2020 has easily been the best year on record for K-Dramas on Netflix. After such a stellar year, 2021 has a lot to live up to, but we don’t think that will be a problem with some of the new K-Dramas we can look forward to watching on Netflix in 2021.
Like last year, we’ll be keeping track of all the new K-Dramas headed your way with monthly previews, and in-depth looks into any upcoming Netflix Original K-Drama.
Please Note: This isn’t the full list of all of the K-Dramas coming to Netflix in 2021 as more series are yet to be announced.
Returning Netflix Original Series
Kingdom: Ashin of the North
Episodes: 1
Genre: Horror | Runtime: 70 Minutes
Cast: Jun Ji Hyun, Park Byung Eun, Koo Kyo Hwan
Netflix Release Date: TBA
While waiting for news on a potential third season, Netflix dropped the bombshell that a special bonus episode of Kingdom is coming in 2021. The special one-off episode will detail the origins of the resurrection plant, and we’ll learn the past of Jun Ji Hyun’s mysterious character.
Love Alarm (Season 2) N
Seasons: 2| Episodes: 16
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance | Runtime: 50 Minutes
Cast: Kim So Hyun, Jung Ga Ram, Song Kang, Go Min Shi, Shim Yi Young
Official Netflix Release Date: TBA
Previously we were lead to believe that Love Alarm would be coming to Netflix in August 2020, but fans were dismayed to learn that the popular rom-com had been pushed back to 2021.
When everything becomes increasingly digitalized, so do our love lives. An unknown developed releases a dating app that has the ability to tell the user when someone within 10-feet has romantic feelings for them, instantly going viral. The app greatly disrupts the life of Jojo, who soon finds herself caught in a love triangle between a childhood friend and a handsome model.
JTBC & Other K-Drama Exclusives
There are lots of jTBC and tVN dramas to look forward to in 2021. Currently, we’re waiting for the respective South Korean networks to confirm which k-dramas will be available to stream weekly on Netflix.
Thanks to the lucrative output deal between Netflix and the South Korean broadcasters, we’re expecting to see plenty of dramas arrive in 2021.
Younger (Season 1)
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 16
Genre: Comedy, Romance | Runtime: 60 Minutes | Network: jTBC
Cast: Sung Joon, Seo Ji Hye
Netflix Release Date: TBA | New Episodes: TBA
The American rom-com series Younger has eluded Netflix for years, but fans of the series can look forward to watching the K-Drama adaptation in 2021.
Mistaken for being twenty years younger than she actually is, a single mother decides to use the opportunity to reboot her career.
Arthdal Chronicles (Season 2)
Seasons: 2 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance | Runtime: 80 Minutes
Cast: Song Joong Ki, Kim Ji Won, Jang Dong Gun, Kim Ok Bin
We’re still waiting for confirmation that Arthdal Chronicles season 2 is coming to Netflix in 2021, but we can confirm that a second season is on its way. The series has gone down in South Korean history as one of the most ambitious. The rewards for its ambition have been reaped as the series was incredibly popular in South Korea and around the world on Netflix.
Brand New Netflix Original Series
All of Us Are Dead (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Horror, Drama | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Yoon Chan Young, Park Ji Hoo, Jo Yi Hyun, Park Solomon, Yoo In Soo
Official Netflix Release Date: TBA
With the excitement that Kingdom will be returning to Netflix in 2021 with a special bonus-episode, there are even more zombies to look forward to on Netflix in 2021. The popular horror webtoon Now At Our School is being adapted into the Original series All of Us Are Dead.
When a zombie virus rips through their school, a group of high school students fights for their survival as they remain trapped within its walls.
Annarasumanara (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 6
Genre: Drama, Mystery| Runtime: TBA
Cast: TBA
Official Netflix Release Date: TBA
Details are few and far between for Annarasumanara, but we do know the series will be directed by Itaewon Class director Kim Seong Yoon. A cast has yet to be announced, but we can expect to learn more in the coming months.
After encountering a magician in an abandoned theme park, orphan high school student Yoon Ah-ee makes the decision to follow her childhood dream.
D.P. Dog Day (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 6
Genre: Drama, Military | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Jung Hae In, Koo Kyo Hwan, Son Seok Koo, Kim Sung Kyun, Jun
Official Netflix Release Date: TBA
Another webtoon adaptation, the military drama is expected to hit subscribers with an emotional punch and impact.
Tasked with hunting down a group of military deserters, Ahn Joon Ho bears witness to the struggles of the young men who are trying to escape.
Finger (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Crime, Thriller | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Kim Soo Hyun, Han Ji Wan
Official Netflix Release Date: TBA
Very few details have been released about Finger thus far. We do however know that the lead of the series will be Kim Soo Hyun.
