''Taxi Driver'' () is a

South Korean television series Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

starring

Lee Je-hoon Lee Je-hoon (born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. He started his career in indie films, then went on to appear in commercial films like '' The Front Line'' (2011), ''Architecture 101'' (2012) and '' My Paparotti'' (2013), and television ...

Esom Lee So-young (January 30, 1990), known by her stage name Esom, is a South Korean actress and model. Career She gained recognition for her leading role in the 2014 film ''Scarlet Innocence'', for which she was nominated for Best New Actress in ...

and

Kim Eui-sung Kim Eui-sung (; born December 17, 1965) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in films ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), ''Office'' (2015), '' The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo'' (2015) and ''Train to Busan'' (2016); ...

. Based on the

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

''The Deluxe Taxi'' (''Red Cage'') by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin, it premiered on

SBS TV SBS may refer to: Broadcasting * SBS Broadcasting Group, Belgium, formerly many countries * Talpa TV, formerly SBS Broadcasting B.V., Netherlands ** SBS6, Dutch television channel ** SBS9, Dutch television channel * Special Broadcasting Service ...

on April 9, 2021, and aired every Friday and Saturday at 22:00 KST until May 29. The second season is scheduled to be shown on February 17, 2023 at 22:00 KST. The series is inspired by actual real life heinous crimes committed in Korea. The series received praise from viewers for its performances and storylines. The finale achieved the fourth highest rating of any Friday-Saturday drama in SBS history.

Series overview

Synopsis

Kim Do-gi (

) is a

Korea Military Academy Korea Military Academy (KMA) is the leading South Korean institution for the education and training of officer cadets for the Republic of Korea Army. Along with the Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon), it produces the largest number of senior officer ...

graduate whose mother was murdered when he was young. Since he could not take revenge on the man who murdered his mother, he now works as a taxi driver for a company which offers a "revenge-call" service to its clients who have been wronged and helps them take revenge.

Cast

Main

as Kim Do-gi : A former

707th Special Mission Group The 707th Special Mission Group ( ko, 제707특수임무단, Hanja: 第707特殊任務團) is an elite counter-terrorism unit of the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command. History The unit was formed after the Munich massacre, which for ...

Captain who works for Rainbow Taxi Company after his mother was killed. *

as Jang Sung-chul : The CEO of Rainbow Taxi Company. He is also the Director of Blue Bird, a non-profit foundation created to help victims of crime. He is known to be ruthless to villains, and being very warm-hearted towards the victims of crime. *

Pyo Ye-jin Pyo Ye-jin (born February 3, 1992) is a South Korean actress. Among her representative works are her roles in television series ''VIP'' and ''Taxi Driver''. Career Pyo Ye-jin worked as a flight attendant from 2011-2013 at Korean Air before she ...

as Ahn Go-eun : A skilled

hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...

who works for Rainbow Taxi Company after her elder sister commits suicide. *

as Kang Ha-na (season 1) : An elite prosecutor from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office. She fights for justice and later becomes interested in Do-gi's works.

Supporting

Jang Hyuk-jin Jang Hyuk-jin (Korean: 장혁진, born Jang Seok-hyeon on 16 August 1971) is a South Korean actor. He graduated from Seoul Institute of the Arts – Department of Theater. He is better known for '' Dr. Romantic'' (2016), ''Suspicious Partner'' ...

as Choi Kyung-goo : The lead mechanic of Rainbow Taxi Company. He was a development researcher for new automobiles in an automobile company. * Bae Yoo-ram as Park Jin-eon : The assistant mechanic of Rainbow Taxi Company. He was an aircraft maintenance mechanic in a well-known airline company. *

Cha Ji-yeon Cha Ji-yeon is a South Korean actress and singer. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Scent of a Woman'', ''Taxi Driver'' and '' Remarriage & Desires''. She also appeared in movies ''The Treacherous'', '' Love, Lies'', ''Horror Stori ...

