Bloodhounds 2 is an instant success on Netflix. The South Korean series is a crime-action-thriller that puts family at its center (found and otherwise). With a cast led by Woo Do-hwan and Lee Yang-si as Gun-woo and Woo-jin, respectively, the action is intense, and the stakes are high. But what do you do when you’re done with the seven episodes? Don’t worry, we have a list of exactly what to watch after Bloodhounds 2.
While a few of these KDramas are TV series like Bloodhounds, we’ve focused on three primary elements. Family, hardcore action, and well, crime. Some of these titles have all three, like Disney+’s Moving or Prime Video’s Good Boy, which also stars Lee Sang-yi. Others are darker quests for vengeance that give audiences the best action you’ll see on the small screen, like Netflix’s Mercy for None. And others are still more experimental, like Paramount+’s one-shot wonder Bargain.
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The important thing, though, is that your exploration of South Korean series and actors doesn’t stop with Bloodhounds. There is a whole world of high-octane action, emotional family drama, and more to find. Here is what to watch after Netflix’s Bloodhounds.
Bloodhounds Reviews Season 1 | Season 2
Mercy For None
Directors: Choi Sung-Eun
Writers: Oh Se-Hyeong (webcomic), Kim Kyun-Tae (webcomic), Yoo Ki-Sung
Actors: So Ji-Sub, Lee Jun-Hyuk, Jung Gun-Joo, Gong Myung, Choo Young-Woo
Watch Here: Netflix
“Mercy For None captures the ripples that one choice makes, and the violent consequences that come from them. Ultimately, Ki-Jun’s adherence to the reality that the only way for anyone in their life to leave crime is to die makes him a reaper of sorts, but his own fearlessness and acceptance of a future death are what make him dangerous.
While it would be easy to classify the seven-episode series as just one path of revenge, Mercy For None is as much about the politicking in a criminal organization and power grabs as it is about action sequences. Each episode, we see Nam Ki-seok’s murder from a different perspective, learning more with each scene about what came next, until the person who built the web that killed him comes into focus.
While My Name established itself as one of the top action-revenge series on the streaming service, Mercy For None surpasses it… Mercy For None is an astounding series that ends with a silence that carries weight. Top-notch action, well-plotted intrigue, and the most violence in a Netflix series, this action-revenge story deserves to be on every “top” list this year and beyond.” – Kate Sánchez
Good Boy
Director: Sim Na-yeon
Writer: Lee Dae-il
Actors: Park Bo-gum, Kim So-hyun, Oh Jung-se, Lee Sang-yi, Heo Sung-tae, Tae Won-seok
Watch Here: Prime Video
“Good Boy is charming from start to finish, with the endearing Park Bo-gum as Yoon Dong-ju. Actor Park’s chemistry with every character, including his love interest, Kim So-hyun as Ji Ha-na, propels the series forward, episode by episode.
A former boxer, Dong-ju is often put in situations where his physicality can shine, with plenty of fight sequences that allow actor Park to showcase his action chops. The series’s kindness is also an element that makes it stand out. With the police as the focus and rooting out corruption as a main point, Good Boy doesn’t rest on its crime-drama laurels; instead, it uses its cast’s propensity for humor as much as its fighting to capture levity.
That said, the individual characters also each deal with their own post-athletic approach to life in varying degrees of fondness. The ability for Good Boy to break down the importance of discipline as an athlete, the worry about being ‘good enough,’ and the struggle to find safety in a sea of hostility comes through with each character. The personal battles that each of the ensemble cast members faces in Good Boy are as interesting as the overarching conspiracy they go up against.” – Kate Sánchez
Gangnam B-Side
Director: Park Noo-ri
Writers: Joo Won-kyu, Park Noo-ri
Actors: Jo Woo-jin, Ji Chang-wook, Ha Yoon-kyung, Bibi
Watch Here: Hulu/Disney+
“Gangnam B-Side is a brash crime drama that invests heavily in winding as many corrupt paths together as it can. If a melodramatic series can string together a series of love interests and betrayals, this detective-focused series can do the same but with well, crimes.
