It looks like Netflix is busy securing yet another international hit from South Korea. According to reports, a new K-Drama series entitled Black Knight has risen to the top of the streaming charts internationally.
Black Knight is set in the not-too-distant future, in the year of 2071. By this time, the Earth has turned into a post-apocalyptic wasteland as a result of a comet impact. Following the impact, only 1% of the South Korean peninsula survived and began to coalesce into segregated districts based on their social status. As the air is heavily polluted, the populace relies on special drivers known as ‘Knights’, who deliver supplies such as fresh oxygen to people around the country. Kim Woo-bin stars as ‘5-8’, a legendary Knight who takes the young Sa-wol (Kang Yoo-seok) under his wing, as the young man wants to become a Knight himself.
According to Netflix’s Top 10 website, Black Knight has risen to become the streamer’s number one most watched non-English program. With over 31,220,000 hours watched, it seems that the series has found a meteoric success. The streamer must also be pleased to know that the series has now entered the top ten lists of 65 different countries worldwide.
Black Knight‘s success speaks to the growing popularity of Korean dramas. Programs such as Squid Game have illustrated this point in the past, and the wider spread of Korean pop culture has permeated and influenced pop culture worldwide. With ratings as high as this, Netflix would be remiss not to renew the freshman drama for another season.
