Mr. Queen
A modern chef's soul trapped in a Joseon queen's body.
Mr. Queen, a 2020 South Korean drama directed by Yoon Sung-sik, adapts the Chinese web series Go Princess Go. Shin Hye-sun plays Queen Cheorin, whose body houses a modern man's soul, while Kim Jung-hyun portrays King Cheoljong, a ruler dedicated to his people. Airing weekends on tvN, it became the network's fifth highest-rated show and the eleventh highest in Korean cable history, with its finale drawing a 17.371% nationwide rating and over 4 million viewers.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Historical
- Romantic comedy
- Fantasy
- Body swap
- Creator
- Studio Dragon
- tvN
- Jang cheol-kyo
- Kim Young-gyu
- Writer
- Park Gye-ok; Choi Ah-il
- Director
- Yoon Sung-sik
- Starring
- Shin Hye-sun
- Kim Jung-hyun
- Bae Jong-ok
- Kim Tae-woo
- Seol In-ah
- Na In-woo
- Opening theme
- "Mr Queen"; by Howl
- Ending theme
- "Like A Star"; by Jang Han-byul
- Country
- South Korea
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
In the modern age, Jang Bong-hwan is a head chef at the Blue House and a womanizer with a free spirit. After a near-death experience and falling into a pool, he finds himself in the body of So-yong as Queen Cheorin in the Joseon period. King Cheoljong is a gentle figurehead while true power is wielded by Queen Sunwon. Bong-hwan tries to win Queen Sunwon's favor by cooking for her and to return to his modern body, but discovers that So-yong has a secret and the King has a dark side.
Cast
Shin Hye-sun plays Kim So-yong, Queen Cheorin, the Joseon queen who has the soul of a man in her body; Seo Eun-sol appears as young Kim So-yong. Kim Jung-hyun plays Yi Won-beom, King Cheoljong, the 25th King of Joseon; Kim Kang-hoon plays the young Yi Won-beom. Cha Chung-hwa is Court Lady Choi, a sanggung and Queen Cheorin's devoted lady-in-waiting. Chae Seo-eun plays Hong-yeon, Queen Cheorin's loyal maid. Yoo Min-kyu is Prince Yeongpyeong, Cheoljong's older half-brother and royal guard. Lee Jae-won plays Hong Du-il / Hong Byeol-gam, Cheoljong's friend from Ganghwa Island. Bae Jong-ok is Grand Royal Queen Dowager Kim (Queen Sunwon), who wields true power. Kim Tae-woo plays Kim Jwa-geun, Queen Sunwon's ambitious younger brother. Na In-woo is Kim Byeong-in, the adopted son of Kim Jwa-geun. Jeon Bae-soo plays Kim Mun-geun, Queen Cheorin's father. Yoo Young-jae is Kim Hwan, a bright young man. Song Min-hyung plays Chief State Councillor Kim Byung-hak, Kang Ji-hoo is Left State Councillor Kim Seok-geun, and Son Kwang-eop plays Minister of Military Affairs Kim Chang-hyuk. Seol In-ah plays Jo Hwa-jin, Royal Noble Consort Ui (Jo Gwi-in), Cheoljong's concubine and first love. Jo Yeon-hee is Royal Queen Dowager Jo (Queen Sinjeong). Ko In-beom plays Right State Councillor Jo Man-hong, Kim Kwang-sik is Minister of Personnel Jo Deok-mun, and Sung Min-soo plays Royal Secretary Jo Dae-su. Choi Jin-hyuk plays Jang Bong-hwan, an arrogant playboy and Blue House chef who wakes up in Queen Cheorin's body. Lee Cheol-min plays Director Han Pyo-jin / Han Shim-ong, Kim Joon-won is Bu Seung-min, and Kim In-kwon plays Royal Chef Man-bok. Kang Chae-won is Dam-hyang, Kim Ju-young plays Oh-wol, and Son So-mang is Court Lady Kang. Seo Hye-ryeong, Ahn Ju-ri, Kang Da-hyun, Yoon Gi-won, Yoon Jin-ho, Lee Tae-gum, Choi Hwan-yi, Kim Bang-won, Ha Min, and Seo Dong-suk appear in supporting roles.
Production
Shin Hye-sun was confirmed for the drama in March 2020. In June 2020, Kim Jung-hyun, Bae Jong-ok, and Kim Tae-woo joined the lead cast. Seol In-ah and Yoo Young-jae joined in July 2020. The first script reading was held in October, and stills from filming were released on November 16, 2020. The series reunites Kim Jung-hyun and Seol In-ah from School 2017, and marks Shin Hye-sun's second collaboration with Bae Jong-ok, Kim In-kwon, and Lee Jae-won. Filming was stopped on November 24, 2020, after a supporting actor tested positive for COVID-19.
Reception
A controversy erupted in episode 2 when the series referred to the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty as a 'tabloid,' drawing about 700 complaints to the Korea Communications Standards Commission. The series was also criticised because the author of the original Chinese drama had made negative remarks about Korea. The producers apologised, stating they were unaware of those comments. The first episode recorded an 8.0% nationwide rating, the second-highest premiere for a weekend drama on the network and fifth-highest network premiere. The final episode logged a national average of 17.37%, making it the 5th highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. After streaming on Netflix from February 20, 2023, Mr. Queen became the 4th most popular TV show on Netflix a few days later, and took 5th place in global viewing hours with 20.9 million hours in its first week. It reached the Top 10 in TV in 33 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Mr. Queen?
Mr. Queen was created by Studio Dragon, tvN, Jang cheol-kyo and Kim Young-gyu.
When did Mr. Queen first air?
Mr. Queen first aired on 12 December 2020.
When did Mr. Queen end?
Mr. Queen last aired on 14 February 2021.
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