The drama “21st Century Grand Duchess” is proving to be the most anticipated production of the first half of 2026.
MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “21st Century Grand Duchess” has topped viewership ratings, popularity, and global rankings since its premiere, drawing an enthusiastic response.
The drama ranked first in TV-OTT drama popularity even before its premiere (as of March 31, 2026), sold out all its advertisements, and was named one of Time magazine’s “Most Anticipated Korean Dramas of 2026.”
Additionally, IU as Seong Hee-joo and Byun Woo-seok as Lee Ahn-gun topped the drama cast popularity rankings, drawing attention even before the premiere (as of April 7, 2026).
Riding on this momentum, “21st Century Grand Duchess” claimed the top spot among Friday-Saturday dramas, with a household rating of 8.2% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 7.8% nationwide for the first episode. The second episode saw ratings rise to 10.8% in Seoul, 9.5% nationwide, 5.3% among the 2054 demographic, and a peak of 11.1%, sweeping first place in its time slot for two consecutive episodes (according to Nielsen Korea).
Furthermore, according to Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex, it ranked first in TV-OTT drama popularity for the second week of April 2026.
It scored over 80,000 points in popularity and garnered a Friday-Saturday drama popularity share exceeding 90%, and a total content share over 50%.
In the popularity indicators, it ranked first in VON (Community Response, Voice of Netizen), SNS, and news rankings, and second in video rankings.
IU and Byun Woo-seok’s on-screen romance chemistry, known as the ‘Grand Couple,’ has kept them in the first and second positions in drama cast popularity as of April 14, 2026.
On OTT platforms, the response is equally strong. “21st Century Grand Duchess” immediately secured the top spot in Disney+ Korea’s TOP 10 and ranked fourth in the global Disney+ TOP 10 TV shows according to FlixPatrol.
The drama entered the TOP 10 in 44 countries and regions, including first place in Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore; second in Brazil; fourth in Mexico; and fifth in Canada and Australia; sixth in the United States, proving its global appeal. It also maintained first place in Wavve’s TOP 20 rankings since its premiere (as of April 13, 2026).
With viewers’ enthusiastic reactions, “21st Century Grand Duchess” has had a strong start and airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM.
