We Are All Trying Here () is a 2026 South Korean closely observed black comedic television series of the joys and struggles of the Korean film industry written by Park Hae-young, directed by , and starring Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Oh Jung-se, Kang Mal-geum, Park Hae-joon, Bae Jong-ok, Han Sun-hwa, and Choi Won-young. The series tells the story of people who are struggling with envy and jealousy as they search for their own peace. It aired on JTBC from April 18, to May 24, 2026, every Saturday at 22:40 (KST) and Sunday at 22:30 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.
Synopsis The "Group of Eight" is a gang of filmmaker friends who met as juniors and seniors in their university film club. They've since built successful careers in the industry—all except Hwang Dong-man. An aspiring director who hasn't debuted in twenty years. To mask it, he overcompensates by dominating conversations and lobbing harsh critiques at everyone. He tries to pass as a mentor, but his constant chatter wears people down. This behavior causes his friends to become frustrated with him. Despite Hwang's struggles with his perceived failure, his friends continue to support him.
Cast and characters Main Koo Kyo-hwan as Hwang Dong-man Among the eight members of the film club, he alone has not debuted and has been preparing for his directorial debut for 20 years. The other members he started with are later successful film directors and producers. But Dong-man is still in the same place. Then, he meets an overwhelmed producer, Byeon Eun-ah, who helps him rediscover his self-worth. Go Youn-jung as Byeon Eun-ah Han Si-a as young Eun-ah The production director of Choi Film. Nicknamed "Dokki (Axe)" for her brutal script critiques, Eun-ah seems unshakably composed in every situation. Underneath, she battles her own trauma and often suffers from emotional overload. Oh Jung-se as Park Gyeong-se A successful director of Kopark Film with at least five films released worldwide, he is also a member of the "Group of Eight", a well-known film industry gathering. Though technically an adult, he remains unfinished, still growing into himself. His success looks complete, yet he strives relentlessly to validate his worth, pushing upward or bracing against a fall. He maintains a childlike antagonism toward Dong-man while harboring a deep inferiority complex toward him. Kang Mal-geum as Ko Hye-jin Gyeong-se's wife, who is the CEO of Kopark Film. She began her career as a journalist but quit the film industry after growing to hate digging into other people's tragedies. The "Group of Eight" drains her—not just Dong-man, whose reputation for trouble precedes him—but her own husband, too, a man ruled by his inferiority complex. Park Hae-joon as Hwang Jin-man Dong-man's older brother, who is a talented writer. He won a literary contest with a poem out of nowhere. After an unexpected win in a poetry contest, he quit his job. Unsure if he could live as a writer, he entered graduate school to become a professor and write poetry for the rest of his life—but nothing went as planned. Now he just tries to manage his unstable life, getting through each day with the help of alcohol. Bae Jong-ok as Oh Jeong-hee A top actress. When acting, she forgets everything, enters another world, becomes someone else, and escapes her dark past. Han Sun-hwa as Jang Mi-ran A top movie star, she is Jeong-hee's stepdaughter after her remarriage and the female lead in Gyeong-se's fifth film. Her status ranks just below Jeong-hee's, and she has trouble keeping the right social distance. On camera, she and Jeong-hee play the most devoted mother and daughter. Off camera, they turn icy toward each other. Choi Won-young as Choi Dong-hyun CEO of the film production company Choi Film. He believes people exist in a hierarchy and wants to cut out anyone he sees as incompetent.
Supporting Jeon Bae-soo as Park Young-soo as Lee Jun-hwan as Choi Hyo-jin as Lee Gi-ri as Woo Seung-tae as Ga Su-ja Eun-ah's grandmother as Ma Jae-young, Eun-ah abusive ex boyfriend and filmmaker Park Soo-young as Representative Park Kim So-yul as Sae-bom Jo Soo-yeon as Im Na-young
Special appearances Sung Dong-il as Noh Gang-sik Top actor Kim Dong-wook as Jeong-min Gang-sik's junior
Production Development , who helmed When the Camellia Blooms (2019), and Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023–2024), was attached to direct. The script is written by Park Hae-young, who previously wrote My Mister (2018), and the production is handled by Studio Phoenix, SLL, and Studio Flow.
Casting In April 2025, Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Kang Mal-geum, Oh Jung-se were reportedly cast to lead the series. Han Sun-hwa was cast in September 2025, and Park Hae-joon was reportedly considering it.
JTBC confirmed Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Oh Jung-se, Kang Mal-geum, Park Hae-joon, Bae Jong-ok, Han Sun-hwa, and Choi Won-young as the principal cast of the series through its official website.
Filming Principal photography began in October 2025.
Release We Are All Trying Here premiered on JTBC on April 18, 2026, and aired every Saturday and Sunday. It is also available for streaming on Netflix.
Viewership
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea)Nielsen Korea ratings:
Nationwide Seoul 1 April 18, 2026 2.173% 2 April 19, 2026 2.239% 2.834% 3 April 25, 2026 2.540% 4 April 26, 2026 2.441% 3.014% 5 May 2, 2026 2.467% 2.708% 6 May 3, 2026 2.901% 3.396% 7 May 9, 2026 2.565% 3.079% 8 May 10, 2026 3.869% 4.535% 9 May 16, 2026 3.279% 3.421% 10 May 17, 2026 4.270% 5.093% 11 May 23, 2026 4.067% 4.476% 12 May 24, 2026 Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings. This drama aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).
Accolades + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee Result Bechdel Day 2026 Bechdel Choice 10 — Series We Are All Trying Here Daejeon Special Effects Film Festival (DFX OTT Awards) 2026 Excellence Award in Acting Oh Jung-se Seoul International Drama Awards2026International Competition — Best Miniseries We Are All Trying Here International Competition — Best Screenwriter Park Hae-young International Competition — Best Actor Koo Kyo-hwan International Competition — Best Actress Go Youn-jung Outstanding Korean Drama We Are All Trying Here Outstanding Korean Actor Koo Kyo-hwan
References
External links