The 36 Best Netflix Korean Shows of 2026 (So Far)
Here are all the K-dramas and international reality shows to add to your watchlist ASAP.
If you have a Netflix subscription, odds are you've fallen head over heels for at least one must-watch K-drama or Korean movie. Since 2023, the streaming giant has invested $2.5 billion into building its Korean slate, following the success of shows like Kingdom, All of Us Are Dead, The Glory, and, of course, Squid Game.
2025 marked the streamer's biggest year yet for Korean entertainment, with shows like When Life Gives You Tangerines, Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, Better Late Than Single, Physical: Asia, and Culinary Class Wars becoming global hits.
With 2026 halfway through and "Best Of" season on the way, it's time to look over the dozens of original K-dramas and variety shows Netflix has released this year. Plus, several highly anticipated K-dramas are still set to hit our screens this fall. Below, we've rounded up the best K-dramas and Korean reality shows released on, or heading to, Netflix in 2026. (Once you're done, check out our round-up of the best Netflix K-dramas of 2025.)
The Best Netflix Korean Reality Shows of 2026 So Far
'Physical: Welcome to Mongolia'
Release date: January 1
Number of episodes: 4
Genre: Travel variety show
Following the success of fall 2025's Physical: Asia, Netflix began the year with a travel spinoff starring finalists Team Korea and Team Mongolia. The four-part series follows Physical: 100 alums Amotti and Kim Dong-hyun (along with a surprise guest) as Mongolian fan favorites Orkhonbayar Bayarsaikhan and Lkhagva-Ochir Erdene-Ochir lead them on a curated tour of Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar.
'Single's Inferno' season 5
Release date: January 20
Number of episodes: 15
Genre: Dating show
Netflix's longest-running Korean reality show returned in January for its fifth consecutive year. The slow-burn dating series has gotten more intense with each installment, as the cast—singles on a deserted island who must couple up to escape to "paradise"—gets more competitive in going after what they want. Creator Kim Jee-won promised that season 5 would raise the bar with "fascinating dynamics between participants, unlike anything you’ve seen"—and it definitely delivered. (Once you're done watching, don't forget to check out Single's Inferno's first-ever reunion.)
'Agents of Mystery' season 2
Release date: February 27
Number of episodes: 9
Genre: Mystery variety show
In 2024, The Devil's Plan producer Jeong Jong-yeon premiered a new adventure-mystery show for fans of series like Busted! and The Zone: Survival Mission. For the second season, dancer and content creator GABEE joined the all-star cast as they investigated bizarre and unpredictable cases.
'Ready or Not: Texas'
Release date: March 24
Number of episodes: 6
Genre: Travel variety show
This new show from Na Yeong-seok (of 2 Days & 1 Night, New Journey to the West, The Game Caterers, Jinny's Kitchen, and more) brings some of Korea's biggest celebrities to Dallas, Texas. Real-life besties Na and actor Lee Soo-jin (plus some surprise guests) will "set off like locals...ready to discover what surprises this laid-back road trip across America has in store."
'Jae-seok's B&B Rules!'
Release date: May 26
Number of episodes: 10
Genre: Travel variety show
After last year's Kian's Bizarre B&B, legendary Korean entertainer Yu Jae-seok leads this new entry in the popular subgenre of hospitality variety shows. Watch Yu and his staff—Running Man alums Lee Kwang-soo and Ji Ye-eun, and K-drama heartthrob Byeon Woo-seok—host non-celebrity guests for a relaxing three-day, two-night retreat.
'The Love Lab'
Release date: June 17
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Dating show
This year, Netflix Korea released an exciting new dating show from the producer behind EXchange. The Love Lab is an anthology-style series, in which every few episodes features a new potential couple going through a "romance experiment," ranging from sharing a bed for three nights with someone they just met, to starting a blind date with both participants already drunk. Think Love Is Blind's first season: awkward, earnest, and surprisingly successful.
The Best Netflix Korean Shows of 2026 So Far
'Can This Love Be Translated?'
Release date: January 16
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Romantic K-drama
Starring: Go Youn-jung, Kim Seon-ho, Sota Fukushi, Lee E-dam, and Choi Woo-sung
Famed screenwriting duo the Hong Sisters (Alchemy of Souls, Hotel del Luna) are behind this acclaimed romantic K-drama, starring Moving's Go Youn-jung and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha's Kim Seon-ho. As multilingual translator Ju Ho-jin (Kim) and global celebrity Cha Mu-hee (Go) work together on a globetrotting reality show, an unexpected romance blossoms.
