The Remarried Empress Premieres Nov 4: 5 Things to Know Before Episode 1

The Remarried Empress arrives on Disney+ on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, with four episodes at once. It’s one of the most anticipated K-dramas of the year, adapting a webtoon read billions of times. Here are five things to know before you press play.

1. Four episodes drop on day one, and the whole show ends November 25

Disney+ isn’t making fans wait. The 10-episode series opens with a four-episode premiere, then adds two episodes every Wednesday.

Date	Episodes
Wed, Nov 4	1–4
Wed, Nov 11	5–6
Wed, Nov 18	7–8
Wed, Nov 25	9–10 (finale)

That means the entire series is out within a month. It streams on Disney+ worldwide, including in the Philippines, and on Hulu in the US. It is not on Netflix. Full details in our where to watch guide.

2. It’s based on one of the biggest webtoons ever

The story began in 2018 as a web novel by Alphatart. A year later it became a Naver webtoon illustrated by Sumpul. Together they’ve racked up close to 3 billion views and been translated into 10 languages. The premise is simple and addictive: Empress Navier is asked for a divorce so the emperor can make his mistress empress. Instead of falling apart, Navier agrees and asks to remarry the prince of a rival kingdom.

The production company, Naver’s Studio N, has promised to stay faithful to the source. Webtoon fans will be watching closely to see what changes.

3. The cast is stacked

• Shin Min-a (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Our Blues) as Empress Navier
• Ju Ji-hoon (Kingdom, Light Shop) as Emperor Sovieshu
• Lee Jong-suk (Big Mouth) as Crown Prince Heinrey of the Western Kingdom
• Lee Se-young (The Red Sleeve) as Rashta, the runaway slave who becomes the emperor’s mistress

Four leads at this level in one drama is rare. Who’s who, and where you’ve seen them, is in our full cast guide.

4. Lee Jong-suk reunites with a familiar director

The series is directed by Cho Su-won, who also made I Hear Your Voice (2013) and Pinocchio (2014–15). Lee Jong-suk starred in both, and they were two of his biggest early hits. The script comes from Yeoh Geena and Hyun Choong-yeol, the writing duo behind The Uncanny Counter.

5. It already premiered at the Busan International Film Festival

The first three episodes screened in October in the festival’s On Screen section, which features high-profile TV series. The drama was shot on location in Europe to create its palace look. If you can’t wait for November 4, The Remarried Empress: A Special Look, a behind-the-scenes special with the cast, is already on Disney+.

Our take

The hardest part of this adaptation is Rashta. In the webtoon she’s easy to hate, and if the drama plays her only as a villain, the middle episodes could feel one-note. Lee Se-young has the range to make her more complicated, and we suspect that’s why she was cast. Shin Min-a’s calm, controlled style fits Navier well. The real test of the chemistry will be Lee Jong-suk’s Heinrey, who doesn’t fully take center stage until later in the story.

For Filipino fans: Disney+ is available in the Philippines, so you can watch at the same time as the rest of the world. With four episodes on day one, plan a binge night on November 4.

Are you Team Navier and Heinrey, or still holding a grudge against Sovieshu? Tell us on the KShowNow Facebook page.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Disney+ explore article · Deadline · Anime News Network · Laughing Place: Special Look · Wikipedia