Friday night K-drama wars just heated up in the best possible way. Two dramas, one time slot, and ratings that tell two very different but equally exciting stories.
My Royal Nemesis: Friday Night Ratings Showdown
| Drama | Network | Episode Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Royal Nemesis | SBS | 4.1% (Ep. 1 premiere) | New entrant — promising start |
| Perfect Crown | MBC | 11.7% (New all-time high) | Final two weeks — on fire |
My Royal Nemesis: A Solid Debut Despite Tough Competition
SBS’s new romantic comedy My Royal Nemesis, starring Lim Ji Yeon and Heo Nam Jun, premiered on May 8 to solid viewership despite going head-to-head with MBC’s hit drama Perfect Crown in the same time slot. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode scored an average nationwide rating of 4.1 per cent.
Launching a brand new drama directly opposite an already-buzzing hit is never easy — so a 4.1% premiere is genuinely encouraging. It signals real audience curiosity, and with the romantic comedy genre always having a loyal core following in Korean television drama viewership, there’s every reason to believe My Royal Nemesis can grow its numbers as word spreads.
Perfect Crown: Absolutely Unstoppable in Its Final Stretch
If My Royal Nemesis had a solid night, Perfect Crown had a sensational one.
As Perfect Crown entered the final two weeks of its run, the MBC romance drama soared to its highest ratings yet — setting a new personal record with an average nationwide rating of 11.7 per cent and becoming the most-watched programme of any kind to air on Friday.
That’s not just a drama milestone — that’s a cultural moment. Crossing 11.7% in the current fragmented streaming era is the kind of achievement that puts a show in the conversation for year-end best-of lists. The drama clearly has the audience hooked, and with two weeks to go, expect it to push even higher as it races toward its finale.
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What to Watch For
Both dramas are worth keeping an eye on over the coming weeks — Perfect Crown as it sprints to an almost certainly electric finale, and My Royal Nemesis as it finds its footing and builds its audience one episode at a time. Friday nights in Korean drama land just got a whole lot more interesting.
