Virtually each month of 2026 so far, Netflix has broadly cornered the market on compelling international thrillers of all sorts, from mysteries like The Art of Sarah, to action-packed returns like Bloodhounds season 2. It’s not just Netflix, either, with its primary competition like Hulu heaping on the returns this summer. But one runaway success, which completed a practically seamless baton-pass with one of the biggest streaming wins for a show of its kind since Squid Game, was Agent Kim Reactivated.
Each of these examples above are part of the enormously popular K-drama industry dominating Non-English output, particularly at Netflix. However, there’s plenty to look forward to for viewers craving more adventures with Manager Kim after his vengeance spree to rescue his daughter.
Agent Kim Reactivated faced a daunting task, serving a hungry audience both at home on South Korea’s SBS TV and worldwide via Netflix who were often fresh off what’s now the #10 Netflix Non-English streaming debut of all time. It broadly delivered, aside from a somewhat disappointing middle portion and aggressive product placement (even for a K-drama) by the end. But Agent Kim Reactivated is far from over in its original form, as the series adapts a highly popular Naver Webtoon, as well as key leadership at its home production, Studio S, confirming positive talks of a return for season 2.
Netflix’s Biggest Action Thriller Of July 2026 Lives On In More Ways Than One
One of the biggest indicators of a successful or soon-to-be-successful K-drama is thanks to the phenomenon of the webtoon-to-drama pipeline showing up across broadcast and streaming services. Agent Kim Reactivated is no exception, adapting Jeong Jong-taek and Toy’s Manager Kim series, although much like Bloodhounds, it’s a significant departure from the source material. Despite how loaded a topic the pipeline can be, Agent Kim Reactivated was a quick hit across all five weeks and ten episodes of its broadcast, and this is due to both a compelling array of stars like So Ji-sub, and enormous popularity for the Manager Kim webtoon it adapts.
The fascinating bit for those who have already read the series is that Agent Kim Reactivated broadly condenses the webtoon’s concepts into 10 episodes, ultimately ending with a tease of the Lee Do-gyu vs. Manager Kim arc. The series is beautifully illustrated by Jeong Jong-taek, conveying even more aggressive over-the-top action with a familiar introduction lining up well with the K-drama. Yet, it benefits from being a graphic, illustrated format, taking advantage of over-the-top character depictions even more so than in the show, down to Do-gyu’s meeting feeling utterly Yujiro Hanma-coded, being utterly massive, physically imposing, and a true physical superior to Manager Kim during their meeting/interview.
The series’ success is no mystery on Netflix, and averaging just below 20% of the audience share across all South Korea for its entire run, peaking at 23.1% for episode 8, it’s evident that even Agent Kim Reactivated at its weaker portions didn’t deter viewers at home. Much of this can also be attributed to its massive viewership, dominating the Tuesday charts regularly on Naver Webtoon, while in less-established but growing markets like the West showing 47.4 million views on the international LINE Webtoon counterpart. Releasing new episodes every Tuesday, with readers wanting the official translation usually four chapters behind able to catch on Saturdays, Manager Kim’s a reliable hit.
Manager Kim has hundreds of chapters of stories to tell, and with it seemingly refocusing and grounding itself in the K-drama version by the finale, the Kim family taking on new identities and seemingly finding a life of peace, it could reasonably end here. But with the interview at Baekho Staffing Agency, the window is intentionally kept open for a potential season 2, provided it gets less infuriating silence than Vagabond’s cliffhanger ending.
Agent Kim Reactivated And 2 Other K-Dramas Are In Talks For Season 2
Reported earlier this weekend, So Ji-sub might not be putting away Manager Kim’s glasses and work attire anytime soon. The series is being considered among two other K-drama hits from SBS TV and Studio S, My Royal Nemesis and Phantom Lawyer, at the very least entering talks for season 2 returns. With each having cases either for engrossing world-building stories, procedural case-of-the-week approaches, or further adapting the manhwa like with Agent Kim Reactivated, it seems the viewers only stand to win with this.
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01
Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
03
In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?
✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.
05
The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?
✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.
06
Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?
✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.
07
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?
✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.
08
Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?
✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.
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However, some caveats may be raised by the fandom should Agent Kim Reactivated return. It offset production costs such as a lengthy AI-generated flashback sequence, and, despite brands even appearing in the original webtoon like Under Armour, the finale in particular and the rest of the series had a hilarious, if frustrating, array of the usual consumer suspects. This included the classic Kopiko coffee candy gag, among many others, which would ideally be less of a necessity given the show’s now demonstrable popularity.
Whether this means a shift away from broadcast TV to fully streaming on Netflix for season 2 or not, the series, and the fandom, seem ready to embrace more of Agent Kim Reactivated.
Agent Kim Reactivated’s full season is available to stream on Netflix, with the manhwa releasing new episodes in English every Saturday on Webtoon.
founded
January 16, 2007
founders
Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph
first original series
Lilyhammer
notable shows
Stranger Things, Squid Game, House of Cards, Wednesday
notable movies
KPop Demon Hunters, Bird Box, Red Notice
Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.
