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‘Boyfriend on Demand,’ starring Jisoo of Blackpink, reaches global Top 10 despite acting debate
Sandy Verma | March 13, 2026 7:25 PM CST

Jisoo, member of K-pop group Blackpink, in a promotional shoot for “Boyfriend in Demand.” Photo from Jisoo’s Instagram

The Chosun Daily reported that Netflix’s Top 10 rankings, published on its official site Tudum on Wednesday, showed the series reached No. 4 on the Global Top 10 Non-English TV list after its release on March 6.

The show accumulated 25.6 million viewing hours worldwide and logged about 2.6 million views, calculated by dividing total viewing time by the show’s runtime. It also ranked first in viewing hours among non-English titles during the same period.

In addition, the series topped the daily “Top 10 Series” chart in South Korea and entered the Top 10 lists in 34 countries, including Singapore, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil and Chile. The show also received a 96% audience score on the American review-aggregation website for film and television Rotten Tomatoes.

Domestically, the series has generated significant online buzz. In the TV-OTT integrated drama buzz rankings for the first week of March released by Good Data Corporation FUNDEX, “Boyfriend on Demand” ranked first. Jisoo also topped the cast buzz rankings, while co-star Seo In Guk placed third.

The series marks Jisoo’s first romantic comedy and her third acting project. Its plot follows Mi Rae, a webtoon producer who becomes disillusioned with real-life relationships and turns to a virtual dating simulation service to experience romantic fantasies.

In the show, Jisoo appears in multiple fantasy scenarios, portraying characters such as a doctor, a college freshman, a webtoon character and a flight attendant.

The series also features a star-studded cast including Seo In Guk, Seo Kang Jun, Lee Soo Hyuk, Ong Seong Wu, Kim Young Dae, Sung Moo Jin and Jay Park.

Its success comes amid ongoing debate over Jisoo’s acting, which has drawn scrutiny with each of her acting projects.

Following the show’s release, some viewers criticized her emotional delivery, saying certain scenes felt awkward and less immersive.

According to The Korea Timessome viewers noted that in emotionally intense scenes involving romance and heartbreak, her voice occasionally cracks and her pronunciation becomes unclear. One tearful scene in which Mi Rae worries about her lover has been singled out by critics as one of the drama’s weaker moments.

Others argued that the series’s contemporary romantic comedy setting, which focuses on everyday emotions and situations, suits the Blackpink star better than her earlier roles in fantasy or historical productions.

Born Kim Jisoo in South Korea, the 31-year-old singer debuted with Blackpink in 2016 and launched her solo music career in early 2023.


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