as Baek Sung-mi : The chairman of Nakwon C&C. Nicknamed "The Godmother", she is a very notorious and influential figure in the underground economy. * Yoo Seung-mok as Cho Jin-woo : The deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office. * Lee Yoo-joon as Wang Min-ho : A prosecutor from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, working in Ha-na's office. He assists Ha-na in her cases. * Yu Yeon-su as So-eun : A prosecutor from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, working in Ha-na's office. * Lee Ho-cheol as Goo Seok-tae : The secretary of Sung-mi. * Cho Hyun-woo as Cho Do-chul : A sexual offender who was released from prison early. * Heo Jung-do as Park Dong-pil : A police captain from Seoul Jongam Police Station. *

Shin Jae-ha Shin Jae-ha (born April 2, 1993) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Military service Shin enlisted in the mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people ...

as On Ha-jun (Season 2) : A new driver of Rainbow Taxi Company. * Jeon Jun-ho (Season 2)

Others

;Changsung

Jeotgal ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid piece ...

Factory (Ep. 1–2) * Jo In as Kang Maria : Rainbow Taxi Company's first requester of the series. She is mentally handicapped and was unknowingly brought to work in the factory. * Tae Hang-ho as Park Ju-chan : The general manager of the factory. He resorts to labour exploitation, illegal confinement and habitual abusing of the workers. *

Song Duk-ho Song Duk-ho is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Tracer'', ''Moonshine'', ''Hotel del Luna'' , ''Juvenile Justice'', ''Taxi Driver'' and '' Link: Eat, Love, Kill''. He also appeared in movies ''Secret Zoo'', '' ...

as Cho Jong-geun : Ju-chan's younger brother-in-law. * Kim Do-yeon as Choi Jong-sook : The handler who was responsible for bringing Maria to work at the factory. * Jo Dae-hee as Kim Hyung-wook : A police chief of a countryside police station. He is corrupt, as he is under the payroll of Ju-chan. ;Sejung High School (Ep. 3–4) * Park Joon-mok as Park Jung-min : Rainbow Taxi Company's second requester of the series. A sophomore student who has been bullied by Park Seung-tae and his friends frequently. *

Choi Hyun-wook Choi Hyun-wook (; born January 30, 2002) is a South Korean actor. In 2019, he began his acting career by leading in the web drama ''Real:Time:Love''. His role in SBS television series ''Taxi Driver'' and ''Racket Boys'' awarded him the Best New ...

as Park Seung-tae : A schoolmate of Park Jung-min. He frequently bullies Jung-min. * Lee Jae-hak as Jang Hyung-sik : A friend of Seung-tae. He helps Seung-tae in bullying Jung-min. * Lee Min-jae as Oh Hak-soo : A friend of Seung-tae. He helps Seung-tae in bullying Jung-min. ;U Data (Ep. 5–8) * Jeon Sung-il as Seo Young-min : A former U Data employee who was abused by Park Yang-jin. Do-gi personally accepts to seek revenge for him, which is different from the previous two cases. * Baek Hyun-jin as Park Yang-jin : The chairman of U Data. He is frequently abusive to his employees whenever something bad happens, and even has resorted to

gaslighting Gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as manipulating someone so as to make them question their own reality. The term derives from the title of the 1944 American film ''Gaslight'', which was based on the 1938 British theatre play ''Gas ...

