The 10 Most Anticipated K-Dramas Premiering In 2025

As 2025 progresses, the scripted South Korean television programming known as K-dramas, regardless of genre, continues to find success with global audiences. From the return of enormously popular shows to buzzed-about series debuts, there are a lot of major K-drama premieres throughout 2025. These new and returning shows run the full gamut of genres, including tautly staged crime thrillers and screwball fantasy romantic comedies. Simply put, there is a K-drama out there for everyone coming in 2025, ready to join the pantheon of the best K-dramas of all time.

What helps tide over the wait for many of these shows is that several are either slated to be simulcast in the United States or released as a Netflix K-drama original. With new shows coming out of Korea constantly, several of the K-dramas listed here have already made their 2025 debut. Without further ado, here are the 10 most anticipated K-dramas premiering throughout 2025, ready to become your new television obsession.

South Korea is just as fixated on social media influencers and content creators as the United States, if not more. This distinction informs the core premise of the workplace comedy series “Kick Kick Kick Kick,” as the Korean entertainment industry reacts to the rise of content culture. Former actor Ji Jin-hee, playing a fictionalized version of himself, and producer Jo Young-sik (Lee Kyu-hyung) create the content production company Kick Kick Kick Kick. In the increasingly crowded field of content creators and influencers, the two set out to attract over three million subscribers to their new venture.

There is a self-aware commentary on the current state of the entertainment industry throughout “Kick Kick Kick Kick,” couched between the laughs. Seeing the lengths Jin-hee and Young-sik go to gain attention and viewers, including ridiculous costumes and set pieces, is the highlight of the series. This show is a screwball comedy first and foremost and its veteran lead actors make that humor easily cross-cultural. “Kick Kick Kick Kick” premiered on February 5, with new episodes released on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and it’s available to stream on Viki.

Korea is no stranger to producing excellent zombie shows and movies, including the excellent horror series “All of Us Are Dead.” Not unlike “Shaun of the Dead,” zombies get a horror comedy twist with the K-drama “Newtopia,” based on the novel “Influenza” by Han Sang-woon. Shortly after Kang Young-ju (Jisoo) breaks up with her soldier boyfriend Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min), a zombie outbreak spreads across Korea. Jae-yoon and Young-ju are reunited, navigating the overrun Seoul together as they begin to rekindle their romance.

After previously starring in the controversial K-drama “Snowdrop,” Jisoo takes on more lighthearted and horror-tinged fare with “Newtopia.” Jisoo gets to show off her comedic chops, along with zombie-bashing action set pieces, finding the time for love along the way. With “White Lotus” featuring Jenny in its third season, that’s now two shows in 2025 starring members of the K-pop group Blackpink. After premiering on February 7, “Newtopia” is available to stream on Prime Video as new episodes drop on Fridays.

A deep love of cinema is at the heart of “Melo Movie,” one of Netflix’s first major K-drama premieres of 2025. Lifelong cinephile Ko Gyeom (Choi Woo-shik) becomes a film critic, driven by his thorough knowledge and love of the medium. Ko Gyeom meets Kim Mu-bee (Park Bo-young), an aspiring filmmaker with her own complicated past and feelings towards movies, even as she makes them. After drifting apart, Ko Gyeom and Mu-bee are reunited, but need to resolve their past issues if they want their rekindled romance to survive.

While primarily a romantic comedy, “Melo Movie” does go surprisingly deep with its main characters and the emotional turbulence they experience. The central premise of movie-making and a love for films offers a fresh wrinkle to the proceedings, while the ensemble cast does stellar work together. Park Bo-young, in particular, who proved herself a master of physical comedy in “Strong Girl Bong-soon” offers different types of comedy and drama here. “Melo Movie” was released in its entirety on Netflix, appropriately enough, on Valentine’s Day.

The upcoming Netflix K-drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” takes place in the scenic Jeju Islands in the mid 20th century. The rebellious Ae-soon (IU) is joined by the unfailingly stoic Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum) as they build their lives together. The couple weathers the trials and tribulations of life and love over the decades, from their childhood and ending with them both as adults of a certain age. The story is divided into the four calendar seasons, thematically linked to the progression of Ae-soon and Gwan-sik’s lives.

“When Life Gives You Tangerines” is a warm and unabashedly sentimental slice-of-life love story, with said slice-of-life spanning several decades. Given the show’s premise and scope, viewers should probably have a box of tissues handy and avoid wearing mascara while watching the series. Leading the show is a stellar ensemble cast, especially Park Bo-gum who has starred in many fan-favorite K-dramas, including the universally acclaimed “Reply 1988.” “When Life Gives You Tangerines” is expected to premiere on March 7, with the series released in groups of four episodes weekly through March 28.

After its initial television broadcast in South Korea, “Weak Hero Class” comes to Netflix on March 25, with its second season premiering on the streaming platform later in the year. The series adapts the webtoon “Weak Hero” by Seopass and Kim Jin-seok, following high schooler Yeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon). Though physically weak, Si-eun is able to stand up to bullies proliferating his school through his sharp analytical skills and knowledge of physics. The second season has Si-eun transferred to a new school where he faces a fresh crop of merciless bullies.

