Jul 11, 2026 4:22pm IST
K-Drama Is Having a Mid-Year Crisis: Only ‘Perfect Crown,’ ‘Yumi’s Cells 3’ And ‘Teach You A Lesson’ Impress
Korean dramas have been some of the most sought-after pieces of content in recent years thanks to the global spread of shows like “Squid Game,” “Queen of Tears” and pandemic-era releases like “Crash Landing on You” and “It's Okay to Not Be Okay." The same cannot be said for the ongoing year, which, despite high expectations, has not been the most enjoyable on many fronts.
The pressure from last year
While 2025 shone with the absolute wonder that was “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and a surprising change thanks to “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,” “Head Over Heels” and “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty,” releases like “Study Group,” “When the Phone Rings” and “Resident Playbook” kept the chatter going. Meanwhile, “Undercover High School,” “Our Unwritten Seoul" and "The Manipulated" deserved more attention than they were given. “Weak Hero Class 2” was an awaited drop that delivered fabulous results, but “Squid Game 3” flopped worse than expected.
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What went wrong?
IU (Lee Ji Eun) and Byeon Woo Seok-starrer “Perfect Crown” was a match made in casting heaven. The show had everything going for it and the response looked good, except for comments about the acting. Until the final week, everything came crashing down and made many distance themselves from it, as a historical inaccuracy controversy eclipsed the hard work. Many others met similar fates: starting episodes failed to catch momentum and latter halves disappointed viewers.
An acting faux pas
As previously mentioned, the audience has been less than forgiving this year, making their usual favorites stand against international standards. Some names that have fallen prey to the wrath of the fans include the stars of “Can This Love Be Translated?,” “Boyfriend on Demand’ and “We Are All Trying Here”.
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The collapsing name game
When Korean drama A-Listers like Park Seo Joon (“Surely Tomorrow”) and Park Bo Young (“Gold Land”), who have delivered massive successes, are unable to impress with their choices this time around, one continues to wonder whether crowd pulls have taken a dive. On the other hand, Cha Eun Woo’s personal tax scandal did not deter his fandom and instead resulted in viewership for “The WONDERfools,” with more praise laden on his co-stars and good comedy writing.
Crowd-pleasers display hope
Amid all the chaos, fan-favorite tropes of sageuk (historical) romances (“My Royal Nemesis”) and action thrillers (“Taxi Driver 3” and "Agent Kim Reactivated") have stood the test of time. School dramas remain some of the best to come out of 2026 with "If Wishes Could Kill,” “Notes from the Last Row’ and “Teach You A Lesson" proving their mettle.
What stood out?
Korean-language releases have always managed to tell heart-stirring stories, as seen with "Our Universe," where baby Wooju captured the attention of non-fans. “Yumi’s Cells 3” gave rise to online debates about the lead couple, upping the ante for noona (older woman) romances and “Absolute Value of Romance” managed to bring a refreshing view to high school stories.
Looking ahead
The second half of 2026 looks promising for titles like Nam Joo Hyuk’s post-military comeback with "The East Palace," a star-studded "The Remarried Empress”, hitmaker Son Ye Jin’s “Variety,” Song Hye Kyo-Gong Yoo’s “Tantara,” “Colony” co-stars Jun Ji Hyun and Ji Chang Wook’s reunion in “Human X Gumiho” (nine-tailed fox) and finally, “Hotel del Luna”’s spiritual sequel, “Grand Galaxy Hotel”.
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