2026 January K-Drama Lineup: From Ji Sung's Return to Netflix Originals

Is your watchlist ready for the new year? January 2026 is delivering a powerhouse K-Drama schedule, featuring high-stakes fantasy, healing romance, and undercover thrills. Major platforms like Netflix, tvN, and HBO Max are going head-to-head with some of the most anticipated titles of the year.

2026 January K-Drama Lineup: The Early Starters

The month kicked off on January 2 with the premiere of The Judge Returns on HBO Max and MBC. This 14-episode legal fantasy stars veteran actors Ji Sung, Park Hee-soon, and Won Jin-ah. It follows a judge who travels back in time to fix moral failures and confront past injustices. According to MBC, the series focuses on redemption and the weight of judicial responsibility.

For those seeking emotional warmth, tvN launched Spring Fever on January 5. This 12-episode healing romance tells the story of a city woman who finds solace and a fresh start in a quiet small town after a painful past, meeting a man who helps her break down her emotional walls.

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Netflix's Mid-Month Original Surge

The streaming giant is set to release a wave of content on January 16. Can This Love Be Translated? explores the language of love between a celebrity and her interpreter across 12 episodes. Simultaneously, No Tail To Tell offers a comedic twist on mythology as a nine-tailed fox becomes human and tangles with a soccer star.

Closing the month's major releases is Undercover Miss Hong, premiering on January 17. Spanning 16 episodes, it depicts an elite inspector's dangerous mission inside a suspicious corporation while disguised as an office worker.