This is really outrageous. This industry, seriously! It should be required, by law for both sides to commit to a certain plan. If you tell your series production team it will air 20 episodes, you should be forced to let them make and air them! Money and work down the drain!

OUCH! MAJOR OUCH! There has to be a balance between commercial success and quality. I mean there are already all those dramas that go viral and rake in the cash, which then allow companies to offer the less money-making but equally if not more excellent stuff. And besides the show's almost half way, is it really necessary to cut out basically half of it? Contracts are signed because they should be upheld. Ugh.

I got pissed so I wrote about it. Getting me pissed is always a good way to get me going. I can't believe they just cut half of a 1-season show...

And here we have a drama that illustrates how ratings=/= quality all the time, cos this is a damn fine show.
I hope PD Ahn goes eff them by managing to still pull the stops and go beyond these limitations.

Awful that so often, dramas can be outstanding in quality and production but lack the viewership to sustain its costs (as opposed to some dramas who sell out for the fan service/cliche plots to get good ratings). When dramas like these get axed, I'm always reminded of the U.S. show Freaks & Geeks and what a shame that it got canceled.

How sad. I love what I have seen of the drama so far. It's pretty much flawless as far as TV shows in general go.

So sad for those currently watching and loving it. I haven't started watching it yet. War of the Flowers is enough for now.

I enjoyed this drama a lot, I can barely finished watching episode one of Virus and decided to give this show a try and fall in love with it. I feel so bad for the production team and the actors. They are doing such a great job and the quality of this drama is so good that I can totally ignore the fact that I knew none of the actors. I am a foreigner and most of the time I lean on the actors' names to pick up my choice. However, by the time I was watching it, I felt like watching a movie, the quality of this show is that good. Why cut short this wonderful drama for a whole 8 episodes. This cable Tv companies should know that not all the best movies are the big block buster too.

I feel really, really bad for the production team and the actors. They're working their tails off to make a show that is, by all accounts, excellent in story and quality. To be cut off like this, because audiences have been slow to warm to it, is really sad.

hey, thats not right... what the what with cutting show in half? =.="

This drama only gets a mention here because of this. Not surprised.

Thats so unfair as the whole team works so hard for a drama and they are simply told to end it abruptly.....
Although i'm not watching the show, the fans must be clearly sad with the news..

Thanks javabeans for this article. I am truly sad by this news. You've answered my question about this drama being pre-produced. My hope that maybe they could released a Director's Cut Edition for this drama (like Tamra Island), has been dashed.
This is truly an intelligent drama, and "what it could have been" will be missed.
But I am still glad that we get at 3 more episodes, hopefully the writers will end it someway that does this drama justice.

This is the show that I love best at the moment.
Besides the medical detective work, the rush to save lives, it is a microcosm of the academic or institutional workplace. The female manager is the politician, who only cares about what looks good to their superiors and to the outside, more so than avoiding the spread of the disease. Instead of supporting their sole researcher, Prof Yoon, she puts pressure on him when the going gets tough, and hedges her bet by also giving a rival researcher access to the same lab, which has led to sabotage and plagiarism. The office Manager is the one who sees clearly and does the right thing, including fingering her own husband, a petty jerk who puts his personal agenda in front of public safety. All these interpersonal dynamics of the workplace are so well done.
There is romance; it is a side-dish, low-key and doesn't take up much screen time. It is dignified and elegant, showing how two intelligent and dedicated professionals' admiration and respect for each other blossom into mutual support, concern and finally, and quietly, Love. It feels real and honorable. Perhaps more ppl want juvenile piggy-back rides, chaebol princes, than adult professional understated slow-burn.
There are no big name stars, no pretty faces, no abs, and hence no fan girls. I like big names, pretty faces, and abs too, but surely once in a while, there should be space for 1 dignified show in its entirety that appeals to something other than the fangirl in us? I guess not! Damn!

Thank you for the news. Without it I'd be waiting for the even numbered episode this week all week.

