Taxi Driver

Official promotional poster

***Taxi Driver*** (Korean: 모범택시; Hanja: 模範택시; RR: *Mobeomtaeksi*; lit. ***Model Taxi***) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin, Bae Yoo-ram with Esom in first season and Shin Jae-ha in second season. Based on the webtoon *The Deluxe Taxi* (*Red Cage*) by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin. The **first season** premiered on SBS TV on April 9, 2021, and aired every Friday and Saturday at 22:00 (KST) for 16 episodes. The second season premiered on February 17, 2023, and aired every Friday and Saturday at 22:00 (KST) for 16 episodes. It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea, and on KOCOWA, Netflix, Viki and Viu in selected regions.

The series is inspired by actual real life heinous crimes committed in Korea. The series received praise from viewers for its performances and storylines. The finale achieved the fourth highest rating of any Friday-Saturday drama in SBS history.

The second season finale earned a higher rating than the season one finale. It also set a new record for the highest ratings achieved by any miniseries thus far in 2023. On April 16, 2023, the third season was confirmed.

## Synopsis

Kim Do-ki (Lee Je-hoon) is a Korea Military Academy graduate whose mother was murdered when he was young. Since he could not take revenge on the man who murdered his mother, he now works as a taxi driver for a company which offers a "revenge-call" service to its clients who have been wronged and helps them take revenge.

## Cast

### Main

* Lee Je-hoon as Kim Do-gi, a former 707th Special Mission Group captain who works for Rainbow Taxi Company after his mother was killed.
* Kim Eui-sung as Jang Sung-chul, the CEO of Rainbow Taxi Company. He is also the Director of Blue Bird, a non-profit foundation created to help victims of crime. He is known to be ruthless to villains, and being very warm-hearted towards the victims of crime.
* Pyo Ye-jin as Ahn Go-eun, a skilled hacker who works for Rainbow Taxi Company after her elder sister commits suicide.
* Jang Hyuk-jin as Choi Kyung-goo, the lead mechanic of Rainbow Taxi Company. He was a development researcher for new automobiles in an automobile company.
* Bae Yoo-ram as Park Jin-eon, the assistant mechanic of Rainbow Taxi Company. He was an aircraft maintenance mechanic in a well-known airline company.
* Esom as Kang Ha-na, an elite prosecutor from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office. She fights for justice and later becomes interested in Do-gi's works.

### Supporting

* Cha Ji-yeon as Baek Sung-mi, the chairwoman of Nakwon C&C. Nicknamed "The Godmother", she is a very notorious and influential figure in the underground economy.
* Yoo Seung-mok as Cho Jin-woo, the deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office.
* Lee Yoo-joon as Wang Min-ho, a prosecutor from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, working in Ha-na's office. He assists Ha-na in her cases.
* Yu Yeon-su as So-eun, a prosecutor from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, working in Ha-na's office.
* Lee Ho-cheol as Goo Seok-tae, the secretary of Sung-mi.
* Cho Hyun-woo as Cho Do-chul, a sexual offender who was released from prison early.
* Heo Jung-do as Park Dong-pil, a police captain from Seoul Jongam Police Station.

Changsung Jeotgal Factory (Ep. 1–2)
* Jo In as Kang Maria, Rainbow Taxi Company's first requester of the series. She is mentally handicapped and was unknowingly brought to work in the factory.
* Tae Hang-ho as Park Ju-chan, the general manager of the factory. He resorts to labour exploitation, illegal confinement and habitual abusing of the workers.
* Song Duk-ho as Cho Jong-geun, Ju-chan's younger brother-in-law.
* Kim Do-yeon as Choi Jong-sook, the handler who was responsible for bringing Maria to work at the factory.
* Jo Dae-hee as Kim Hyung-wook, a police chief of a countryside police station. He is corrupt, as he is under the payroll of Ju-chan.

Sejung High School (Ep. 3–4)
* Park Joon-mok as Park Jung-min, Rainbow Taxi Company's second requester of the series. A sophomore student who has been bullied by Park Seung-tae and his friends frequently.
* Choi Hyun-wook as Park Seung-tae, a schoolmate of Park Jung-min. He frequently bullies Jung-min.
* Lee Jae-hak as Jang Hyung-sik, a friend of Seung-tae. He helps Seung-tae in bullying Jung-min.
* Lee Min-jae as Oh Hak-soo, a friend of Seung-tae. He helps Seung-tae in bullying Jung-min.

