don't wait for shows. Usually, even if I see a pic around here, I just forget about it.

Well, with Love Next Door it has been different because those pics are not only everywhere I go, they're extremely cute. The marketing team did their job. 😂 But the problem is that my expectations got high. And then, Google slapped me with a spoiler pic that gave me the vibe the show is actually about my least favorite trope. So Idk what's going to happen because until a few days ago those lollipops had me hyped, and now the pic of the actual drama has me disappointed.

This is why I hate following promotions! I hate spoilers. And I hate getting my hopes up for nothing (like just one pic).
If this was a show of many seasons or a adaptation, I wouldn't be bothered that much.
They're already promoting Interview with the Vampire season 3 and I'm fine watching those teasers because I already now it's s good show (plus, the fans of the books it is based on already did all the spoilers of the century). So there's nothing misleading about it. But with kdramas or movies it's a different story.

For ex, for me, watching the trailer of a Hollywood movies means I won't watch the movie. There's no point for me, they literally spoil everything in it.

So... maybe it's not even the hype, I just find promotional content itself dangerous. 😂😂😂 LMAO I'm the problem.

I don't usually get too much into pre-show hype, knowing that promotion doesn't match the actual product often, but I'm also not too bothered by it. I do like it when I see my favorite actors and actresses returning to shows. I'm just excited that they got work again, and I get to see them. It's true that probably half of the time the show turns out to be a dud, but I kind of don't care. That's just part of k-drama watching that you have to accept. With so many short shows written and produced fairly quickly, it makes sense that a lot of them are just ordinary fare. The part I do enjoy about hype is that it just makes me excited about kdramas in general, like I'm excited that there will be 14 premieres in August. Among those there'll probably be a great show. a funny hidden gem and one that makes me feel.

I do really enjoy the post show hype. Lovely Runner got me to watch more YouTube videos than I normally do for a show. It's also great when a show I squeed over is getting a lot of love around the world. I also love going and researching a newfound actor's past shows and career.

Drama beans is the best place for reliable hype. Maybe at some point I'll even watch Twinkling Watermelon even though I really dislike time traveling shows LOL. Y'all got me to try the first episode, although I didn't really enjoy the setup episode. I think if I can get to episode 3 I'll actually like it.

The hype machine is a strange invention especially because individual taste gets hitched to it. There are of course seemingly standardised elements that we all seem to agree on, such as what constitutes a story, but I think that's where it all ends. We all like different things in different measures. Personally, I don't follow or believe the hype. Very rarely does it align with my tastes. Most of the shows that make and receive so much noise are not my cup of tea, and the "quiet" ones end up being my favourite. Sometimes it works out e.g. My Liberation Notes but I'm not even sure how much that hype was coming from South Korea or maybe it was more in our international pond. Either way, it was nice to see something I liked making waves.

My biggest pet peeve is how more and more the hype seems to rely on the looks of actors to fan itself. There's nothing wrong with good looking people, but how shallow to only or predominantly rely on that to sell something! I just feel like I'm in an advertising matrix.

I can't recall off the top of my head a drama whose hype paid off. But I can list two recent dramas that I could care less about when I heard about them but was hooked from the first episode: Miss Day and Night and Marry My Husband.

I do watch hyped dramas but if it's not my cup of tea I do drop it. Queen of tears was that for me. And yes some dramas are hyped even before it's aired because of many factors like actors and PDs. I don't trust any reviews and give any shows my try despite bad reviews and many bad shows were turned good for me. And obviously watching a hyped drama and it turning not that good is a disappointing experience. But in the end every drama is subjective to one's taste. Everyone finds something personal in the dramas they connect ,so I don't judge others for liking any dramas.

I didn't think Love Next Door had too much hype for now because they started to promote it pretty recently.

It's my issue, sometimes they start to release informations about the dramas way too soon : pictures, teasers, trailers, premiere... I think it's important to promote a drama but not too soon, to not tire the watchers before the drama.

My other issue is when an airing drama starts to get buzz, the fans won't stop about it even if the second half doesn't deserve it... For example, My Lovely Runner, I loved the beginning but the second half didn't make sense at all with the killer and time travel.

If I'm happy for Byeon Woo-seok to be recognized for this role, again the hype is way too much. It's not a normal hype anymore but obsession to this point and it's not fair to Kim Hye-Yoon, the female leads often suffer to be left behind in this kind of cases. Sometimes, I think even the actors are not so happy with this because they had a simple life before and if they are happy to be successful, it's a burden too and they can't complain because it would be not well accepted...

Watched two hyped dramas for this year: Queen of Tears and Marry. Skip Lovely Runner as I know they hyper-hyped on the Social media.