'No Tail to Tell'
Release date: January 16
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Fantasy-romance K-drama
Starring: Kim Hye-yoon, Lomon, Jang Dong-ju, and Lee Si-woo
For SBS' first weekly drama of the year, Lovely Runner's Kim Hye-yoon and All of Us Are Dead's Lomon starred in a new love story based on the Korean legend of the gumiho. In a fresh twist, Eun-ho (Kim) is a gumiho who doesn't want to become human and instead enjoys her eternal youth. But her carefree life is changed when she meets Kang Si-yeol (Lomon), a narcissistic soccer player.
'Undercover Miss Hong'
Release date: January 17
Number of episodes: 16
Genre: Workplace K-drama
Starring: Park Shin-hye, Go Kyung-pyo, Ha Yoon-kyung, Cho Han-gyeol, and Choi Ji-su
Fans of the classic '90s movie Never Been Kissed may be delighted to know that adult-disguises-themselves-as-teenagers is a growing K-drama trend (see last year's Undercover High School). This comedy follows an auditor (Park) who goes undercover as a 20-year-old high-school grad to investigate a suspicious money trail at Hanmin Securities. However, she's surprised to run into her former love, Sin Jeong-u (Go), who's Hanmin's new CEO.
'The Art of Sarah'
Release date: February 13
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Thriller K-drama
Starring: Shin Hye-sun, Lee Jun-hyuk, Park Bo-kyung, Kim Jae-won, Jung Da-bin, Jung Jin-young, Bae Jong-ok, and Lee E-dam
Mr. Queen and Welcome to Samdal-ri star Shin Hye-sun returned to Netflix (and won a prestigious Blue Dragon Award) for this thriller set in the world of high fashion. When Mu-gyeong (Love Scout's Lee Jun-hyuk) sets out to investigate Sarah Kim (Shin), the enigmatic CEO of a popular luxury brand, the detective discovers that she's "a woman whose multiple names, ages, and careers make her identity almost impossible to pin down."
'Boyfriend on Demand'
Release date: March 6
Number of episodes: 10
Genre: Romantic K-drama
Starring: Jisoo, Seo In-guk, Seo Kang-jun, Yoo In-na, Gong Min-jeung, and Ha Young, with cameos from Lee Soo-hyuk, Lee Jae-wook, Ong Seong-wu, Kim Young-dae, Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Sang-yi, and Jay Park
Seo Mi-rae (BLACKPINK's Jisoo) is a webtoon producer with no time for dating amid her hectic schedule. When she receives the titular virtual dating simulation, she "encounters unrealistically perfect boyfriends, awakening her dormant desires for romance." Seo In-guk co-stars as Mi-rae's IRL work rival, who unexpectedly begins to win her over.
'Phantom Lawyer'
Release date: March 13
Number of episodes: 16
Genre: Fantasy legal K-drama
Starring: Yoo Yeon-seok, Esom, and Kim Kyung-nam
When the Phone Rings star Yoo Yeon-seok returned to Netflix, leading this workplace drama with a spectral twist. Shin Lee-rang (Yoo) is determined to become a star lawyer when he opens his own practice in the home of a former shaman. When he begins to see ghosts, he decides to get justice for them, even if it means they temporarily possess his body. Joining Lee-rang is ace lawyer Han Na-hyeon (Taxi Driver's Esom), who helps him represent deceased clients.
'Bloodhounds' season 2
Release date: April 3
Number of episodes: 7
Genre: Action-thriller K-drama
Starring: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi, Jung Ji-hoon (a.k.a. Rain), Choi Siwon, and Hwang Chan-sung
Three years after its premiere, Netflix's original thriller Bloodhounds returned for a second season this year, with besties Gun-woo (Woo) and Woo-jin (Lee) going up against a new criminal enterprise. This time, the pair faced a global underground boxing league led by the sadistic Baek-jeong (Jung).
'We Are All Trying Here'
Release date: April 18
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Slice-of-life romance K-drama
Starring: Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Oh Jung-se, Kang Mal-geum, and Park Hae-joon
For her latest series, Park Hae-young—the writer behind My Mister and My Liberation Notes—delivered another heartfelt tearjerker exploring the depths of human nature. Hwang Dong-man (Koo) is the only failure among the members of "the Eight Club," a group of filmmakers who met in college and have gone on to successful careers. His self-perpetuating misery is challenged when he meets Byeon Eun-ah (Go), a brilliant producer, and the pair help each other regain hope.
