A South Korean pilot program to press former athletes into service as police is put to the test in Good Boy, a 16-episode action comedy series from director Shim Na-yeon. After he won gold in 2018, boxer Yoon Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum) became the nation’s “Good Boy.” But when we meet Dong-ju in Good Boy, he’s daydreaming about past glories while getting pooped on by passing birds. “We were national heroes,” Dong-ju says in a voiceover. “But once the flame goes out, the heroes are forgotten.” Perhaps a pivot to law enforcement is the key to personal redemption. Park Bo-gum stars in Good Boy alongside Kim So-hyun, Oh Jung-se, Lee Sang-yi, Tae Won-seok, and Heo Sung-tae (Squid Game).
Opening Shot: Take it from breathless news reports and a drone-style camera effect that captures its police officers failing to stop numerous incidents: in coastal Insung City, crime is on the rise.
The Gist: What’s apparent in Good Boy is that from Insung Metro PD leadership on down, petty personal grievances and the constant specter of corruption are bigger factors than stopping any kind of crime wave. Which is crazy because the gangster known as Golden Bunny (Kang Gil-woo) is running rampant in the streets with his gang of customs smugglers and baseball bat-wielding thugs. And it’s even more crazy, because a lot of cops on the job would rather heap ridicule on the National Athlete Special Recruit Program than notice the eagerness and preparedness of junior officers Yoon Dong-ju (Park), Ji Han-na (Kim), Shin Jae-hong (Tae), and Kim Jong-hyeon (Lee).
Dong-ju was a boxer. Han-na was a champion trap and skeet shooter. Jae-hong competed in the discus. And Jong-hyeon won silver in fencing. Even Ko Man-sik (Heo), Dong-ju’s senior officer, still fondly recalls his days as an Olympic wrestler. But as they’re passed over for participation in a sting to nab Golden Bunny, these jocks-turned-cops are left to wonder how they’ll ever get out of debt, get a promotion, or even be recognized as full-fledged members of the police department. None of these setbacks seem to bother Dong-ju, though. He remains thoughtful and smiling, even though he’s out here pawning his gold medal for food money.
Good Boy sprinkles in a few wacky music cues alongside its pop music soundtrack, and even a bit of slapstick as the bumbling cops can’t keep up with their pursuit of the Golden Bunny gang. But the series might have a bit of romance on its mind, too – Dong-ju has had moon eyes for Han-na since they trained together on the national Olympic team. (Even so, she rejects his flirting, and Han-na is also navigating a more recent breakup with Kim Jong-hyeon.) While the police establishment likes to dismiss the sportos as cops who “came in through the back door,” trouble finds them anyway, and in such a way that conveniently showcases their athletic prowess as it’s applied to crime fighting. As Dong-ju and his fellow Olympians-turned-LEOs fight for professional respect, they’ll also have to fight a bunch of bad guys who think they’re above the law.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Is it a trend? Athletes using their skills to battle crime and protect the little guy? Because the recent series Bloodhounds features two boxers using their fists and wits to take down a network of violent loan sharks. (For that matter, Good Boy’s Tae Won-seok was also in Bloodhounds.) And Kim So-hyun, who plays Ji Han-na here, was a delight in Love Alarm and My Lovely Liar.
Our Take: Good Boy has 16 (!) episodes to figure it out, so we’re not super worried, but there is a definite sense of tone-sorting happening in the early going of the series. We weren’t entirely sure if the action was going to stay in Keystone Cops hysterical mode, were thrown a little by the sudden left-turn into one-sided flirty banter between Dong-ju and Han-na, and didn’t know how to align its occasional touches of lighthearted music with other stretches where Good Boy suddenly gets really serious. But we also feel like these issues will be sorted as the jock cops show what they can do and start to coalesce as a unit. And it’s significant how good Park Bo-gum is at balancing Dong-ju’s natural goofiness with that sudden seriousness. When the kid encounters Oh Jong-gu (Jung Man-sik), his former Olympic boxing coach, his grin is replaced by a frown and accusations that Oh might have something to do with the disappearance of Dong-ju’s former boxer buddy.
As we look for the tone of this series to settle in, we’re intrigued with how it will further apply its former athletes’ respective disciplines to their new jobs. Like, Ji Han-na won’t always be close enough to her competition shotgun to use it for scaring away goons. And even though Dong-ju eagerly takes on like 10 members of the Golden Bunny gang, his punches pushing like pistons into their midsections, those criminals might be better prepared for Officer Boxer next time they see him. Ultimately, we might be most interested in watching these former athletes pin to the mat or score fifteen foil touches on all of the Insung City officers who are on the take.
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: Despite the adversity they face, the athletes-as-police are finding ways to apply themselves to life on the beat. For Yoon Dong-ju, a scrap with some underworld toughs helps rekindle his old competitive fire. “Our hearts are still burning, roaring like they’re ready to burst.”
Sleeper Star: An early favorite for Good Boy sleeper star are the strong hints that something romantic could emerge between Dong-ju and Han-na. We’re rooting for this, because the chemistry between Park Bo-gum and Kim So-hyun is quietly electric.
Most Pilot-y Line: The athletes’ transition to law enforcement is met with pushback by their peers and derision from superior officers. “You didn’t seriously think they hired you so you can carry a gun and take down criminals, did you?”
Our Call: Stream It! Teamwork isn’t dreamwork yet – as athletes-turned-police, Dong-ju and Han-na and their friends have to deal with a professional learning curve and haters on the force. But the team Good Boy is putting together has the potential to medal in more than one crimefighting event.
Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.