U Data (Ep. 5–8)
* Jeon Sung-il as Seo Young-min, a former U Data employee who was abused by Park Yang-jin. Do-gi personally accepts to seek revenge for him, which is different from the previous two cases.
* Baek Hyun-jin as Park Yang-jin, the chairman of U Data. He is frequently abusive to his employees whenever something bad happens, and even has resorted to gaslighting them.
* Cho Ha-seok as Director Jung.
* Kim Jae-young as Mr. Lee, a head of department in U Data.
* Lee Da-il as Mr. Ahn, a department manager in U Data.
* Kwak Min-gyu as Jeon Jin-won, a former U Data employee.
* Ryu Yi-jae as Ahn Jung-eun, Go-eun's elder sister who has passed away.
* Seo Han-gyeol as Choi Min, Jung-eun's boyfriend.

Voice Phishing Organization (Ep. 9–10)
* Shim So-young as Lim Bok-ja, the boss of a voice phishing organization, located within a Chinese food restaurant.
* Kim Dae-gon as Madame Lim's employee

Nakwon C&C/Embassy of Bahamas (Ep. 11–14)
* Lee Ho-cheol as Goo Young-tae, Seok-tae's twin brother, and the junior managing director of Nakwon C&C.
* Jung Kang-hee as Shim Woo-seob
* Han Kyu-won as Go Dong-hee
* Han Hyun-ah as Lee Hye-yeon, Dong-hee's girlfriend.
* Lee Yoon-hee as Pastor Go, Dong-hee's father.
* Lee Ha-eun as Dong-hee's younger sister

Finale (Ep. 15–16)
* Yang Dong-tak as Oh Chul-young, a serial killer who murdered Sung-chul's parents and Do-gi's mother.
* Jeon Seok-chan as Kim Chul-jin, a man who was wrongfully jailed 20 years behind bars for a murder case, which was actually committed by Chul-young.
* Ryu Sung-rok as Han Dong-chan / Oh Hyun-soo, the son of Chul-young and a prison guard.

### Special Appearances

* Yoon Do-hyun as Driver Yoon (Ep. 1)
* Lee Young-ae (voice appearance)
* Park Geun-hyung as Sung-mi's husband (Ep. 13)
* Park Jin-hee as Do Joong-won (Ep. 16), Jin-woo's replacement as deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office.
* Ryu Hyun-kyung as Baek Kyung-mi (Ep. 16), Sung-mi's younger sister.
* Yoon Sung-yeo as himself (Ep. 15), a real-life suspect of the Hwaseong serial murders who was wrongfully convicted of and sentenced to life imprisonment for one of the murders.

## Production

On December 4, 2019, it was reported that SBS was considering adapting the webtoon *The Deluxe Taxi* by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin into a television series. Korean streaming platform Wavve was also invested in the series, has also reported that it has previously invested in several other series such as Zombie Detective (2020), Bossam: Steal the Fate (2021), Alice (2020).

On November 20, 2020, Lee Je-hoon, Esom, Kim Eui-sung and Lee Na-eun were confirmed to star in the series. On March 8, 2021, Lee Na-eun officially left the cast following bullying accusations made against her. Two days later, it was announced that Pyo Ye-jin would replace Lee Na-eun.

As of March 8, 2021, about 60% of filming was complete, though scenes featuring Lee Na-eun were scheduled to be re-shot following her removal from the cast.

## Original Soundtrack

*Main article: Taxi Driver/Original Soundtrack*

## Notes

1. ↑ This average ratings is calculated based on the published ratings, the exact average ratings is unknown due to multiple ratings not published.