I prefer to stick to my usual genres...that are usually not popular here: Serious saeguks, comedy thrillers, mystery- thrillers, political thrillers, slice of life

I try to avoid dramas that have idols in them, and go for veteran actors (above 40 years) and those who have been in the industry for a long time, even if they are young. For example Park Eun Bin and Yeo Jin Goo (they started off as child actors).

Thirdly, I prefer dramas that usually go under the radar, due to new or underrated actors like Uhm Tae Goo. These people work their hardest from the bottom and find it harder than the usual idol to get a role.In fact, Uhm Tae Goo find it hard to pay his rent.

I think by raising expectations, you set the bar too high. People can have really high expectations which can't be realistically met. While marketing is important to let the world know, excess of it is just going to disappoint people because of unrealistic high hopes. There are good shows that spread due to word of mouth but many underrated shows because there isn't enough marketing either. But whenever there is a show extremely hyped up, I know that I many end up being disappointed by it. Case in point, Queen of Tears but I'm really hoping that's not the case for Love Next Door so I'm trying to avoid its teasers and trailers.

I think pre-drama actor hype generally pays off. Not everyone will feel the same way, but people who are looking forward to watching an actor for a particular reason (skill, depth, prettiness) will generally get that thing, even if they don’t like the rest of the drama.

Obviously there are good dramas that fly under the radar and merely fine dramas that are hugely popular and/or vastly promoted. I like to look at stills and posters but I never watch teasers or trailers (I’ll still look at the stills of them on here) partly because I can’t be bothered to click through and partly because I don’t think it adds anything else to my anticipation or decision to watch the drama. I don’t mind spoilers in promos (and I often read wecaps on here before I start a drama!) because I find that reading about it and watching it happen are really different for me, and sometimes a nice spoiler takes the stress out of the watch, which is usually a good thing.

Regardless of hype, I generally try to go into dramas with cautious optimism, and as someone ready to be pleased and entertained by them. I find that starting with the assumption that a drama will be good, but not amazing, leads to my highest happiness the majority of the time. Then if it turns out to be bad I can drop, if it turns out to be good I can enjoy my time with it, and if it turns out to be amazing I can obsess accordingly!

I find "hype" to be a hard sales pitch prior to a premiere; orchestrated PR from the showrunners' PR department. It starts with planted "casting offer stories" to photos of table reads to BTS film shoots.

I think "buzz" is more realistic as it mostly deals with reactions of people after a show begins to air.

But I don't normally use either in making drama viewing choices. I usually first look at the actors involved and the show's premise to see if it peaks my interest.

I like watching promos n stuff for shows that I'm already hyped for, and feel really cheated when it doesn't translate for me personally once they release... QoT is the prime example. I follow TvN and Netflix on Insta so if I like a show, I do enjoy watching the interviews, etc that they do. I still don't like watching the behind the scenes clips as I feel they kind of take away the magic, esp the action or romantic scenes! I don't regard any hype about shows I'm not interested in- most of the recently aired shows have been like that for me- tried to watch, came away uninterested, so couldn't care less 😅

I don’t look at teasers, trailers, or other pre-release promotional content. Too often, they create a false impression of what the show is really like. And even worse, they can give away so much information that it spoils the surprise… which is why when I’m watching a show I FF through the previews at the ends of episodes.

I never thought there was too much hype about Queen of Tears. Even without hype, I was electrified just knowing there would be a new drama with Kim Soo-hyun.
And the complaint of many that is was boring did not make sense to me. Apart from the drama presented to us, there was a red thread of commentary on the Act of Acting itself. That part was silly sometimes, at other times eerie.
Also, the concept of authenticity in more than one way was brought into the story.
But generally, if trailers and other kind of advertising comes your way a lot, of course you can grow tired of a drama before it even starts. And sometimes, the hype emphasises something that gives the audience the wrong kind of expectation. I loved Castaway Diva, but one thing it was not was a story about a girl who survived alone on an island for many years. They may have done themselves a favour and put less emphasis on that part in their trailers, because I'm sure a lot of people were disappointed. (Not me).

I think I like hype? I like it when there are lots of little excerpts and fan videos to tempt me to watch the show. Reaction videos also are great. The thing is, sometimes the hype is better than the show. But that's not a problem with the professionals and fans editing teasers and trailers. That's a problem with the show! 😃

I don´t encounter pre-hype turning me off, but to me it is off-putting if drama is genuinely just mediocre or the characters are frustrating, pathetic and unevolving, and people are still fawning, like with Lovely Runner. but now, I dont remember a pre show hype that got overboard.

I like some hype because it can be fun, especially when we chat about it here on DB. But there's no question that too much of it can sometimes ruin the magic of the watching experience.

These days beanies have more influence than hype on the dramas I choose to watch. But when it comes down to actually clicking play, the bottom line is that I have to be in the mood to watch whatever it is, hype or no. 🙃