Korean dramas, Q4 2025: the quarter in review

This SBS Friday–Saturday drama premiered on November 21 and aired 16 episodes through January 10, 2026. The third season, following those of 2021 and 2023, centers on the Rainbow Taxi company, which carries out revenge on behalf of wronged victims. It is based on the webtoon Taxi Driver, written by Carlos and drawn by Lee Jae-jin. Kang Bo-seung directed and Oh Sang-ho wrote the script, and the cast includes Lee Je-hoon (Kim Do-gi), Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin and Bae Yoo-ram.

It opened at 9.5% with episode 1, reached 14.0% with episode 12 on December 27, 2025, and peaked at 14.2% with episode 14 on January 3, 2026. The finale drew 13.3%, and the season averaged 11.4%. At the 2025 SBS Drama Awards it won the Grand Prize (Lee Je-hoon) and Drama of the Year.

This tvN weekend drama aired 16 episodes from October 11 to November 30 and was also released on Netflix. It chronicles the struggles of Kang Tae-poong (Lee Jun-ho), a rookie boss who takes over Typhoon Trading, the trading company his father left behind, during the 1997 financial crisis. Lee Na-jeong and Kim Dong-hwi directed and Jang Hyun-sook wrote the script, with Kim Min-ha, Sung Dong-il and Kim Ji-young co-starring.

It opened at 5.9% with episode 1 and peaked at 10.3% with its 16th and final episode, averaging 8.2%. On Netflix it peaked at No. 5 in non-English TV, spending four weeks in the Top 10. At the 2025 APAN Star Awards, Lee Jun-ho won the Top Excellence Award and Jang Hyun-sook won Best Writer.

This SBS Wednesday–Thursday drama aired 14 episodes from November 12 to December 25 and was also released on Netflix. A romantic comedy about Ko Da-rim (Ahn Eun-jin), who poses as a married woman to land a job at a baby products company so she can pay off debts left by her older sister, and team leader Gong Ji-hyuk (Jang Ki-yong), who finds himself drawn to her, it was directed by Kim Jae-hyun and written by Ha Yoon-a and Tae Kyung-min. Kim Mu-jun and Woo Da-vi co-star.

Domestically it opened at 4.5% with episode 1 and peaked at 6.9% with its 14th and final episode. On Netflix it was No. 1 on the global chart for non-English TV in the weeks of November 24–30 and December 1–7 and, counting weeks charted in January 2026, spent nine weeks in the Top 10 in all, with weekly views totaling 37.1 million. It was No. 1 in 14 countries. Of the fourth-quarter titles selected here, it stayed in the Top 10 the longest and has the highest total views.

A 13-episode Netflix fantasy romantic comedy released on October 3. Genie (Kim Woo-bin), a lamp spirit who awakens after a thousand years, meets Ki Ga-young (Suzy), a human who lacks emotions. Kim Eun-sook wrote it and Ahn Gil-ho directed, with Ahn Eun-jin, Noh Sang-hyun and Ko Kyu-pil co-starring.

It reached No. 1 on the global chart for non-English TV in the week of October 6–12 with 8 million views. It spent five weeks in the Top 10 for a total of 18.9 million views and was No. 1 in 10 countries.

An eight-episode Netflix crime thriller released on November 7. Longtime friends Jo Eun-su (Jeon So-nee) and Jo Hui-su (Lee You-mi) are drawn into an irreversible choice over Hui-su's husband. It is based on Hideo Okuda's 2014 novel Naomi and Kanako. Lee Jeong-lim directed and Kim Hyo-jeong wrote the script, with Jang Seung-jo and Lee Mu-saeng co-starring. Ahead of its release, episodes 1 and 2 premiered on September 18 in the On Screen section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival.

It reached No. 1 on the global chart for non-English TV in the week of November 10–16 with 7.8 million views. It spent five weeks in the Top 10 for a total of 16 million views and was No. 1 in 20 countries, the most among the fourth-quarter titles selected here.

A 12-episode Netflix mystery thriller released on December 5. Ahn Yun-su (Jeon Do-yeon), suspected of murdering her husband, and Mo-eun (Kim Go-eun), an enigmatic figure known as “the witch,” become bound by a dangerous deal. Lee Jung-hyo directed and Kwon Jong-kwan wrote the script, with Park Hae-soo and Jin Seon-kyu co-starring.

It debuted at No. 2 on the global chart for non-English TV in its first week, then rose to No. 1 in its second week, December 8–14, with 5.7 million views. It spent four weeks in the Top 10 for a total of 12.3 million views and was No. 1 in Korea for two weeks.

This Disney+ series released two episodes on its December 24 premiere and all six by January 14, 2026. In the U.S. it was released on Hulu. Set in the turbulent 1970s, it depicts the clash between Baek Gi-tae (Hyun Bin), a Korean Central Intelligence Agency officer chasing wealth and power, and Jang Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung), the prosecutor who pursues him relentlessly. Woo Min-ho directed and Park Eun-kyo and Park Joon-seok wrote the script, with Woo Do-hwan, Jo Yeo-jeong, Seo Eun-soo, Won Ji-an and Lily Franky co-starring.

Its production budget was reported at 70 billion won, and no official viewership figures have been confirmed. Season 2 was released on September 9, 2026. Hyun Bin won Best Actor – Television at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards the following year.

This JTBC weekend drama aired 12 episodes from October 25 to November 30 and was released internationally on Netflix. Kim Nak-su (Ryu Seung-ryong), a sales team leader in his 25th year at the company who has chased nothing but success, takes a hard look at himself as he loses what he has built. It is based on Song Hee-gu's novel of the same Korean title. Jo Hyun-tak directed and Kim Hong-ki and Yoon Hye-sung wrote the script, with Myung Se-bin, Cha Kang-yoon and Yoo Seung-mok co-starring.

It opened at 2.9% with episode 1 and peaked at 7.6% with its 12th and final episode. At the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards the following year, Ryu Seung-ryong won the Grand Prize for Television and Yoo Seung-mok won Best Supporting Actor; at the 2026 Seoul International Drama Awards, the series was announced as a winner in the miniseries category and Ryu Seung-ryong as Best Actor (ceremony on October 8).