Lee Jin-wook Jung Chae-yeon Esquire Drama Hits Netflix Global Top 3: Korean Legal Series Breaks Viewership Records
JTBC's weekend legal drama achieves remarkable ratings growth and international streaming success
JTBC's "Esquire: Lawyers Who Dream of Becoming Lawyers" has achieved Netflix's global TV show ranking of 3rd place, marking a significant success for Korean legal dramas on the international stage. The series starring Lee Jin-wook and Jung Chae-yeon recorded 8.3% nationwide viewership for episode 4 (aired August 10), with peak minute ratings breaking through 10%.
Dramatic Ratings Surge
Starting from a modest 3.7% rating for its premiere episode on August 2, the drama has more than doubled its viewership to reach 8.3% by episode 4. Episode 3 achieved 6.7% ratings, breaking the 8% barrier during peak minutes and securing the top position among weekend mini-series.
The series' minute-by-minute peak ratings reached 10.2% for the metropolitan area, officially breaking through the "magic 10%" threshold that many Korean dramas struggle to achieve.
International Netflix Performance
According to FlixPatrol, "Esquire" climbed to 3rd place in Netflix's global TV show rankings as of August 11, surpassing Mexico's series "Unspeakable Crime". The drama entered the top 10 in 85 countries, including the United States.
Netflix's official global rankings for non-English TV shows placed "Esquire" at 2nd position with approximately 4.6 million viewing hours (calculated by dividing total viewing hours by total runtime) across 51 countries during the August 4-10 tracking period.
The series maintains its dominance domestically, holding the #1 position on Netflix Korea's "Today's TOP 10 Series" as of August 13.
Industry Buzz and Recognition
GoodData Corporation's FUNdex rankings for the first week of August placed "Esquire" at #1 in TV drama buzz, #2 in TV-OTT drama buzz, and #3 in the combined TV-OTT rankings. Both Lee Jin-wook (Yoon Seok-hoon) and Jung Chae-yeon (Kang Hyo-min) appeared in the drama performer buzz rankings.
Story and Production Authenticity
The drama follows rookie lawyer Kang Hyo-min (Jung Chae-yeon) at Yullim Law Firm as she develops under the mentorship of partner lawyer Yoon Seok-hoon (Lee Jin-wook), known for his cold demeanor but exceptional legal skills.
Written by Park Mi-hyeon, a practicing lawyer, "Esquire" represents the third Korean drama directly written by a current attorney, following "Good Partner" and the partially overlapping "Seocho-dong". The title "Esquire (ESQ.)" refers to the Anglo-American honorific title for lawyers.
Director Kim Jae-hong, known for "Flex X Cop" and co-directing "Revenant," brings detailed direction to the legal proceedings. The series follows "More Beautiful Than Heaven" as the second JTBC Saturday-Sunday drama to be exclusively streamed on Netflix, with no replay availability on TVING.
Cast Performance
The litigation team consists of veteran Lee Jin-wook as the perfectionist partner, Jung Chae-yeon as the passionate newcomer, Lee Hak-joo as associate lawyer Lee Jin-woo, and Jeon Hye-bin as associate lawyer Heo Min-jung. Their chemistry in resolving clients' grievances through fast-paced legal developments provides viewers with satisfying resolutions.
Social media and online communities have praised the series with comments like "didn't expect lawyers' growth stories to be this exciting," "warm and pleasant charm despite being a legal drama," and "perfect acting chemistry among the cast".
Broadcasting Schedule
"Esquire: Lawyers Who Dream of Becoming Lawyers" airs on JTBC every Saturday and Sunday at 10:40 PM KST, with simultaneous global availability on Netflix. The series premiered on August 2, 2025, as the successor to "Good Boy."
The drama's success demonstrates the global appeal of well-crafted Korean legal dramas that combine professional authenticity with compelling character development.
