Disney+ often faces a problem. At first, executives prioritized exclusive productions from brands like Disney Classics, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars so heavily that, even when they have other series with commercial potential in their catalog, it’s hard for them to become hits. For non-English-language productions, it’s even more difficult. But, according to the company, they have a hit on their hands in this area that has likely gone unnoticed by many subscribers. It’s called Perfect Crown.
According to the platform, the series has accumulated 43 million viewing hours and has become a hit in markets such as the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Japan, and even Spain, establishing itself as the most successful South Korean series in the platform’s history. This figure may seem minuscule given the series’ length (it has 12 episodes, each over an hour long), but it must be put into perspective.
Perfect Crown, in its home country, is a production by MBC. Disney acquired the rights to release it internationally and, just as on Korean television, has been airing it week by week. In recent weeks, interest among subscribers has been growing as they’ve discovered the show: the eighth episode, for example, had a 43% higher viewership in its first week than the first episode. It remains to be seen, therefore, what the final results will be following this past weekend’s conclusion.
Perfect Crown, for the record, is not exactly a prestigious title; rather, it has the quirks and shortcomings of romantic series from the Korean industry produced on autopilot. In this case, even the plot is ridiculous. It imagines what Korea would be like if it still had a monarchy, and how this institution and the existence of the aristocracy would change the rules of high society and economic power.
It has all the clichés and shortcomings of Korean romantic series produced on autopilot
Huiju (singer IU) is the intelligent and ambitious daughter of a Korean tycoon who is fed up with being looked down upon by the aristocracy for having no title and, on top of that, being the family’s illegitimate daughter: she may have been recognized by her father and hold a prominent role in the companies, but her status as an illegitimate child puts her at a disadvantage when it comes to becoming the heir to the empire. And, faced with the suitors her father has in mind for her, she decides to take the offensive: marrying the prince for convenience.
The fact is, Prince I-an (Byeon Woo-seok) is in a very awkward position: his parents are dead, his brother is dead, and he must act as regent until his nephew comes of age. The boy, in fact, wins his complete affection, but his sister-in-law hates him for fear that he will usurp the throne from the child. And, since his beauty stirs passions and his lifestyle causes scandals, he considers marrying a commoner to rid himself of the shadow of suspicion.
Watching the first episode is quite an experience. On the one hand, the series critiques the social stratification inherent in the monarchy and the injustice of being “inferior” simply because one isn’t a “son of” someone with a title to their name. On the other hand, with the Korean turbo-capitalist mindset, it justifies Huiju’s classism and despotism; she simply hates the aristocracy because she believes that only money should rule at the top of the social pyramid.
Plus, it has ridiculous, charmless dialogue (Korean sensibilities and sense of humor shouldn’t be confused with this level of simplicity) and a multitude of shots of an expressionless Byeon Woo-seok acting more like a model than an actor (and moving his gorgeous wardrobe in slow motion). Yes, it’s definitely impossible to defend it as a good series. But, curiously, it’s breaking through television barriers and prejudices for Disney+.
Hopefully they’ll take note and, for example, do a good dub of Moving, a K-Drama that really is a gem and is on the same platform.
