Netflix Finds Its Bloodhounds Replacement In A New Dark Psychological Thriller
Ever since Bloodhounds wrapped up its brutal second season without a season 3 confirmation, the gritty Korean underworld space on Netflix has felt pretty empty. The platform has still delivered big hits during that time, like Teach You A Lesson, which completely dominated the charts and smashed its way into the all-time top 10 non-English list, but nothing has quite brought back the same street-level energy of Bloodhounds. That changes on August 28 with Mousetrap, a new 10-episode thriller that looks ready to fill the Spring 2026 hit's void.
Based on Ludovico's hit manhwa Field Mouse, the upcoming series keeps the shady world of loan sharks at the center of its story, but takes it in a much darker direction. Instead of the relentless boxing action of Bloodhounds, Mousetrap leans into psychological tension, dangerous secrets, and twists that can completely change the way the story looks.
The series also has the cast to make that shift work, with Ryu Jun-yeol (from Reply 1988) and Sul Kyung-gu (from Good News) leading the show. Their presence alone makes this one worth keeping an eye on, especially for anyone who has been missing Netflix's darker Korean crime dramas. The loan sharks are back, but this time, the real fight is happening inside people's heads.
Netflix Trades Relentless Action For Pure Psychology In Its Newest Thriller
Mousetrap (also known by its original webtoon title Deuljwi or The Rat) follows Je Moon-jae, a washed-up writer who built his career by stealing his students' manuscripts. Just as his fraud was about to come to light, he disappeared after borrowing money from an illegal loan firm. With a ruthless loan shark also chasing him over a massive debt, Moon-jae forges fake documents to make it seem like he fled abroad. But in reality, he spends a decade locked inside his own apartment.
Moon-jae survives on food deliveries and treadmill runs, completely cutting himself off from the outside world. Just when he thinks everyone has stopped looking for him, the psychological horror kicks in. Someone known only as "The Rat" has stolen his identity, and this is not just a case of someone using his name. The mysterious figure somehow manipulated all the legal documents like fingerprints, ID numbers, and even his appearance. The Rat even flips the script and frames the real Moon-jae, turning him into a wanted criminal on the run from the cops.
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Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
03
In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
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Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?
✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.
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The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?
✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.
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Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?
✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.
07
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?
✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.
08
Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?
✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.
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With his name and finances wiped out, Moon-jae is left with nowhere to turn but the last person he should trust. He teams up with No-ja, the same ruthless loan shark he originally borrowed from, to track down the doppelgänger who has stolen his life. That unlikely partnership is made even more interesting by the casting, with Ryu Jun-yeol (The 8 Show) playing the increasingly paranoid Moon-jae and veteran actor Sul Kyung-gu (Kill Boksoon) taking on the role of No-ja.
Going Into Mousetrap Completely Blind Is The Best Way To Experience The Madness
The Bloodhounds comparison is easy to make because Mousetrap also drops its characters into the streets of loan sharks and dangerous debt collectors. But that is where the similarities mostly end. Directed by Kim Hong-sun, the filmmaker behind dark thrillers like Voice and The Guest, Mousetrap is far more interested in paranoia than fistfights. The central mystery is built around a man trying to take back a life that someone else has already stolen.
That makes the series feel much closer to Strangers From Hell than Bloodhounds. The loan-shark alliance is still there, but this time the danger comes from twisted mind games, shifting identities, and one reveal after another. Even the characters are hard to trust, with almost everyone carrying their own secrets and motives. There is no clean hero-and-villain setup here, which should make the mystery even harder to predict.
Mousetrap is best approached without knowing too much about where the story goes. The less the twists are spoiled, the better the paranoia and identity mystery should land when the 10-episode series arrives on August 28.