Korean dramas, Q3 2025: the quarter in review

This tvN weekend drama aired 12 episodes from August 23 to September 28 and was also released on Netflix. In this fantasy romantic comedy, chef Yeon Ji-young (Im Yoon-ah) slips back in time to the Joseon era on the very day she wins a French cooking competition, and meets King Yi Heon (Lee Chae-min), at once the greatest gourmet and the worst tyrant. It is based on a web novel by Park Guk-jae. Jang Tae-yoo directed and fGRD wrote the script, with Kang Han-na and Choi Gwi-hwa co-starring.

It opened at 4.9% with episode 1 and peaked at 17.1% with its 12th and final episode, averaging 11.7%. It spent 10 weeks in Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English TV and was No. 1 in the weeks of September 8–14 and 15–21. Its weekly views total 48.1 million, and it was No. 1 in 34 countries. Lee Chae-min won Best New Actor – Television at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards the following year.

This KBS2 weekend drama premiered on August 9 and aired 50 episodes through January 25, 2026. The successor to For Eagle Brothers, it is a family drama in which the older and younger generations come to understand each other's pain and discover what family means. Kim Hyung-suk directed and So Hyun-kyung wrote the script, and the cast includes Jung Il-woo, Jung In-sun, Yoon Hyun-min and Chun Ho-jin.

It opened at 13.9% with episode 1, reached 19.0% with episode 42 on December 28, 2025, and signed off with a peak of 20.5% for its 50th and final episode on January 25, 2026. It averaged 15.6%. At the 2025 KBS Drama Awards, Jung Il-woo and Jung In-sun won Excellence Awards in the serial drama category, and Lee Tae-ran, who plays Ko Seong-hee, won the Top Excellence Award for an actress.

This JTBC weekend drama aired 12 episodes from August 2 to September 7. In this legal drama, Yoon Seok-hoon (Lee Jin-wook), a cool-headed partner, and rookie lawyer Kang Hyo-min (Jung Chae-yeon) grow together on the litigation team of the law firm Yullim. Kim Jae-hong directed and Park Mi-hyun wrote the script, with Lee Hak-joo and Jeon Hye-bin co-starring.

It opened at 3.7% with episode 1, peaked at 9.1% with episode 10 on August 31, and ended at 8.4%. On Netflix it peaked at No. 2 in non-English TV and spent seven weeks in the Top 10, with weekly views totaling 24.3 million. A second season has been confirmed.

A 10-episode Netflix action thriller released on July 25. It pits Lee Do (Kim Nam-gil), a former sniper turned police officer tracking illegal gun deals, against Mun Baek (Kim Young-kwang), a mysterious arms dealer. Kwon Oh-seung directed and wrote it, on a production budget of 30 billion won.

It ranked No. 2 on the global chart for non-English TV in the week of July 28–August 3 with 5 million views. It spent four weeks in the Top 10 for a total of 11.6 million views and was No. 1 in Korea for two weeks.

A 15-episode series released on Netflix on September 12. It follows two friends, Ryu Eun-jung (Kim Go-eun) and Cheon Sang-yeon (Park Ji-hyun), whose lives stay entangled from childhood onward as they swing between admiration, jealousy and reconciliation. Cho Young-min directed and Song Hye-jin wrote the script, with Kim Gun-woo co-starring.

It ranked No. 5 on the global chart for non-English TV in the week of September 15–21 and stayed in Korea's Top 10 for seven weeks. At the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards the following year it won Best Drama and Best Screenplay (Song Hye-jin), and Kim Go-eun won the Grand Prize at the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards (2026).

This SBS Friday–Saturday drama aired eight episodes from September 5 to 27. When a series of copycat murders begins, imitating Jeong Yi-sin (Go Hyun-jung), a serial killer imprisoned long ago, her son Cha Su-yeol (Jang Dong-yoon), a detective who has cut all ties with her, takes up the investigation. A remake of the 2017 French TF1 series La Mante, it was directed by Byun Young-joo and written by Lee Young-jong, with Cho Sung-ha and Lee El co-starring.

It opened at 7.1% with episode 1 and peaked at 7.5% with episode 4 on September 13. On Netflix it peaked at No. 6 in non-English TV, spending two weeks in the Top 10, and it was No. 1 in Korea for two weeks.

This ENA Monday–Tuesday drama aired 12 episodes from September 29 to November 4. Only episodes 1 and 2 aired in September; the remaining 10 aired in the fourth quarter. In this crime romance, bodyguard Kim Young-ran (Jeon Yeo-been), who married a chaebol chairman to protect his fortune, hides out in a rural village under a new name, Bu Se-mi. Park Yoo-young directed and Hyun Kyu-ri wrote the script, with Jinyoung, Jang Yoon-ju, Joo Hyun-young and Seo Hyun-woo co-starring.

It opened at 2.4% with episode 1 and peaked at 7.1% with its 12th and final episode on November 4, averaging 5.2%.

An 11-episode period crime drama released on Disney+ from July 16 to August 13. It depicts the greed and double-crosses of a band of country bumpkins who converge in pursuit of treasure on the seabed. It is based on Yoon Tae-ho's webtoon Pine; Kang Yoon-sung directed and co-wrote the script with Ahn Seung-hwan. The cast includes Ryu Seung-ryong, Yang Se-jong, Im Soo-jung, Kim Eui-sung and Jung Yun-ho.

No official viewership figures have been confirmed for the series. At the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards the following year, Im Soo-jung won Best Supporting Actress – Television, and at the 2026 Director's Cut Awards, Kang Yoon-sung won Best Director (Series) and Im Soo-jung won Best Actress.