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Season 1 – The East Palace

Play trailer 1:46 Poster for Season 1 – The East Palace Jul 2026 Action Horror Adventure Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A man who walks the spirit world and a court lady who hears the dead enter the East Palace by the king's orders and attempt to unravel its dark secrets.
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The East Palace — Season 1

Critics Reviews

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Rendy Jones RogerEbert.com Jul 17
2.5/4
Ultimately, ‘The East Palace,' in all its genre‑bending, demon‑slaying glory, does a fine job as a fun genre K‑drama. Go to Full Review
Weiting Liu Common Sense Media Aug 14
4/5
The East Palace is an unusually stylish and absorbing dark fantasy that finds something fresh within both the supernatural-horror and palace-drama formulas. Go to Full Review
Chris Joyce Movies and Munchies (YouTube) Aug 5
4.5/5
While the show could have been a little more condensed with less repetition, the complex and intricate lore mixed with duplicitous actions makes for an engaging thriller filled with cheer-worthy heroes and nightmare villains. Go to Full Review
Archi Sengupta LeisureByte.com Aug 5
3/5
Netflix’s The East Palace delivers an atmospheric blend of historical drama, supernatural horror and mystery. Strong performances, stunning visuals and rich folklore outweigh its occasionally slow pacing. Go to Full Review
David Opie metro.co.uk Jul 23
You are in for a royal treat with this show, which you’ll fly through faster than an attacking gwi-ma. Go to Full Review
Shealyn Scott Screen Rant Jul 22
9/10
The East Palace hits the ground running with its world-building, and it blissfully wastes no time setting up its major conflicts— but it still lets things simmer. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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JOHN T @CHKNadobo 11h The trailer was promising, but after watching a couple of episodes, I have to say I’m pretty disappointed. The fighting scenes felt lame and unrealistic, and some of the transitions between worlds just didn’t make sense to me. For example, how do you go from waist-high water in one scene to being deep above sea level in the next? I really wanted to like this one, but the execution just isn’t there for me. I’d honestly be surprised if it gets a second season. See more Lila H @RT678905342550 3d Enjoy it.The underworld fight scenes are good. See more Eve C @cooke794 4d They certainly threw money at it with Hollowood levels of production, not to mention 4k Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound. Spectacular supernatural doings set the in the Joseon era. Top notch all round. See more Nate C @NateWatches Aug 12 A series full of twists and turns, horror and romance, every episode was captivating and enjoyable. The story touches every emotion, from humour to sadness. The fight scenes were right up my street, it was high-octane and visually striking at times. The costumes and locations felt authentic. I felt the monsters provided horror but there was depth in the storyline that provided more than just jump scares, it was ruthless at times. The actors really sold the characters in their performances, there was a real attachment by the end of the series that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this, it was right up my street. See more Nicole T @RT46695925 Aug 9 Best show I've seen in a few years. I miss shows like this. SciFi needs to come back. Also shows that make you use your brain. I don't think this was too long at all. People are confusing social media clips with real shows and movies. I love when good shows last a long time, this could have had more episodes definitely not less. I am looking forward to season 2 and more. See more Brendon B @americanbigelow Aug 8 I really like this show but it's long. Same story in 6 episodes would easily be 5 out of 5. See more Read all reviews
The East Palace — Season 1

My Rating

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jul 17, 2026 After a mysterious death, the king summons the spirit slayer Gu-cheon to banish the pond spirit; Saeng-gang, who hears the dead, also appears before him. Details Episode 2 Aired Jul 17, 2026 After a close call while pursuing the pond spirit, Gu-cheon makes a pact with Saeng-gang; they uncover the truth behind the salt storehouse ghost. Details Episode 3 Aired Jul 17, 2026 The king orders Gu-cheon to save the prince or die; forced to enter the spirit realm, he comes face-to-face with the ghost of a former royal guard. Details Episode 4 Aired Jul 17, 2026 Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang attempt to seal the pond spirit for good; still suspicious about the crown princes' deaths, Gu-cheon returns to Saeng-gang. Details Episode 5 Aired Jul 17, 2026 Gu-cheon escapes danger with Saeng-gang's help; as the king falls ill, Gu-cheon fights the evil spirit only for a guardian spirit to stand in his way. Details Episode 6 Aired Jul 17, 2026 During Gu-cheon's fight, Saeng-gang comes under threat, bringing them closer to the truth; but Gu-cheon loses his sight, putting their mission at risk. Details Episode 7 Aired Jul 17, 2026 The king and queen dowager clash over the tragedies as resentful spirits close in; Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang steel themselves for a final confrontation. Details Episode 8 Aired Jul 17, 2026 Chaos engulfs the palace as the vengeful spirit moves to devour everything in its path; can Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang stop him before it's too late? Details

Season Info

Screenwriter
Kwon Sora, Seo Jae-won
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Action, Horror, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Korean
Release Date
Jul 17, 2026
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