SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama Taxi Driver 3 (written by Oh Sang-ho, directed by Kang Bo-seung) keeps scorching the charts, hitting a peak nationwide rating of 15.6% (12.9% in the Seoul metro) and climbing to an average 4.1% among 20-49s with a 5.19% high―No. 1 across all programs aired in December. The series also topped Good Data Corporation’s weekly TV buzz rankings for a fourth straight week, proving the staying power of this “super IP” into its third season.
In Episodes 7-8, Kim Do-gi (Lee Je-hoon) and the Rainbow Taxi crew finally closed the show’s first-ever case and only cold file: a 15-year-old “no-body” murder tied to a college volleyball team. Do-gi delivered eye-for-an-eye retribution to unhinged psychopath Cheon Gwang-jin (Eum Moon-suk), serving up catharsis, while the victim Park Dong-soo’s (Kim Ki-chun) story left a lingering ache―and set the stage for what’s next.
Now the Episode 9 teaser signals a fresh revenge-for-hire mission―and it’s already pulling big numbers, racking up 2.6 million views in four days across SBS’s official YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Naver accounts (as of Dec. 17). Most notably, it offers a first look at Jang Nara as Kang Ju-ri, the head of an entertainment agency.
In the clip, Kang Ju-ri oversees auditions and training for a soon-to-debut girl group. “I’m going all in with everything I have,” she tells the trainees, her warm smile and steady gaze projecting total trust.
But that warmth chills fast. A shocking scene shows her coercing a trainee, using an agency staffer’s debut as leverage. What exactly is happening behind the doors of Kang Ju-ri’s company―and how deep does the exploitation go?
We also see Do-gi taking a hard line with a manager who’s rough with trainees. “Let’s change the manager,” he says, hinting at his next move―and the Rainbow crew’s sights set squarely on a shady talent agency.
“The upcoming Episodes 9-10 will target villains who exploit trainees under the glitter of K-pop success,” the production notes tease. “To bring them down, Do-gi will go undercover as a ‘manager’ inside the problem agency. Stay tuned.”
Taxi Driver 3 airs Episode 9 on Friday, Dec. 19 at 9:50 p.m. KST.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)