The Ultimate List Of All The K-Dramas Coming In 2026
A new year always brings fresh stories, but 2026 is shaping up to feel especially stacked for K-drama fans.
Writers are swinging big, production budgets are growing, and casting announcements alone are enough to send social media into overdrive.
Long-awaited adaptations, ambitious originals, returning favorites, and genre mashups are all lining up to take over watchlists.
Consider this your master guide to everything on the horizon as 2026 prepares to deliver one of the most exciting K-drama lineups yet.
1. The Judge Returns
Judge Lee Han-young gets a rare second chance after dying unfairly.
Waking up years before his death, he’s determined to fix past mistakes and deliver real justice this time around.
Blending fantasy with courtroom drama, this series promises intense action sequences and satisfying revenge plots.
Premiered January 2nd on MBC, it kicks off 2026 with thrilling legal battles that feel like superhero origin stories.
2. To My Beloved Thief
Imagine swapping bodies with someone from a completely different world.
Nam the bandit and Moon the prince find themselves stuck in each other’s lives during the Joseon era.
As they scramble to reverse the switch, unexpected feelings start blooming between them.
This historical romance comedy premiered January 3rd on KBS2, mixing body-swap hijinks with gorgeous period costumes and forbidden love.
3. Spring Fever
Sometimes life gives you a fresh start when you least expect it.
Ahn Bo-hyun and Lee Joo-bin star in this charming story about new beginnings and second chances at love.
Set against the backdrop of springtime blooms, the series explores how people rebuild their lives after heartbreak.
This feel-good romantic comedy started January 5th on tvN.
4. Can This Love Be Translated?
Language barriers can’t stop true connection, right?
This Netflix original explores modern romance across cultural and linguistic divides.
Characters navigate misunderstandings, mistranslations, and moments where words fail but emotions speak volumes.
Streaming January 16th, it’s perfect for anyone who’s ever struggled to express feelings or wondered if love needs translation at all.
5. No Tail to Tell
Nine-tailed foxes have it rough when forced into human form.
This gumiho loses their mystical tails and must figure out how humans actually live and love.
Expect plenty of awkward moments as ancient supernatural beings crash into modern dating culture.
Airing January 16th on SBS, this fantasy rom-com blends Korean folklore with laugh-out-loud comedy and heartfelt romance.
6. Positively Yours
Unexpected pregnancy changes everything in an instant.
This Channel A drama explores how two people navigate surprise parenthood while barely knowing each other.
Balancing career ambitions, family expectations, and growing feelings makes for compelling viewing.
Premiering January 17th, it tackles modern relationships with humor and heart, showing that sometimes life’s surprises become its greatest blessings.
7. Undercover Miss Hong
Elite securities inspector Hong Geum-bo faces her toughest mission yet.
Going undercover as a fresh-faced 20-year-old employee in the late 1990s, she infiltrates a shady organization.
Balancing her real expertise with playing naive and inexperienced creates hilarious and tense situations.
This action-packed spy comedy debuts January 17th on tvN, bringing retro ’90s vibes and female-led espionage.
8. Recipe for Love
Food brings people together in the most magical ways.
A culinary-focused romance serves up delicious dishes alongside heartwarming relationships.
Characters discover that cooking for someone reveals feelings words can’t capture.
Starting January 31st on KBS2, this series will make you hungry for both amazing food and sweet romantic moments that simmer perfectly.
9. Honour
Loyalty and duty clash with personal desires in this intense drama.
Set against a backdrop of power struggles and moral dilemmas, characters must choose between honor and happiness.
Family legacies, professional ethics, and personal truth collide in unexpected ways.
ENA brings this gripping story to screens February 2nd, exploring what happens when doing the right thing costs everything.
10. Our Universe
Two in-laws never expected to raise a child together.
After tragedy strikes, they must co-parent their orphaned nephew Woo-ju while navigating their own complicated relationship.
This coming-of-age story examines unconventional families and how love transcends traditional definitions.
Tune into tvN February 4th for a touching exploration of found family, healing, and growing up together.
