IU and Byeon Woo Seok’s new MBC drama Perfect Crown has made a powerful entrance, reshaping the Friday-Saturday drama landscape from its very first broadcast.
The highly anticipated series premiered on April 10 and recorded an impressive nationwide viewership rating of 7.8%, according to Nielsen Korea. The figure immediately places the drama among MBC’s strongest premieres, ranking as the third-highest first-episode rating ever for an MBC Friday-Saturday drama.
Only “Chief Detective 1958” (10.1%) and “Knight Flower” (7.9%) opened higher, with “Perfect Crown” trailing second place by a razor-thin margin of just 0.1 percentage points.
This achievement is especially remarkable considering the weak ratings momentum left behind by its predecessor, “In Your Brilliant Season,” which concluded with only 3.1% in its finale. Despite inheriting a difficult time slot position, the new drama more than doubled that figure in a single episode.
The drama also outperformed its competitors in the same time slot. SBS’s “Phantom Lawyer” posted 6.7%, while KBS2’s “Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant” remained at 2.7%, giving MBC the No. 1 spot for the night.
Set in an alternate 21st-century Korea under a constitutional monarchy, “Perfect Crown” tells the story of a wealthy heiress and a royal prince whose love faces political and social barriers. IU stars as Seong Hee Joo, a brilliant chaebol heiress, while Byeon Woo Seok plays Grand Prince Ian, a royal burdened by duty and tradition.
The drama’s explosive start has raised expectations that it could challenge MBC’s highest drama ratings of the year, currently held by “Judge Lee Han Young,” which peaked at 13.6% earlier in 2026.
With IU and Byeon Woo Seok’s star power, a strong opening script, and the direction of Park Joon Hwa known for hits such as “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim,” “Alchemy of Souls,” and “Because This Is My First Life” industry watchers are closely monitoring whether the series can set a new benchmark.
Episode 2 of “Perfect Crown” airs tonight, April 11, at 9:40 p.m. KST.
Sources: 네이트 뉴스
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