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Hallyu Wiki explainers · Hallyu Wiki editors · Updated 2026-10-13

New K-dramas this October: Doctor X, Take Charge of My Heart, 100 Days of Deception, Between Steps

Four series that started in the first half of October, plus new Japan co-productions led by Ji Chang-wook and Lee Joon-gi — channels, premiere dates, leads, early ratings and buzz, drawn from 18 press and official sources.

Four Korean series launched between October 5 and 10, 2026: ENA's Between Steps (Oct. 5), Netflix's Take Charge of My Heart (all 10 episodes on Oct. 9), SBS's Doctor X: Mafia in White (Oct. 9) and tvN's 100 Days of Deception (Oct. 10). Doctor X got off to the strongest start, with an 11.4 percent nationwide rating for its first episode, the highest premiere of any 2026 miniseries, and first place in Good Data Corporation's FUNdex TV-OTT drama buzz ranking for the second week of October.

The same week, Ji Chang-wook and Lee Joon-gi began new series too. Ji leads Merry Berry Love, co-produced by CJ ENM and Japan's Nippon TV (on Disney+ from Oct. 7), and Lee leads Kidnap Game, a Korea-Japan-Hong Kong co-production led by Japan's Fuji TV (on Channel A and Disney+ from Oct. 6). Every claim below carries a source number; the final section explains how to read Hallyu Wiki's Wikipedia page-view data as a measure of curiosity only.

SeriesChannel · premiereLeadsPremise and early numbers
Doctor X: Mafia in WhiteSBS, Fridays and Saturdays · premiered Oct. 9, 2026 · 12 episodesKim Ji-won, Lee Jung-eun, Son Hyun-joo, Kim Woo-seokA medical noir about Gye Soo-jung, a genius surgeon who never fails or compromises, taking on the power games of hospital administration; a Korean adaptation of TV Asahi's Doctor-X series. Nielsen Korea nationwide ratings: 11.4% (ep. 1), 14.9% (ep. 2). No. 1 in FUNdex's TV-OTT drama buzz ranking for the second week of October.1,2,3,5
Take Charge of My HeartNetflix · all 10 episodes released Oct. 9, 2026Kim Young-kwang, Chae Soo-binA fantasy rom-com in which a third-generation chaebol heir whose artificial heart is running low strikes a contract with a TV writer whose electric current shocks anyone she touches. Based on a web novel. No. 6 in FUNdex's TV-OTT drama buzz ranking for the second week of October.5,6,7
100 Days of DeceptiontvN, Saturdays and Sundays · premiered Oct. 10, 2026 · 16 episodesKim You-jung, Park Jin-young, Kim Hyun-jooA spy romance set in Gyeongseong (Seoul) in 1932, between the city's best pickpocket turned undercover agent and an elite interpreter at the Japanese colonial Government-General. A tvN 20th-anniversary project. Nielsen Korea nationwide ratings: 5.3% (ep. 1), 7.6% (ep. 2). No. 3 in FUNdex's TV-OTT drama buzz ranking for the second week of October.5,9,10,11
Between StepsENA, Mondays and Tuesdays · premiered Oct. 5, 2026Choo Young-woo, Kim So-hyunThe story of Park Min-jae, a robotics PhD student and former high-school swimmer, and Lim Yu-jin, a master's student who finds a new path after losing her way. The final new work by the late director Ahn Pan-seok. Nielsen Korea nationwide pay-TV ratings: 1.8% (ep. 1), 2.4% (ep. 2), 2.1% (ep. 3). No. 2 in FUNdex's TV-OTT drama buzz ranking for the second week of October.5,13,14,15
Merry Berry LoveDisney+ and Japan's Nippon TV · premiered Oct. 7, 2026 · weekly on WednesdaysJi Chang-wook, Imada MioA romantic comedy in which Korean space planner Lee Yu-bin and Japanese farmer Shirahama Karin meet on a Japanese island. Co-produced by CJ ENM and Nippon TV. No. 2 on FlixPatrol's worldwide Disney+ TV chart on Oct. 9.16,17
Kidnap GameChannel A and Disney+ · premiered Oct. 6, 2026Lee Joon-gi, Sakaguchi KentaroA suspense thriller in which seven people whose family members are abducted at the same time in seven Asian cities are told only one can be saved, and each is handed a mission. Led by Japan's Fuji TV with Hong Kong's Makerville and Korea's Simstory. Nielsen Korea nationwide rating for episode 1: 0.3%.18