Hellbound (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 6
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Supernatural | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Yoo Ah In, Park Jung Min, Kim Hyun Joo, Won Jin Ah, Yang Ik Jun
Official Netflix Release Date: TBA
Netflix is taking the opportunity to adapt as many webtoons as it can in 2021, and joining the line up of Originals is Yeon Sang-Ho’s Hellbound. The South Korean horror genre has gained a lot of momentum in recent years, and Netflix certainly is more than capitalizing on it.
When citizens are able to find predictions of their own deaths, they are fated to be taken to hell by angels of death. Some mistake the appearance of the angels as a revelation of God, while others dig deep to find the truth of their arrival.
Move to Heaven (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Drama, Family | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Lee Je Hoon, Tang Jun Sang, Hong Seung Hee, Ji Jin Hee, Lee Jae Wook
Official Netflix Release Date: TBA
Amidst the horrors, romantic comedies, and thrillers it’s great to have a heart-felt drama as a pallet cleanser for the growing number of k-dramas. Inspired by the non-fiction essay Things Left Behind, we’re expecting to see a warm response from subscribers when the drama inevitably releases on Netflix.
After the death of his father, Gu-ru meets his uncle Sang-gu for the first time. Deciding to open up a trauma cleaning business together, Gu-ru and Sang-gu learn the various stories of the deceased, experiencing different emotions, thoughts, and feelings toward the meaning of life, death, and family.
Round Six (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller| Runtime: TBA
Cast: Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo, Heo Sung Tae, Wi Ha Joon, Jung Ho Yeon
Netflix Release Date: TBA
Round Six was first announced by Netflix in September 2019, and despite being over a year on since the announcement we’re still yet to learn of its release. Rumour has it the series may yet arrive at the very end of 2020, but it’s our prediction that the series will arrive in Q1 of 2021.
Having failed at life for various different reasons, a group of individuals are specially invited to change their lives forever in a survival game, where the winner will earn 10 million US dollars.
So Not Worth It (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Romance, Sitcom | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Park Se Wan, Shin Hyun Seung, Choi Young Jae, Minnie, Han Hyun Min
Netflix Release Date: TBA
Netflix has struggled to find its feet within the sitcom genre, so perhaps they can leave it to South Korean sitcom heavyweight Kwok Ik-joon to bring success to the streaming service. You can expect many fans of the K-Pop group (G)I-DLE to tune into the sitcom when Minnie makes her acting debut in the series.
A group of multinational students become friends while living in their university dorm in Seoul.
Sweet Home (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 10
Genre: Horror, Psychology | Runtime: 60 Minutes
Cast: Song Kang, Lee Jin Wook, Lee Shi Young, Park Gyu Young, Lee Do Hyun
Netflix Release Date: TBA
We previously reported that Sweet Home was coming to Netflix in the Summer of 2020, but plans have since changed. The series will now be released as a full Netflix Original, and will be coming to Netflix in 2021! The webtoon adaptation is sure to excite many horror fans.
The story of a high school student who becomes traumatized after being bullied in school and never leaves his room. He loses his family and moves to a new apartment, and strange and mysterious things begin to happen to him. A story of growth that follows the lead character as he tries to save people who have changed into monsters because of greed and begins to change his pessimistic view of society.
The Silent Sea (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 8
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Gong Yoo, Bae Doona, Lee Joon, Heo Sung Tae, Lee Moo Saeng
Netflix Release Date: TBA
Bae Doona has become an extremely familiar face for Netflix subscribers in recent years, and once again she’ll be starring in an exciting new Original series.
In the future, the natural resources on Earth have been pushed to the edge. Thanks to the desertification of the Earth’s surface, humanity struggles to acquire food and water. It’s up to a team from Korea’s space agency to travel to the Moon and retrieve a mysterious research sample from an abandoned research station.
Undercover (Season 1) N
Seasons: 1 | Episodes: TBA
Genre: Action, Crime, Romance | Runtime: TBA
Cast: Han So Hee, Ahn Bo Hyun, Park Hee Soon, Kim Sang Ho, Lee Hak Joo
Netflix Release Date: TBA
We’ve seen plenty of Police dramas about undercover officers infiltrating crime rings, but it’s not very often we have it the other way round. Judging the series off the premise alone, we’re already incredibly excited to see Undercover on Netflix in 2021.
In order to find the truth about her father’s death, Yoon Ji Woo, a member of an organized crime ring, infiltrates the Police as an undercover agent.
What new K-Drama series are you going to be excited to watch on Netflix in 2021? Let us know in the comments below!