Despite its high school setting, “Weak Hero Class” has a surprising amount of extreme violence, and that’s not looking to be diminished in its second season. There are tons of bone-crunching and blood-letting action K-dramas, but the unique protagonist to “Weak Hero Class” brings a fresh energy to the genre. Bolstered by a new supporting cast and setting, the show is set to keep Si-eun, and by extension the audience, on their toes. “Weak Hero Class” season 2 is currently expected to premiere in the second quarter (April through June) of 2025 on Netflix.

The popular webtoon “Plaza Wars” by Oh Se-hyung and Kim Kyun-tae is being adapted into a Netflix original series this year under the title “Mercy for None.” The series follows hardened enforcer Nam Gi-joon (So Ji-seob), whose last brawl ends a power struggle between Seoul’s gangs. However, when Gi-joon’s younger brother Nam Gi-seok (Lee Joon-hyuk) follows in his footsteps, Gi-joon deliberately gives himself a debilitating injury to force his retirement and avoid conflict. After Gi-seok is brutally murdered, Gi-joon dives back into the criminal underworld to seek bloody vengeance on whoever was involved with his brother’s death.

Of all the prevalent tropes in K-dramas, revenge stories and crime thrillers never lose their appeal. Netflix has had recent success in adapting hard-hitting webtoons into live-action originals, including the chart-topping “Bloodhounds.” Given its source material, “Mercy for None” is shaping up to be one of Netflix’s most vibrantly vicious K-dramas yet. “Mercy for None” is currently scheduled to premiere sometime in 2025’s second quarter (April through June), on Netflix.

After two seasons, “Squid Game” is one of the biggest shows in the world and a huge property for Netflix. The second season ended on a big cliffhanger, setting the stage for what’s sure to be an epic third and final season. The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) has reasserted control of the organization’s deadly games after the failed uprising at the end of the second season. This makes the situation increasingly grim for returning player Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) as he once again finds himself at the mercy of the people running the games.

While audiences were divided on whether “Squid Game” returned for its second season as strongly as its first, the final season premiere still holds plenty of eager anticipation. There are so many burning questions fans have about the larger nature of the story, including the final fates of Gi-hun and the Front Man. These two central characters had a unique dynamic in the second season and are headed for a violent collision course as the series sets the stage for its grand finale. Fans won’t have to wait long for the answers to these questions, with “Squid Game” season 3 set for a June 27 premiere on Netflix.

In an effort to reduce the amount of gun-related crimes, South Korea is a country with strict gun control laws regarding civilian ownership. The upcoming K-drama thriller “Trigger” has a sudden influx of illegal firearms entering the country, resulting in a dramatic rise in gun violence. Kim Nam-gil plays Yi-do, a police detective determined to find the source of these guns and stop it for good. On the other side of the wire is Moon-baek (Kim Young-kwan), a charismatic arms dealer investigating the flow of weapons into Korea for his own reasons.

“Trigger” has the dark and violent trappings that could make it the heir apparent to other K-drama thrillers on Netflix, like the acclaimed “My Name.” Given its premise, expect to see a lot of shadowy gunplay and police and arms dealers square off in Korea after dark. And with Kim Nam-gil headlining a new Netflix original K-drama after the overlooked Western “Song of the Bandits,” “Trigger” is quickly shaping up to provide plenty of intense action. “Trigger” is currently expected to premiere sometime in the third quarter (July through September) of 2025 on Netflix.

Originally titled “All the Love You Wish For” in certain territories, “Genie, Make a Wish” is a fantasy romantic comedy coming to Netflix by the end of 2025. The series has a young woman named Ka Young (Bae Suzy) summon a genie after finding his magic lamp. This Jinn, played by Kim Woo-bin, is the handsomest djinn in recent memory, ready to grant Ka Young three wishes. With Jinn often overtaken by fiery emotions and Ka Young relatively emotionless, what follows is a magical romp that turns to an unexpected romance.

“Genie, Make a Wish” is written by Kim Eun-sook, who previously had written the hit Netflix K-drama psychological thriller “The Glory.” Kim has also written the acclaimed “Guardian: The Great and Lonely God,” so fantasy romance is right in her creative wheelhouse. This show also reunites Bae Suzy and Kim Woo-bin after the two previously played a couple in the popular K-drama “Uncontrollably Fond.” With all these behind-the-scenes elements together for such a unique show, “Genie, Make a Wish” is poised to be a late 2025 hit when it premieres on Netflix.

As K-dramas find increasing success abroad, the upcoming romantic comedy “Can This Love Be Translated?” takes on an appropriately international scope. In a self-aware nod, the show features Korean superstar actor Cha Mu-hee (Go Youn-jung) who grows increasingly involved with projects and fans overseas. Her team hires a multilingual interpreter, Ju Ho-jin (Kim Seon-ho), to help translate for her as she travels around the world. Though initially having differing views on life and love, Mu-hee and Ho-jin find themselves falling in love across their joint global work.

Just based on its description and early looks at the series, “Can This Love Be Translated?” has all the makings of being Netflix’s next hit romantic comedy. This premise has the potential for plenty of cross-cultural humor, with beautiful international scenery not normally associated with K-dramas. For this series, filming was done on-location in Italy, Canada, and Japan, giving the show a scope as large as its story. A globe-trotting romantic comedy that’s unabashedly glamorous in its world tour, “Can This Love Be Translated?” is set to be an escapist love story worth checking into. The series is expected to premiere in the fourth quarter (October through December) of 2025 on Netflix.