The Most Anticipated K-Dramas of 2026

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Korean dramas had a strong year in 2025, but 2026 is shaping up to be even more exciting with the return of popular shows, actors, and creative teams. Fans might see a second season of the zombie thriller All of Us Are Dead next year, and new seasons of Yumi’s Cells, A Shop For Killers, and Made in Korea are highly likely. Viewers can also look forward to new series from Lovely Runner stars Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon, and from IU and Kim Seon-ho, who appeared in When Life Gives You Tangerines. Behind the camera, the writing team behind Alchemy of Souls (the Hong sisters) are working on a large-scale romance, and the director of Jeongnyeon: A Star is Born, Jung Ji-in, is collaborating with Vincenzo writer Park Jae-bum on a period spy thriller centered around a dance team.

Without further ado, here are some of the K-dramas we’re most looking forward to in 2026…

Can This Love Be Translated? (Netflix)

Release date (binge): Jan. 16th

Originally planned for 2025, this new K-drama, Can This Love Be Translated?, will now premiere in 2026. Created by the popular Hong sisters, the series follows Joo Ho-jin (Kim Seon-ho, from Hometown Cha Cha Cha), a talented interpreter who excels in languages but struggles with romance. His carefully ordered life is disrupted when he meets actress Cha Mu-hee (Go Youn-jung, from Resident Playbook). Filmed across three continents and starring two beloved Korean actors, this promises to be a sweeping and romantic story.

No Tail To Tell (Netflix)

Release date (weekly): Jan. 16th

Kim Hye-yoon captivated audiences in 2024 with her leading role in the hit K-drama Lovely Runner. She’s returning to television in 2026 as a gumiho – a mythical nine-tailed fox from Korean folklore known for magic and trickery – in the new drama No Tail to Tell. Gumiho characters are frequently seen in K-dramas, like in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, My Roommate is a Gumiho, and Tale of the Nine-Tailed. However, Kim’s character, Eun-ho, is different: she doesn’t want to become human and lose her immortality. After an incident with soccer star Kang Si-yeol (played by Lomon from All of Us Are Dead), she unexpectedly becomes human, and the two must navigate the fallout.

Boyfriend on Demand (Netflix)

Release date (binge): February

This romantic drama features Jisoo from Blackpink as Seo Mi-rae, a webtoon producer who’s too busy to think about love. She tries a new dating service where she can go on virtual dates with seemingly perfect men, and it reminds her what she’s been missing. Seo In-guk, known for his role in Café Minamdang, plays Park Kyeong-nam, a coworker and competing webtoon artist who starts to capture Mi-rae’s attention in real life. Directed by Kim Jung-shik, who also directed No Gain, No Love, Boyfriend On Demand offers a fresh, modern story and is definitely a series to keep an eye on.

Yumi’s Cells Season 3 (TBA)

Based on the hit webtoon, Yumi’s Cells is a charming romantic comedy similar to the animated film Inside Out. Kim Go-eun (The Price of Confession) stars as Yumi, a woman who starts her career as an office worker and dreams of becoming a novelist, all while searching for love. When a seemingly aloof publishing director named Sin Sun-rok (played by Kim Jae-won from The Tale of Lady Ok) enters her life, things start to shift. The third season of Yumi’s Cells is set to launch in April.

Perfect Crown (Hulu/Disney+)

The upcoming K-drama Perfect Crown presents a unique twist on Korean history, set in a country with a constitutional monarchy. Starring Byeon Woo-seok (known from Lovely Runner) as a brooding prince and IU (When Life Gives You Tangerine) as a wealthy heiress, the story follows their unexpected marriage of convenience. The two actors, both recently featured in hugely popular dramas, are anticipated to have strong on-screen chemistry. Directed by Park Joon-hwa – the creative force behind hits like Alchemy of Souls, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, and Because This is My First Life – Perfect Crown blends historical and contemporary K-drama elements. It’s set to premiere in April with new episodes released weekly.

