In between the badly-timed laugh tracks, sound effects and sporadic comedy jokes in dialogue and screen titles ( often accompanied by outdated hashtags) , “ So Not Worth It” ( written by screenwriters Seo Eun Jung and Baek Ki Hyung ) attempts to offer a “ fresh” take on youth culture in South-Korea with a group of international students. However whilst the show did present some intriguing messages towards recognising diversity and fighting against prejudice stereotypes in South-Korean society, “ So Not Worth It” often failed to hit the mark by struggling to reach its full potential.

The acting is admittedly a mixed-bag. As the majority of the cast are comprised of novice or first-time actors, it is undeniable that the acting quality varied a lot. During more heartfelt moments of the show, the cast were able to give dynamic performances, however, comical elements surrounding their characters was a little questionable to say the least.

As characters, the show often reimbursed into going into extremes of being over-the-top stereotypes. Teaching assistant Se Wan ( Park Se Wan) was arguably less overtly flamboyant than the other characters in the series due to her down-to earth personality and constant need to have other part-time jobs in order to survive. Consequently , this was closely followed by Hyun Min ( Han Hyun Min). There seemed to be a lot that the series was trying to address with Hyun Min’s difficult lifestyle as a student as well as annoyingly being mistaken as a foreigner. By far, there were certainly some interesting and funny moments with Hyun Min’s interactions around sister Han Hyun A ( Choi Yu Jin) and his mother, however, more controversial issues which were prominent with Hyun Mom’s character were often swept under the carpet .

The series enjoyed playing and milking on the comedy elements a lot also. It is therefore no surprise that clueless and klutzy Korean- American Jamie ( Shin Hyun Seung) soon began to predominate screentime with his predictable pairing with Se Wan. Refreshingly as we progress we do learn a bit more about Jamie outside of the comical moments regarding his complicated life, however, it did feel at times this portrayal was a little lacking. ( As the series could have even helped to portray difficulties for Jamie trying to adapt to a different culture.)

The other supporting characters such as Korean - Australian Sam ( Choi Young Jae), Hyun Min’s roommate Tetris ( Tetris Brown) and their roommate Hans ( Joakim) were often used to generate quick farce moments in the show rather than being used to reach more poignant moments .

It was evident to a lot of watchers just how much this show had been tailored for western audiences. This isn’t a surprise considering the popularity of K-dramas in the west, however, the stereotypes in order to appeal to ‘ westernised audiences’ were incredibly enforced such as Thai K-drama fan Minnie( Minnie)’s constant references to K-drama quotes or actors in order to make the show " appealing ”. ( Including a cringeworthy moment when Minnie is visiting an army barrack and begins to reference ‘’ Descendants of the Sun ".)

Then there was the American international student Carson ( Carson Allen). As viewers, we admittedly did get to see some brief glimpses into Carson’s love-life which helped to sketch her out more as an individual. However, her “ old-man” style of speaking often took away more profound moments of her character by being used as a tiresome running gag in the show.

Of course it is wrong to suggest that ‘ So Not Worth It’ didn’t have some more bittersweet moments either. There was a fairly intriguing element to a group of international students becoming friends which was fortified by standing up for one another at different moments in the show. When Carson reveals her Korean boyfriend had an affair behind her back, the ragtag group of friends are quick to rush over to give him an earful. In another scene of this episode, Se Wan and Carson have a fairly sweet moment as friends, whilst in a later episode Hyun Min’s mother makes a profound point that being a mother isn’t just a biological, but having a strong bond with your child ( regardless of whether they are blood-related or not) also . In another heartfelt moment of the show, Carson altruistically plans matchmaker with Terris and her date after cottoning onto to Terris’ feelings . Yet in between the more profound moments of the series, the boorish comedy often took this away in exchange for childish and tiresome jokes and running gags . The ending was arguably left on the possibility for a second season with a feeling for incompleteness for viewers , however, a lacking sense of fulfilment truly did bring to the question what on earth viewers spent 12 episodes watching .

So is ‘ So Not Worth’ it “ worth ” investing time towards ? If you’re looking for a quick series to binge-watch then this sitcom is the answer to your dreams. However, the desired attempt to present a diverse cast evidently targeted for a “quick fix” to attract western audiences was strongly apparent over quality. There was a certain glamorisation over more subtle issues in South-Korean society with numerous one-dimensional characters in an attempt to heighten poorly-written farce moments.