''Mr. Queen'' () is a South Korean television series,based on the Chinese web series “Go Princess Go". Directed by Yoon Sung-sik, it stars

Shin Hye-sun Shin Hye-sun (born 31 August 1989) is a South Korean actress. She made her debut in the television series ''School 2013''. In 2017, Shin played her first leading role and became well known in the weekend drama, ''My Golden Life'', which garnere ...

Queen Cheorin Queen Cheorin (27 April 1837 – 12 June 1878), of the Andong Kim clan, was queen consort of Joseon by marriage to Cheoljong of Joseon, King Cheoljong. She was known as Queen Dowager Myeongsun (명순대비) after the death of her husband and du ...

and Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheoljong. The drama is about Queen Cheorin finding herself with the soul of a modern-day man inside her body, and King Cheoljong striving to be a king who helps his people. It aired on

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 ( KST) from December 12, 2020 to February 14, 2021. Despite its

controversies Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

, the series is the eighth highest rated drama in Korean cable television history, with the last episode reached a nationwide rating of 17.371% and garnering more than 4 million in viewership. It also set a record for

by achieving the 5th highest rating in the network's history.

Synopsis

In the modern age, Jang Bong-hwan (

Choi Jin-hyuk Choi Jin-hyuk (, born Kim Tae-ho, February 9, 1986) is a South Korean actor. He gained attention for his supporting roles in ''Gu Family Book'' and ''The Heirs'', and then went on to star in lead roles in ''Emergency Couple'', ''Pride and Preju ...

) is a chef who works at the

Blue House Cheong Wa Dae ( ko, 청와대; Hanja: ; ), also known as the Blue House, is a public park that formerly served as the executive office and official residence of the president of South Korea from 1948 to 2022. It is located in the Jongno distri ...

. He has a free spirit, but one day finds himself in the body of Queen Cheorin (

) in the

Joseon period Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. King Cheoljong ( Kim Jung-hyun), the reigning monarch, is a gentle and easy-going person. However, he is only King in name, while the true power is wielded by the late King Sunjo's wife,

Queen Sunwon Queen Sunwon (순원왕후; 8 June 1789 – 21 September 1857), of the Andong Kim clan was the queen consort and wife of Sunjo of Joseon. She was known as Queen Dowager Myeonggyeong (명경왕대비) after her husband's death in 1834. She served ...

(

Bae Jong-ok Bae Jong-ok (born May 13, 1964) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a TV actress after she was recruited by KBS, and has since been active in both film and television. While concurrently maintaining an acting career, Bae completed a doct ...

), who has relegated Cheoljong to a figurehead. Queen Cheorin soon discovers that the King is not what he seems, and that he has a dark and suspicious side to him.

Cast

Main

as Kim So-yong,

** Seo Eun-sol as young Kim So-yong : The

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

who has the soul of a man in her body. * Kim Jung-hyun as Yi Won-beom, King Cheoljong **

Kim Kang-hoon Kim Kang-hoon (Korean: 김강훈; born 2009) is a South Korean child actor. He is known for his roles in the television series ''Pride and Prejudice'' (2014), ''Criminal Minds'' (2017), '' Mr. Sunshine'' (2018), '' When the Camellia Blooms'' (20 ...

as young Yi Won-beom : The 25th King of

Supporting

People around Queen Cheorin

Cha Chung-hwa Cha Chung-hwa (; born on 28 April 1980) is a South Korean character actress who has worked extensively on stage, screen, and television. She has been nominated for Baeksang Arts Awards for her role as court lady in tvN historical drama '' Mr. Q ...

as Court Lady Choi :A

sanggung was an official title of the senior 5th rank (; ), the highest attainable for ''gungnyeo'', a lady-in-waiting during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. Female officers with the title were assigned to govern the inner affairs of the palace. When a regul ...

and Queen Cheorin's devoted

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

. * Chae Seo-eun as Hong-yeon :Queen Cheorin's loyal maid who served her since they were kids.

People around King Cheoljong

Yoo Min-kyu Yoo Min-kyu (born September 18, 1987) is a South Korean actor. Career Yoo began working as a runway and magazine model in 2006. He then joined and won the audition competition ''Flower Boy Casting: Oh! Boy'' in 2011, which led to his acting de ...

Prince Yeongpyeong Prince Yeongpyeong (Hangul: 영평군, Hanja: 永平君; 30 August 1828 – 1 February 1902), personal name Yi Gyeong-eung (Hangul: 이경응; Hanja: 李景應), was a member of the Royal Jeonju Yi clan, as the second son of Grand Internal Princ ...

:Cheoljong's older half-brother who serves as his royal guard. * Lee Jae-won as Hong Du-il / Hong Byeol-gam :Cheoljong's friend from his days on

Ganghwa Island Ganghwa Island (Hangul ; Hanja ), also known by its native name Ganghwado, is a South Korean island in the estuary of the Han River. It is in the Yellow Sea, off Korea's west coast. The island is separated from Gimpo (on the South Korean mainla ...