11. Efficient Dating for Singles
Modern dating feels like a full-time job sometimes.
This JTBC series applies business efficiency principles to finding love in hilarious ways.
Characters treat romance like project management, complete with spreadsheets, schedules, and optimization strategies.
Premiering February 28th, it’s a clever comedy that pokes fun at dating culture while revealing genuine truths about connection.
12. In Your Radiant Season
Certain moments in life shine brighter than others.
This MBC drama captures characters during their most transformative periods.
Personal growth, career breakthroughs, and meaningful relationships all converge during one unforgettable season.
Expected in the first half of 2026, it celebrates those times when everything clicks into place and life feels absolutely radiant.
13. Perfect Crown
Modern monarchy meets contract marriage in this delightful rom-com.
IU and Byeon Woo-seok star as a prince and wealthy heiress forced into a fake relationship.
Royal protocols, family pressures, and undeniable chemistry create the perfect storm for romance.
Coming to MBC in 2026, this series promises glamorous settings, witty banter, and swoon-worthy moments fit for royalty.
14. Fifties Professionals
Age is just a number when it comes to career reinvention.
This MBC series follows professionals navigating their fifties with ambition and determination.
Workplace dynamics, ageism, and personal fulfillment take center stage in stories that resonate across generations.
Arriving first half of 2026, it challenges stereotypes and celebrates the wisdom that comes with experience and maturity.
15. A Bona fide Killer
Not all assassins fit the typical mold.
This MBC thriller introduces a hitman whose methods and morals set them apart from the rest.
Questions about justice, redemption, and what makes someone truly dangerous drive the narrative forward.
With its 2026 release date still to be announced, anticipation builds for this dark, thought-provoking examination of violence and humanity.
16. The Wonder Fools
Underdogs often surprise everyone, including themselves.
Netflix brings a story about unlikely heroes who stumble into extraordinary situations.
Their lack of conventional skills becomes their greatest advantage in solving problems others overlook.
Expected in 2026, this series celebrates misfits and fools who prove that different perspectives create the most wonderful solutions.
17. Liar
Trust crumbles when built on deception.
An MBC psychological drama where lies layer upon lies until nobody knows what’s real anymore.
Characters manipulate truth for various reasons – protection, ambition, fear – creating a web of consequences.
Coming sometime in 2026, this series explores how dishonesty destroys relationships and whether redemption is possible after betrayal.
18. Your Ground
Standing firm in your beliefs takes courage.
This MBC drama examines characters fighting to protect what matters most to them.
Whether defending physical spaces, personal values, or emotional boundaries, each person must decide what’s worth holding onto.
Release date pending for 2026, it promises powerful storytelling about conviction, compromise, and finding where you truly belong.
19. Bloodhounds Season 2
The fight continues for justice and survival.
After the first season’s explosive success, these young boxers return to face even bigger threats.
Friendship, loyalty, and brutal action sequences define their journey through Korea’s criminal underworld.
Netflix hasn’t announced the exact 2026 premiere date yet, but fans eagerly await more bone-crunching fights and heartfelt brotherhood moments.
20. The Art of Sarah
Creative passion fuels this character-driven story.
Sarah’s artistic journey takes her through triumph, failure, and self-discovery.
Balancing commercial success with artistic integrity creates constant tension and difficult choices.
Netflix presents this 2026 drama about finding your voice in a world that tries to silence originality and authentic creative expression.
21. Show Business
Behind the glamorous facade lies cutthroat competition.
Netflix pulls back the curtain on Korea’s entertainment industry with all its glory and darkness.
Aspiring stars, established celebrities, and ruthless executives clash in pursuit of fame and fortune.
Coming in 2026, this drama reveals the sacrifices, scandals, and struggles hidden behind every perfect performance and red carpet smile.
22. Perfect Job
Career satisfaction feels impossible to achieve.
Characters search for that elusive perfect position that balances passion, pay, and purpose.
Netflix examines modern work culture, toxic environments, and the courage it takes to change paths.
