Legal dramas dominate Korean TV as ‘Phantom Lawyer’ builds momentum, raising hopes for ‘Good Partner 2’

Posters for "Phantom Lawyer," left, and "The Judge Returns" / Courtesy of SBS, MBC

Courtroom dramas are turning into one of the biggest success stories on South Korea’s broadcast TV scene this year, with back-to-back ratings wins fueling fresh excitement for SBS’s upcoming “Good Partner 2.”

The latest standout is SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama “Phantom Lawyer.” Its sixth episode, which aired on Saturday, posted a nationwide viewership rating of 10 percent and 10.6 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to Nielsen Korea, extending its noticeable upward run.

The series has broken its own ratings record for three straight weeks, reinforcing the view that it has fully entered hit-drama territory.

“Phantom Lawyer” has drawn attention for keeping the familiar frame of a legal drama while mixing in emotionally charged storytelling and “han-puri,” a distinctly Korean narrative element tied to the release of long-held grief, resentment or sorrow. That blend of courtroom cases and human drama appears to be connecting with viewers.

Scenes from "Phantom Lawyer," above, and "The Judge Returns" / Captured from SBS, MBC

As the first quarter of 2026 closes, legal dramas have emerged as a clear strength for Korea’s terrestrial broadcasters.

MBC’s “The Judge Returns,” which premiered Jan. 2, began with a relatively modest 4.3 percent rating, according to Nielsen Korea. But the drama quickly gained momentum through word of mouth, crossing into double-digit ratings within five episodes and ending its run at 12.8 percent.

Now attention is shifting to SBS’s next major legal drama play, “Good Partner 2,” which is set to air in the second half of the year.

The first season of “Good Partner,” which aired in 2024, followed star divorce lawyer Cha Eun-kyung, who treats divorce as her calling, and rookie lawyer Han Yu-ri, who is handling divorce cases for the first time. The series became a sensation, recording a peak rating of 18.7 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area, the highest among SBS dramas that year.

Jang Na-ra also won the grand prize at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards for her performance in the series.

Scenes from "Good Partner" / Captured from SBS

For Season 2, Jang returns with a new partner, played by actress Kim Hye-yoon, replacing the character played by Nam Ji-hyun from the first season. Kim raised her public profile through the popular series, “Lovely Runner,” and has also earned praise for her stable acting, adding to anticipation over what kind of lawyer character she will play and what kind of chemistry she will build with Jang.

With consecutive legal drama hits already on the board and another high-profile sequel on the way, the genre is increasingly looking like one of the clearest ratings pillars for Korea’s broadcast networks this year. Industry attention is now focused on whether the courtroom drama wave will continue into the second half of 2026 with the return of “Good Partner 2.”

This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.