Yoo Yeon Seok’s Phantom Lawyer Storms to No. 1 Ratings on Premiere Night — SBS Has a Major Hit on Its Hands!

When a new K-drama debuts and immediately dominates its time slot with nearly double the ratings of its predecessor, you pay attention. Phantom Lawyer has done exactly that — and if Episode 1 is any indication, Yoo Yeon Seok is about to remind everyone why he’s one of the most compelling actors working in Korean television right now.

Phantom Lawyer — Episode 1 Ratings & Drama Details

A Dominant Debut — The Numbers Speak for Themselves

According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode of Phantom Lawyer took first place in its time slot across all channels with an average nationwide rating of 6.3 percent. To contextualise how strong this is, the drama that previously occupied its time slot — No Tail to Tell — premiered and ended on an average nationwide rating of 3.7 percent. Phantom Lawyer didn’t just beat the bar — it nearly doubled it on night one.

The competition didn’t fare well either. MBC’s In Your Radiant Season, which airs in the same time slot, dipped to an all-time low of 2.9 percent as it wrapped up the first half of its run. CBC News Meanwhile, JTBC’s Still Shining scored average nationwide ratings of 1.2 percent for both its third and fourth episodes. CBC News Phantom Lawyer wasn’t just leading — it was leading by a significant margin across the entire Thursday night landscape.

What Is Phantom Lawyer About?

Phantom Lawyer is a fantasy legal drama — a genre combination that’s notoriously difficult to execute but extraordinarily rewarding when it lands. Yoo Yeon Seok plays a lawyer with supernatural abilities, navigating cases involving ghosts, spirits, and the unresolved grievances of the dead alongside his co-star Esom. The premise blends courtroom tension with otherworldly intrigue — think procedural drama with a distinctly Korean supernatural soul.

Yoo Yeon Seok — beloved for roles in Hospital Playlist, Mr. Sunshine, and Reply 1994 — brings a natural warmth and intelligence to every character he inhabits. Esom, known for her work in Coin Locker Girl and Juvenile Justice, matches him beat for beat with quiet intensity. Together, they’re a pairing that feels both fresh and inevitable.

A 6.3% premiere rating in today’s fragmented viewing landscape is genuinely impressive — and with the buzz surrounding the show’s concept, those numbers are only likely to grow.

For more K-drama premiere ratings, weekly episode highlights, and the best Korean dramas to watch right now, check out our complete K-drama ratings tracker on TechnoSports and our picks for the best legal K-dramas streaming in 2026.

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