Official Trailer
Rating: 9.4/10 | Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama | Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 8 | Status: Ended
Starring: Park Eun-bin, Cha Eun-woo, Choi Dae-hoon, Im Sung-jae, Son Hyun-joo
I just finished The WONDERfools and honestly? I’m mad it’s only eight episodes. This show has no business being this good, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s the kind of show that doesn’t take itself seriously but somehow lands every joke while also delivering real character moments and action that actually matters. The 9.4 rating on TMDB isn’t a fluke.
Going in, I expected a silly premise with a decent cast doing their best. What I got was way more. The show knows exactly what it is: a fun romp about ordinary people stumbling into extraordinary circumstances. It leans hard into that contradiction, and it works because the writers actually care about these characters.
Season 1
So the setup is genius in its simplicity. There’s apocalypse panic spreading through Haeseong City. The world is ending. And then Eun Chae-ni, this responsible granddaughter type played by Park Eun-bin, randomly gets superpowers along with her chaotic friends Son Gyeong-hun and Kang Ro-bin. They’re not chosen ones. They’re just regular people who caught the short straw.
The first episode does a really solid job setting everything up. You get the vibe of the city, the dread of the apocalypse, and then boom, powers arrive. It’s messy and confused and exactly what these characters would be in that situation. Park Eun-bin is great as the straight man trying to keep everyone together while also freaking out internally.
What made me keep watching past episode one was how much personality every character has. Cha Eun-woo plays Un-jeong and he’s got this perfect mix of cool guy energy and complete goofball that shouldn’t work but does. Choi Dae-hoon and Im Sung-jae round out the group and they all have distinct voices. Nobody feels like a placeholder.
The early episodes are mostly about them discovering what they can do and trying not to die. There’s real chemistry between these people. They bicker like friends actually do. They mess up constantly. There are multiple moments where someone tries something cool and it just fails spectacularly, and the show lets those moments breathe for comedy.
Around episode three or four things start shifting. The gang witnesses real danger. They see what Un-jeong can actually do. The stakes gradually become less about “do we have powers?” and more about “what are we actually up against?” Son Hyun-joo shows up somewhere in here as an antagonist and he’s the kind of villain that feels like a real threat without being cartoonishly evil.
The middle stretch of the season is where everything clicks. The action starts getting better. The jokes land harder because you’re invested in these people. There’s a moment around episode five where Chae-ni has to make an actual difficult choice and it’s not played for laughs. The show can toggle between tones without it feeling jarring.
The last few episodes ramp up the danger and actually deliver on the apocalypse premise. Things get darker. People get hurt. There are real consequences. But it never loses sight of why you’re watching, which is these specific characters dealing with this insane situation.
If I’m being honest, I wish we got more of this. Eight episodes is not enough for how much the show is trying to do. There are character arcs that feel like they’re just getting started. The world they’re building could support way more story. You finish the season and immediately think, “Wait, that’s it?”
The ending is satisfying but it also feels like the beginning of a larger story. It works as a conclusion but it’s the kind of ending that leaves you wanting the next season that probably isn’t coming. Which is frustrating because this cast clearly has chemistry and the show has found its rhythm by episode eight.
If you like action shows that don’t forget to be funny, or comedies that can actually get serious when they need to, this deserves your time. It’s not overhyped. The rating is earned. And yeah, it sucks that it ended, but at least what we got is solid from start to finish. Have you seen it yet, or are you still deciding?
Episode Guide
Limited Series (8 Episodes)
Episode 1: Every Life Comes With a Surprise Twist
When news of the apocalypse spreads in Haeseong City, a cash-strapped and terminally ill young woman devises a kidnapping plot with two clumsy sidekicks.
Episode 2: Secrets Are Meant To Be Kept
Eun Chae-ni and her quirky friends Son Gyeong-hun and Kang Ro-bin are baffled by their sudden abilities. A wary Lee Un-jeong confronts his doubts.
Episode 3: Brutes and Bad Luck Do Come in Droves
The gang witnesses Un-jeong’s superpower in a crisis. While they’re thrilled after a daring rescue, Un-jeong senses danger nearby.
Episode 4: Boon the King Duck vs Wunderkinder
Dr. Ha Won-do returns after 20 years, chasing secrets of the Child of Eternity. Later, the gang faces an attack still unsure of their powers.
Episode 5: All We Need Is You
Un-jeong leads a bootcamp for the gang to tap into their abilities. Chae-ni confronts her grandma about the superpower’s secret.
Episode 6: All Roads Lead to Chae-ni
Chae-ni wakes up to danger but finds a surprise lifeline in her pocket. Un-jeong plans with Gyeong-hun and Ro-bin to rescue Chae-ni.
Episode 7: The Guardians of Haeseong City Part 1
Un-jeong and the gang fight other superpowered followers, while Dr. Ha’s risky plan targets Chae-ni.
Episode 8: The Guardians of Haeseong City Part 2
New Year’s Eve 1999. Three misfits use their abilities to battle superpowered villains in an all-out brawl for Haeseong City.
Where to Watch
Stream on: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads