Taxi Driver (South Korean TV series)

Taxi Driver (South Korean TV series)

Taxi Driver (Korean: 모범택시) is a 2021 South Korean television series starring Lee Je-hoon, Pyo Ye-jin, Kim Eui-sung, Jang Hyuk-jin, Bae Yoo-ram, Esom and Shin Jae-ha. Based on the webtoon The Deluxe Taxi (Red Cage) by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin, the story is inspired by actual real life heinous crimes committed in Korea. The first season aired on SBS TV from April 9 to May 29, 2021, every Friday and Saturday at 22:00 (KST). The second season aired from February 17 to April 15, 2023. The third and final season aired from November 21, 2025 to January 10, 2026. It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea, on Kocowa in the Americas, and on Netflix, Viki and Viu in selected regions.

Taxi Driver received praise from the viewers for its performances and storylines. The first-season finale episode achieved the fourth highest rating of any Friday-Saturday drama in SBS history. The second-season finale episode earned a higher rating than the previous season. It also set a new record for the highest ratings achieved by any miniseries thus far in 2023.

Synopsis

Season 1

Kim Do-gi, a former special forces soldier who works as a driver for Rainbow Taxi Company, a secret and anonymous vigilante group that offers victims seeking revenge call for justice to people that have not been punished by the law. The squad features CEO Jang Sung-chul, with hacker Ahn Go-eun and mechanics Choi Kyung-ku and Park Jin-eon. They work together to break the law and punish criminals who avoid prosecution. Prosecutor Kang Ha-na grows more suspicious of Rainbow Taxi and get pulled into their work, while an embattled Do-gi faces his past and the limit of vigilante justice.

Season 2

After the events of the previous missions, members of the Rainbow Taxi have gone back to their normal lives, until Kim Do-gi receives an urgent request from a father whose son had been trafficked to Vietnam. The crisis pulls the group together, and they start their activities once more with more determination than ever. A new driver, On Ha-jun, comes into the company, though his presence harbors hidden consequences. As the team investigates trafficking and corruption that reach across borders, more complicated threats arise, and they start to reveal a greater conspiracy that involves themselves.

Season 3

The Rainbow Taxi team is back for more cases that involve highly dangerous criminals, both from international syndicates and organized domestic offenders. The missions get more and more complex, with added layers of moral complication that make the team question the aftermath of their vigilante methods. Meanwhile, the relationships between members deepen, especially as Kim Do-gi faces personal loss and tests of loyalty.

Production

Season 1

On December 4, 2019, SBS was considering adapting the webtoon The Deluxe Taxi by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin into a television series. Korean streaming platform Wavve was also invested to the series, and has been previously invested in several other series such as Zombie Detective (2020), Bossam: Steal the Fate (2021), and Alice (2020).

On November 20, 2020, Lee Je-hoon, Esom, Kim Eui-sung and Lee Na-eun were confirmed to star in the series.

On March 8, 2021, Lee Na-eun was removed from the cast following bullying accusations against her. Two days later, she was replaced by Pyo Ye-jin.

About sixty percent of the filming for the first season was complete as of March 8, 2021. Lee Na-eun's scenes were removed and had to re-shot.

Season 2

On July 6, 2021, SBS announced the production of the second season of the series.

Esom had to withdraw from the cast due to scheduling inconsistencies. Lee Je-hoon and Pyo Ye-jin were confirmed to reprise their respective roles. Script reading took place on June 12, 2022. A day later, Kim Eui-sung, Jang Hyuk-jin and Bae Yoo-ram were confirmed to reprise their roles.

On July 15, 2022, SBS reported that some of their staff tested positive for COVID-19, causing the filming in Vietnam to be temporarily halted. The Vietnam Kidnap case episodes (1-2) features scenes shot in Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Huế, and Ha Long Bay.

Season 3

On April 16, 2023, SBS confirmed that a third season of the series was in the works.

Lee Je-hoon, Pyo Ye-jin and Kim Eui-sung will reprise again their roles. Bae Yoo-ram is also confirmed to appear in the third season. Additionally, Edan Lui of Hong Kong boy group Mirror are also starring on the series as part of co-production with Viu.

The first few episodes are filmed in Saga and Fukuoka prefectures of Japan.

Release

Taxi Driver (South Korean TV series)

The first teaser video and teaser poster were released on December 31, 2020.

To promote the second season of the series, Viu invited Lee Je-hoon to his first fan-meeting in the Philippines on March 3, 2023, in Indonesia on March 19, 2023, and in Singapore on March 25, 2023. Lee also participated at the FilMart in Hong Kong, where Viu reported that the second season of the series was the most-watched program following the premiere.

Awards and nominations

Taxi Driver (South Korean TV series)

<table><thead><tr><th>Award ceremony</th><th>Year</th><th>Category</th><th>Nominee / Work</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>APAN Star Awards</td><td>2022</td><td>Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries</td><td>Lee Je-hoon</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actress</td><td>Cha Ji-yeon</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Korea PD Awards</td><td>2022</td><td>Best TV Drama</td><td>Taxi Driver</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>SBS Drama Awards</td><td>2021</td><td>Grand Prize (Daesang)</td><td>Lee Je-hoon</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama</td><td>Esom</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Pyo Ye-jin</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama</td><td>Kim Eui-sung</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama</td><td>Cha Ji-yeon</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Scene Stealer Award</td><td>Shim So-young</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best New Actor</td><td>Choi Hyun-wook</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Team</td><td>Taxi Driver</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>Grand Prize (Daesang)</td><td>Lee Je-hoon</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Excellence Award, Actor in a Seasonal Drama</td><td>Shin Jae-ha</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Excellence Award, Actress in a Seasonal Drama</td><td>Pyo Ye-jin</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actor in a Seasonal Drama</td><td>Jang Hyuk-jin</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Bae Yoo-ram</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Netizen Choice's SBS Best Drama</td><td>Taxi Driver 2</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best Young Actress</td><td>Ahn Chae-heum</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Scene Stealer Award</td><td>Go Sang-ho</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Byun Jung-hee</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>Grand Prize (Daesang)</td><td>Lee Je-hoon</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Drama of the Year</td><td>Taxi Driver</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Action Drama</td><td>Kim Eui-sung</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Action Drama</td><td>Pyo Ye-jin</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Action Drama</td><td>Jang Hyuk-jin</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Bae Yoo-ram</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Performance</td><td>Kim Eui-sung</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Scene Stealer Award</td><td>Yoon Shi-yoon</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Seoul International Drama Awards</td><td>2021</td><td>Outstanding Hallyu Drama Award</td><td>Taxi Driver</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Outstanding Korean Actor</td><td>Lee Je-hoon</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>