Hierarchy showed promise with a whodunit storyline mixed with the drama of elite high school students, but fans are calling the K-drama a waste of time and horrendous.
The June K-drama tackles teen romance, bullying, secrets, the social status of the elite, and a murder cover-up. Jooshin High School gets a wake-up call when scholarship student Kang Ha arrives with a hidden motive.
After its trailers and official synopsis were released, Hierarchy fans were intrigued. After all, thriller K-dramas mixed with a level of romance are a fan favorite. But the show greatly disappointed fans for several reasons beyond just wasting chemistry between actors.
“I just finished it. I gotta say, ultimately, none of the characters were able to win much sympathy, Kang Ha included. His utter lack of planning was disappointing to say the least. And the FL was such a Mary Sue, she gave me uncomfortable flashbacks of Elena from TVD,” said a fan on Reddit.
Another felt bored by the K-drama’s execution, saying, “It’s a little…. Lackluster? I don’t think the storyline was executed well.
“During the entire thing, I was thinking there were some unnecessary scenes and I found myself just waiting for the answers. Nothing to pull me in and want more. I’m sad because I was looking forward to this cast.”
Others flat-out didn’t like it. “I’m sorry but this is going in my top 10 worst dramas I have ever seen. The writing is HORRENDOUS at best. Most of the acting was flat and no emotion, there was almost zero character development, most of the characters had no depth at all, no background, nothing,” said one disgruntled fan.
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Many fans thought Hierarchy would be the next The Glory or fall in line with the school thriller Pyramid Game. Others compared it to a lackluster copy of Netlfix’s Elite minus the sex and extreme level of scandal.
Complaints about the K-drama included the female lead’s lack of charisma and poor writing. Others disliked the romance between Jae-yi and Ri-an, saying Jae-yi was blind to Ri-an’s lack of empathy for bullying students.
A similar complaint from fans was how Hierarchy tried to make viewers sympathize with the characters who were abusers and bullies.
“They literally bullied and abused people and yet the show tried to be like ‘oh but you see there’s reasons why’ nooo!! They are elitist and classist POS who spit on people just bc they have less money,” commented one fan.
Ultimately, many felt the K-drama was “lacking,” with one saying, “PSA: Don’t waste your time on this drama, not worth it.”
If you dare to see if Hierarchy is to your liking, it’s available to stream on Netflix. You can also watch other K-dramas like Hierarchy, why fans were upset with a minor detail in The Atypical Family, and new TV series to stream.