'Sold Out on You'
Release date: April 22
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Romance K-drama
Starring: Ahn Hyo-seop, Chae Won-bin, and Kim Bum
Also known as Sold Out Again Today, this healing rom-com depicts another love story where an unexpected romance inspires a pair of lovers to heal from their trauma. Matthew Lee (Business Proposal and KPop Demon Hunters' Ahn Hyo-seop), a farmer and CEO of a natural beauty company, meets Dam Ye-jin (Chae), a home-shopping host with severe insomnia. Though they initially clash over a work dispute, the workaholics eventually fall in love and face the demons they've been ignoring.
'If Wishes Could Kill'
Release date: April 24
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Thriller K-drama
Starring: Jeon So-young, Kang Mi-na, Baek Sun-ho, Hyun Woo-seok, and Lee Hyo-je
This high-school-set horror drama (previously known as Wish Your Death) follows five students whose lives become wrapped up in a mysterious wish-granting app. "Using the app is simple: upload a video of your wish and wait for it to come true—at a cost. What shocking truths will they uncover as they grapple with the consequences of their wishes?"
'My Royal Nemesis'
Release date: May 8
Number of episodes: 14
Genre: Fantasy-romance K-drama
Starring: Lim Ji-yeon, Heo Nam-jun, and Jang Seung-jo
K-drama fans love a good time-travel romance, and this SBS series became a smash-hit across the globe. As she's sentenced to death, Kang Dan-shim (Lim), a Joseon-era commoner-turned-royal consort, finds herself transported into the body of a modern-day actress named Shin Seo-ri. She soon stumbles upon Cha Se-gye (Heo), a chaebol heir born out of wedlock who's determined to prove himself to his family. When she realizes he's the only person who can help her rewrite her fate, the pair begins a star-crossed enemies-to-lovers romance.
'The WONDERfools'
Release date: May 15
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Action K-drama
Starring: Park Eun-bin, Cha Eun-woo, Im Seong-jae, Choi Dae-hoon, Son Hyun-joo, Jeong Bo-seok, and Kim Hae-sook
Calling all fans of Moving—this year, Netflix debuted its own epic superhero drama. In the town of Haeseong City in late 1999, a group of outcasts discovers that they're the former subjects of illicit experimentation, which left them with dormant superhuman powers. 20 years later, the mad scientist has returned as the head of a cult, and he's starting to hunt down the dysfunctional heroes.
'Teach You a Lesson'
Release date: June 5
Number of episodes: 10
Genre: Action K-drama
Starring: Kim Moo-yul, Lee Sung-min, Jin Ki-joo, and Pyo Ji-hoon
The controversial Naver webtoon Get Schooled got a live-action adaptation this year, bringing the fictional Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) to life. In an era of audacious bullies, demanding parents, and corrupt administrators, the ERPB is a government task force that sends ex-military officers into schools to restore order by any means necessary. Come for the brutal fight scenes, stay for the vicarious justice amid the real-life rise in bullying worldwide.
'Agent Kim Reactivated'
Release date: June 26
Number of episodes: 10
Genre: Action-thriller K-drama
Starring: So Ji-sub, Choi Dae-hoon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Joo Sang-wook, Son Na-eun, and Seo Su-min
This webtoon adaptation became an instant hit upon release, thanks to its Taken-adjacent plot. Manager Kim (So) seems like a mild-mannered single father raising his teen daughter Min-ji (Seo). But he's really a retired spy, living in hiding because his name is on North Korea's most-wanted list. When Min-ji goes missing after a fight at school, Kim delves back into the spy underworld to find her, accompanied by two other former-spies-turned-middle-aged dads (Choi and Yoon).
'Notes From the Last Row'
Release date: June 26
Number of episodes: 6
Genre: Psychological thriller K-drama
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Choi Hyun-wook, Jin Kyung, Huh Joon-ho, Kim Yun-jin, Lee Jin-woo, and Han Ji-eun
Legendary actor Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) and rising star Choi Hyun-wook (Weak Hero) star in this suspenseful adaptation of the Spanish play El Chico de la última fila. Heo Mun-oh is a miserable literature professor who never got over his failed writing career. One day, he realizes that Lee Kang, a quiet student in his class, has prodigy-level talent. As the teacher begins advising the student on a story seemingly inspired by a real-life murder, Mun-oh sinks into obsession as the lines between truth and fiction blur.
