Good Boy (2025)

Good Boy (Korean: 굿보이) is a 2025 South Korean action comedy television series written by Lee Dae-il, directed by Shim Na-yeon, and starring Park Bo-gum, Kim So-hyun, Oh Jung-se, Lee Sang-yi, Heo Sung-tae, and Tae Won-seok. It centers around former sports heroes who become police officers. The series had its world premiere in Bangkok, Thailand attended by Park, Kim, and Lee on May 31, 2025. It aired on JTBC on the same day and aired every Saturday and Sunday at 22:40 (KST). It is also available for streaming on several platforms including Netflix and Disney+ in South Korea, and Amazon Prime Video globally.

The series received positive reviews from critics with particular praise for its stylish direction, blockbuster-level production, original soundtrack, and Park's compelling performance as an action hero.

Synopsis

Faced with financial struggles, short career spans, injuries, and other challenges, former elite athletes become special police officers and form a rag-tag team to fight violent crime – using their unique skills acquired during their time as athletes.

Cast and characters

Main

Park Bo-gum as Yoon Dong-ju

"Named after the noble Korean poet, Dong-ju lives a life contrary to the name given to him, always getting involved in fist fights during his school years. Through his experiences in fighting, Dong-ju learns proper boxing, beginning a successful career as a boxer and ultimately becoming an international gold medalist. Unfortunately, Dong-ju's glorious moment is shattered by his unfair expulsion from his boxing team. A new beginning starts for Dong-ju when he is able to become a police officer through a special recruitment opportunity."

Kim So-hyun as Ji Han-na

"Since middle school, Han-na was a shooting prodigy, dominating world championships with her precise aim and was adored by many fans. Criticism poured in and misunderstandings piled up, causing Han-na to gradually shut herself off from the world. These difficulties led to her failing to concentrate at the most crucial moment in her shooting career, forcing her to retire. She then applied for special police recruitment, with dreams of becoming a police officer like her father."

Oh Jung-se as Min Ju-yeong

A 7th-grade civil servant at the Korea Customs Service who received a commendation from the commissioner for his diligence and sincerity but hides a great desire behind his good-natured smile

Lee Sang-yi as Kim Jong-hyeon

"Formerly a silver medalist fencer, Jong-hyeon worked hard to graduate from the police academy due to his desire to reunite with his former girlfriend, Han-na"

Heo Sung-tae as Ko Man-sik

A former bronze medalist in wrestling turned team leader, "his training as an athlete turned into valuable skills as a police officer"

Tae Won-seok as Shin Jae-hong

A gentle giant, "his initial reluctance to join the special police team as a bronze medalist in discus throwing becomes a shining asset"

Supporting

Police department and prosecutor’s office

Kim Eung-soo as Jo Pan-Yeol, the police commissioner

Seo Hyun-chul as Hwang Gyeong-cheol, chief of the police department who is close to Man-sik

Kim Seo-kyung as Kim Seok-Hyeon, a prosecutor and Jong-hyeon's older brother

Park Chul-min as Kim Geum-nam, police informant and pawnshop owner

Han Kyu-won as An Dae-yong, team leader of Regional Investigation Unit (RIU)

Cartels and gangs

Lee Ho-jung as Kim Yeon-ha, also known as Drug Monster

Go Jun as Leo, a Korean-Russian mafia boss

Ahn Se-ho as Baek Seok-chun

Jung Man-sik as Oh Jong-gu, a former national boxing coach and head of J9 Security

Kang Gil-woo as Lee Sang-gon, head of Golden Bunny gang, a criminal organization that dominates Insung City

Yoo In-soo as Bagboy

People around the Special Criminal Investigation Team

Seo Jeong-yeon as Jeong Mi-ja, owner of Gyeongil Noodles

Seo Jae-hee as Jin Gyeong-sook, Han-na's mother who is an insurance saleswoman

Choi Myung-bin as Ko Jung-a, Man-sik's daughter

Special appearances

Lee Jung-ha as Lee Kyung-il, former boxer

Choi Woo-jin as the police department's physician

Lee Ji-hoon as Lee Hoon, a physician

Episodes

Production

Development

In February 2021, Good Boy was announced as part of Studio&NEW's drama lineup with a script written by Lee Dae-il who wrote Life on Mars (2018) and Chief of Staff (2019). SLL, Studio&NEW, and Drama House Studio managed the production. In 2023, Shim Na-yeon, who directed Beyond Evil (2021) and The Good Bad Mother (2023), was attached to direct the series.

