It’s often surprising how much what people actually watch on Netflix differs from what passionate fans are talking about. While some original series have huge, established audiences, others are gaining popularity quickly thanks to shorter gaps between seasons. This is happening with One Piece, which launched its third season much faster than the wait between seasons one and two – and it has a massive anime fanbase supporting it! Though One Piece is very popular and often compared to other fantasy shows, it was actually slightly less watched than one specific Korean drama.
Netflix’s Teach You a Lesson, starring Kim Mu-yeol and made by the team behind Juvenile Justice, quickly became both popular and sparked debate. The show centers around a fictional group called the Educational Rights Protection Bureau, which was created to address serious issues like bullying, corruption, and abuse in Korean schools – but they tackle these problems with unexpected violence, having essentially unlimited power. Released on June 5th, 2026, almost three months after the premiere of One Piece season 2, Teach You a Lesson surprisingly climbed to the top of Netflix’s most-watched list and stayed there for a month, even beating out the live-action One Piece adaptation in viewership for the first six months of the year.
One Piece Lost To A Surprisingly Popular K-Drama For The First Half Of 2026
Netflix’s latest report, released on July 16th, showed that familiar favorites dominated TV viewership from January to June. His & Hers was the most popular show, followed by Bridgerton with 100 million views. The final season of Stranger Things, released at the end of 2025, remained strong in 2026, securing the #4 spot with 56 million views. The K-drama Teach You a Lesson didn’t reach the massive popularity of Squid Game, but it surprisingly outperformed One Piece, earning 48 million views compared to One Piece’s 47 million.
The success of K-dramas on TV isn’t surprising – they consistently perform well internationally, and Teach You a Lesson is a great example. The show resonated with viewers thanks to its satisfying portrayal of justice, similar to how the main character confronts bullies and corrupt adults with unique punishments. While it tackled tough topics, Teach You a Lesson was highly entertaining and handled these issues more sensitively than the webtoon it’s based on. Importantly, within just one month of its release, it became one of Netflix’s most popular shows this year.
K-Dramas Commonly Chart On Netflix Throughout The Year
Before 2021, K-dramas like Kingdom, Crash Landing on You, and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha were already gaining a strong following. However, Netflix saw a massive surge in K-drama popularity with the release of Squid Game. Since then, all types of K-dramas have continued to grow in popularity on the platform, even beyond the thriller genre that made Squid Game a hit.
Throughout 2026, K-dramas dominated Netflix’s international charts, with a different series frequently reaching number one each month. Popular titles included Cashero, Can This Love Be Translated?, The Art of Sarah, Boyfriend on Demand, Bloodhounds, and My Royal Nemesis. This success demonstrates the strong appetite for South Korean dramas, particularly those featuring romance, action, and thrilling storylines—and especially its captivating revenge stories, like the latest hit series on Netflix.
Just in the last month, Teach You a Lesson became incredibly popular, and other similar action series have also seen strong success. Currently, Agent Kim Reactivated has been at the top of Netflix’s charts throughout July 2026, largely because it’s based on a well-loved webtoon and stars So Ji-sub – who previously led another hit Netflix action drama, Mercy for None. This made it a reliable choice for viewers. While One Piece continues to do well, its marketing hasn’t overshadowed the consistent international appeal of K-dramas throughout the year.
2026-07-27 06:58