Netflix’s “Teach You a Lesson” hands its hero a government license to hit children, then spends ten episodes asking whether that was a good idea. The show never settles the question. That is the point.
The series comes from creators Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram, working from their Naver webtoon “Get Schooled,” with Lee Nam-kyu, Kim Da-hee and Moon Jong-ho writing and Hong Jong-chan directing. It was released on Netflix on June 5, 2026. It topped Netflix’s global non-English television chart after release.
Trailer, via Netflix K-Content.
Na Hwa-jin and the Educational Rights Protection Bureau
The setup is blunt. Campus violence is rising and faculty authority is collapsing, so the South Korean government passes the Teacher Rights Protection Act and stands up the Educational Rights Protection Bureau under Minister of Education Choi Gang-seok. The Bureau can use any measure it wants, including physical force and psychological pressure, against students and teachers alike.
Kim Mu-yeol plays Na Hwa-jin, the inspector sent into schools to tear down the hierarchies delinquent students have built and to clean out administrative corruption. He is backed by two partners: Jin Ki-joo as Im Han-rim, the eccentric investigator, and Pyo Ji-hoon, billed as P.O, as Bong Geun-dae, the technophilic officer. Lee Sung-min plays Choi Kang-seok.
Kim Mu-yeol took the lead in November 2024, citing his trust in Hong after they worked together on the 2022 legal drama “Juvenile Justice.” Kim Nam-gil had been in talks the same month. Jin Ki-joo, Pyo Ji-hoon and Lee Sung-min joined the lead cast in January 2025, and Netflix confirmed the four actors’ appearances by March 2025. Ha Young joined the cast in July 2025.
The immunity mechanic drives every episode
Here is the engine of “Teach You a Lesson”: Hwa-jin carries state-sanctioned immunity. The Bureau’s authority covers students and teachers. The show does not hide it.
The cast is built for that ambiguity. Lee Sung-min’s Choi Kang-seok sits at the top of the structure. Kim Jong-soo, Ahn Ha-young and Lee Bong-joon fill out the rest of the cast.
Comedy, drama and force in one frame
Netflix files “Teach You a Lesson” under Action & Adventure, Drama and Comedy. The premise is a man legally allowed to hurt teenagers.
That premise could easily become a revenge fantasy and stop thinking. “Teach You a Lesson” keeps thinking. It treats the Bureau’s mandate as a problem to be examined rather than a power to be celebrated.
The original webtoon drew controversy, and the series carries that inheritance. It does not pretend the premise is clean. It asks you to hold the ugly parts and the satisfying parts at once.
Why the second season talk makes sense
In July 2026, reports said a second season was under discussion, with filming schedule and cast not yet finalized. The show topped Netflix’s global non-English television chart, which was cited as a factor supporting a potential renewal.
The show achieved commercial success and generated strong domestic attention in South Korea, where it ranked highly across multiple buzz and popularity metrics, despite controversy surrounding the original webtoon.
Three things make this series work:
- The immunity mechanic.
- Kim Mu-yeol’s Hwa-jin, who plays the Bureau’s instrument without turning him into a simple hero.
- The partners, Im Han-rim and Bong Geun-dae.
What the 9.4 measures
The published audience score for “Teach You a Lesson” is 9.4 out of 10, drawn from a TMDB audience score of 897 votes. It is an audience number rather than a critics’ tally.
Critical reception was generally positive, with most reviews being favorable.
The verdict on season one
“Teach You a Lesson” is at its best when it lets a case get complicated and at its weakest when it lets Hwa-jin simply win.
The controversy around the source material is not noise. A series about state violence in schools that generated this much domestic attention in South Korea is doing something more than entertaining.
What “Teach You a Lesson” gets right is refusing to let its audience off the hook. It gives you the fantasy, then shows you the bill.
Audience score: 9.4 of 10.
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