NOT SINCE Jewel in the Palace caught the attention of a global audience for K-drama when it first aired in September 2003, have viewers been as fired up as they are today.
The reason for the frenzy—Bon Appetit Your Majesty—the 12-episode fusion sageuk streamed on Netflix from August 23 to September 28. Coming right after a lackluster season in K-drama, it became the defining work of autumn 2025.
Within just a few episodes, it scored very high ratings on domestic television, from 4.9 percent on its premiere, it climbed to 6.6 by episode 2. On Netflix, it surged to number one in 41 countries including the Philippines. Its finale scored 17.1 percent ratings. Its OTP (one true pair) Lim Yoon-A and Lee Chae Min stayed on the list of Good Data Corporation’s Most Buzzworthy Actors for weeks.
Being a fusion sageuk, Bon Appetit meticulously blended food, romance, power play and intrigue at court and the royal kitchens into a delectable brew that simmered and sizzled every weekend of its run.
The 21st century Michelin-certified chef Yeon Ji Young (Im Yoon-A, notably of King the Land in 2023 and The King in Love in 2017) is thrust into the royal court of King Yeonsangun, historically regarded as one of the worst tyrants of the Joseon dynasty. But, the king was also regarded as a gourmet; hence to survive, Ji Young must serve the King (renamed Yi Heon for Bon Appettit) a new menu every meal. She risks having her head on the chopping block if she repeats a dish or fails to satisfy Yi Heon’s very discriminating palate.
The team of writers known as fGRD created Bon Appetit based on the novel Surviving as Yeosangun’s Chef by Park Kook Jae.
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Changing the king’s name to Yi Hyeon also allowed writers the liberty to focus on the king as a gourmet and make his slowly brewing romance with Ji Young entirely believable. This also gave them the leeway not to be too mired in Joseon dynasty power play more than was necessary for the battle scenes.
Its director, Jang Tae Yoo (Lovers of the Red Sky in 2021, Tree with Deep Roots in 2011, and My Love from the Star in 2014) has a stellar track record for megging some of the best sageuks plus the fantasy-romance megahit My Love from the Star.
To tell the story of Ji Young and King Yi Heon, the writing team used one of the most popular and handy K-drama tropes—time travel. This is also a most convenient way to blend into a logical storyline the nuances of Joseon royal cuisine and ji Young’s mastery of modern-day, award-winning recipes and cooking methods.
The ancient Mangunrok book is what catapulted Ji Young back to the Joseon times of Ji Hyeon. With the book, she is thrust into Joseon on the night of a lunar eclipse. Mangunrok also is what binds our OTP (one true pair).
The romance between Ji Young and the stern King that simmered on the surface but only burst into fruition near the end, amid the violent coup d ‘etat in the palace, is a treat for lovers of historical dramas or sageuks. The fight scenes — bloody as they come — are a veritable feast of Joseon warfare.
All told, Bon Appetit Your Majesty ushered in a new generation of fusion historical dramas with its novel approach of weaving together disparate elements to breathe new energy into the genre. Food, the medium that allowed ancient culinary traditions to blend with modern cuisine, was a focal point skillfully employed.
Finally, the overwhelming success of Bon Appetit Your Majesty owes in large measure to the wonderful and totally immersive chemistry between Im Yoon-A and Lee Che Min. The generous support Yoon-A gave her OTP from the beginning of the series was a joy to watch. And, in an interview she said that behind the scenes, Chae Min was fun to work with and she appreciated his total dedication to the series given the short time he had to prepare for it.
Yoon-A trained for three months with a culinary expert to perfect her knife skills and movements
Yoon-A has headlined both historical dramas and modern rom-coms, but for this one, she immersed herself for three months in studying the Joseon era depicted in the drama and trained for three months with a culinary expert to perfect her knife skills and movements.
Lee Chae Min, who has played supporting roles in several dramas, was tapped to take on the King Ji Hyeon role barely a month before filming. He trained intensively in horseback riding, swordsmanship, among others. Tall and with a commanding presence, a brooding and handsome mien, he easily looked the part of king BUT he had a lot of work to do in the first quarter of the drama to convey the emotions his role called for. As the series moved on to the sixth episode, he picked up his stride.
Bon Appetit is a huge breakout role for Lee Chae Min, who appeared in the lead in the minor hit Crushology 101 earlier this year. He also had supporting roles in See You in My 19th Life and Crush Course in Romance, both in 2023.
This OTP will linger in the hearts and minds of netizens for many seasons to come.
The director of Bon Appetit also gave viewers a bonus in between the bloody fight scenes with the comedic moments thrown in at just the right juncture. Lookout for the Josseon genius who came into the battle scene with his Joseon era hang glider as he came to deliver his version of a pressure cooker that Ji Young needed for the culinary joust with the Ming royal cooks.
My only wish and that of many other avid followers of Bon Appetit Your Majesty is that it should have been a 16-episode drama. There were many plot points glossed over to meet the 12-episode run time so that what could have been a spectacular end to this beautiful drama seemed to have been rushed.
By the way, the happy ending left many questions hanging. There is yet no announcement of a Season 2.
