A refreshing romantic comedy to cool off the midsummer heat has swept the home theater. With a series of arrivals of cool romantic comedy works, the heat has eased, and viewers' romantic cells are also stirring.
The start of the home romantic comedy craze is the Genie TV original drama "My Troublesome Star." This ENA Monday-Tuesday drama, which has been airing since July 18, is gaining attention for the chemistry between Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon. While "My Troublesome Star" signals the start of a week filled with romantic comedies, the new tvN Saturday-Sunday drama "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," which premiered on July 23, concludes it.
▲ Rising ratings and reaching the top in buzz
"My Troublesome Star" is showing explosive upward momentum. Episode 6 recorded a nationwide rating of 3.8% and a 3.4% rating in the metropolitan area (based on Nielsen Korea paid households), marking its highest viewership. Gaining traction through word of mouth, "My Troublesome Star" has established itself as the strongest Monday-Tuesday drama, shining with the romantic chemistry of Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon. Uhm Jung-hwa plays the role of Bong Cheong-ja, an ordinary middle-aged woman who awakens with no memory of her 25 years as a top star, delivering relatable performances that make viewers both cry and laugh.
"Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" is writing an even more explosive box office legend. Starting with a viewership rating of 5.1% for episode 1, it steadily climbed to 11.1% in episode 4, becoming the top-rated tvN drama of 2025. In terms of buzz, "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" is unparalleled. According to Good Data Corporation's analysis, in the third week of August, Lim Yoo-na ranked 1st and Lee Chae-min ranked 2nd in the TV cast buzz sector, while "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" topped the TV-OTT drama buzz sector.
▲ Memory loss vs. time slip - common themes presented anew
Both dramas utilized common tropes from the romantic comedy genre, but they succeeded in differentiating themselves with original interpretations. Memory loss and time slip are settings that have been repeated countless times in dramas and could easily evoke viewer fatigue with the sentiment of "another cliché story." However, both works dispelled such concerns, presenting humorous tones that lighten the atmosphere.
In particular, it is noteworthy that the extreme situations faced by the protagonists are not depicted tragically but rather elevated into comedic material. The premise of losing 25 years of memory or falling back 500 years could be quite heavy and despairing, but both dramas transformed it into ingredients of laughter and excitement.
"My Troublesome Star" portrays the situation of losing 25 years of memory lightly, as captured in its catchphrase "A romantic comedy filled with tears and laughter in the blink of an eye." Uhm Jung-hwa wonderfully mixes comedy and empathy through her 'sweet and salty character,' delivering both cheerfulness and a relatable sense of reality.
"Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," as indicated by its genre identity as a 'survival fantasy romantic comedy,' harmonizes tension and humor effectively. Lim Yoo-na noted that she tried to maintain a confident and cheerful, modern atmosphere in her speech and acting tone, creating a character that doesn't lose its modern sensibility even in a time slip scenario. She showcases vibrant expressiveness even in extreme situations with a sharp tone and playful delivery.
▲ A new chemistry between older women and younger men
Both dramas present a fresh chemistry through the combination of older women and younger men. "My Troublesome Star" depicts a mature romance close to the same age between Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon, but creates a unique emotional line within the setting of skipping 25 years. In particular, viewers have responded positively to the age-gap romantic comedy chemistry of Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon. Reactions such as "Middle-aged romance is thrilling," "It's the essence of romantic comedy," "I prefer this over 25 years of unrequited love," and "Younger man Song Seung-heon is cute" are trending online.
"Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" is even more audacious. The 10-year age gap couple between Lim Yoo-na, born in 1990, and Lee Chae-min, born in 2000, has garnered attention. By naturally blending the modern mature chef and the young king from the Joseon Dynasty, the age gap has been seamlessly integrated, with the chemistry between the two serving as a key driver for rising viewership.
The romantic storyline between Uhm Jung-hwa and Song Seung-heon is highly anticipated as it begins in earnest, while "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" heightened expectations for future romance developments by revealing a surprise kiss scene between Lim Yoo-na and Lee Chae-min in episode 4.
▲ The romantic comedy wave continues in the second half of the year
In the second half of 2025, there are high-profile romantic comedy dramas waiting, such as "Can This Love Be Translated?" starring Kim Sun-ho and Go Youn-jung, and "Genie, Make A Wish" featuring Kim Woo-bin and Suzy, heralding the golden age of the romantic comedy genre. "My Troublesome Star" and "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," which have pleasantly unraveled potentially cliché themes in their own unique ways, raise expectations about how long this new romantic comedy wave will continue to cool off the home theater.
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