Summer Dramas & Shows

2026 Summer Dramas & Shows — What to Watch First This Summer

As July began, Netflix and terrestrial broadcasters simultaneously released new works. From an occult historical drama set in a palace, to a crime drama investigating apartment corruption, to a thriller about a former hospital director fighting to save his wife, the genres are diverse. With an entertainment show that has held its Sunday evening slot for 16 years also airing, this summer is a season with the fun of choosing "what to watch first." This page is a curation hub for an overview of new dramas and summer entertainment shows, and detailed stories such as character information, episode details, and binge-watching tips for each work will continue on their respective pages.

At a Glance — 2026 Summer New Releases Calendar

With the three major broadcasters and OTT platforms releasing new works intensively from early to mid-July, continuing until early August, the second to third weeks of July are the peak season for this summer's content. Each work is covered in more detail in the sections below.

Netflix & OTT New Releases — Donggung

Donggung is a dark fantasy historical drama set in a palace. It's a story where Gu Cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), who has the ability to slay ghosts, and court lady Saenggang (Roh Yoon-seo), who holds a secret, are ordered by the King (Jo Seung-woo) to uncover a curse lingering in the Eastern Palace (Donggung). All 8 episodes will be released simultaneously on Netflix on July 17. Its topicality is high as it's Nam Joo-hyuk's first comeback project after his military discharge and Jo Seung-woo's first appearance in an OTT series. The setting, which crosses between the real world and the world of ghosts (鬼), is an extension of the K-occult trend seen in historical and thriller dramas in recent years. Another advantage is that with all episodes released simultaneously, it's possible to binge-watch in a single weekend day. Character introductions and episode-by-episode viewing points will continue on the Donggung page.

Meanwhile, the JTBC weekend drama Apartment will be exclusively streamed for replay on Netflix after its broadcast concludes. This means that if you miss the live broadcast or want to binge-watch, you can catch it on OTT regardless of the broadcast schedule.

Terrestrial & Broadcast New Releases — Apartment·The Completion of Marriage

Apartment is a JTBC weekend drama about a former gangster who runs for apartment residents' association president, aiming for illicit money, but unexpectedly uncovers corruption within the complex and becomes a hero. With a strong lineup including Ji Sung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Park Byung-eun, and Moon So-ri, it began its first broadcast on July 11 and airs two episodes every Saturday and Sunday night, totaling 12 episodes. The setting, which draws the familiar living space of an apartment into a crime drama, is a key viewing point.

The Completion of Marriage is a crime thriller starring Namgoong Min, returning to KBS after 7 years, as Kang Tae-joo, a former neurosurgeon and hospital director. It's a story about a man fighting criminals to save his wife, who is kidnapped while on the verge of divorce. It began airing on July 4, is currently sailing smoothly with ratings exceeding 6%, and is scheduled to end on August 9. As it's the first among the summer new releases to start and also the first to end, viewers can catch the conclusion ahead of other new works. Episode-by-episode viewing points will continue to be covered on The Completion of Marriage page.

Key Viewing Points for Binge-watching This Summer

• Donggung is perfect for binge-watching if you set aside a whole weekend day, as all 8 episodes are released simultaneously. If historical dramas are unfamiliar, following the relationship between the King (Jo Seung-woo) and Gu Cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk) will help you get into the story.
• Both Apartment and The Completion of Marriage air on Saturdays and Sundays, so you can watch two works consecutively on a single day if you catch them live. Since The Completion of Marriage started earlier, it's better to catch up on this one first if you're curious about the ending.
• All three works share the common genres of crime and mystery but have different nuances. Donggung offers supernatural curses, Apartment features life-oriented corruption, and The Completion of Marriage is a kidnapping/medical thriller, each providing different kinds of tension. If you alternate between them instead of sticking to one genre, you won't get bored all summer.
• Apartment has Netflix replay, making it easy to catch up even if you miss the live broadcast. Conversely, for The Completion of Marriage and Donggung, you need to keep track of the schedules for each broadcaster/platform.

