Is Good Boy Park Bo-Gum’s best role yet? Here’s what to expect

It’s another win for Park Bo-gum this year, after his successful When Life Gives You Tangerines. His next drama Good Boy, appears to have knocked it right out of the park with a fierce first impression and dominating weekend drama chatter.

According to Nielsen Korea, the May 31 premiere pulled in a solid 4.8 per cent nationwide rating among paid households in the Seoul metro area, with peak minute-by-minute ratings reaching 7.3%—edging out rival show Our Unwritten Seoul (4.5%) airing on tvN in the same time slot. While it trailed slightly behind the debut numbers of its predecessor More Beautiful Than Heaven (5.8%), the buzz surrounding Good Boy suggests it's poised for a bigger climb.

So, why is it working? Good Boy flips the script with an offbeat yet compelling concept: Olympic athletes-turned-police officers fighting injustice. Park Bo-gum leads as Yoon Dong Joo, a former boxing champ turned disgraced cop. He’s joined by Kim So Hyun (sharpshooter Ji Han Na), Lee Sang Yi (fencer Kim Jong Hyun), Heo Sung Tae (wrestler Go Man Shik), and Tae Won Seok (discus thrower Shin Jae Hong). Together, they form the unlikely but powerful ‘Goodvengers’.

While the action scenes are all what the genre aficionados can hope for, what’s truly drawing viewers in is the emotional core. Yoon Dong Joo’s arc, from national hero to misunderstood outcast, adds a human touch.

At the helm is Shim Na Yeon, director of Beyond Evil, known for balancing psychological drama with genre flair. Here, she brings that same emotional sharpness but ups the ante with blockbuster-level pacing, punchy editing, and a score that pulses with intensity. The result? A drama that feels more like a movie.

The cast promises more twists, action, and heart. Park Bo-Gum shared in a statement, “Medalists from different sports join forces to bring justice. But beyond that, the teamwork—between the actors, the director, lighting, and music—is what really makes this show shine.”

Kim So Hyun added, “You’ll feel a kind of ‘good’ energy as the Goodvengers push through adversity. It’s empowering.”

With a strong start and a fresh, emotionally grounded take on the hero genre, Good Boy might not just settle for ‘only good’,—it might be great.