MBC January 2026 Legal K-drama The Judge Returns with Ji Sung, Park Hee Son, and Won Jin Ah Picks Up Traction Breaking 10% Ratings in Third Week

Already January 2026 is off to a better start than last year, where the massive interstellar turkey When the Stars Gossip kicked off last year by launching itself from inside a crap star to destroy my eyes and brain cells. In just three weeks K-dramas has seen a slew of new premieres with plenty of different genres for the varied tastes. I’m here to note that MBC Fri-Sat legal drama The Judge Returns with Ji Sung, not to be confused with his other legal judg-y drama The Devil Judge, is turning into a potential hit for the network. The drama started with just 4.3% ratings but in the most recent episode 6 hit 11%, breaking the 10% mark in the third week. Joining him are solid veteran Park Hee Son with Won Jin Ah as the female lead, but the drama seems to be gaining traction for the reborn/revenge/second chance trick that viewers love when done right. Both Ji Sung and his wife Lee Bo Young are known for working on dramas trading off between each other picking a new project, and not every drama of theirs does well, but they both continue to be solid stalwarts of the industry that we need to treasure.