In April and May 2026, Korean weekend dramas have not ceased to delight audiences. It feels as if the old tradition of “getting hooked on an ongoing series” is back – something you dread, you curse, yet still feel that thrilling flutter of anticipation for a whole week (!) – a completely insane concept in the age of Netflix and other OTT platforms.
Korea has given us three charming characters: a prince, a white-collar employee and a jobless man, each commanding our attention.
Byeon Woo Seok and “Perfect Crown”
(21세기 대군 부인, 21st Century Prince’s Wife)
MBC, Friday-Saturday
Much has been written about this series, and it was highly anticipated thanks to its star duo – Byeon Woo Seok and IU. And the drama lived up to expectations.
It is a classic rom-com set in a fantastically preserved Korean monarchy woven into the modern world of IT and parliamentarism. IU plays a chaebol heiress who wants to rise up the social ladder and marry an aristocrat. And among all the aristocrats, she chooses the prince regent for his young nephew – her former classmate (Byeon Woo Seok).
The series started with a rating of 7.8% and reached 15.4% by episode 10. The perfectly matched pair…
