K-Drama 'Good Boy' Becomes Global Hit
The K-drama "Good Boy" starring Park Bo-gum and Kim So-hyun has become an unexpected global phenomenon since premiering on May 31. The action-comedy series follows former Olympic medalists who become police officers, using their athletic skills to fight crime.
The show reached #3 on Amazon Prime Video internationally and ranked #4 on Prime's "Global Top TV Shows" list as of June 13. It topped charts in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, while making top 10 lists in Canada, Australia, France, and Greece.
Most remarkably, "Good Boy" entered Netflix's "Global Top 10 Non-English Shows" at #9 despite being available only in South Korea, surpassing 3.9 million viewers from June 2-8. This is unusual for a show released in just one country.
The series premiered with a 4.8% nationwide rating, then grew steadily. Episode 2 scored 5.3%, and episode 3 reached its highest rating yet at 5.59%. Episode 4 maintained strong performance at 5.3% nationwide.
"Good Boy" centers on Yoon Dong-joo (Park Bo-gum), a former Olympic boxing champion, and Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun), a shooting gold medalist nicknamed the "shooting goddess." They join a special police unit alongside other ex-athletes played by Oh Jung-se, Lee Sang-yi, Heo Sung-tae, and Tae Won-seok.
Each character brings their sport-specific skills to crime fighting-boxing, shooting, fencing, wrestling, and discus throwing-creating what the show calls the "Olympic Avengers."
Critics praised the series for its "bold, comic-book-style take on justice" and Park Bo-gum's "fresh charisma" and "dramatic transformation" from his usual romantic roles. Director Shim Na-yeon received acclaim for "fast pacing and stylish direction".
The 16-episode series airs Saturdays and Sundays on JTBC in South Korea and streams globally on Amazon Prime Video in over 240 countries. Korean viewers can watch on multiple platforms including Netflix, Disney+, TVING, Wavve, and Coupang Play.
Currently on episode 5 of 16, "Good Boy" runs through July 20, demonstrating how unique storytelling and quality production can quickly capture international audiences across streaming platforms.