## References

1. ↑ Nielsen Korea ratings:

	* Ep. 1 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (April 9, 2021). Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 2 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (April 10, 2021). Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 3 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (April 16, 2021). Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 4 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (April 17, 2021). Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 5 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (April 23, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 6 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (April 24, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 7 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (April 30, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 8 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 1, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 9 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 7, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 10 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 8, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 11 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 14, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 12 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 15, 2021). Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 13 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 21, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 14 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 22, 2021). Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 15 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 28, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
	* Ep. 16 (in ko). *Nielsen Korea* (May 29, 2021). Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved on June 1, 2021.
2. ↑  TNmS ratings:

	* Ep. 1 (in ko). *TNmS* (April 10, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 2 (in ko). *TNmS* (April 11, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 3 (in ko). *TNmS* (April 17, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 4 (in ko). *TNmS* (April 18, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 5 (in ko). *TNmS* (April 24, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 6 (in ko). *TNmS* (April 25, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 7 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 1, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 8 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 2, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 9 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 8, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 10 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 9, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 11 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 15, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 13 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 22, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 14 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 23, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 15 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 29, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
	* Ep. 16 (in ko). *TNmS* (May 30, 2021). Retrieved on April 17, 2023.
3. ↑ Lee Seul-bi (August 31, 2022). 김혜수→이준호 '2022 APAN STAR AWARDS' 수상 후보 공개 [Kim Hye-soo → Lee Jun-ho’s ‘2022 APAN STAR AWARDS’ nominees revealed] (in ko). *Sports Donga*. Retrieved on August 31, 2022 – via Naver.
4. ↑ Son Ji-in (March 14, 2022). 옷소매 붉은 끝동'·'골 때리는 그녀들' 등 39편 한국PD대상 본심 진출 [39 Korean PD Awards, including 'Red Sleeves' and 'Those Who Hit the Goal'] (in ko). Retrieved on March 15, 2022 – via Journal.
5. ↑ 김소연 송혜교 이제훈 이하늬 4人 'SBS 연기대상' 대상 후보 확정(공식). *entertain.naver.com* (in ko). Retrieved on 2022-01-15.
6. ↑ 이제훈-김유정 장르/판타지 최우수상 [SBS 연기대상]. *entertain.naver.com* (in ko). Retrieved on 2022-01-15.
7. ↑ Jeong Hee-yeon (December 31, 2021). 안효섭-이솜 장르/판타지 우수상 [SBS 연기대상] [Ahn Hyo-seop - Esom Genre/Fantasy Excellence Award [SBS Acting Awards]] (in ko). *Sports Donga*. Retrieved on January 2, 2022 – via Naver.
8. ↑ Jeong Hee-yeon (December 31, 2021). 모범택시' 김의성-차지연 장르/판타지 조연상 [SBS 연기대상] ['Exemplary Taxi' Kim Eui-seong - Cha Ji-yeon Genre/Fantasy Supporting Actor [SBS Acting Awards]] (in ko). *Sports Donga*. Retrieved on January 2, 2022 – via Naver.
9. ↑ Jeong Hee-yeon (December 31, 2021). 모범택시' 심소영 신스틸러상 [SBS 연기대상] [‘Exemplary Taxi’ Shim So-young Scene Stealer Award [SBS Acting Awards]] (in ko). *Sports Donga*. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved on January 2, 2022 – via Naver.
10. ↑ Ha, Ji-won (December 31, 2021). 김영대·손상연·최연욱, 신인상 공동 수상 [SBS 연기대상] [Kim Young-dae, Son Sang-yeon, and Choi Hyeon-wook, jointly awarded the Rookie of the Year Award. [SBS Acting Awards]]. *Xports News* (in ko). Retrieved on March 15, 2022 – via Naver.
11. ↑ '서울드라마어워즈', 박혁권 남자연기자상...'빈센조' 한류드라마 최우수상. *싱글리스트* (in ko) (October 21, 2021). Retrieved on Octorber 21, 2021.

## External Links

* Taxi Driver's Official Website (in Korean)
* Taxi Driver on Wikipedia
* Taxi Driver on MyDramaList
* Taxi Driver on HanCinema
* Taxi Driver on Netflix (selected regions)
* Taxi Driver on Viu (selected regions)
* Taxi Driver on Viki
* Taxi Driver on Kocowa
* Taxi Driver on Amazon Prime Video (via KOCOWA)
* Taxi Driver on Apple TV
* Taxi Driver on Wavve (selected regions)