When Does The Last Empress Season 2 Come Out? Is It Renewed?
The Last Empress ended after Season 1.
IMDb
7.1/10
Seasons
1
Episodes
52
Diagnostics
- Network
- SBS
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery
- First aired
- 2018-11-21
- Last aired
- 2019-02-21
- Runtime
- 35 min
Awards 1 win total
Predictive Logic Analysis
The Last Empress has concluded its run. Production records list the series as ended, meaning the story has been brought to a planned close rather than left open. Barring a revival, there is no Season 2 in development.
What is The Last Empress about?
The Last Empress transposes a murder mystery into the glittering, treacherous world of a contemporary South Korean imperial court, asking what happens when an ordinary musical actress becomes queen. Oh Ssu-Ni's ascent to the throne sets off a power struggle that consumes the palace, but the show's central engine is darker: a mysterious death at the heart of the royal family that demands investigation. What begins as a romantic elevation becomes a survival game where Ssu-Ni must navigate competing factions, hidden alliances, and assassination plots while searching for truth. The premise taps into a distinctly Korean fascination with palace intrigue while grounding it in a modern political system, creating a world where formal protocol and contemporary sensibilities clash in constantly unsettling ways.
The show splits its energy between lush melodrama and procedural mystery, with the tone shifting between intimate betrayals and larger conspiracies that reach into the highest echelons of government. Jang Na-ra carries the narrative as a woman learning to weaponize her outsider status, oscillating between vulnerability and cold calculation as she realizes that innocence has no currency in the palace. The production invests in period-adjacent aesthetics and ritual formality while the plotting remains thoroughly modern and urgent, creating a distinctive visual and narrative tension. It's less interested in celebrating monarchy than in exposing the machinery of power and the costs of ambition.
The series found its audience among drama enthusiasts drawn to intricate ensemble narratives, earning a respectable 7.1 rating on IMDb despite its modest viewership footprint. It occupies a niche within Korean television that prizes plot complexity and character development alongside genre thrills, appealing to viewers comfortable with serialized storytelling that refuses easy resolutions. The show's cultural position is modest but secure, speaking to perennial interests in female protagonists who refuse victimhood while navigating impossible circumstances.
Created by Park Young-soo, Kim Soon-ok
Is The Last Empress renewed or cancelled?
Working against it
The series is listed as ended
The Last Empress Season 2 Release Date
No new season is expected. The Last Empress has ended, so there is no upcoming release to anticipate unless a revival is announced.
The Last Empress seasons
Season 12018 · 52 ep
- 1. A Luncheon with the Emperor2018-11-21
- 2. The Emperor’s Day Off2018-11-21
- 3. A Hit-and-Run2018-11-22
- 4. The Yellow Truck2018-11-22
- 5. The Empress Dowager Underestimates Ms. Min2018-11-28
- 6. The Emperor Starts to Court Oh Sunny2018-11-28
- 7. Wedding Preparations2018-11-29
- 8. The Wedding2018-11-29
- 9. Tell Me It’s Not True2018-12-05
- 10. Wang Shik’s Rage2018-12-05
- 11. Betrayal in the Palace2018-12-06
- 12. Pil Joo Finds Wang Shik2018-12-06
- 13. The Empress Finds Out About the Emperor and Yu Ra2018-12-12
- 14. The Prince is in Town2018-12-12
- 15. Wang Shik Betrays the Empress2018-12-13
- 16. The Grand Empress Dowager’s Downfall2018-12-13
- 17. Who Killed the Grand Empress Dowager?2018-12-19
- 18. The Empress is Arrested for Murder2018-12-19
- 19. Baek Ho Enlightens the Empress2018-12-20
- 20. Ms. Hong’s Confession2018-12-20
- 21. The Empress Returns to the Palace2018-12-26
- 22. The Empress Goes Live2018-12-26
- 23. Wang Shik Saves His Brother2018-12-27
- 24. Yu Ra’s Demise2018-12-27
- 25. The Prince Returns2019-01-02
- 26. Where Is My Mother’s Corpse?2019-01-02
- 27. Yu Ra’s Cry for Mercy2019-01-03
- 28. Wang Shik Mourns at His Mother’s Side2019-01-03
- 29. The Emperor’s Jealousy2019-01-09
- 30. An Antique Clock2019-01-09
- 31. The Scandal2019-01-10
- 32. Prince Yoon Lights the Powder Keg2019-01-10
- 33. Peanut Butter Cookies2019-01-17
- 34. Yu Ra’s Escape2019-01-17
- 35. The Emperor Abandons the Empress2019-01-23
- 36. Yu Ra Teams Up with the Empress Dowager2019-01-23
- 37. Princess Ari is Promised to Become the Empress Regnant2019-01-24
- 38. Woo Bin Runs Away With the Empress2019-01-24
- 39. The Empress Regains Control of the Palace2019-01-30
- 40. The Prime Minister Loses His Edge2019-01-30
- 41. Gifts From the Emperor2019-01-31
- 42. Joo Seung Starts to Remember2019-01-31
- 43. An Investigation of Prince Yoon’s Attacker2019-02-07
- 44. A Trap for Kang Hee2019-02-07
- 45. Wang Shik Starts His Revenge2019-02-13
- 46. The Emperor Returns to the Palace2019-02-13
- 47. Michelle Arrives at the Palace2019-02-14
- 48. Sunny Is Appointed as the Crown Prince2019-02-14
- 49. Michelle Reinstates Hyuk As the Emperor2019-02-20
- 50. The Emperor’s 10-Year Anniversary Celebration2019-02-20
- 51. The Emperor’s Vengeance2019-02-21
- 52. The Fall of the Imperial Family2019-02-21
The Last Empress cast
View all cast →
Jang Na-ra
Oh Ssu-Ni
Choi Jin-hyuk
Na Wang-shik
Shin Sung-rok
Lee Hyuk
Lee Elijah
Min Yoo-ra
Shin Eun-kyung
Empress Dowager Kang
Oh Seung-yun
Yi-Yoon
Oh Ah-Rin
A-Ri
Park Won-sook
Grand Empress Dowager Jo
Lee Hee-jin
Princess Soo-jin
Shin Go-eun
Queen So-Heon
Yoon Da-hoon
Oh Geum-Mo
Stephanie Lee
Oh Hel-Ro
Where to watch The Last Empress
See all viewing options →
AI Verdict
The Last Empress has ended. Its final season has already aired and no further seasons are expected.
Verdict updated 1 month ago
Updated 2026-05-17 · AI-generated analysis
How we predict →Our verdicts have proved right for 59 of 82 decided shows →The Last Empress latest news
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Frequently asked
- When does The Last Empress Season 2 come out?
- The Last Empress ended after Season 1.
- Is The Last Empress renewed or cancelled?
- The Last Empress has ended. Its final season has already aired and no further seasons are expected.
- How many seasons of The Last Empress are there?
- The Last Empress has aired 1 season so far.
- How many episodes of The Last Empress are there?
- There are 52 episodes of The Last Empress across 1 season.
- Who created The Last Empress?
- The Last Empress was created by Park Young-soo and Kim Soon-ok.
- Where can I watch The Last Empress?
- The Last Empress is available to stream on Netflix, Rakuten Viki, OnDemandKorea, Netflix Standard with Ads and Kocowa.
- What is The Last Empress's IMDb rating?
- The Last Empress holds an IMDb rating of 7.1/10 from 833 votes.