Also I read this really nice opinion post on darksmurf forums that I wanted to it post here:
written by Rachel in Darksmurf TEOTW forum:

"When they put up an intelligent show like this, they should have expected poor ratings. The scripts for all 20 episodes have been completed and I can't see how they can fit 12 episodes into 4 episodes without killing the story. If they are so concerned about the ratings, they should not have aired it in the first place. It's obvious this kind of show will only appeal to a very minute section of k-drama watchers. "

rachel

I really like this show and I'm sad that its been cut by almost half. You have shows on air that are just horrible yet they get to air all their episodes and even get extended. This was a well produced, scripted, acted and directed show. They even had all the scripts done before they started shooting. I feel so sad!

Why oh why? I am loving this show so much.

I was so disappointed when I first read about this. I heard nothing but good reviews. I was really looking forward to watching it when all the episodes were subbed :/

Lots of shows get cut due to poor ratings these days, but what's doubly awful about this is that it's such a great show (the best so far this year) and now it's not allowed to reach its full potential. I like my fluffy rom coms too, but I'd take a show that was incredibly well made and intellectually stimulating over them any day. It's a shame the mainstream audience for dramas don't feel the same :(

Also, has Undercover even started shooting yet? I haven't seen any stills. It doesn't have long until it premieres now, better get a move on......

so this means the drama hasn't completed its shooting? so that they can stop the drama in case of low ratings??

Enough with the plague dramas, let's have a zombie apocalypse :DDD

Well, if people shun dramas because of no flower boys in them... they have my blessings in daydreaming about BOF-ing every series.
If someone prefers pretty boys and girls dipped in plastic and running in Louboutins in December - fine with me, Main 3 cater to their taste.
But it seems unfair for a serious show that relies on acting and script to be treated like that. There is a lot of other dramas that made us roll our eyes and even got extra episodes because of have-no-idea-why.

This situation only prooves that Korean audience is mainly occupied with watching chaebol-hrdworking girl fluctuations and not anything else.

However, the drama fell victim to Korea's self-copying trend. Deadly virus and group of scientists in two dramas at the same time. Some side had to pay.

at least they are cutting it short and having a proper ending (bad or poor) instead of canceling it on the spot.
America doesn't bother to finish its show, rather they just cancel it without proper ending.
For example: heroes, Kyle XY, No Ordinary Family, Alphas and the 4400. there are many others too.

Honestly speaking, this disaster/disease genre is not my thing but it sucks for those who are fans of it! if someone decided they would not continue with TEN season 2 or with Vampire Prosecutor 3 i'll def want to cut them! Hopefully, they'll give fans a decent ending and not leave it all in the air... cuz that actual happens and it sucks! I dont know this happened because we're talking about a cable drama but having the same themes over and over is annoying. Right now, in one season you can say that at least 3 dramas in the same run have the same plot... there would always be audience-favorites but the lack of diversity would sooner or later kill the industry.

I am invested in this too much to only have a few episodes left.
It is a drama that gets under your skin, I have been rewatching the episode and the 2nd time find myself even more involved than the first (rewatching and taking up more of my limited drama watching time)

I wonder if one of the reasons these type of dramas do not do well as they are very character (and development of) driven rather than plot driven. There is no space for people to interpret the characters to their own tastes?

The end of the world is a pretty nicely made drama. Solid writing, great acting, very dark but solid plot nonetheless. I am saddened to hear it is going to be reduced so much.

Unfortunately, long-term is not a word that exists in the dictionary of businessmen, only short-term money does. Thank you America for contributing to the loss of quality in work throughout the world.

I bet if the lead actor was Lee min ho, the ratings will shoot up. not that lee min ho would want to leave high school flower boy high school image *dodges shoes thrown by an outraged fan*, sorry i love to pick on LMH bcos of Heirs. all in all that is less likely (for him to pick this role but i loved faith, city hunter and personal taste). more likely is joo won or some other young idol. my point is i think this show was made for an older audience, who may not like the genre