'The Remarried Empress' Tops Korea's Drama Buzz Chart in First Week

Disney+'s "The Remarried Empress" has split viewers, but it has had no trouble getting them talking. The series ranked No. 1 for drama buzz across Korean TV and streaming in its first week of release. Praise, criticism, memes and jokes are all aimed at the same show.

Data firm Good Data Corporation released its FUNdex ranking for the first week of November. The index tracks buzz around dramas on Korean TV and streaming services. "The Remarried Empress" took first place overall with a 10.43% share.

tvN's "100 Days of Deception" (Baegirui Geojinmal) came in at No. 2 with 9.04%. SBS's "Doctor X: Mafia in White" (Dakteo X: Hayan Mapiaui Sidae) placed No. 3 with 6.00%.

The show is a live-action adaptation of the popular web novel and webtoon of the same name. Empress Navier (played by Shin Min-a) is told by her husband, Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), that he wants a divorce after he falls for Rashta (Lee Se-young), a runaway slave. Navier answers by demanding to remarry Heinley (Lee Jong Suk), a prince of the Western Kingdom.

Interest ran high before the premiere. People wondered whether Korean actors could pull off the Western-style royal costumes, names and setting, and the talk mixed excitement with worry. Once the show came out, the reactions only got more varied.

Lee Jong Suk's take on Heinley drew comments that he was "a surprisingly good fit." Ju Ji-hoon got attention for a different reason. His skin tone and makeup looked unusually dark on screen.

Some of the jewelry on the royal costumes also caught viewers' eyes. To some, the pieces looked like products from cheap overseas shopping sites, which led to jokes asking, "Isn't that from Temu?"

Viewers picked apart other details too, from Ju's costume with its deep cut at the chest to art direction and props that some felt looked out of place. Online, almost every scene turned into something to talk about.

The overall look of the adaptation split opinion as well. Some viewers called it "strangely addictive," while others called it "awkward." Good or bad, the conversation around the show kept going.

That back-and-forth banter only fueled more interest. "The Remarried Empress" reached No. 1 on Disney+'s Korea chart one day after its release. Now, it sits at the top of FUNdex's combined drama buzz ranking as well.

The cast is drawing buzz of its own. Shin Min-a and Lee Jong Suk ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, on FUNdex's TV-OTT cast buzz ranking.

For a story many fans already knew, the show's biggest selling point so far may be the arguments it starts. Whether viewers love the costumes or laugh at them, they keep coming back to talk about "The Remarried Empress."