Andong Kim clan {{unreferenced, date=December 2014 The Andong Kim clan (Hangul: 안동 김씨, Hanja: 安東金氏) refers to two Korean clans. They were prominent yangban families during Korea's Joseon Dynasty originating from Andong, North Gyeongsang provinc ...

as Grand Royal Queen Dowager Kim (

) :The late King Sunjo's wife, who wields the true power in the country and, thus, relegates Cheoljong to being just a figurehead. * Kim Tae-woo as

Kim Jwa-geun Kim Jwa-geun () (1797 – 5 June 1869) was a Korean political figure from the Andong Kim clan, who held a number of high-ranking government positions in the late Joseon period, including Chief State Councillor at King Cheoljong's court. He wa ...

:Queen Sunwon's younger brother and an extremely ambitious man. *

Na In-woo Na Jong-chan (; born September 17, 1994) better known by his stage name Na In-woo ( Korean: 나인우), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Mr. Queen'' (2020–2021) and '' River Where the Moon Rises'' (2021). He is a c ...

as Kim Byeong-in :The adopted son of Kim Jwa-geun, thus making him Queen Sunwon's nephew and a cousin to Queen Cheorin. *

Jeon Bae-soo Jeon Bae-soo (Korean: 전배수, born 2 June 1970) is a South Korean theatre, film and television actor. He is known for his supporting roles in various TV series and films. His better known works are: 2016 TV series ''The K2'', 2019 romantic c ...

as Kim Mun-geun :Queen Cheorin's father. *

Yoo Young-jae Yoo Young-jae (; born January 24, 1994), also known mononymously as Youngjae, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as an idol in the six-member group B.A.P under TS Entertainment, where he served as the main vocalist from 2012 to its d ...

as Kim Hwan :A bright young man who spent his days wandering around the palace and Kim Byeong-in's friend. * as

Chief State Councillor Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

Kim Byung-hak * as Left State Councillor Kim Seok-geun * as

Minister of Military Affairs A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

Kim Chang-hyuk

Pungyang Jo clan The Pungyang Jo clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the 2015 Korean census, the clan has 124,262 members. Origin Jo Maeng (조맹, 趙孟), who was also known by the name of Ba-woo or Bau ...

Seol In-ah Seol In-ah (; born Bang Ye-rin (방예린); January 3, 1996), is a South Korean actress best known for her leading roles in television series ''Sunny Again Tomorrow'' (2018), ''Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life'' (2019), and ''Business Proposal'' ( ...

as Jo Hwa-jin, Royal Noble Consort Ui ( Jo Gwi-in) :Cheoljong's concubine and first love. *

Jo Yeon-hee Jo Seon-joo is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''One Thousand Won Lawyer'', '' Mr. Queen'', ''One the Woman'' and '' Black Dog: Being A Teacher''. She also appeared in movies ''The Houseguest and My Mother'', ...

as Royal Queen Dowager Jo (

Queen Sinjeong Queen Sinjeong (Hangul: 신정왕후, Hanja: 神貞王后; 21 January 1809 – 4 June 1890), also known as Queen Dowager Hyoyu (효유왕대비), of the Pungyang Jo clan, was the only wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong and mother of Heonjong of Joseo ...

) :The late

Crown Prince Hyomyeong Crown Prince Hyomyeong (18 September 1809 – 25 June 1830), born Yi Yeong, and posthumously honored as King Munjo, was a member of the Joseon Dynasty. Life and death The prince was the eldest son of King Sunjo, husband of Queen Sinjeong and ...

's only wife. * Right State Councillor Jo Man-hong * as Minister of Personnel Jo Deok-mun * as Royal Secretary Jo Dae-su : Jo Hwa-jin's father.

People in the Blue House

as Jang Bong-hwan : An arrogant playboy and

chef who is caught in a conspiracy and after a near-death experience, he wakes up in Queen Cheorin's body. * as Director Han Pyo-jin / Han Shim-ong * as Bu Seung-min

People in the Royal Kitchen

Kim In-kwon Kim In-kwon (born January 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Known for playing memorable supporting characters, he starred in his first leading role in the sleeper hit ''He's on Duty'' (2010), followed by ''Almost Che'' (2012), '' Born to Sing'' ( ...

as Royal Chef Man-bok : A cuisine specialist who doesn't get along with Queen Cheorin. * Kang Chae-won as Dam-hyang : A young court lady who is close with Queen Cheorin.

