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Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun n a still from season 1 of revenge drama sensation The Glory on Netflix. Moon isn’t done with her high-school oppressors just yet, as season 2 will show. The Glory is one of several K-drama series getting another season - once a rarity - this year. Photo: Netflix

K-Pop K-drama

The 11 most anticipated returning K-drama series of 2023, from season 2 of The Glory and Sweet Home to Soundtrack #2

Multi-season Korean dramas are a thing these days, and this year we are looking forward to more of revenge dramas The Glory and Taxi Driver, among others
Also coming are the second seasons of gambling story Big Bet, fantasy dramas Island and Arthdal Chronicles, The Uncanny Counter and military service drama D.P.

K-drama news

Pierce Conran

Published: 7:15pm, 28 Jan 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

It wasn’t that long ago that multi-season Korean dramas were an anomaly. But in recent years they’ve become increasingly common and now, for the first time, there are so many shows returning to the small screen in the year ahead that they deserve their very own list.

Early January has already given us one returning show (the second season of Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist), and although several extremely popular shows such as Squid Game, Hellbound, All of Us Are Dead and Extraordinary Attorney Woo have been confirmed to return, they won’t be doing so until next year at the earliest.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of familiar series to look forward to in 2023. These are the ones we’re most looking forward to.

1. Big Bet 2

(From left) Son Suk-ku, Lee Dong-hwi and Choi Min-sik in a still from Big Bet season 1.

First up will be the second part of Big Bet, which just wrapped up its first season in January. Choi Min-sik plays the wily Korean entrepreneur Cha Moo-sik, who rises up the gambling ladder first at home in Korea and then in the Philippines.

The first set of episodes consecrated a lot of time to building his backstory, and not always in a clean way. But the story eventually became more concrete, and Son Suk-ku’s charismatic detective arrived on the scene, giving us much to look forward to in season two. (Disney+, February 10)

2. Taxi Driver 2

Lee Je-hoon in a still from Taxi Driver season 1.

In Taxi Driver, Lee Je-hoon got behind the wheel of his Rainbow Taxi Company cab last year as Kim Do-gi and tore through Korea as an avenging angel for wronged clients, going up against corporate villains and crime ring bosses.

The crew will return this year, including Kim Eui-sung and Pyo Ye-jin, in a new set of episodes that will find this team of vigilantes heading to Vietnam for some episodes. (February 17)

3. Island 2

Kim Nam-gil in a still from Island season 1.

Based on the popular web comic penned by Yoon In-wan, Island is a spectacle-driven fantasy action-drama streaming globally on Amazon Prime.

Kim Nam-gil’s demon hunter will return to fight the nefarious Lust Demons on Jeju Island in February, alongside a handsome exorcist, played by Cha Eun-woo, and Lee Da-hee’s corporate heiress. (Amazon Prime, February 24)

4. The Glory 2

Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun n a still from The Glory season 1.

The end-of-year revenge drama sensation The Glory returns in March and Song Hye-kyo’s Moon Dong-eun isn’t through with her high school tormentors.

Park Yeon-jin (Im Ji-yeon) leads the gang of bullies, who now lord it in the present, but their perfect lives are slowly unravelling owing to Dong-eun’s decades-in-the-making plans for revenge.

Part two should also shed more light on Lee Do-hyun’s character, and how his relationship with Dong-eun will unfold. (Netflix, March 10)

5. Dr. Romantic 3

Han Suk-kyu in a still from Dr. Romantic 2 (2020).

Han Suk-kyu will don scrubs for the third time in Dr. Romantic this spring. Also returning to the cast will be Ahn Hyo-seop and Lee Sung-kyung.

First aired in 2016, Dr. Romantic follows the story of a top surgeon who disappears after an incident and re-emerges under a new name in a countryside hospital. (April)

6. D.P. Season 2

Jung Hae-in (left) and Koo Kyo-hwan in a still from D.P. season 1.

The critically acclaimed military service drama D.P. returns this year on Netflix. Actors Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan and Son Suk-ku and director Han Jun-hee are all back for a new set of episodes that will once again chronicle the struggles of the military team tasked with retrieving deserters.

The show hit a chord in Korea by highlighting issues of bullying and hierarchy stemming from the country’s 21-month military service which all men must undergo. (Netflix, third quarter of 2023)

7. Sweet Home 2

Song Kang in a still from Sweet Home season 1.

Netflix’s hit monster series Sweet Home will return with its second set of episodes at the end of the year.

The characters of the Green Home apartment complex narrowly escaped the clutches of monsters in season one, but Song Kang’s character was captured by the military, and new problems await them on the outside.

Production on season 3 is also under way. (Netflix, fourth quarter of 2023)

8. The Uncanny Counter 2

A still from The Uncanny Counter season 1.

One of the most popular shows of 2020, The Uncanny Counter will finally return this year, with its noodle shop superheroes once again battling demons on earth.

Jo Byung-gyu, Kim Se-jeong, Yu Jun-sang and Yum Hye-ran, who share terrific chemistry in their matching red jumpsuits, are all slated to return.

9. Shadow Detective 2

Lee Sung-min in a still from Shadow Detective season 1.

Lee Sung-min will return as the grizzled Kim Taek-rok, a veteran detective in the early stages of dementia fighting against the corrupt elements of his local police force in a foggy seaside town.

Season one of Shadow Detective saw him take on a vengeful killer getting back at the department, but after facing off with him in the season finale, these new episodes will see him take on a new foe. (Disney+)

10. Arthdal Chronicles 2

Jang Dong-gun (front) in a still from Arthdal Chronicles season 1.

Set eight years after the first season, which aired in 2019, Arthdal Chronicles 2 will see Jang Dong-gun and Kim Ok-vin reprise their roles in the sweeping fantasy drama, which was for a time the most expensive Korean show ever made.

Lee Joon-gi and Shin Se-kyung are among the new cast members.

11. Soundtrack #2

Han So-hee (left) and Park Hyung-sik in a still from Soundtrack #1.

This music-themed omnibus series will return with a new set of episodes and a new cast and story this year, which have yet to be revealed.

Season one of the show, aka Soundtrack #1, featured Han So-hee and Park Hyung-sik as a songwriter and photographer whose relationship changes after they move in together. It was directed by Little Women’s Kim Hee-won. (Disney+)

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