The Wonderfools (Netflix)

Starring Park Eun-bin (from Extraordinary Attorney Woo) and Cha Eun-woo (True Beauty), The Wonderfools is a fun, action-packed K-drama set in 1999. Directed by Yoo In-shik (also of Extraordinary Attorney Woo), the series follows a group of ordinary people who suddenly gain superpowers. As a potential global catastrophe looms on January 1, 2000, they band together to fight villains. Originally inspired by a comic book called The B-Team by Stan Lee, The Wonderfools evolved into a unique, original story. While many K-dramas are adapted from Korean webtoons, it’s unusual for one to be based on an American comic. The entire series is expected to be released at once in early 2024, making it perfect for binge-watching.

The Remarried Empress (Hulu/Disney)

Disney+’s upcoming K-drama, The Remarried Empress, is reportedly their most expensive yet. Filmed last summer in various European locations, the series is based on a hugely popular webtoon. It stars Shin Min-a (known from Hometown Cha Cha Cha) as Navier, an empress whose world is turned upside down when her husband asks for a divorce after falling in love with someone else. Navier agrees to the divorce, but only if she’s allowed to marry Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong-suk from Romance is a Bonus Book), the emperor of a neighboring empire. This fantasy romance is slated to premiere on Disney+ in late 2026.

Made in Korea Season 2 (Hulu/Disney+)

Disney+’s political thriller Made in Korea, set in the 1970s, has quickly become popular with viewers. The series features Hyun Bin (known from Crash Landing on You) as Baek Ki-tae, a former intelligence agent who becomes involved in drug smuggling. Season one focuses on Ki-tae’s attempts to build a future for his family through criminal activity, while prosecutor Jang Gun-yeong (played by Jung Woo-sung from 12:12: The Day) tries to bring him to justice. A second season of this suspenseful, historically-based drama is anticipated to arrive in late 2026.

Embers (TBA)

Jung Ji-in has become a standout director in Korean television with acclaimed dramas like The Red Sleeve and Jeongnyeon: A Star is Born. Her next project, currently called Embers, is a historical youth drama about a dedicated national security agent who goes undercover at a broadcasting station to find spies. While there, she starts to have doubts about her mission. The script is written by Park Jae-bum, the writer behind popular shows like Vincenzo and Good Doctor.

Scandals (Netflix)

Son Ye-jin, famous for her role in the popular K-drama Crash Landing On You, will star in a new historical romance called Scandals, set to release in 2026. The drama is based on the 2003 Korean film Untold Scandal, which itself was inspired by the classic 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses. This novel has been adapted into several films and series, including Cruel Intentions and The Seduction. Alongside Son Ye-jin, Scandals will also feature Ji Chang-wook (known from The Manipulated), Nana (Mask Girl), and Chani (Under the Queen’s Umbrella). The story centers around themes of seduction and desire.

A Shop For Killers Season 2 (Hulu/Disney+)

The action thriller A Shop For Killers centers around Jeong Ji-an, played by Kim Hye-jun, a college student who finds herself battling skilled assassins while investigating her uncle’s death. The show, reminiscent of Kill Bill, delivers plenty of action alongside a touching, non-linear story about Ji-an and her uncle (Lee Dong-wook), who raised her after her parents were mysteriously murdered. Both Kim Hye-jun and Lee Dong-wook will be back for a second season, expected to arrive in the latter half of 2026.

All of Us Are Dead Season 2 (Netflix)

Fans are eagerly awaiting the second season of the popular zombie series All of Us Are Dead, and there’s a chance it could arrive on Netflix in late 2026, almost five years after the first season premiered in January 2022. Production in Korea is finishing up in February 2026, leading to hopes for a late-year release, potentially around the holidays. The original cast members—Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-Hyun, and Lomon—are all expected to return. With filming having started in July 2025, the second season promises to be a significant event.

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2026-01-14 23:07