The new MBC drama "Perfect Crown" (21세기 대군 부인) starring IU and Byun Woo Seok premiered on April 10, 2026, with an impressive result.

The first episode ranked third in viewership among all dramas that have ever aired in MBC’s historical Friday‑Saturday time slot.

According to Nielsen Korea, Episode 1 recorded 7.8% nationwide. In the Seoul metropolitan area, the figure was even higher - 8.2%. The peak minute‑by‑minute rating reached 9.3%.

The highest‑rated premieres in this slot so far belong to "Chief Detective 1958" (2024) with 10.1% and "Knight Flower" (2024) with 7.9%.

MBC launched its Friday‑Saturday drama slot in 2021, replacing the previous Wednesday‑Thursday block.

Even before its first broadcast, the drama set an unusual record. According to Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex, "Perfect Crown" took first place in the overall TV and OTT drama buzz ranking for the last week of March. The project led in community (VON) and social media (SNS) discussions. This marked the first time in the history of the survey that an unreleased drama topped the chart. IU and Byun Woo Seok also entered the top five of the actor ranking (third and fourth place respectively).

"Perfect Crown" is an original screenplay (not an adaptation of a webtoon or novel) set in an alternate reality of modern South Korea where the constitutional monarchy still exists. The pacing of the first episode already shows the advantage of a story written directly for the screen over adaptations of webtoons or online novels, which are designed for different platforms and reading-rhythms. One can only hope that this dynamic and the sharp, well‑balanced structure of the episodes will not decline later on.

IU plays Song Hee Joo, the talented and wealthy head of the cosmetics corporation Castle Beauty. She has achieved everything on her own, but she hits an insurmountable wall - her status as a commoner and an illegitimate daughter prevents her from reaching the top of the social hierarchy.

Byun Woo Seok plays Prince Lee An, the second son of the late king and now regent for his young nephew. He possesses noble birth and the people’s respect, but in reality he has nothing – no power, no freedom, no right to a private life.

At the core of the story is Hee Joo’s bold plan: she decides to buy herself status by proposing a marriage of convenience to Prince Lee An. But their union, conceived as a pragmatic deal, threatens to turn into something more.

Given its strong start and high production quality, the drama has every chance not only to remain among the leaders but also to break the peak record of "The Judge Returns" (13.6%) and become MBC’s most commercially successful project of 2026.

The highest peak ratings for MBC Friday‑Saturday dramas since 2021 currently stand as follows:

Knight Flower (2024) – 18.4%
Red Sleeve (2021–2022) – 17.4%
Big Mouth (2022) – 13.7%
The Judge Returns (2025–2026) – 13.6%
My Dearest (2023) – 12.9%

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