Netflix’s Brilliant 16-Episode ‘Witcher’ Replacement Is the Perfect Fantasy Binge

Published Jul 29, 2026, 11:52 AM EDT

Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.

A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.

While some viewers love stories about the real world, with romances that make them believe in love, or stories about society that make them think differently about the world around them, others want to get cozy and escape into a whole new world instead. In fact, all the best fantasy TV shows, from*** Game of Thrones*** to The Witcher, do just that: transport them into a new reality. That’s also the result of The Haunted Palace: a South Korean period-fantasy dramedy that, according to FlixPatrol, has since generated 84.4 million hours on Netflix since its premiere last April, turning into a true must-watch, especially with its twisty finale.

The Haunted Palace, directed by Yoon Sung-sik, follows palace official Yoon Gap (Yook Sung-jae), who is possessed by a mythological serpent spirit named Gang Cheol. As is later revealed, the spirit was supposed to ascend to space after 1000 years on Earth, but couldn’t – leaving him now trapped in Yoon Gap’s body. In the meantime, local shaman Yeo-ri (Kim Ji-yeon, also known as Bona**), who has long rejected her fate as a medium, is helplessly in love with Yoon Gap, her first love. And as she tries to leave her shaman days behind her, she instead finds herself forming an unexpected connection with Gang Cheol inhabiting his body.

Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.

You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.

You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.

You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.

You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.

You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.

As ominous signs and unexplained deaths start plaguing the royal palace, Yeo Ri and Gang Cheol get drawn into a centuries-old tragedy rooted in betrayal and war. Together, they must fight the evil forces, especially the vengeful spirit Palcheok-gwi, who is on a mission to destroy the royal bloodline. While the series explores themes of vengeance, destiny, and spiritual conflict,* The Haunted Palace* is, at its core, a rom-com with twists and surprises. Emotionally and atmospherically rich, the show delivers an old-world-meets-supernatural vibe that feels rare in modern K-dramas.

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