Netflix's New #1 2026 Action Thriller Just Ended Its 10-Episode Run, And It's A Massive Success

Published Jul 29, 2026, 11:30 PM EDT An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com. His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023. Sign in to your ScreenRant account No longer anchored by the allure of long-running TV shows like Stranger Things daring to defy cancellation, Netflix may be at the end of an era in terms of flagship series, but this hasn't stopped it from hosting enormous hits. Even now, international properties are kicking in nicely, from Nordic Noir hits, to iconic manga and anime franchises like One Piece getting a shockingly strong live-action adaptation on the platform. But one should check beyond Netflix's original shows to see just what has been working for the platform, and in the case of South Korea, non-English audiences have latched on hard to its latest action thrillers of all varieties. Such is the case with Agent Kim Reactivated, the latest action thriller and revenge series featuring Mercy for None star So Ji-sub, which ended its 10-episode run, broadcast on South Korean network SBS TV and streaming on Netflix. The series was virtually guaranteed to succeed, adapting a popular PTJ Comics and Naver revenge webtoon, Manager Kim, with strong casting and staff behind it. Despite following up the enormous June 2026 dominance of Netflix's Teach You a Lesson, Agent Kim Reactivated delivered fully on its potential, staying at #1 nationwide in Korea for the entirety of its run, and spending three consecutive weeks atop Netflix's non-English charts as well. Netflix's New Action Thriller Was A Hit From Start To Finish From its debut on June 26, 2026, Agent Kim Reactivated followed the usual broadcast format of K-dramas shown on television before going to streaming: two episodes weekly, on consecutive nights, in this case for five weeks, or 10 episodes. Agent Kim Reactivated aired Fridays and Saturdays in the 9:50 PM KST primetime slot, utterly dominating the competitive viewership nationwide and in Seoul according to Nielsen Korea through the finale. The series also impressively joined the Netflix top 10 upon its debut week at #3, behind Oasis at #2 and Teach You a Lesson at #1, before securing the top spot until the most recent week. Only recently overtaken by the immensely buzz worthy success of dark fantasy K-drama The East Palace and French series GIGN (internationally named Elite Force), with Agent Kim Reactivated only dropping to #3 against stiff competition. The series followed a spin on Manager Kim's lengthy webtoon, as Kim Do-hyeon, concealing his past as North Korean defector and lethal operative known as Agent 66, after he forced an early retirement following his wife's death during childbirth. Doing his best to maintain a low profile to avoid being picked up by North Korean spy networks, Kim attempts to lie low as an accountant team manager and raise his daughter. Naturally, this invites comparisons to the plot of Taken in the process, but given significantly more runtime to breathe. As Manager Kim's daughter, Kim Min-ji, is abducted, his instincts as a former elite agent overtake as he goes on a relentless mission to track down his daughter, take down or even torture those in his way, and confront remnants of his horrific childhood alongside his combat buddies from a past life. While dropping off somewhat in the middle of the series, fans generally agree that Agent Kim Reactivated picked itself up nicely again by the finale, while setting up decent prospects for a second season. Agent Kim Reactivated Sparks Hopes For Season 2 Renewal Warning: Do Not Read Further if You've Not Watched the Agent Kim Reactivated Finale! Even though Agent Kim Reactivated's finale is indication enough that the series has enough gas in the tank to handle a second season, there's no explicit confirmation just yet. Hong Seong-chang, CEO of Studio S and series star So Ji-sub have expressed gratitude for the reception to the series, with Korean newspaper OSEN reporting that the production company is in positive talks for season 2. Frankly, given the way the finale ended, it's set up in the classic K-drama sense where the story could reasonably continue, but if there is no renewal, the characters face a blissful enough existence even then. The father-daughter reunion was every bit as touching as expected, with his friends, Seong Han-soo and Park Jin-cheol, seeing Kim through to the other side, alive and able to give his daughter a new life. While some aspects are cheeky, like Min-ji's name change to Ji-min, others, like Mr. Kim interviewing at Baekho Staffing Agency, aka Baekho HRM in the manhwa, where he meets director Lee Do-gyu, handily setting up plot for a season 2 if it winds up happening. Now Streaming · Press Play How Well Do You Know Netflix Originals? “Red light, green light.” 🌀StrangerThingsThe Upside Down 🎭SquidGamePlayer 456 👑TheCrownLong live the Queen 🕸WednesdayNevermore Academy 🌹BridgertonDearest readers PRESS PLAY → 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? A067 B218 C001 D456 ✓ 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. NEXT → 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? AJenna Ortega BMillie Bobby Brown CSadie Sink DMaya Hawke ✓ 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. NEXT → 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? AOrange Is the New Black BHouse of Cards CArrested Development (revival) DHemlock Grove ✓ 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. NEXT → 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? AImelda Staunton BOlivia Colman CHelena Bonham Carter DGillian Anderson ✓ 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. NEXT → 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? ADerry, Maine BHawkins, Indiana CHill Valley, California DTwin Peaks, Washington ✓ 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. NEXT → 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? AShonda Rhimes (Shondaland) BRyan Murphy CJulian Fellowes DJenji Kohan ✓ 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. NEXT → 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? AGuy Fawkes BSalvador Dalí CChe Guevara DPablo Picasso ✓ 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. NEXT → 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? AFlorence Pugh BAnya Taylor-Joy CSaoirse Ronan DDaisy Edgar-Jones ✓ 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. REVEAL MY SCORE → Credits Rolling · Autoplay On Your Binge-Watcher Rank 🎬 / 8 Platinum subscriber — or still on the free trial? ⤴ PLAY NEXT EPISODE Netflix original and licensed K-dramas rarely get additional seasons, with less recent series desperately needing renewals more than others due to troubling cliffhangers. Shows like Bloodhounds have also pointed to a possibility for Agent Kim Reactivated to have a future beyond even the plot of its original webtoon, but for now, it's up to SBS TV, Fantagio, and Studio S to decide whether this series will return to Korean airwaves, or dominate Netflix, for a second outing. Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network SBS Directors Lee Sung-young Writers Nam Dae-joong Cast So Ji-sub, Choi Dae-hoon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Ju Sang-uk, Son Na-eun, Lee Dong-ha, Jo Bok-rae, Kim Sung-kyu, Won Hyun-jun, Won Tae-min Creator(s) Nam Dae-joong