Korean dramas, Q3 2026: the quarter in review
Editors · 2026-10-06
Thirty-five Korean dramas premiered between July and September 2026. KBS2's weekend drama Love on the Menu drew ratings above 16%, and the Netflix series Our Sticky Love and Mousetrap both reached No. 1 on the global chart for non-English TV. Two returning series, Flex x Cop Season 2 and Shinbyeong 4, each ended their runs on the highest ratings in their franchise's history.
Below are the titles that defined the quarter. Ratings are Nielsen Korea nationwide figures for each show's highest-rated episode (pay-TV households for cable and general-programming channels), and Netflix rankings are from Netflix's official weekly charts.
Love on the Menu — a series-high 16.6%
This KBS2 weekend drama premiered on July 25 and is still on the air. In this family romance, Kim Mu-jin (Ha Seok-jin), owner-chef of an Italian restaurant, and Han Gyu-rim (Ahn Hee-yeon), who works at a side-dish shop, gather up the pieces of broken families and put a warm meal on the table. Hong Seok-gu directs and Lee Kyung-hee writes.
It opened at 11.7% with episode 1 and hit its peak of 16.6% with episodes 12, 14 and 16. After being pre-empted from September 26 to October 3 by Asian Games coverage, it aired episode 19 on October 4.
Love on the MenuView title details →Our Sticky Love — No. 1 in non-English TV on Netflix
A 12-episode Netflix romantic comedy released on August 7. Go Eun-sae (Ha Young), an elite prosecutor who has lost her memory, ends up living with Jang Tae-ha (Jung Hae-in), a boxing coach who insists he is her boyfriend. It was directed by Kim Jang-han, who also directed My Demon.
In its second week it reached No. 1 on the global chart for non-English TV with 7.5 million views, and that week it was No. 1 in 26 countries. It stayed in the global Top 10 for five weeks.
Our Sticky LoveView title details →Mousetrap — a novelist robbed of his name and face
A 10-episode Netflix chase thriller released on August 28. Novelist Mun-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol), whose name, face and life have been taken by a mysterious being known as the "field mouse," hunts for the truth with loan shark No-ja (Sol Kyung-gu) and detective Sun-yong (Lee Kyu-hyung). It is based on Ludvico's webtoon of the same name and was directed by Kim Hong-sun of Voice.
In its second week it reached No. 1 on the global chart for non-English TV.
MousetrapView title details →The East Palace — a palace curse that keeps killing crown princes
An eight-episode Netflix occult period drama released on July 17. On secret orders from the king (Cho Seung-woo) to lift the curse on the East Palace, where crown princes die one after another, Gu-cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), who crosses back and forth into the world of ghosts, and Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), a court lady who hears the voices of ghosts, dig into the mystery. Choi Jung-kyu directed, and Kwon So-ra and Seo Jae-won, writers of The Guest, wrote the script.
It ranked No. 2 on the global chart for non-English TV for two consecutive weeks, drawing 8.1 million views in its second week.
The East PalaceView title details →Spooky in Love — eight weeks in Netflix's global Top 10
This tvN weekend drama aired 12 episodes from July 18 to August 23. An occult romance between Cheon Yeo-ri (Park Eun-bin), a chaebol heiress who can see ghosts, and Ma Gang-uk (Yang Se-jong), a hot-blooded prosecutor who is afraid of them, it remakes as a series the 2011 film of the same Korean title (Spellbound), which starred Son Ye-jin and Lee Min-ki.
It opened at 3.0% and peaked at 7.9% with its final episode. Released internationally on Netflix, it spent eight consecutive weeks in the global Top 10 for non-English TV, peaking at No. 3.
Spooky in LoveView title details →Flex x Cop Season 2 — signing off with a series-high 11.8%
This SBS Friday–Saturday drama aired 14 episodes from August 7 to September 19. In this action comedy, Jin Yi-su (Ahn Bo-hyun), a third-generation chaebol heir turned detective, teams up to solve cases with Ju Hye-ra (Jung Eun-chae), the new head of the violent crimes unit and once his strict instructor. It follows the first season from 2024.
It peaked at 11.8% with its 14th and final episode, topping season 1's high of 11.0%. It streamed internationally on Disney+.
Flex X Cop Season 2View title details →A Bona Fide Killer — a legendary sniper turned working mom
This MBC Friday–Saturday drama aired 14 episodes from July 31 to September 12. Yu Bo-na (Gong Hyo-jin), an ordinary working mother just back from three years of parental leave, is secretly a legendary sniper who takes out criminals who have slipped through the net of the law. It is based on the Kakao Webtoon of the same name, and Jung Joon-won and Lee Sang-yi co-star.
It opened at 7.4% and peaked at 10.7% with its final episode.
A Bona Fide KillerView title details →The Husband — a record for KBS2's Saturday–Sunday miniseries
This KBS2 weekend drama aired 12 episodes from July 4 to August 9. In this crime thriller, when Go Se-yun (Lee Seol) is kidnapped on the verge of divorce, her husband Kang Tae-ju (Namgoong Min), a neurosurgeon, takes on a vicious criminal to save her.
It opened at 4.4% and peaked at 8.5% with its final episode, the highest rating ever for a KBS2 Saturday–Sunday miniseries. It streamed internationally on Disney+.
The HusbandView title details →The Apartment Job — a former gang boss runs for residents' representative
This JTBC weekend drama aired 12 episodes from July 11 to August 16. In this crime comedy, former gang boss Park Hae-gang (Ji Sung) runs for residents' representative at a huge new apartment complex to get his hands on a slush fund hidden there, and ends up uncovering the complex's corruption. Ha Yoon-kyung, Park Byung-eun and Moon So-ri co-star.
It opened at 4.6% and peaked at 7.7% with its final episode. Also released on Netflix, it spent five weeks in the global Top 10 for non-English TV.
The Apartment JobView title details →