Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Pretty Korean period piece gets stuck in gender stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Under the Queen's Umbrella
What's the Story?
In UNDER THE QUEEN'S UMBRELLA, young princes are lining up to become the successor in the court of a Korean king. The queen's eldest, the crown prince, shows that he's an excellent pupil of good character. But when he falls ill, and the queen falls out of favor with the king's mother, it's fair game for all of the princes. Will a concubine's son eclipse the next in line for the throne? Or will the queen's sons rise to the occasion?
Is It Any Good?
This show bills itself as a dark comedy when it seems meant to be a drama. And Under the Queen's Umbrella could have been a decent drama; it has the right elements -- scheming family members, puppet masters pulling strings, beautiful costumes, a poetic natural setting. Plucking split-screen shots out of a hat and adding goofy sound effects doesn't do the show any favors. Problematic, too, are all the king's women, who fall into stereotypes (shy, cute, cunning, tragic), and whose characters aren't at all fleshed out.
Die-hard fans of K-Drama might spend time getting behind one of the princes to see if he'll become the next king, but this isn't the finest, or the funniest, K-Drama out there.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about perseverance in Under the Queen's Umbrella. Several of the princes in the drama are vying for the throne. How important is persevering under pressure to a suitable ruler?
Though there's no social media bullying to drum up drama in this show, there's plenty of backstabbing. Is social pressure easier or more difficult in the computer age?
How are women portrayed in this period drama? How have things changed for women? How are they the same?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 14, 2022
- Cast : Moon Sang-min , Kim Hye-soo , Kim Hae-sook
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , History
- Character Strengths : Perseverance
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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