them. * Cho Ha-seok as Director Jung * Kim Jae-young as Mr. Lee : A head of department in U Data. * Lee Da-il as Mr. Ahn : A department manager in U Data. * Kwak Min-gyu as Jeon Jin-won : A former U Data employee. * Ryu Yi-jae as Ahn Jung-eun : Go-eun's elder sister who has passed away. * Seo Han-gyeol as Choi Min : Jung-eun's boyfriend. ;Voice Phishing Organisation (Ep. 9–10) * Shim So-young as Rim Bok-ja : The boss of a voice phishing organisation, located within a Chinese food restaurant. * Kim Dae-gon as Madame Lim's employee (Ep. 9–10) ;Nakwon C&C/Embassy of Bahamas (Ep. 11–14) * Lee Ho-cheol as Goo Young-tae : Seok-tae's twin brother, and the junior managing director of Nakwon C&C. * Jung Kang-hee as Shim Woo-seob * Han Kyu-won as Go Dong-hee * Han Hyun-ah as Lee Hye-yeon : Dong-hee's girlfriend. * Lee Yoon-hee as Pastor Go : Dong-hee's father. * Lee Ha-eun as Dong-hee's younger sister ;Finale (Ep. 15–16) * Yang Dong-tak as Oh Chul-young : A serial killer who murdered Sung-chul's parents and Do-gi's mother. * Jeon Seok-chan as Kim Chul-jin : A man who was wrongfully jailed 20 years behind bars for a murder case, which was actually committed by Chul-young. * Ryu Sung-rok as Han Dong-chan / Oh Hyun-soo : The son of Chul-young and a prison guard.

Special appearances

* Yoon Do-hyun as Driver Yoon ( cameo, Ep. 1) *

Lee Young-ae Lee Young-ae (born January 31, 1971) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her appearances in the Korean historical drama ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003), and as a revenge seeking single mother in Park Chan-wook's crime thriller film ''Sympathy ...

(voice appearance) * Park Geun-hyung as Sung-mi's husband (Ep. 13) * Park Jin-hee as Do Joong-won (Ep. 16) : Jin-woo's replacement as deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office. * Ryu Hyun-kyung as Baek Kyung-mi (Ep. 16) : Sung-mi's younger sister. * Yoon Sung-yeo as himself (Ep. 15) : A real-life suspect of the

Hwaseong serial murders Lee Chun-jae (; RR: I Chun-jae; born January 31, 1963) is a South Korean serial killer known for committing the Hwaseong serial murders. Between 1986 and 1994, Lee murdered 15 women and young girls in addition to numerous sexual assaults predom ...

who was wrongfully convicted of and sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

for one of the murders

Production

Season 1

Development

On December 4, 2019, it was reported that SBS was considering adapting the

''The Deluxe Taxi'' by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin into a television series. Korean streaming platform Wavve was also invested in the series, has also reported that it has previously invested in several other series such as

Zombie Detective ''Zombie Detective'' () is a South Korean fantasy television series starring Choi Jin-hyuk and Park Ju-hyun. The series is produced by KBS Drama Production and RaemongRaein and aired on KBS2 from September 21 to October 27, 2020. It tells the s ...

(2020), Bossam: Steal the Fate (2021),

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

(2020).

Casting

On November 20, 2020,

and

Lee Na-eun Lee Na-eun (; born May 5, 1999), also known mononymously as Naeun, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a former member of South Korean girl group April. Besides from her group's activities, Naeun also has roles in ''A-Teen'' (2018), ''A ...

were confirmed to star in the series. On March 8, 2021, Lee Na-eun officially left the cast following bullying accusations made against her. Two days later, it was announced that

would replace Lee Na-eun.

Filming

As of March 8, 2021, about 60% of filming was complete, though scenes featuring Lee Na-eun were scheduled to be re-shot following her removal from the cast.

Season 2

On July 6, 2021, SBS announced the production of second season. On March 8, 2022, it was reported that

will be withdrawing from Season 2 due to scheduling inconsistencies. On June 8, 2022, it was confirmed that

and

will reprise their respective roles in Season 2, and a script reading will take place on the June 12, 2022. Season 2 is expected to air in 2023. A day later,

and Bae Yoo-ram also confirmed to reprise their roles.

Filming

On July 15, 2022, it was confirmed by SBS that some of the staff had tested positive for COVID-19, causing filming in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Series overview

Synopsis

Cast

Main

Supporting

Others

Special appearances

Production

Season 1

Development

Casting

Filming

Season 2

Filming

Release

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Viewership

Season 1

Awards and nominations

Notelist

References

External links