NEWS
“Taxi Driver” season three returns to smaller audiences; Korea’s SBS series debuts at av. 9.25%, hits #1 on Viu
25 November 2025
The third edition of SBS’ Friday/Saturday prime-time drama "Taxi Driver" premiered in Korea on 21 Nov to a tepid response from local viewers compared to the first two seasons. But streaming platform Viu, which boarded the series in mid-2025 and sells the show as a Viu Original, is telling an entirely different story.
Reporting a resounding success so far, Viu says the series premiered at #1 across Southeast Asia and the Middle East, “alongside its record-breaking domestic performance in Korea”.
Viu’s framing speaks to Korea’s market situation, where the video entertainment environment has all but collapsed and broadcasters now seem grateful for single-digit ratings performance.
Season three returns the mysterious Rainbow Taxi vigilante team investigating a complex portfolio of cases involving dangerous domestic and international criminals.
According to Nielsen Korea, audiences for the first two episodes of season three were 1.787 million (ep 1) and 1.903 million (ep 2) – well behind the debut episodes of the first two seasons.
Average audience share for episode one was 9.5% nationwide, dropping to 9% for episode two on 22 November.
Season one aired from April to May 2021, with an average rating of 12.6% nationwide across the entire 16-episode series.
Season two aired from February to April 2023, rising to 15% average for the full season.
The first two episodes of season two both hit ratings of above 10%.
In June this year, Viu said it had acquired worldwide rights, excluding Korea and mainland China, for "Taxi Driver 3", which returns Lee Je-hoon in his starring role as Kim Do-gi, the brilliant yet tormented vigilante. Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin and Bae Yoo-ram are also back for the third season, created/written by Oh Sang-ho and directed by Kang Bo-seung.
The new season also features Edan Lui of Hong Kong’s boy band MIRROR (part of Viu owner PCCW’s entertainment ecosystem), who makes his Korean drama debut as a character who forms an unpredi...
The third edition of SBS’ Friday/Saturday prime-time drama "Taxi Driver" premiered in Korea on 21 Nov to a tepid response from local viewers compared to the first two seasons. But streaming platform Viu, which boarded the series in mid-2025 and sells the show as a Viu Original, is telling an entirely different story.
Reporting a resounding success so far, Viu says the series premiered at #1 across Southeast Asia and the Middle East, “alongside its record-breaking domestic performance in Korea”.
Viu’s framing speaks to Korea’s market situation, where the video entertainment environment has all but collapsed and broadcasters now seem grateful for single-digit ratings performance.
Season three returns the mysterious Rainbow Taxi vigilante team investigating a complex portfolio of cases involving dangerous domestic and international criminals.
According to Nielsen Korea, audiences for the first two episodes of season three were 1.787 million (ep 1) and 1.903 million (ep 2) – well behind the debut episodes of the first two seasons.
Average audience share for episode one was 9.5% nationwide, dropping to 9% for episode two on 22 November.
Season one aired from April to May 2021, with an average rating of 12.6% nationwide across the entire 16-episode series.
Season two aired from February to April 2023, rising to 15% average for the full season.
The first two episodes of season two both hit ratings of above 10%.
In June this year, Viu said it had acquired worldwide rights, excluding Korea and mainland China, for "Taxi Driver 3", which returns Lee Je-hoon in his starring role as Kim Do-gi, the brilliant yet tormented vigilante. Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin and Bae Yoo-ram are also back for the third season, created/written by Oh Sang-ho and directed by Kang Bo-seung.
The new season also features Edan Lui of Hong Kong’s boy band MIRROR (part of Viu owner PCCW’s entertainment ecosystem), who makes his Korean drama debut as a character who forms an unpredictable alliance with Kim Do-gi.
"Taxi Driver 3" is produced by Studio S, the in-house production arm of SBS Media Group.
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