Court Ladies

* Kim Ju-young as Oh-wol : Jo Hwa-jin's maid. * as Court Lady Kang : Queen Sinjeong's lady-in-waiting. * Seo Hye-ryeong as court lady * Ahn Ju-ri as court lady

People in the Royal Palace

Kang Da-hyun Kang Da-hyun is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her roles in dramas such as Dokgo Rewind, My Healing Love and Tale of Fairy. She also appeared in movies Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Puzzle and Roman Holiday. Biograp ...

as Hang Sim-hyang * as royal physician * as Head Eunuch * as Eunuch Kim * Choi Hwan-yi as Eunuch Choi * as Sal-su

Special appearances

* Ha Min as Physician Park (Ep. 1) * Seo Dong-suk as detective (Ep. 1) *

Kwon Eun-soo Kwon Eun-soo (born February 4, 1989) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for her lead roles in ''If You Were Me 4'' as So-young and ''Wild Flowers'' as Eun-soo. She also did a supporting role and appeared in the famous and pop ...

as court lady (Ep. 2) * Kim Ka-eun as young court lady (Ep. 2) * Lee Seung-jin as royal guard (Ep. 2) * Yoon Jung-ro as royal guard (Ep. 2) * as general store owner (Ep. 2–3) * Oh Ji-young as court lady (Ep. 3) * Na Mi-hee as court lady (Ep. 3) * Kim Yong-jin as eunuch (Ep. 3) * as food palanquin bearer (Ep. 6) * Koo Ja-keon as food palanquin bearer (Ep. 6) * Kim Seung-wan as food palanquin bearer (Ep. 6) * Kim Nan-hee as fortune teller (Ep. 6)

Production

In March 2020,

was confirmed to be a part of the drama. In June 2020, Kim Jung-hyun,

, Kim Tae-woo joined her to play lead roles in the series. In July 2020,

and

also joined the cast. In October the first script reading was held. The stills from filming of the series were released on November 16, 2020. The series reunites actors Kim Jung-hyun and

who previously acted together in the drama ''

School 2017 ''School 2017'' () is a South Korean television series starring Kim Jung-hyun, Kim Se-jeong, Jang Dong-yoon, Han Sun-hwa, and Han Joo-wan. It aired on KBS2 from July 17 to September 5, 2017 every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 ( KST) for 16 episode ...

''. It also marks the second collaboration of

with actors

and Lee Jae-won with whom she acted in the film ''

Innocence Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

'' and the dramas '' Angel's Last Mission: Love'' and ''

Legend of the Blue Sea ''The Legend of the Blue Sea'' () is a 2016–2017 South Korean television series starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Min-ho. Inspired by a classic Joseon legend from Korea's first collection of unofficial historical tales about a fisherman who capture ...

'', respectively. On November 24, 2020, filming was stopped as one of the supporting actors tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Release

From November 4, 2021, the series is available for

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

Episodes

Spin-off

tvN announced that they would be airing a spin-off titled ''Mr. Queen: The Secret'' (official Korean name: ''Mr. Queen: Bamboo Forest),'' which featured the secrets and an extended love story of King Cheoljong and Queen Cheorin. It aired exclusively on the streaming service, TVING after the end of the main series' episodes 19 and 20 on February 13–14.

Original soundtrack

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Mr. Queen: The Bamboo Forest OST Mr. Queen OST (Various Artists) Chart performance

Reception

Controversies

Following its airing, a controversy erupted in episode 2 as the series referred to Korea's national treasure, the

Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty The ''Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty'' (also known as the ''Annals of the Joseon Dynasty'' or the ''True Record of the Joseon Dynasty''; ko, 조선왕조실록 and ) are the annual records of Joseon, the last royal house to rule ...

as a " tabloid." This drew outrage among viewers and about 700 people filed complaints to the

Korea Communications Standards Commission The Korea Communications Standards Commission () is an institution of the South Korean government that regulates communications including film, television, radio, and internet. At its formation in 2008, the KCSC replaced an earlier body, the I ...

. The series was also criticised as the author of the original Chinese drama has made negative remarks about Korea in their other work. The producers released a statement clarifying their stand and apologising for the controversies, adding that they were not aware of the negative comments made by the novelist.

Audience viewership

An 8.0% viewership rating was recorded nationwide for the first episode, making it the second-highest premiere rating of any weekend drama of

the network The Network was an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album ''Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album titl ...

and fifth-highest premiere rating of

after ''

Hospital Playlist 2 ''Hospital Playlist'' () is a South Korean television series written by Lee Woo-jung and directed by Shin Won-ho. It is the second installment of the ''Wise Life'' series, following ''Prison Playbook'' (2017–18). It stars Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Ye ...

'', '' Jirisan'', '' Mr. Sunshine'', and ''

Encounter Encounter or Encounters may refer to: Film *''Encounter'', a 1997 Indian film by Nimmala Shankar * ''Encounter'' (2013 film), a Bengali film * ''Encounter'' (2018 film), an American sci-fi film * ''Encounter'' (2021 film), a British sci-fi film * ...

''. As per

Nielsen Korea Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

, the final episode logged a national average viewership of 17.37%, breaking its own highest ratings, thereby making the series 7th highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
''Mr. Queen''
at Daum * *
''Mr. Queen''
on Viki {{Works by Studio Dragon TVN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas 2020 South Korean television series debuts 2021 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean time travel television series Alternate history television series Television series set in the Joseon dynasty Fiction about body swapping Television series by Studio Dragon Television series by YG Entertainment South Korean historical television series South Korean comedy television series South Korean fantasy television series Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television shows based on Chinese novels South Korean television series based on non-South Korean television series