After a wild seven-year run, Amazon Prime’s superhero satire The Boys has finally crossed the finish line. For years, the hit series was praised for its gritty, realistic take on a world overrun by corrupt supes. By pulling zero punches, it delivered an unapologetic experience that safer cinematic universes like Marvel and DC simply would not touch.
While the 5th and final season lost a bit of its edge, focusing way too much on setting up a new The Boys spin-off rather than wrapping up character arcs before a rushed finale, it still stands as a defining superhero staple. But as that chapter closes, a new series is already dominating the Netflix charts to fill the massive void.
Enter The WONDERfools, a wild eight-episode superhero K-drama starring Park Eun-bin (best known for the lead role in Extraordinary Attorney Woo) alongside idol-turned-actor Cha Eun-woo (best known for True Beauty). The series completely nails the supernatural genre by handing bizarre powers to completely flawed, ordinary misfits. The Korean entertainment scene is clearly pushing way past its usual rom-com boundaries lately, and this hilarious, action-packed thrill ride proves it.
Amazon’s Superhero Satire Finally Has A Worthy Successor On Netflix As The WONDERfools
Set during the 1999 Y2K panic, The Wonderfools follows Eun Chae-ni (Park Eun-bin), a chaotic town misfit suffering from a terminal heart condition. Desperate for one last trip abroad, she attempts to fake her own kidnapping for ransom money. The plan goes disastrously wrong when she suffers a fatal heart attack.
Panic-stricken, her friends, the gentle giant Kang Ro-bin, and cash-strapped Son Gyeong-hun, try to hide her body near a local garbage dump, accidentally exposing themselves to toxic chemical runoff from an illegal laboratory. This bizarre accident resurrects Chae-ni and grants the trio ridiculous, uncontrollable superpowers tied to their emotions. The incident is witnessed by Lee Un-jeong (Cha Eun-woo), an awkward civil servant who secretly possesses telekinesis.
The most popular K-dramas may be romantic comedies, but Korean shows span every genre— including some of the most creative science fiction plots ever.
What makes this K-drama such an entertaining watch is the messy, authentic chemistry between the cast. Watching these damaged misfits figure out their unique abilities delivers non-stop laughs without feeling forced. Whenever the duo of Son Gyeong-hun and Kang Ro-bi comes on screen, laughter is guaranteed.
But a superhero story needs a solid villain. Across its tight eight-episode run, the series introduces Ha Won-do and the Wunderkinder, a group of ruthless, lab-engineered superhumans who have honed their deadly abilities since childhood, making them a terrifying threat for this hilariously unequipped squad to face.
The Netflix K-Drama Perfectly Mirrors The Boys’ Darkest Elements
The WONDERfools actually pulls off something that took The Boys multiple seasons to nail: instantly giving its cast proper, emotional backstories. From the jump, the K-drama flawlessly weaves in Lee Un-jeong’s tragic past, revealing how he ended up with his telekinetic powers and his horrific childhood connection to the Wunderkinder project.
Being a major Netflix original series, the production values are top-tier. The visual effects don’t look cheap or rushed at all. Seeing Un-jeong unleash his telekinesis powers and completely tear a building apart early on proves the series means business.
Now Streaming · Press Play How Well Do You Know Netflix Originals? “Red light, green light.”
🌀Stranger ThingsThe Upside Down
🎭Squid GamePlayer 456
👑The CrownLong live the Queen
🕸WednesdayNevermore Academy
🌹BridgertonDearest readers
01
Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
03
In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?
✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.
05
The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?
✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.
06
Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?
✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.
07
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?
✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.
08
Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?
✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.
Credits Rolling · Autoplay On Your Binge-Watcher Rank
🎬
/ 8
Platinum subscriber — or still on the free trial?
What really cements the K-drama as the perfect replacement for the Amazon hit is how it handles the origin of these abilities. Just like Vought’s shady Compound V, the superpowers here aren’t natural gifts. They are the twisted results of a sinister scientist conducting covert experiments on innocent kids.
While the K-drama doesn’t reach The Boys‘ level of brutality, it still uses its 16+ rating really well to deliver plenty of blood-soaked scenes. Anyone missing the chaotic superhero action and violence of The Boys will probably find a lot to enjoy in Netflix’s The WONDERfools.