Doctor X: Mafia in White — the best premiere of any 2026 miniseries

SBS's Doctor X: Mafia in White is a Korean adaptation of TV Asahi's Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon, which ran for seven seasons from 2012 to 2021. Kim Ji-won plays genius surgeon Gye Soo-jung, with Son Hyun-joo, Lee Jung-eun and Kim Woo-seok in the cast; Lee Jung-rim directs. Lee said the team kept the original's basic framework and appeal while bringing out a Korean sensibility, and that adding noir to hospital power struggles and a cathartic genius-doctor lead is what sets it apart. The first episode on Oct. 9 drew 11.4 percent nationwide and 11.2 percent in the Seoul area, peaking at 12.9 percent, per Nielsen Korea — the best premiere of any 2026 miniseries — and episode 2 rose to 14.9 percent nationwide. The 12-episode series airs Fridays and Saturdays on SBS and, according to The Korea Herald, streams globally on Netflix. On FlixPatrol, a third-party streaming-chart aggregator, it was reported on Oct. 13 to rank first among Netflix TV shows in Korea and fourth worldwide, in the top 10 in 67 countries. In Good Data Corporation's FUNdex survey for Oct. 5–11, it topped the TV-OTT drama buzz ranking and Kim Ji-won topped the drama cast ranking.

1,2,3,4,5

Take Charge of My Heart — a Netflix rom-com released all at once

All 10 episodes of Netflix's Take Charge of My Heart were released at once on Oct. 9. Netflix describes it as the story of a man whose artificial heart is running out of battery and a woman with the unique power to recharge him. Kim Young-kwang plays Baek Ho-rang, a third-generation chaebol heir, and Chae Soo-bin plays Na Bo-bae, a TV writer whose love life stays drained because her electric current shocks anyone she touches. It is based on Haebeon's Naver web novel, directed by Park Soo-won and written by Song You-chae. Early on, it was reported at No. 3 among Netflix TV shows worldwide on FlixPatrol on Oct. 12, and in the top 10 in 66 countries and regions. In FUNdex's survey for the second week of October it placed sixth in TV-OTT drama buzz, with Chae Soo-bin seventh and Kim Young-kwang tenth among drama cast members.

5,6,7,8

100 Days of Deception — tvN's 20th-anniversary spy romance

tvN's 100 Days of Deception began on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 9:10 p.m. in the Saturday-Sunday slot. In 1932 Gyeongseong, Lee Ga-gyeong (Kim You-jung), a pickpocket saving up to leave for America, goes undercover as an interpreter trainee at the Japanese Government-General at the request of an anti-Japanese group, and senior interpreter Kim Tae-woong (Park Jin-young) begins to suspect who she is. Kim Hyun-joo, Lee Moo-saeng and Jin Seon-kyu co-star. The 16-episode series is directed by Yoo In-sik (Extraordinary Attorney Woo) with Kim Yoon-jin, and written by Ryu Bo-ri (Do You Like Brahms?). Nielsen Korea nationwide ratings rose 2.3 points, from 5.3 percent for episode 1 to 7.6 percent (8.3 percent in the Seoul area) for episode 2 on Oct. 11, topping its time slot including cable channels. In FUNdex's survey for the second week of October it ranked third in TV-OTT drama buzz, with Kim You-jung third and Park Jin-young ninth among cast. Netflix listed it with Doctor X in its new lineup for the second week of October; that was a press release from Netflix in Korea, and this page could not confirm which other regions carry it.