Coming in 2026, this series resonates with anyone who’s ever questioned their career choices or dreamed of something better.
23. East Palace
Royal intrigue never goes out of style.
Set in a palace filled with secrets, power plays, and forbidden romance, this historical drama captivates from the first episode.
Court politics, family rivalries, and personal ambitions create a dangerous game where one wrong move means disaster.
Netflix will release this sumptuous period piece in 2026, complete with stunning costumes and palace intrigue.
24. Love Stuck
Sometimes relationships trap us instead of freeing us.
Characters find themselves unable to move forward or let go, stuck in romantic limbo.
Netflix explores the messy middle ground between love and resentment, commitment and claustrophobia.
Releasing in 2026, it’s an honest look at why people stay in situations that no longer serve them emotionally.
25. Boyfriend on Demand
What if you could order the perfect partner like takeout?
This Netflix rom-com explores a service that provides customized boyfriends for any occasion.
Fake relationships get complicated when real feelings develop between clients and their hired companions.
Scheduled for 2026, it’s a fun exploration of modern romance, authenticity, and whether love can be manufactured or programmed.
26. Grand Galaxy Hotel
Luxury hotels hide countless secrets behind elegant doors.
Staff and guests intersect in this Netflix drama set within a five-star establishment.
Romance, mystery, and personal drama unfold across different floors and suites.
Coming in 2026, it offers a peek into the glamorous yet complicated world where service meets spectacle and everyone has something to hide.
27. True Lessons
Education extends far beyond classroom walls.
A Netflix drama examining teachers and students who learn life’s most important lessons together.
Academic pressure, personal struggles, and meaningful mentorship shape characters in unexpected ways.
Coming in 2026, it highlights how real education involves emotional growth, empathy, and discovering truths that textbooks never teach.
28. Notes from the Last Row
Back-of-the-classroom students have stories worth telling.
Often overlooked and underestimated, these characters prove there’s more than meets the eye.
Netflix brings a coming-of-age tale about finding your voice when nobody’s listening.
Set for 2026, it champions underdogs, celebrates different kinds of intelligence, and shows that the last row sees things others miss.
29. Variety
Life offers endless possibilities and paths.
This Netflix series celebrates diversity in all its forms – career choices, relationships, lifestyles, and dreams.
Multiple storylines intersect, showing how different people find happiness in wonderfully unique ways.
Set for 2026 release, it’s a kaleidoscopic look at modern existence where variety truly becomes the spice of life itself.
30. Scandals
One explosive revelation changes everything.
When hidden truths surface, reputations crumble and lives spiral into chaos.
Netflix delivers a gripping drama about secrets, lies, and the devastating consequences of exposure.
Dropping in 2026, this series examines how scandal affects not just those directly involved but entire communities caught in the fallout.
31. The Rat
Informants live dangerous double lives.
Someone embedded deep within a criminal organization feeds information to authorities.
Trust becomes impossible when anyone could be the rat, and paranoia spreads like wildfire.
This Netflix thriller arrives in 2026, exploring betrayal, survival, and the moral gray areas of undercover work and criminal justice.
32. Road
Every journey reveals something about yourself.
This Netflix series follows characters on literal and metaphorical roads leading to transformation.
Cross-country travels, chance encounters, and self-reflection create powerful moments of change.
Expected in 2026, it celebrates the healing power of movement, new perspectives, and the courage to leave familiar places behind.
33. Wish Your Death
Dark thoughts sometimes cross desperate minds.
A Netflix thriller explores what happens when someone’s wish for another’s death seems to come true.
Guilt, paranoia, and supernatural possibilities create a chilling psychological maze.
Arriving in 2026, this series asks unsettling questions about thoughts versus actions, coincidence versus consequence, and moral responsibility.
34. Take Charge of My Heart
Vulnerability requires tremendous bravery.
Someone finally decides to take control of their romantic destiny instead of passively waiting.
Netflix delivers a heartfelt romance about active pursuit of love and honest emotional communication.
Coming in 2026, it encourages viewers to be bold, express feelings clearly, and take charge of their own happiness and heart.