'Better Late Than Single' season 2
Release date: July 7, airing weekly
Number of episodes: 6
Genre: Dating show
After its 2025 debut, Better Late Than Single returned for a second season, solidifying its place as a breath of fresh air in the dating-show landscape. Hosts and mentors Seo In-guk, Kang Han-na, Lee Eun-ji, and Car, the Garden returned to help a new pair of "eternal singles" take their first fumbling steps into the dating world in the engrossing and wholesome reality hit (which also got its own reunion special!).
'The Apartment Job'
Release date: July 11
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Crime-comedy K-drama
Starring: Ji Sung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Kim Won-hae, Jung Soon-won, Kim Kyu-won, Hwang Hee, Jung Jin-young
In this comedic heist drama, Park Hae-gang (Ji) is the leader of the HK Group, an investment firm that hides an illegal high-stakes gambling ring. When he needs to pay a 10 billion won ransom in just three months, he and his lackeys pose as a family—including a fake wife, aspiring lawyer Kang Ha-ri (Ha)—to move into an apartment building and steal the corrupt developers' massive construction fund.
'The East Palace'
Release date: July 17
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Historical thriller K-drama
Starring: Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo, Cho Seung-woo
This historical fantasy-thriller takes place in a fictional version of the Joseon dynasty where mortals can touch the spirit world and vice versa. When a generational curse threatens the life of the King's (Cho) last living heir, he summons ghost hunter Gu-cheon (Nam) to break it. He's joined by Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), a court lady with the ability to hear ghosts who is seeking revenge for her mother's death.
'Spooky in Love'
Release date: July 18
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Fantasy-romance K-drama
Starring: Park Eun-bin, Yang Se-jong, and Ong Seong-wu
If you've rewatched Hotel del Luna a few too many times, Spooky in Love stars Park Eun-bin as a new chic hotelier who can see ghosts. Cheon Yeo-ri (Park) has lived her life with this power...and a curse that makes anyone she touches with her bare hands cursed. Her attempts to help the ghosts ascend to the afterlife put her in the crosshairs of prosecutor Ma Kang-uk (Yang). As the pair work together on cases and slowly fall in love, they have to unravel Yeo-ri's mysterious powers.
'Our Sticky Love'
Release date: August 7
Number of episodes: 12
Genre: Romantic K-drama
Starring: Jung Hae-in, Ha Young, and Heo Sung-tae
This rom-com from My Demon director Kim Jang-han has a perfectly trope-y premise. Go Eun-sae (Ha) is an ambitious prosecutor on a high-stakes case, while Jang Tae-ha (Love Next Door's Jung Hae-in) is a boxing prodigy-turned-gangster who wants to leave the criminal world. When Eun-sae loses her memory, she finds herself living under the same roof as Tae-ha, who claims he's her boyfriend.
'Mousetrap'
Release date: August 28
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Thriller K-drama
Starring: Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu, and Lee Kyu-hyung
This thriller adaptation of the Kakao Entertainment webtoon Field Mouse follows an unlikely alliance between two desperate people. A reclusive novelist named Moon-je (The 8 Show's Ryu Jun-yeol) recruits No-ja (Kill Bok-soon's Sul Kyung-gu)—a loan shark who once pursued him—to hunt down the mysterious "Rat" that has taken everything away from him. The pair begins "an intense pursuit of hidden truths as the boundary between reality and deception collapses."
'Four Hands, Two Sonatas'
Release date: August 29
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Coming-of-age K-drama
Starring: Song Kang, Lee Jun-young, and Jang Gyu-ri
For his first project after his mandatory military service, Song Kang teams up with Lee Jun-young for this drama about a heated rivalry between two piano prodigies. Kang Pi-oh (Song), a top student striving to live up to his famous family's expectations, is surprised when his top rank is threatened by Choi Jeong-yo (Lee), a natural talent with a difficult home life. When Jeong-yo enrolls at Pi-oh's elite school, the teens find themselves forming a friendship, despite being in constant competition.
