Recently, Jung Seok Hee posted a video on her YouTube channel “Jung Seok Hee TV Review”, where she shared her thoughts after watching Episodes 1 and 2 of MBC’s Perfect Crown.
In the video, she commented, “Neither the work itself nor the actors show qualities strong enough to be nominated for major awards like the Baeksang Arts Awards,” adding, “Gong Seung Yeon’s acting transformation stands out. It feels like she’s performing a serious drama alone within a romantic comedy. Acting should involve interaction, but it seems like she’s struggling on her own.”
She continued, “Because expectations were so high, there are quite a few disappointed reactions. Many say that the performances of IU and Byeon Woo Seok fall short of expectations, but for me, the bigger disappointment was the set design and visual quality.”
Jung Seok Hee added, “When you think of MBC, you expect beautiful cinematography. Over the past few years, they’ve consistently produced high-quality historical dramas. But with Perfect Crown, it feels like that signature MBC visual style is missing. Director Park Joon Hwa is talented and someone I like, but I wonder why MBC entrusted a historical drama to a director who mainly worked with CJ ENM. It doesn’t seem to utilize MBC’s production expertise at all. I even wonder if there was internal pushback.”
She also compared the drama to Princess Hours, pointing out that both the monarchy concept and visual quality appear to have regressed.
The columnist further criticized, “I think the drama is structured mainly around the lead characters to target international markets rather than domestic viewers. There are too few royal characters. Former kings only appear in flashbacks, and aside from the Queen Dowager, there are barely any royal women. A drama’s success depends on how well veteran actors are utilized, but Perfect Crown lacks that level of supporting weight. If it continues focusing only on the bickering between the two leads, it will inevitably become boring. That’s exactly what’s happening here—there are no other memorable characters or lines.”
Despite the wave of criticism, Perfect Crown continues to perform strongly. Episode 4, which aired on April 18, recorded ratings of 11.3% in the Seoul metropolitan area, 11.1% nationwide, and 5.3% among the 20–54 demographic, marking a new personal best. It ranked No.1 in its time slot across all categories, with a peak rating reaching 13.8%, showing a steady upward trend (Nielsen Korea).
Sources: Nate