Netflix has got its agenda straight in bagging the biggest Korean drama industry leads after its sensational Squid Game gamble. Hot on the heels of the three buzz-worthy seasons of the mega-hit series, the streamer has no plans to stop, but to instead keep banking on star power.
The platform recently landed Byeon Woo Seok for the upcoming Korean live-action series adaptation of the award-winning anime Solo Leveling despite having initially shunned his breakout Lovely Runner performance from OTT availability. It was only belatedly included on the OTT streamer’s K-drama roster after the realisation of a lost opportunity and the extent of the beloved actor’s impressionability smacked Netflix in the face.
And now, Netflix is back at it, churning out a mix of its several best worlds, counting on K-pop diva-turned-actress Jo Yuri, of Squid Game fame, for its forthcoming series called Variety. Joining her on this journey, Korea’s ‘First Love’, aka Crash Landing on You star Son Ye Jin, will be co-leading a project already poised to be the next big thing in the streamer’s original Korean content catalogue.
Netflix bringing back network stalwarts and bankable star power: Variety K-drama
In addition to relying on Jo Yuri and Son Ye Jin’s “joint slay,” as fans would call it, the OTT platform is also bringing back the creative vision behind the highly acclaimed and fan-favourite series Mask Girl, director Kim Yong Hoon. He will also be penning the script for Variety.
Kim’s brand-new drama offering will revolve around Sae Eun, an entertainment company’s CEO who is responsible for the boom South Korea’s top idol group. The ever-versatile star Son Ye Jon will be taking on this role, commanding the scene with her character’s cool-headedness despite being at the centre of a pressure-driven and high-stakes competitive industry. Variety will explore how she puts everything on the line to renew the contract with the fictional K-pop group in question, which is now also the basis of her own reputation in the industry.
After Mask Girl, Variety could also highlight contemporary problems
Meanwhile, Jo Yuri’s role will hit too close to home for K-pop enthusiasts, and even herself, as she’s joined on to portray an obsessive fan, aka a ‘sasaeng,’ of the popular idol group. She recently won over fans with her performance in Squid Game Season 2 and 3.
On top of that, she is also a former member of the girl group Iz*One, and may undoubtedly know her way around the dark realities tied to parasocial bonds pushed by companies to immortalise a convoluted connection between star performers and their fans. For her part, Yuri’s character will resort to extreme and obsessive means to constantly keep track of her favourite idol’s movements.
Considering how Kim Yong Hoon’s Mask Girl already served fans with a hearty depiction of the complex beauty standards, his upcoming directorial is also bound to make way for much-needed social commentary on the K-pop (and celebrity lifestyle at large) scene and other related influential factors.
With reports of Jo Yuri joining Son Ye Jin for Kim Yong Hoon’s next K-drama already swirling earlier this year, Netflix finally confirmed the show’s production on July 20, 2025. Stay tuned for more updates!