According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode of Mr. Queen stood at 8% ratings (highest at 9.9%) nationwide, ranking 1st in the same time slot and 2nd in the entire tvN weekend drama list. The first place is held by Mr. Sunshine. Mr. Queen is about the soul of Jang Bong Hwan, a man who lives in present-day Korea, getting trapped in the body of the queen in the Joseon era. Along with various situations that cause laughter, the drama planted various ŌĆ£Easter eggsŌĆØ to stimulate curiosity. The dramaŌĆÖs ingenious storytelling and actorsŌĆÖ solid performances received rave reviews, however, the fact that there are multiple ŌĆ£Anti-Korean sentimentsŌĆØ in the original novel stirred up a controversy. Mr. Queen is based on the Chinese drama Go Princess Go, which is adapted from the novel of the same name by Xian Chen. However, there are elements that ŌĆ£belittleŌĆØ Korea in the book, such as using the name Goryeo (Korean dynasty) among fictional countries and calling the Koreans ŌĆ£BangzŌĆØ (a disparaging term for Koreans used in China). In response, director Yoon Sung Sik said, ŌĆ£The drama is based on Go Princess Go, but when we bought the copyright, we only took the basic setting of a manŌĆÖs soul going into the body of a queen. The rest of the story and development are completely different.ŌĆØ
Meanwhile, KBSŌĆÖs Homemade Love Story recorded 25.6% to 30.8% ratings, while JTBCŌĆÖs Hush saw a slight decline to 2.574%. SBSŌĆÖs Delayed Justice garnered 3.9% to 5.0%, and TV ChosunŌĆÖs The Goddess of Revenge showed 2.101% to 2.505% viewership. OCNŌĆÖs The Uncanny Counter showed a slight drop to 6.1%, but Kim Se JeongŌĆÖs flawless performance made headlines. Source (1, 2)