With the stakes increasing as time goes on and the violence shown growing fiercer, the series hits a binge-able status because it invests so much in balancing shock, awe, and thrilling character dynamics. Which, of course, makes it endlessly entertaining to watch.” – Kate Sánchez
The Worst of Evil
Director: Han Dong-wook
Writer: Jang Min-suk
Actors: Ji Chang-wook, Wi Ha-joon, Im Se-mi, Bibi, Lee Shin-ki, Jung Jae-kwang, Ji Seung-hyun
Watch Here: Hulu/Disney+
“The Worst of Evil excels in its action and pacing. Each fight sequence, whether a large many-versus-many sequence in a cramped hallway, a one-versus-many brawl, or any other combination, serves a narrative purpose. Creative in scale and scope, the fight choreography and how it is scored allow the combatants to make the most out of their surroundings.
The Worst of Evil is a success because it doesn’t just lean on shocking moments or hard-hitting action. It has those two elements in spades, but it always takes time to develop dynamic characters at the center of every choice and mystery. A crime drama, a gangster story, and even a childhood romance, every single aspect of the series is wound tightly together around compelling characters that draw you in immediately and hold you there.
The Worst of Evil is one of the strongest dramas of the year, with its winding story of two men irreparably connected to each other and the circumstances that have led them to very different points in their life. Filled to the brim with action and emotional developments, it’s a genre story that uses expectations to build a dynamic depth, doing all things well, and never faltering in its pacing or structure.” —Kate Sánchez
The Manipulated
Director: Kim Chang-ju
Writer: Oh Sang-ho
Actors: Ji Chang-wook, Do Kyung-soo
Watch Here: Hulu/Disney+
“One part Death Race and one part The Price of Confession, The Manipulated is a genre-hyphenate of a series that doesn’t stop to ask, ‘Is this swing too big?’ Instead, the series writer, Oh Sang-ho just keeps pushing the boundary further and further.
By the series’s end, the spectacle is all about it; the reality is that this is the first series I have seen, international or otherwise, that comes close to the interesting, violent action sequences we got from Netflix’s Daredevil. The prison fights in The Manipulated are mean, brutal, and showcase the main character’s descent into vengeance, the longer it goes.
But having been falsely accused, Park Tae-Joong’s growing need for revenge and his movement from a wide-eyed kind man to one hardened by the world around him. Compelling characters, nailbiting action, and a weird chaebol who just wants to watch the world burn? Yeah, it’s a must-watch.” – Kate Sánchez
Bargain
Director: Jeon Woo-sung
Writer: Jeon Woo-sung, Choi Byeon-gyun
Actors: Jun Jong-seo, Jin Sun-kyu, Chan Ryul, Park Hyung-soo, Shin Jae-hwi, Kang Gil-woo
Watch Here: Paramount+
“The one-shot style of the series also allows Bargain to capture some truly fantastic action sequences as characters fight each other without edits to hide behind. The actors in this series, primarily Jeon Jong-seo, Jin Seon-kyu, and Chang Ryul, are each unafraid of tackling tough fight choreography or exploration, and more importantly, they sell every minute of it. The characters seal the deal for the series, but because of the strength of the cast to jump into the thick of it all without the ability to hide behind jump cuts, making this acting endeavor a brave one.
A good disaster series, a great action series, and an even better character study on the desperate people doing desperate things, Bargain captures the audience from the moment the uncomfortable facade it presents you is shattered, and the organ trade takes the focus until the bitter end.
