The series was divided into two parts: Part 1 aired from August 4 to September 2, 2023, for ten episodes, while Part 2 aired from October 13 to November 18, 2023, for eleven episodes.[11][12]
Synopsis
The series is set during the
Qing invasion of Joseon, and portrays the inspiring story of people who find hope and positivity even in the most challenging times.[13]
Cast
Main
Namkoong Min as Lee Jang-hyun: an enigmatic
nobleman who does not give his sincerity to anything, but after getting to know a woman, he opens the door to his unexpected fate.[13][14]
The script reading of the cast was held in December 2022.[44]
In May 2023,
MBC announced the termination of the contract with an external company providing background actors, after it was revealed that an actor who was cast for a minor role in My Dearest was one of the twelve perpetrators of a sexual assault in 2004.[45][46]
On November 9, 2023, it was announced that the series would be extended by one episode due to its popularity, and would end with 21 episodes. The final episode aired on November 18.[47]
Reception
Viewership
My Dearest : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on
Phabricator and on
MediaWiki.org.
Part
Episode number
Average
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1
1.011
0.728
0.991
0.976
1.441
1.752
1.955
1.843
1.883
2.269
–
1.485
2
1.441
1.812
1.835
2.231
2.020
2.099
2.018
1.911
2.229
2.301
2.388
2.026
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by
Nielsen Korea.[48]
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