Fully embracing its supernatural backbone, Destined with You is a show with an undeniably interesting concept, one that could benefit from a Season 2. Dealing with things like spells, curses, past lives, and present-day bonds, it’s the type of show fans of fantasy will find plenty to sink their teeth into. We break down its renewed and canceled status and also detail the chances of success for a continuation.
Central to the proceedings are two characters: City Hall civil servant Lee Hong-jo and legal advisor Jang Sin-yu. They find their way into each other’s lives seemingly through fate and happen to share a past-life link with each other.
Their ensuing relationship is, as expected, anything but conventional and actually heavily involves the spells above, but the pair end up with a steadfast connection, one that could thrive in the face of any hardships, whether they’re from their shared past or the present.
Here at Ready Steady Cut, we gave season one of Destined with You a 3.5/5 rating, saying:
“Buoyed by its supernatural foundation and a strong leading cast, Destined with You certainly does enough to earn merit with prospective viewers. So, while it isn’t a perfect series, it is a more than worthwhile entry into the fantasy-romance genre and one that’ll undeniably find a willing audience.”
Will there be a Season 2 of the Netflix K-Drama series Destined with You?
Keeping all of this in mind, it does appear like Destined with You will not return for a second season. This is not uncommon, as despite a rise in Korean Dramas that have returned for follow-up installments, the majority still only have a single-season format. That, and this story, one centered around a couple defying a seemingly undesirable past-life link to be together in the present (which also contains some hardships), seems like one that will reach a natural conclusion once all 16 episodes are finished.
Nevertheless, you cannot necessarily rule out a return for Destined with You. There have been examples of JTBC shows having second seasons – The Good Detective, Welcome to Waikiki – and so it is hard to say with certainty that this fantasy-romance drama, which has built a strong international fanbase as well as a consistent domestic audience, won’t reappear on our screens.
How well did Destined with You perform on Netflix?
According to Netflix Top 10, Destined with You has spent seven weeks in the top 10 of the non-English TV chart, and at one point (between August 28th and September 3rd), it was the third most-watched Non-English TV series.
It has been viewed for 22,500,000 hours, which interestingly is the second-highest amount of hours in the list, only falling behind Lupin Part 3. This is likely because K-Dramas have a higher-than-average number of episodes in a single season, with a higher-than-average runtime per episode.
Destined with You also made the top ten in 26 different countries. This isn’t the same kind of global appeal that the streamer’s biggest success stories enjoy, but it’s certainly higher than many. The Devil’s Plan, for instance, only made the top ten in ten countries.
Between October 2-8, which is the week ahead of the final two episodes, Destined with You was watched 1.5 million times.
How well did Destined with You perform in Korea?
Ratings-wise, Destined with You has found itself a respectable and consistent audience in Korea. Its peak has been at a 2.946% share of the domestic audience, compared to a low point of 2.009%, numbers which help illustrate the general steadiness of its viewership (it’s worth mentioning some more recent episodes have seen ratings veer more towards the lower end of the average).
According to Nielsen Korea, the Destined with You finale garnered an average nationwide rating of 3.122% percent, setting a new record for the show.
Still, we would still bet that Destined with You will reach its conclusion at the end of season one. As always, we will keep you updated with any more news here.
