Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+

Between Steps (October 5, ENA/Disney Plus/Hulu)

Choo Young-woo, who broke through in Juvenile Justice, plays Park Min-jae, a former competitive swimmer. Min-jae has lost his right leg to osteosarcoma and finds himself in the same graduate research group as Im Yoo-jin, played by Kim So-hyun, who has similarly lost her way. They cross paths in a robotics program, and the rest, well. You’ll see.

This is helmed by the director behind Something In The Rain, so I’m expecting similarly warm vibes. I’m also excited to find Kim So-hyun in another drama again, she is not even 3o but she’s been in this business a whopping two decades already!

Merry Berry Love (October 7, Disney+ and Hulu)

Ji Chang-wook plays a Korean chef opposite Japanese actress Mio Imada in a romantic drama produced with CJ ENM for both Nippon TV in Japan and Disney+ internationally. Imada plays a strawberry farmer Karin while Ji plays a spatial designer having a bad season, both of whom cross paths on a remote island.

The title was announced in 2025 during Disney Plus’ APAC showcase, and was shot in both Korea and Japan. This is Ji’s debut Japanese series.

Doctor X: Mafia in White (October 9, SBS/Netflix)

Kim Ji-won returns! Hurrahs all around. In her first k-drama since 2024’s Queen Of Tears, Kim takes on Gye Soo-jeong, a brilliant surgeon who refuses to play by hospital politics — a character who operates entirely outside the institutional machinery her colleagues depend on. Hmm, sounds not dissimilar to former Heirs co-star Park Shin Hye in Doctors. The title is a remake of the long-running Japanese medical franchise Doctor X, relocated to a Korean hospital setting.

Take Charge of My Heart (October 9, Netflix)

Perhaps the most k-drama to k-drama this month. Chae Soo-bin plays Na Bo-bae a screenwriter struck by lightning whose touch now delivers an electric shock to everyone she meets. That is, except for one man, Baek Ho-rang. Played by Kim Young-kwang, Ho-rang has an artificial heart that is draining, and only Bo-bae’s touch can recharge it. The premise is a web novel adaptation and the all-episode simultaneous Netflix drop means this is a weekend binge rather than a weekly watch.

100 Days of Deception (October 10, tvN/Netflix)

The story takes place in 1932, under Japanese rule. Kim Yoo-jung plays a resistance fighter on a 100-day undercover mission for the Korean Independence Army. Jer cover begins to crack when she encounters an elite interpreter played by Jinyoung of GOT7, who goes by the Japanese name Sato Hideo. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game set against the fight for Korean independence. Kim Yoo-jung already has a great track record with period dramas what with Love In The Moonlight and Lovers of the Red Sky (she’s even known as the saeguk fairy!) so this is very anticipated.

Make Me Tingle (October 15, TVING/Viki)

The wildcard. Nam Ji-hyun plays Gong Yeon-su, a conservatively brought up marketer nabs high-profile client Dokgo Dal (Kim Jae-young) CEO of a sex-toy startup. He doesn’t see love and physical attraction as the same thing, but that doesn’t mean sparks don’t fly between the two. Available on Viki internationally.

Love In Disguise (October 19, tvN/Prime Video)

When third-generation chaebol Yun Yi-jun, (Yim Si-wan) becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his secretary, former special forces officer Kang Jae-hee, (Seol In-ah at her devastatingly attractive best) goes undercover as his new personal secretary and bodyguard — disguising herself as a man. The drama is based on the web novel and webtoon Why Don’t You Know She’s a Woman?, which accumulated over 8.15 million views on Kakao Webtoon.

Final Table (October 24, JTBC/Disney Plus)

Ahn Hyo-seop, best known internationally for Business Proposal and more recently as Jinu in KPop Demon Hunters leads an ensemble drama set in the world of competitive professional cooking, following the search for Korea’s finest chef. Hong Hwa-yeon, Chang Ryul, and Jung Eugene round out the cast. JTBC Saturday-Sunday dramas have a reliable track record and the culinary setting (full of color, thank goodness) gives this one a visual register most K-dramas do not attempt. Probably not a good idea to watch this without snacks.

The Perfect Lie (October 30, MBC)

The month’s psychological thriller closer. Seo Hyun-jin plays Kang Ji-seon, an elementary school teacher, and Yoo Yeon-seok plays Min Jun-ho, a cardiac surgeon raising his son alone. They give contradictory versions of the same memory after a first date. It also reunites Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin, ten years after they starred together in Dr. Romantic.

Dead-End Job (October 30, Netflix)

A nice little paranormal comedy to close the month for ya. Lee Jae-wook and Go Min-si star in a drama about a man deep in debt who takes a mysterious job paying 50 times the minimum wage, on the condition that he never reveals what happens at work. Nobody does dystopian economic survival quite like Korean entertainment.

Dead-End Job premieres at the Busan International Film Festival on October 7 before hitting Netflix on October 30; a festival premiere is a good early sign for a genre show, so definitely check it out.

Come back here after checking them out — which of these were your favorite kdramas to watch? worth the hours?