5,9,10,11,12

Between Steps — the late director Ahn Pan-seok's final new work

ENA's Between Steps premiered on Oct. 5 at 10 p.m. in the Monday-Tuesday slot and can also be watched on KT Genie TV and Disney+. It follows Park Min-jae (Choo Young-woo), a robotics PhD student who was a swimmer in high school, and Lim Yu-jin (Kim So-hyun), a master's student who finds a new path after losing her way. It is the final new work by the late director Ahn Pan-seok, known for Graduation, Something in the Rain, One Spring Night and Secret Affair, and is written by Min Hyo-jung (The Rooftop Cat, Full House). Nielsen Korea nationwide pay-TV ratings were 1.8 percent for episode 1, 2.4 percent for episode 2 and 2.1 percent for episode 3. In FUNdex's survey for the second week of October, by contrast, it ranked second in TV-OTT drama buzz, with Choo Young-woo second and Kim So-hyun fourth among cast — higher on buzz than on ratings.

5,13,14,15

Ji Chang-wook and Lee Joon-gi: new series made with Japanese broadcasters

  • Ji Chang-wook, Merry Berry Love. It premiered on Disney+ on Oct. 7, with new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+ and weekly Wednesday broadcasts on Japan's Nippon TV. A romantic comedy in which Korean space planner Lee Yu-bin (Ji) and Japanese farmer Shirahama Karin (Imada Mio) meet on a Japanese island, it was co-produced by CJ ENM and Nippon TV. On FlixPatrol it was reported at No. 9 on the worldwide Disney+ TV chart on Oct. 8 and No. 2 on Oct. 9, first in Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong and in the top 10 in 73 countries and regions.16,17
  • Lee Joon-gi, Kidnap Game. It premiered on Oct. 6 on Channel A and Disney+, with episode 2 airing Oct. 13 at 10 p.m. The suspense thriller is led by Japan's Fuji TV with Hong Kong's Makerville and Korea's Simstory; Fuji TV called it its first international co-production for a prime-time terrestrial drama. Lee plays Seoul surgeon Han Ki-joo, and Japanese actor Sakaguchi Kentaro plays Tokyo detective Niide Toshiro. As of Oct. 2 it had confirmed broadcast or distribution in 28 countries and regions; in Korea, episode 1 drew a 0.3 percent nationwide rating per Nielsen Korea. It is Lee's first drama since Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun in 2023.18
16,17,18

Hallyu Wiki data: a jump in views means curiosity

  • What was counted. Hallyu Wiki adds up weekly human (non-bot) page views across eight Wikipedia language editions. Comparing the week of Oct. 4–10 with the week before (Sept. 27–Oct. 3): Between Steps went from 654 to 26,498, Doctor X from 2,642 to 54,406, Take Charge of My Heart from 5,430 to 46,324, and 100 Days of Deception from 7,947 to 16,214. Among actors, Ji Chang-wook went from 50,797 to 95,678 and Lee Joon-gi from 12,987 to 39,896.
  • Page views measure curiosity, not approval. They cannot tell whether a reader watched or liked the show; anyone looking up the cast or the source material after a premiere counts once.
  • Allow for a new-page effect. The English Wikipedia pages for Doctor X and Between Steps were created on Oct. 3–4, so their English views the previous week were 32 and 0. Part of their jump simply reflects the pages coming into existence. And 100 Days of Deception premiered on Oct. 10, the last day of the window, so only one post-premiere day is included.
  • For Ji Chang-wook and Lee Joon-gi, Japanese Wikipedia drove the rise. Ji's Japanese-language page went from 26,450 to 72,172 views and Lee's from 9,139 to 35,427, accounting for most of each actor's increase. The timing matches their new series made with Nippon TV and Fuji TV respectively, but view counts alone cannot prove the cause.
  • How to read this page. Ratings and rankings are as of each article's date and will change as the shows continue. FlixPatrol is a third-party aggregator, not an official Netflix or Disney+ chart, and Netflix's official weekly Top 10 figures are not reflected here. If you are new to K-drama on Netflix, the reading path "K-Drama 101 via Netflix" picks up from here.