The Best Netflix K-Dramas and Korean Reality Shows Coming Soon in 2026
'The Scandal'
Release date: September 18
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Historical K-drama
Starring: Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and NANA
E J-yong's 2003 film Untold Scandal is considered one of the best of the many, many adaptations of Dangerous Liaisons made around the world. In this new series inspired by the film, also set in 18th-century Joseon, Lady Cho (Son) makes a bet with her playboy admirer Cho Won (Ji) that he can seduce Hui-yeon (NANA), a widow who has vowed to remain chaste after her husband's death.
'Kian's Bizarre B&B' season 2
Release date: September 22
Number of episodes: 6
Genre: Travel variety show
After its popular premiere season featuring actress Ji Ye-eun and BTS member Jin, Kian's Bizarre B&B returns to Netflix this fall. Per the streamer, season 2 "takes viewers to a fresh locale, where Kian84’s inventive hospitality and offbeat charm reshape what a guesthouse can be." For this installment, Kian's staff includes former volleyball player Kim Yeon-koung, King the Land star Lee Jun-ho, and LE SSERAFIM member Kazuha.
'Dead-End Job'
Release date: October 9
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Horror-thriller K-drama
Starring: Lee Jae-wook, Go Min-si, Kim Min-ha, and Lee Hee-jun
A Killer Paradox director Kim Da-min and Weak Hero creator Han Jun-hee have teamed up on a new mystery-horror-fantasy series. When Hyuk-jun (Alchemy of Souls's Lee Jae-wook) discovers "a strange employment agency offering 'perfect' part-time jobs that pay 50 times the usual hourly wage," he's soon "thrown into a terrifying, hellish workplace with horrors he could’ve never imagined." Rounding out the main cast are Sweet Home's Go Min-si, Pachinko's Kim Min-ha, and A Killer Paradox's Lee Hee-jun.
'Blue Road'
Release date: Fall TBA
Number of episodes: 8
Genre: Crime-thriller K-drama
Starring: Son Suk-ku, Eita Nagayama, Kim Shin-rok, Choi Sung-eun, Jung Jae-young
Korea meets Japan in this adaptation of Keisi Edogawa and Kwan Ga Ya's hit web comic Blue Road. Directed by Weak Hero creator Han Jun-hee, the crime series follows a Korean detective (Son) and a Japanese detective (Nagayama) as they "track a series of gruesome cross-border murders, characterized by twisted bodies and mysterious dying messages."
'Culinary Class Wars' season 3
Release date: Fall TBA
Number of episodes: TBA
Genre: Cooking show competition
Netflix has confirmed that the smash-hit cooking competition Culinary Class Wars will return for a third season with a new format. This time, the chefs will compete in four-person restaurant teams in "a collective battle for pride, reputation, and survival."
'The Devil's Plan' season 3
Release date: Fall TBA
Number of episodes: TBA
Genre: Survival competition show
Netflix's ultimate battle of wits, The Devil's Plan, will return for a third season after last year's controversial installment. In the Squid Game-style competition, Korea's smartest celebrities and civilians from various fields face off in sophisticated mental games, with one winner taking away a 250 million won (approximately $172,000) prize.
'Take Charge of My Heart'
Release date: Fall TBA
Number of episodes: TBA
Genre: Fantasy-romance K-drama
Starring: Chae Soo-bin, Kim Young-kwang, Cha Woo Min, Jung Jae Kwang, and Shin Do Hyun
Rom-com queen Chae Soo-bin returns to Netflix with an adaptation of Haebeon's Naver web novel Charge Me Up. Baek Ho-rang (Kim) is a chaebol heir living with an artificial heart and facing power struggles within his company. When he meets Na Bo-bae (Chae), a screenwriter with electrical currents coursing through her body, he sees a solution to his dying battery. "Together, they ignite a high-voltage romantic comedy set to send hearts racing," per the description.
'Tantara'
Release date: Fall TBA
Number of episodes: TBA
Genre: Historical K-drama
Starring: Song Hye-kyo, Gong Yoo, Lee Ha-nee, Kim Seol-hyun, and Kim Jeong-woo
The Glory's Song Hye-kyo and Squid Game's Gong Yoo are set to lead this historical K-drama from Our Blues writer Noh Hee-gyoung and Coffee Prince director Lee Yoon-jung. "Set against the backdrop of the gritty and intense 1960s and 80s Korean entertainment industry, [Tantara] follows the journey of individuals who, despite having little, dreamed of glimmering success and gave it their all," reads the description.
