Ahn Hyo-seop's 'Final Table' Misses the Mark on Both Food and Fun

JTBC's new weekend drama "Final Table" (Paineol Teibeul) throws cooking, revenge, romance and comedy into the same pot. The result taste is bland. The series paired in-demand actor Ahn Hyo-seop with a star director known for a 42.2% ratings hit, but it has run into structural problems early in its airing.

The show premiered on Oct. 24 with a 1.9% rating. It is the first time a series led by Ahn has opened in the 1% range, and it marks the first 1% range rating of his career. The numbers ticked up slightly after that, with 2.4% for episode 2, 2.2% for episode 3 and 2.6% for episode 4. Even so, the show remains stuck in the low 2% range.

The competition makes the gap look even wider. SBS's "Doctor X: Mafia in White" (Dakteo X: Hayan Mapiaui Sidae), which airs in the same time slot, has hit a peak of 19.5% and taken a firm lead. "Final Table" is pulling in about one-tenth of that.

For Ahn, the stakes were personal. His previous series, SBS's "Sold Out on You," underperformed. This project was meant to be his rebound and a lift for JTBC. So far, that bet has not paid off.

The biggest problem is that the show doesn't seem to know what it is. "Final Table" is built around a survival competition to find Korea's best chef, however, it lacks the expert storytelling and detailed cooking scenes that food dramas usually depend on.

Compare it with tvN's "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty," a hit last year. In that series, a modern chef travels back in time to a royal kitchen and gets through one crisis after another with clever recipes. Viewers got a clear payoff.

"Final Table" is missing the tension a survival story needs. The long-awaited first round in episode 4 wrapped up with almost no struggle. The intense parts of cooking under pressure, like knife work, heat control and the ticking clock, were cut down. In their place came Ahn calmly explaining the dishes. The cast reportedly practiced so hard that they didn't need hand doubles, but that effort barely shows on screen.

The set design doesn't help much either. The stage looks closely modeled on the Netflix cooking competition "Culinary Class Wars," with a large arena and a judges' table. Borrowing those reality-show visuals could have made the drama more exciting. Instead, they work only as a backdrop and add little tension.

The tone is another weak point. The main story is heavy as it follows a revenge plot against Pyeongyeon Group, the powerful company that drove the main character's father to his death. Also a tense rivalry with fellow chef Cha Woo-jin (played by Chang Ryul) takes place in the plot. On top of that, random slapstick sketches and comic scenes keep popping up and breaking the mood. The romance with female lead Choi Song-i (Hong Hwa-yeon) also feels disconnected. Viewers who tune in for revenge get comedy. Viewers who want cooking get a clumsy love story.

The mystery around the father's death should tie the whole drama together. Right now, it doesn't fit smoothly with the competition storyline. Director Kim Do-hoon, who helmed "Moon Embracing the Sun," said he wrote the script himself. But strong directing alone has clear limits when the script has structural flaws.

Meanwhile, the rival shows keep gaining ground. Along with the lead held by "Doctor X: Mafia in White," tvN's "100 Days of Deception" (Baegirui Geojitmal) has climbed into the 9% range and kept its audience. MBC's Friday-Saturday drama "The Perfect Lie" (Raieo) is also building buzz through word of mouth.

To turn things around, "Final Table" needs to pick a lane. It can lean into the fun of cooking and competition, or it can commit to its revenge and romance stories. With the rest of the race still ahead, choosing a clear direction is the show's biggest task. A drama can borrow from many genres, but it still needs one main flavor that viewers can taste.