Summer Entertainment Shows — Running Man 16th Anniversary

SBS Running Man celebrates its 16th anniversary on July 11, 2026, since its first broadcast on July 11, 2010. Earlier, on April 26, 2026, it surpassed 800 episodes for the first time in the history of variety entertainment shows, re-writing the record as one of Korea's longest-running entertainment programs. To mark its 16th anniversary, a celebratory video featuring current members like Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Haha, Song Ji-hyo, Yang Se-chan, and Ji Ye-eun, as well as past cast members like Cha Tae-hyun, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Kang Hoon, was released, delighting long-time fans. Running Man airs every Sunday at 6:10 PM, holding its place as a great weekend entertainment show to accompany new dramas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When and how can I watch Netflix's 〈Donggung〉? A. All 8 episodes will be released simultaneously on Netflix on July 17, 2026. It's an occult mystery historical drama starring Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo, and Jo Seung-woo.

Q. Can I watch JTBC's 〈Apartment〉 on Netflix? A. Yes. Netflix exclusively streams replays separately from JTBC's Saturday and Sunday night broadcasts. If you miss the live broadcast, you can binge-watch it on Netflix.

Q. How many episodes does 〈The Completion of Marriage〉 have and when does it air until? A. It's a KBS 2TV Saturday-Sunday mini-series that started on July 4 and ends on August 9. Namgoong Min plays a former neurosurgeon and hospital director in this crime thriller.

Q. Which new summer drama should I watch first? A. There's no set answer, but a reasonable order would be to catch up on The Completion of Marriage first, as it started airing earliest and concludes fastest, then set aside a weekend day to binge-watch Donggung, and finally, consistently keep up with Apartment, which airs weekly.

Q. Is Running Man still airing? A. Yes. It began its first broadcast on July 11, 2010, celebrates its 16th anniversary on July 11, 2026, and new episodes air every Sunday at 6:10 PM.

Web Verification: Source + Reuse/Additional Verification Summary

• Reuse (Maintain existing verification): Information on Donggung (Netflix released 7/17, Nam Joo-hyuk·Roh Yoon-seo·Jo Seung-woo, 8 episodes), Apartment (JTBC weekend drama premiere 7/11, Ji Sung·Ha Yoon-kyung·Park Byung-eun·Moon So-ri, 12 episodes, Netflix exclusive replay), and The Completion of Marriage (KBS 2TV 7/4~8/9, Namgoong Min) from Summer2026Calendar-ko.md was reused as is. Festival and girl group sections were excluded as they did not fit the nature of this page (dtree=drama·show).
• New Verification (Added in this task):
  • A news article about a six-way summer entertainment show battle from tvN, such as "Vacance Club (Yoo Jae-suk·Nana)" (issueinsight.co.kr, single low-quality source, both casting and programming were "(tentative)" and unconfirmed) failed cross-verification — not supported by WebSearch re-search → Not adopted and excluded (fabrication prevention principle).
  • Instead, Running Man 16th Anniversary was verified and adopted: First broadcast date confirmed as July 11, 2010 (Wikipedia) → Basis for calculation that July 11, 2026, is the 16th anniversary secured. 800th episode breakthrough on April 26, 2026, release of 16th-anniversary congratulatory video (including current members and past cast list), and weekly broadcast on Sundays at 6:10 PM cross-checked with SBS/YouTube·Namuwiki.
  • Information not supported despite two rounds of WebSearch re-verification (multiple new tvN·MBC·SBS entertainment shows other than Vacance Club) was discarded and not included in the main text.

Summer Outdoors Too — Festivals·Travel

Just as much as dramas, the outdoors fills the summer. If you check out the 2026 Summer Wrap-up, which gathers 2026 summer festivals and travel in one place, along with the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival held in Songdo at the end of July, your summer will be doubled, both indoors and outdoors.

Recommended 2026 Dramas & People to Watch Together

If just these three new releases aren't enough, let's expand to other trending works and the people who made them.

• Trending Dramas & Entertainment Shows: True Education · More Beautiful Than Heaven · Slowly, Intensely · Chilling Romance · Black & White Chef Season 3
• By Person: Namgoong Min (The Completion of Marriage) · Nam Joo-hyuk·Roh Yoon-seo·Jo Seung-woo·Donggung Writers (all from Donggung)
• More: 2026 First Half Dramas · Worth Watching in July · All Dramas