Casting

In July 2023, Park Bo-gum and Oh Jung-se were reported as lead actors of the series. In August 2023, Kim So-hyun was reportedly cast. Park and Kim were officially confirmed to portray the main characters in January 2024, while Oh, Lee Sang-yi, Heo Sung-tae, and Tae Won-seok confirmed their appearances in July 2024.

Filming

The cast and crew had a full script reading on March 21, 2024. Principal photography began later that month. On August 28, 2024, it was reported that the filming was temporarily suspended after Park sustained a minor leg injury while doing an action scene in Busan and received treatment at a hospital in Seoul.

Marketing

To promote the series, Park Bo-gum made a surprise appearance in JTBC's nightly newscast Newsroom and served as weather forecaster on May 26, 2025. Kim So-hyun and Lee Sang-yi also appeared as weather forecasters in the following two days. In addition, Lee and Heo Sung-tae made guest appearances in the 12th episode of Park's late-night music talk show The Seasons: Park Bo-gum's Cantabile.

Media

Original soundtrack

The original soundtrack was headed by music director Heo Sung-jin under Warner Music Korea and features artists Max, Young K of Day6, Hynn, TWS, George, Junny, and Katseye. Lead actor Park Bo-gum also released an original song for the seventh part of the soundtrack titled "Waterfall" which was released on July 13, 2025.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Book

A two-volume script book was published in August 2025. It included the unedited screenplay by Lee Dae-il with investigation reports, case outlines, and detailed descriptions of props from the series. Also included are unreleased 22-page character introduction as well as personnel record cards from the National Police Agency and Customs Service.

Release

The series had its global premiere at Iconsiam in Bangkok, Thailand attended by Park Bo-gum, Kim So-hyun, and Lee Sang-yi on May 31, 2025. It premiered on JTBC on the same day and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 22:40 (KST), and is also domestically available to watch via live stream on TVING, CHZZK, and Coupang Play, as well as on-demand stream on Netflix, Disney+, and Wavve. Internationally, it streams exclusively via Amazon Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories.

Reception

Critical response

The Korea Times praised the series for its "bold, comic-book-style take on justice" through "punchy and satisfying narrative" and commended Park Bo-gum for his "fresh charisma" and for bringing a "dramatic transformation" that is a "clear shift" from his previous roles that made him a household name. The publication also praised Shim Na-yeon's "fast pacing and stylish direction". The Chosun Ilbo applauded Park's versatility in portraying action, comedy, and romance "boldly showing off physicality" in his performance.

Gulf News added that the series is a "compelling drama" with "emotional sharpness" that "ups the ante with blockbuster-level pacing, punchy editing, and a score that pulses with intensity" resulting to "a drama that feels more like a movie". Per Screen Rant, the series "manages to blend humor with action in an effortless way, while also having emotional depth" with every element coming "together nicely, from the show's pacing to its intriguing premise" and "how well the actors embody their characters".

Impact

The big data analytics firm Good Data Corporation reported that Park Bo-gum ranked first in overall topicality making him the "Most Buzzworthy Performer" (TV and OTT; Drama and Entertainment) for seven consecutive weeks since the series premiered, surpassing the entire cast of Squid Game 3 which aired at the same period. Three weeks prior to its first episode, Good Boy entered the top 10 of Good Data Corporation's topicality indices, eventually topping the charts for three weeks after its premiere, and remaining in the top three for the remainder of its run.

An international and domestic hit, Good Boy ranked in the top 3 of Prime Video's Global Top 10 Shows during and beyond its run, peaking at #2, and ranking in the top 10 in several territories worldwide including North America where it was the only non-US production listed. It was also #1 on Netflix domestically for several weeks and entered Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English Shows at #9 despite it only being available on the platform in South Korea.

Viewership

Accolades

Listicles

References

External links

Official website (in Korean)

Production website at Studio&NEW (in English and Korean)

Good Boy at IMDb

Good Boy at HanCinema