In KPop Demon Hunters, HUNTR/X members Rumi, Zoey, and Mira are thrilled to throw on their bathrobes, grab their favorite snacks, and “Couch! Couch! Couch!” for a movie night (or, as Zoey describes it, “actually a list of 700 two-second videos I want you to watch, all about turtles.”)
In real life, the cast and creators of the two-time Academy Award–winning animated film prefer to stream a sprawling mix of movies and shows, including standout K-dramas, thrilling Korean competition shows, intriguing murder mysteries, and acclaimed horror series.
To celebrate the movie’s Oscar haul — with wins for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Golden”) — queue up these Netflix titles handpicked by the actors, songwriters, and directors. And of course, don’t forget the couch snacks.
Audrey Nuna, co-songwriter and the singing voice of HUNTR/X rapper Mira, loves this striking animated series, which is set in 17th-century Edo-period Japan. Maya Erskine voices Mizu, a mixed-race master of the sword who lives a life of disguise while seeking to deliver revenge against those who made her an outcast. The voice cast of characters joining Mizu (and viewers) on this quest includes Brenda Song, George Takei, Randall Park, Kenneth Branagh, Stephanie Hsu, Ming-Na Wen, and Harry Shum Jr.
Writer and director Maggie Kang loves this imaginative K-drama, which serves up both time travel and romance. Lim Yoon-a stars in the series as a chef who wins a prestigious culinary competition that catapults her to fame. But just as she’s secured herself a future in fine dining, she discovers an ancient cookbook that sends her back in time to Korea’s Joseon era, where she finds herself in a deadly position: head chef to a tyrant king (Lee Chae-min).
Nuna just started watching this widely beloved K-drama starring Son Ye-jin (Thirty-Nine) as Yoon Se-ri, a South Korean heiress who, due to a paragliding mishap during a tornado, gets unexpectedly transported across the border and lands in North Korea. Hyun Bin (Hyde, Jekyll, Me) plays Ri Jeong-hyeok, a captain in the Korean People's Army who, despite the political divide between their respective countries, decides that he will help her hide. Brace yourself: a truly epic romance ensues.
Both Kang and EJAE, co-songwriter and the singing voice of HUNTR/X lead Rumi, crave this cutthroat cooking competition that matches the underrated “Black Spoon” cooks against the acclaimed “White Spoon” chefs, all for a prestigious set of judges: Paik Jong-won and Anh Sung-jae. The second season of the Korean series turns up the heat by including “Hidden White Spoons,” two returning chefs from last year’s tournament — which was a runaway hit.
Writer and director Chris Appelhans gives a thumbs-up to this heartwarming K-drama, starring Park Eun-bin (The King’s Affection) as Woo Young-woo, a brilliant attorney who is blessed with a unique and quirky way of solving cases. The charming series sees her tackling challenges in the courtroom and beyond as both a newbie at a top law firm and a woman on the autism spectrum. She’s helped by kind colleagues and an understanding best friend.
REI AMI, the singing voice of HUNTR/X rapper Zoey, and May Hong, the speaking voice of HUNTR/X choreographer Mira, both recommend this thrilling revenge drama. After enduring years of ruthless physical and verbal abuse during high school, Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) begins to plot her decades-long retaliation. In her thirties, she finds a way to infiltrate each of her former bullies’ lives, plotting their slow and sure demise.
REI AMI is also an admirer of Mike Flanagan, the master of scary yet surprisingly heartfelt horror — particularly this chilling series about a family who moves into a mansion with high hopes until one tragic night changes everything. Decades later, the adult siblings and their estranged father reunite to settle their ghosts for good. Another of REI AMI’s Mike Flanagan must-sees? Midnight Mass, starring Hamish Linklater as a priest who arrives at a small island where inexplicable events begin to occur — until all hell breaks loose.
EJAE recommends this K-drama with a romance that’s out of this world. Kim Soo-hyun (Queen of Tears) is Do Min-joon, an alien who arrived on Earth 400 years ago and is finally almost able to return to his own planet. But when he meets a famous actress, Cheon Song-yi (played by Gianna Jun of Kingdom: Ashin of the North), he may not want to go home after all.
Hong loves to watch this South Korean reality show (and secretly wants to be part of its cast someday). The series drops singles on an island free of any modern comforts and luxuries. Their lone goal? Couple up to escape to a utopian resort known as Paradise. There’s another catch: Contestants cannot disclose their job or age to their partners until they’ve made it to Paradise, their only safe haven for honest conversation.
One of Appelhans’s favorite Netflix watches is a fellow Oscar nominee: a documentary that both honors the late Ajike Owens and confronts viewers with the stark realities of Stand Your Ground laws. It explores a tight-knit Florida community experiencing relentless harassment by a neighbor whose hostility escalates into a fatal crime. Using police bodycam footage to reveal in-the-moment conversations between law enforcement and locals, the film illustrates the impact of these controversial yet widely common laws.
Arden Cho, the speaking voice of conflicted HUNTR/X lead Rumi, is a fan of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s six-time Emmy–winning dystopian drama series, in which contestants play beloved childhood games in hopes of winning a life-changing amount of money, with each elimination round adding a deadly twist. Over the course of three seasons, the naive yet debt-ridden Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), also known as Player 456, evolves into a man determined to take down the game’s creators — by any means necessary.
Cho also endorses this medical K-drama, starring Ju Ji-hoon as a hotshot surgeon who returns to Seoul after years of practicing combat medicine all over the world, only to discover that his hometown is in desperate need of improved trauma response care. He sets out on a mission to establish a top-tier trauma center, save lives, and beat the system. The show is based on the webtoon Trauma Center: Golden Hour, by Hansanleega and Hongbichira.
REI AMI enjoys both of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out murder mysteries, starring Daniel Craig as the smartly dressed and heavily accented detective Benoit Blanc. The latest whodunit takes place at a small-town church, where a young priest (Josh O’Connor) is in the hot seat after a revered monsignor (Josh Brolin) is killed. Glenn Close, Thomas Haden Church, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, and Mila Kunis are among the devout congregation.
Cho adores this sweeping romance series, which stars K-drama favorites IU as the gifted but troubled Ae-sun and Park Bo-gum as the always dependable Gwan-sik. When tragedy strikes, Ae-sun is left in dire straits, but finds comfort in her friendship with Gwan-sik, a fisherman’s son who grew up alongside her. They forge a life together despite familial disapproval and personal setbacks. The story unfolds across a span of 50 years on Jeju Island and in Seoul and Busan.
Sometimes you admire your friend so much you want to be them, and other times you feel like you’ll never measure up. Cho is a fan of this complex K-drama about two best friends (played by Kim Go-eun and Park Ji-hyun) whose lives have been tightly intertwined since they were kids. They remain somewhat linked through adulthood, but resentment and jealousy finally push them far apart — until one is asked to accompany the other through her final days.
