A commoner marrying a prince is one of the most cherished romantic tropes, set here in an alternative world in which Korea is a constitutional monarchy. The female commoner (IU) in this drama is a rich CEO – pretty, smart, courageous and rebellious – while the handsome prince (Byeon Woo Seok) has a quietly defiant character, fulfilling his expected princely functions with subtle passive aggressiveness. The CEO ruthlessly goes for what she wants, and what she wants from the prince is the one thing that money cannot buy – social status, which she aims to obtain through their (contract) marriage.

With the star power of the leads, truly outstanding support characters, movie-level production values and a plot that delivers a well-balanced mix of romance, comedy and suspense, this shiny gem of a drama generally fulfills its high expectations. Well, almost always: Here, in 2026, we still have to deal with a bout of noble idiocy (episode 10) and the glossing over of a parent’s abusive behavior, with the relationship between the female lead and her father making a nonsensical turnaround.

Aside from these minor if sadly not untypical dramaland hiccups, the drama is simply superbly entertaining. And, not surprisingly, a hit all over the world. (Based on early data, Perfect Crown is the top Korean title of all time globally on Disney+ and Hulu).

MBC. Written by Yoo Ji Won (Yoo A In).