[Edaily Reporter Gim Ga Yeong ] Disney+’s highly anticipated second-half release, “The Remarried Empress,” premiered a day earlier than originally scheduled, captivating viewers. With a star-studded cast featuring Shin Min-a, Joo Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk, and Lee Se-young—and based on a popular webtoon that has amassed 2.97 billion global views—the series is gaining traction through word of mouth, thanks to its spectacular direction and the actors’ electrifying emotional performances.

According to FlixPatrol, a website that tracks global OTT rankings, “The Second Queen” topped the Disney+ TV show charts in 12 countries—including South Korea, Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Sweden—and made a strong debut by ranking 7th overall.
Released on the 3rd, “The Remarried Empress” is a romantic fantasy epic that unfolds after “Nabie” (Shin Min-a), the perfect empress of the Dongdae Empire, is notified of her divorce by Emperor “Sobiesh”(Joo Ji-hoon), falls for a runaway slave named “Rasta” (Lee Se-young), and in exchange for accepting the divorce, demands permission to remarry Prince “Heinrich” (Lee Jong-suk) of the Western Kingdom.
Episodes 1 through 4 were released all at once on the 3rd, delivering thrilling entertainment as the story rapidly unfolded: Sobiesh falls in love with Rasta at first sight and declares to Nabie that he intends to make her his concubine. In particular, the actors’ performances in bringing the drama to life received high praise. Joo Ji-hoon, recalling his character Lee Tae-oh (played by Park Hae-jun) in JTBC’s *The World of the Married*, who shouted, "It’s not a crime to fall in love," Joo Ji-hoon brought depth to the character of Sobiesh by saying, "Thanks to that girl, I learned what it means to have butterflies in my stomach for the first time," and openly defending Rasta in front of Nabie, thereby heightening the drama’s immersion. Lee Se-young, who played Rasta, also delivered an irreplaceable performance, expressing her bold charm with a cheeky line like, “Can I call you ‘sister’?” when addressing Empress Nabie.

In addition to the actors’ performances, the world-building of *The Second Empress* is also drawing attention. The show brought to life a fictional imperial court through settings reminiscent of 18th- and 19th-century European palaces, along with lavish gowns and ballroom scenes. Overcoming concerns that adapting a Western-style fantasy world into live-action might feel jarring, the production captured a grand and opulent atmosphere, offering an overwhelmingly spectacular visual experience.
“The Remarried Empress” tells the story of an emperor who breaks his promise to his empress and becomes deeply infatuated with a new woman named Rasta. With the arrival of Prince Heinri (played by Lee Jong-suk) from the Western Kingdom, the series has set the stage for a new narrative. Given the level of immersion the show has achieved in just four episodes, anticipation is high for what lies ahead.
The success or failure of “The Remarried Empress” hinges on whether it can successfully adapt the romance fantasy genre—which has a solid fan base in Korea—into a live-action series and achieve mainstream popularity. Additionally, since it is being released on Disney+, how Korean “romance fantasy” resonates with international viewers is another key point of interest.
A broadcasting industry insider stated, “Since ‘The Remarried Empress’ is a groundbreaking project, the industry is closely watching to see what kind of results and reactions it will generate,” adding, “It appears that this series will serve as a catalyst for a variety of new creative endeavors.”
The 10-episode series “The Remarried Empress” released episodes 1 through 4 on its first day and will subsequently release two episodes every Wednesday.