So, you’re looking for the release date of The Good Man. Honestly, if you’ve been scouring the internet lately, you might have noticed things are a bit confusing. You’ve got titles like The Nice Guy, Chakhan Sanai, and The Good Man all being used for the same show. It’s enough to make any K-drama fan slightly annoyed.
But here’s the reality. The Good Man release date was July 18, 2025.
If you were expecting a 2026 premiere, you’ve actually missed the initial boat! The series, starring the legend himself Lee Dong-wook, wrapped up its 14-episode run on JTBC and Disney+ back in August 2025. It’s one of those shows that people are still discovering because the titles keep switching around on different streaming platforms.
Why the Good Man release date was so confusing
K-dramas often suffer from "Translation Chaos." In South Korea, the title is Chakhan Sanai. Early on, English-speaking fans started calling it The Good Man. By the time Disney+ picked up the international rights, they branded it as The Nice Guy.
It’s the same show.
Basically, if you see people talking about Lee Dong-wook playing a "pure-hearted gangster," they are talking about this specific project. The confusion reached a fever pitch because there was another big show called Good Boy starring Park Bo-gum that came out around the same time (May 2025). Fans were mixing them up constantly. One is about ex-athletes becoming cops, and the other—our The Good Man—is about a guy trying to escape a crime family.
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The actual broadcast schedule
- Premiere Date: July 18, 2025
- Finale Date: August 29, 2025
- Network: JTBC (Korea) / Disney+ (Global)
- Format: 14 Episodes, aired two episodes every Friday.
Is there a season 2 in 2026?
This is where the rumors for 2026 come from. Since the show ended with a decent audience share (peaking around 3.0% in Seoul), there’s been some chatter about a follow-up. However, as of right now, there is no official 2026 release date for a second season.
JTBC usually doesn't do sequels for these types of noir-romance hybrids unless they absolutely explode in popularity. The Good Man was more of a "slow burn" success. It’s beloved by critics for its writing—shoutout to Kim Woon-kyung for making a gangster story feel actually poetic—but it didn't hit the massive Squid Game levels that demand an immediate season 2.
What makes the show worth the watch?
If you haven't seen it yet, you're looking at Lee Dong-wook in a role that’s way different from Tale of the Nine Tailed. He plays Park Seok-cheol. He’s the eldest grandson in a family that has been in the "business" for three generations.
The twist? He's actually a nice person.
He wants to be a writer. He wants to protect his first love, Kang Mi-yeong (played by the incredible Lee Sung-kyung). Watching him navigate the "diligent gangster" life while trying to keep his heart pure is sort of heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time.
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The chemistry between Lee Dong-wook and Lee Sung-kyung is peak. Some fans complained about the 9-year age gap during filming, but honestly, on screen? It works. They both have that tall, model-like presence that makes every scene look like a high-fashion editorial, even when they’re just eating noodles in a cramped apartment.
Key Cast Members
- Lee Dong-wook as Park Seok-cheol
- Lee Sung-kyung as Kang Mi-yeong (the aspiring singer)
- Park Hoon as Kang Tae-hun (the unhinged rival)
- Ryu Hye-young as Park Seok-hee (the younger sister who basically runs the family)
Where you can watch it right now
If you missed the The Good Man release date and want to binge it now, your best bet is Disney+. Depending on where you live, it might be tucked away under the title The Nice Guy. In some regions, it’s also on Hulu.
The show is 14 episodes. Each episode is about 70 minutes.
It’s the perfect length for a long weekend. It’s not one of those 20-episode marathons that feels like it’s dragging by episode 15. The pacing is actually quite tight, focusing heavily on Seok-cheol’s internal struggle between his family duty and his personal dreams.
Misconceptions about the 2026 schedule
A lot of "2026 release" lists are floating around. Most of these are just scraping old data or confusing The Good Man with upcoming 2026 dramas like Surely Tomorrow or the rumored Taxi Driver Season 3.
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Don't get tricked by the clickbait.
Unless JTBC surprises everyone with a "Special Episode" or a spin-off, the story of Seok-cheol is currently considered complete. The ending was pretty definitive, wrapping up the arcs for the three-generation crime family in a way that felt earned.
Quick tips for watching
- Watch the subtitles carefully: The dialogue is written by Kim Woon-kyung, who is famous for using very specific Korean slang and "street" dialects. A good translation makes a huge difference in catching the humor.
- Don't skip the OST: The music is beautiful, especially the tracks that mirror Mi-yeong’s journey as an aspiring singer.
- Trigger Warning: It’s a noir drama. There’s violence. It’s not "blood and guts" everywhere, but it’s definitely grittier than your standard rom-com.
To get the most out of your viewing experience, start with episode one on Disney+ and pay attention to the sister, Seok-hee. She's the real MVP of the show. While Seok-cheol is busy being "good," she’s the one actually making sure the family doesn't fall apart. It’s a fascinating dynamic that you don't see often in K-dramas.
Log into your streaming account and search for "The Nice Guy" to find the series formerly known as The Good Man. Binge the 14 episodes to see how Seok-cheol balances his criminal heritage with his writer's soul.