K-dramas: Still a Global Phenomenon on Netflix
Korean dramas continue to be some of the most-watched content on Netflix across the globe—not just because of Squid Game. Sure, the mega-hit wrapped up in June 2025 with its third season, but several new K-dramas from South Korea captured viewers’ hearts throughout last year, too. One standout? La vie portera ses fruits, which our editorial team considered the best Korean series of 2025. With 41.2 million views from January to December 2025, it became the second most-watched Korean show worldwide on Netflix—right behind the three seasons of Squid Game. Another smash? Bon Appétit, Your Majesty racked up 588 million hours watched, or around 37.5 million views.
Seventeen New K-dramas Coming in 2026
So, after a bumper year in 2025, what should K-drama fans expect on Netflix in 2026? The answer: a seriously packed schedule, with no fewer than 17 brand new original shows announced, plus even more series airing in step with South Korean television. Following the buzz around How to Translate This Love?, which continues to spark debate, Netflix Korea has unveiled its programming, complete with a teaser showing never-before-seen glimpses from series, movies, variety shows, and reality TV hitting the platform this year. Unsurprisingly, we’ve already picked our top five most-anticipated series. Here they are!
Our Five Most-Anticipated K-dramas for 2026
- Previously known as Show Business: This series has been making us dream ever since the cast was announced—and our anticipation only keeps growing. We’ll have to wait until the end of the year to discover it, but with Song Hye-kyo (The Glory, Descendants of the Sun) and Gong Yoo (Squid Game), it’s bound to get people talking. Set inside the South Korean music industry during the 1960s and 1980s, it follows the journey of Min-ja and her childhood friend Dong-gu. Trust us, this will be one for your binge-list.
- Loved Jung Hae-in in Love Next Door? He’s back in an adorable new romantic comedy. The title may not win any awards, but the plot and first images make us want to give it a shot. Directed by the filmmaker behind My Demon, the story follows an amnesiac prosecutor forced to share a roof with a boxing coach (who moonlights as a gangster). He claims he’s her boyfriend. Sparks don’t fly immediately, but things take a turn—fast.
- The Scandal: Sometimes, casting sells the series. That’s definitely the case here! Son Ye-jin (Crash Landing on You) and Ji Chang-wook (Return to Samdal-ri, The Manipulated) face off in this new title set for the third quarter of 2026. The Scandal is inspired by the 2023 film Untold Scandal, which in turn is based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ classic novel Les Liaisons dangereuses. In the Joseon Dynasty, Lady Cho, a powerful woman, asks Cho Won to seduce a young woman. Intrigue? Guaranteed.
- Notes from the Last Row: Already a fan favorite and among the most-watched Korean series of 2025, Choi Hyun-wook swaps sides to play a darker role. After Weak Hero, this rising star takes one of the two leads in Notes from the Last Row, a thriller adapted from a Spanish stage play. Heo Mun-oh (Choi Min-sik) always dreamed of being an author but never broke through, now stuck as a literature professor. He becomes obsessed with Lee Kang (Choi Hyun-wook), a mysterious student who always sits in the last row and whose writing talent hides a much darker personality. Mark your calendars: the show debuts in the second quarter of 2026.
- If Wishes Could Kill: With a cast of up-and-coming stars including Jeon So-young, and directed by the co-director of Shadow Powers, this drama promises to be as dark as they come. The plot? It follows a group of high schoolers doomed after using a wish-granting app, desperately trying to escape their fate. If Wishes Could Kill is Netflix’s first-ever South Korean “young adult” horror series.
K-dramas Still on the Rise
“The year 2026 will once again be marked by K-dramas on Netflix. The platform has revealed a packed line-up for the coming months. At Télé-Loisirs, we’ve already picked out our favorites.”
With so much variety and star power, it’s safe to say that Netflix’s love affair with K-dramas isn’t cooling off any time soon. Get ready for a thrilling ride through music, romance, scandal, obsession, and horror—there’s a K-drama for every mood in 2026.
