Netflix's Tantara reunites Gong Yoo with his Coffee Prince director and Song Hye-kyo with the writer of That Winter, The Wind Blows. It arrives in three parts, ending on Christmas Day.
Netflix has a teaser out for Tantara, and the release plan is a three-week holiday binge.
Netflix Korea released the teaser and four character posters for Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo's new drama late Thursday, Nov. 12, U.S. time, Soompi reported. Part 1 premieres Friday, Dec. 11. More episodes follow Dec. 18 and Dec. 25.
There's a double reunion behind the camera. Director Lee Yoon-jung made Coffee Prince, the 2007 hit that starred Gong Yoo. Writer Noh Hee-kyung wrote That Winter, The Wind Blows, which starred Song Hye-kyo in 2013.
The teaser's tagline sums it up: "A reckless beginning. Countless challenges. The intense journey of entertainers."
When does Tantara come out on Netflix?
Tantara drops in three parts, all on Fridays, Soompi reported:
Part 1: Dec. 11
Part 2: Dec. 18
Part 3: Dec. 25, Christmas Day
Netflix hasn't said how many episodes are in each part. It streams worldwide, only on Netflix, so U.S. fans get it the same day as Korea.
Netflix first announced the Dec. 11 date on Oct. 22. The teaser and posters are the first big look at the characters.
What is Tantara about?
Tantara follows people who start with almost nothing and bet everything on making it big in Korea's entertainment industry, from the 1960s to the 1980s, Netflix said.
Min-ja (Song) grows up poor and pushes her way into the music business. Her childhood friend Dong-gu (Gong Yoo) fights to protect her dream. Together they sign Min-hui, a gifted singer who becomes their first artist, and cross paths with Seok Gil-yeo, the top hitmaker of the era.
In the teaser, Min-ja and Dong-gu lean on each other through rough times, meet Min-hui and keep getting knocked down. They keep getting back up, too, Soompi said.
Netflix calls it a music-driven story of resilience and ambition. Think rags to riches, with a lot of stage lights.
Who is in the Tantara cast?
Each character poster carries a short line that says a lot about them:
Song Hye-kyo as Min-ja: "You know I can smell money a mile away. There's money here."
Gong Yoo as Dong-gu: "We've had it rough. What have we got to fear?"
Kim Seol-hyun as Min-hui: "I have to make it so you won't abandon me."
Cha Seung-won as Seok Gil-yeo: "You think someone uneducated like me got this far by chance?"
Soompi described Min-hui's bond with Min-ja as complicated. That poster line suggests the same thing. Casting a singer fits, too: Kim Seol-hyun, who goes by Seolhyun, got her start in the K-pop group AOA.
Who made Tantara?
Noh Hee-kyung wrote it. Besides That Winter, The Wind Blows, her credits include Our Blues and It's Okay, That's Love. Lee Yoon-jung directed. Studio Dragon and GTist produced, What's on Netflix reported.
The show went by the working title Show Business before Netflix landed on Tantara. Filming started in December 2024.
Where have you seen Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo before?
Song Hye-kyo: Netflix's The Glory, plus Descendants of the Sun and Full House.
Gong Yoo: The mysterious salesman in Squid Game, plus Train to Busan, Goblin and The Silent Sea.
Kim Seol-hyun: My Country: The New Age and Light Shop.
Cha Seung-won: Our Blues, another Noh Hee-kyung drama.
Tantara is one of the bigger titles on Netflix's December calendar. The Christmas Day finale means you can plan your holiday around it, or plan your holiday around avoiding spoilers.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Soompi (Nov. 13, 2026), the teaser, character posters, poster quotes, tagline and the three-part release schedule
Netflix (Oct. 22, 2026), the Dec. 11 date, premise, era, cast, writer and director credits
What's on Netflix (Oct. 22, 2026), the production companies, working title and filming start
What's on Netflix (Nov. 12, 2026), Tantara's spot on the December 2026 lineup
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