Reading paths

Starter · 10 articlesK-Drama 101 via NetflixBegin with Squid Game and Hwang Dong-hyuk, pass through a zombie period piece, a revenge drama, a Jeju family saga, 2026's The Scandal and cooking and physical survival shows, and arrive at what Korean drama is.

Related articles

Doctor X: Mafia in White Take Charge of My Heart 100 Days of Deception Between Steps Kim Ji-won Chae Soo-bin Kim Young-kwang Kim You-jung Park Jin-young Choo Young-woo Kim So-hyun Ji Chang-wook Lee Joon-gi Ahn Pan-seok Netflix Korean drama

Sources

  1. press The Korea Herald, From 'Queen of Tears' to 'Doctor X': Kim Ji-won returns to TV after 2 years, 2026-10-07
  2. press 텐아시아, '김부장' 넘어섰다…김지원 첫방 시청률 두 자릿수 돌파→"실패하지 않아" 최고 12.9% ('닥터X')[종합], 2026-10-10
  3. press The Korea Herald, 'Doctor X: Mafia in White' draws criticism over medical accuracy, 2026-10-12
  4. press iMBC연예, '닥터X', 국내외 흥행 지표 싹쓸이…단 2회 만에 '17.4%' 돌파, 2026-10-13
  5. press 아이즈(ize), '닥터X' 김지원, 추영우·김유정 제쳤다...'드라마 출연자 화제성 1위' [iZE 포커스], 2026-10-13
  6. official About Netflix, Electrifying Korean Rom-Com Series 'Take Charge of My Heart' to Spark Love on October 9, 2026-09-10
  7. press The Korea Times, Netflix's 'Take Charge of My Heart' recharges classic rom-com formula, 2026-10-01
  8. press 싱글리스트, 김영광·채수빈 '나를 충전해줘', '닥터X' 꺾고 넷플릭스 월드와이드 3위 등극, 2026-10-12
  9. press iMBC연예, 박진영, 첫사랑 기습 고백…김유정→김현주 '100일의 거짓말' 스페셜 예능 출격, 2026-10-03
  10. press 뉴시스, 경성 소매치기로 변신한 김유정…'100일의 거짓말' 5.3% 출발, 2026-10-11
  11. press 텐아시아, "독립운동 엮여 황천길 갈 뻔" 2회 만에 시청률 터졌다…5.3→7.6% 상승세 탄 '100일의' [종합], 2026-10-12
  12. press 브레이크뉴스, 넷플릭스, '나를 충전해줘'·'닥터X'·'100일의 거짓말' 등 신작 라인업 공개, 2026-10-08
  13. press 일간스포츠, 추영우X김소현 "자유롭게 움직이도록 열어 주신 故안판석 감독님" ('연애박사'), 2026-10-01
  14. press 일간스포츠, 추영우X김소현 '연애박사' 우연일까 운명일까…1%대 출발 [차트IS], 2026-10-06
  15. press YTN, 김소현, 추영우 의족 착용 알았다…'연애박사' 시청률 2.1%, 소폭 하락, 2026-10-13
  16. press 텐아시아, 지창욱, 제대로 일냈다…日 여배우와 ♥로맨스→공개 하루만에 TOP 10 진입, 2026-10-10
  17. press 스포츠경향, 해냈다, '메리 베리 러브'…월드와이드쇼 2위, 2026-10-10
  18. press 아주경제, 이준기 어디 갔나 했더니…사카구치 켄타로와 7개 도시 돌며 반년 찍었다, 2026-10-12
Cite this page

“New K-dramas this October: Doctor X, Take Charge of My Heart, 100 Days of Deception, Between Steps.” Hallyu Wiki. https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/new-kdramas-2026-10/ (Retrieved 2026-10-13).

How this article was made: read official statements, court/regulator records and at least two independent outlets; community posts are used only as attention signals. Written by Hallyu Wiki editors with AI assistance — check the sources. Request a correction