One of the top series of the year by a mile, Bargain is innovative, smart, mean, and filled with a talented cast and crew that is unmatched by any production out right now. If this is an example of the caliber of international projects that Paramount+ is investing in, sign me up for every single one.” —Kate Sánchez
Moving
Director: Park In-je, Park Yoon-seo
Writer: Kang Full
Actors: Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun, Park Hee-soon, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Jung-ha, Go Youn-jung, Kim Do-hoon
Watch Here: Hulu/Disney+
“Outside of the characters, though, Moving has to be commended for its stellar action sequences. With set pieces that pack a wallop with explosions, breaking walls and glass, and hand-to-hand fight sequences that are shot perfectly, the diversity of action on display is phenomenal. Ryu Seung-beom as Frank is at the center of the action, and his presence on-screen is commanding, with just the right amount of somber loneliness that shines through when we first see him at the airport until the series ends.
Moving isn’t just a series that can be classified as an action-heavyweight. It’s also a narrative giant as well. With an ensemble cast that stretches the viewers’ focus beyond expectation, Moving is able to highlight every single character it adds, thanks to the more traditional K-drama length of 20 episodes.
A long series in a time where Netflix has been truncating every series it can even for Korean studios, Moving doesn’t waste any minute of its runtime across them all. It needs every single one of the 20 episodes to stick the landing, and it never overstays its welcome. In fact, this is a world I want more of, with characters I am yearning to come back to.” —Kate Sánchez
A Shop for Killers
Directors: Lee Kwon, No Kyu-Yeob
Writers: Kang Ji-young (novel), Lee Kwon, Ji Ho-jin
Actors: Kim Hye-jun, Lee Dong-wook, Seo Hyun-woo, Jo Han-sun, Park Ji-bin
Watch Here: Hulu/Disney+
“For a show about killers, the action doesn’t disappoint. From drones to slingshots to makeshift traps to shootouts, the action sequences will make hearts race. They are slick and tight, the movement frenetic and quick to depict the skill level of the killers onscreen.
What makes the action more exciting is the experimentation with the camera. Whether depicting the drone’s perception, a tech dog’s heat vision, or how killers operate in pitch-black darkness, there are risks taken with the cinematography that pay off.
A Shop For Killers is action-packed, featuring characters that will sway you, piss you off, and lure you in. Lee Dong-Wook and Kim Hye-jun are the heart of the series, with a supporting cast that takes no survivors.” – Sarah Musnicky
A Killer Paradox
Director: Lee Chang-hee
Writers: Ggomabi (webcomic), Nomabi (webcomic), Kim Da-min
Actors: Choi Woo-sik, Son Suk-gu, Lee Hee-jun
Watch Here: Netflix
“Stories about killers who kill bad people aren’t new. The chokehold Dexter had on pop culture in the aughts showed an audience hungry for retribution. While A Killer Paradox rewards its audience with moments of epic comeuppance, how the series complicates the straightforward theme makes it stand out. Does intent matter? Does intent mar the vengeance enacted for victims you don’t know? While some moral elements stop just before they’re deeply explored, others are the guiding frame of the narrative.
Darkly humorous, violent, and never boring, A Killer Paradox is a morality thriller like no other. What begins as a comedy of errors and morphs into a deep detective thriller, it’s one of the finest series on Netflix. But more importantly, it showcases actor Choi Woo-shik’s talent and ability to tackle dynamic characters.” – Kate Sánchez
Trigger
Director: Kwon Oh-seung
Writer: Kwon Oh-seung
Actors: Kim Na-gil, Kim Young-kwang
Watch Here: Netflix
“Trigger is Netflix’s most disturbing series, and its ability to move from a regular crime drama into an unsettling spectacle of gun violence with so little effort is unnerving. Still, its message is heard loud and clear if you take the time to look instead of being moved by the sensationalization.
Trigger isn’t perfect, with its clunky handling of some serious topics, often choosing only to show the high-level impact due to its choice to tackle multiple societal issues within its episode count. But the series is well worth enduring that all. If only to understand how not normal it is for the United States to have mass shootings so frequently, and how our reality is the worst nightmare of other people.” – Kate Sánchez
