Notes From the Last Row – Review | Netflix Series

NOTES FROM THE LAST ROW on Netflix is a limited series from South Korea. A character-driven psychological thriller full of twists. The series stars one of the most iconic South Korean genre actors and has just six episodes. Read our full Notes from the Last Row series review here!

NOTES FROM THE LAST ROW is a Netflix limited series from South Korea. With just six episodes, it’s a fairly quick watch, but they are hour-long episodes. As with most South Korean productions, the plot is extremely character-driven. Also, the characters are not black or white, but rather in shades of gray.

Nobody is entirely good or bad in this series. It’s all about perception and the choices one makes along the road. What are you willing to do for who or what you love? Or, in some cases, who or what are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want?!

Officially, this is (of course!) listed merely as a K-drama, but this is very much a psychological thriller that escalates wildly.

Continue reading our Notes from the Last Row series review below. Find it on Netflix from June 26, 2026.

What is a writer who doesn’t write?!

Notes from the Last Row begins with introducing Heo Mun-oh (Choi Min-sik). He is a depressed and downright grumpy literature professor. Also, he is a failed writer. He managed to write one book, which wasn’t received as he wished, so now he is the personification of the saying: “Those who can’t do, teach.”

For the record, I don’t believe this to be true, but it very much is for Heo Mun-oh. He cannot get words onto paper or onto the screen. The cursor remains blinking until he shuts his laptop without having written a single word.

He isn’t a very good teacher either. Until, that is, he comes across someone he believes to be an untapped genius. The young man, who doesn’t even study literature, Lee Kang (Choi Hyun-wook), seems to know exactly what makes the teacher tick.

Not only is this student the only one in class familiar with the literary classics – he even manages to correct his teacher in class – he is also a gifted storyteller.

In fact, this mysterious student, seated in the last row of his class (hence the title), is writing a story that the professor cannot get enough of. As a result, the professor ends up doing things he never would have. Getting the next chapter of his student’s story is all that matters.

While the story (which may or may not be a true story) evolves, the teacher is being worked by the student. He knows as much, to a point, but cannot help himself: He must know how the story continues… and ends!

Starring the iconic Oldboy star Choi Min-sik

If you’ve watched a few of the most iconic South Korean genre productions, then you’ll be familiar with the star of Notes from the Last Row: Choi Min-sik. Not only did he star in Park Chan-wook‘s Oldboy (2003), remade in the US in 2013 by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin, but he also starred in many other productions.

Choi Min-sik was also in one of my all-time-favorite South Korean movies: The serial killer thriller I Saw the Devil (2010) and, more recently, in Exhuma (2024). If you’re curious about South Korean genre productions – and, honestly, you should be – then check out our list of “Must-Watch” South Korean titles here >

In fact, even if you haven’t watched any Korean production, you may recognize Choi Min-sik from a few US productions. He was in Luc Besson‘s Lucy (2014) and even made a cameo in Marty Supreme (2025).

With Notes from the Last Row, the seasoned and accomplished actor faces off with the rising star Choi Hyun-wook (Mantis, Weak Hero Class 1). Watching them in scenes together is electrifying as their chemistry evolves into a power struggle of extreme proportions.

Watch Notes from the Last Row on Netflix now!

Notes from the Last Row is loosely based on the Spanish play “El chico de la última fila”. To me, it’s hardly surprising that the South Koreans turn to a Spanish plot, as we’ve seen this before. El cuerpo was remade as The Vanished, and I find myself loving both Spanish and South Korean productions for the same reasons.

The stories are multi-faceted with a character-driven plot and characters that evolve before your eyes as they show you who they truly are. Notes from the Last Row is directed by Kim Gyu-tae (The Trunk) and written by Jang Myung-woo (My Mother, the Mermaid).

With six episodes, Notes from the Last Row doesn’t run on for too long. It does, however, evolve in crazy ways, but once you’re on the proverbial crazy train, it can become very difficult to get off it again. I loved the character-driven plot and the psychological thriller element.

Trust me, as much as episode 1 may seem like a drama with a little thriller-mystery, it will evolve into something much darker.

Notes from the Last Row is out on Netflix with all six episodes on June 26, 2026.

Details

Director: Kim Gyu-tae
Writer: Jang Myung-woo
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Choi Hyun-wook, Kim Yunjin, Huh Joon-ho, Jin Kyung