# Mad Dog (매드독) (TV series)
**Mad Dog** (매드독, revised romanization Maedeudok) is a 2017 South Korean television crime thriller in which a private investigation team exposes insurance fraud, billed by its broadcaster KBS as the first [Korean drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-drama) to take insurance crime as its subject[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785). It ran 16 episodes on KBS2 from October 11 to November 30, 2017, airing Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00, directed by Hwang Eui-kyung and written by Kim Soo-jin[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native title / network | 매드독 (Maedeudok), KBS2, Wednesday-Thursday 22:00 slot[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog) |
| Run | 16 episodes, October 11 to November 30, 2017[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog) |
| Credits | Director Hwang Eui-kyung, writer Kim Soo-jin, previously of *Romance Town* and *Mister Goodbye*[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785) |
| Premise | Korea's first insurance-crime investigation drama, using insurance fraud to satirize Korean society[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785) |
| Leads | Yoo Ji-tae as Choi Kang-woo; Woo Do-hwan as Kim Min-jun / Jan Gebauer[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785) • [3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5) |
| Ratings arc | 5.5% premiere to 9.7% finale (Nielsen Korea); low of 4.8% in episode 2[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)) |
| Awards | 2017 KBS Drama Awards: Woo Do-hwan Best New Actor, Choi Won-young Best Supporting Actor[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog) |
| Streaming | Apple TV (US, TV-14, subtitled) and OnDemandKorea[3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5) • [5](https://www.ondemandkorea.com/player/vod/mad-dog-1) |
## Premise and synopsis
KBS promoted the series as a "satisfying" crime investigation drama that exposes Korean reality through the many forms of insurance crime, a subject no domestic drama had treated before[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785). Its framing device is a pair of nicknames: the "copy cats" who commit insurance crimes and the "mad dogs" who catch them[6](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/program_view.php?pg_seq=1156).
*Choi Kang-woo* ([Yoo Ji-tae](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoo-ji-tae)) is a former police officer who went on to lead an insurance company's investigation team, catching fraud with a 99 percent detection rate while staying entirely within the law[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785) • [6](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/program_view.php?pg_seq=1156). Two years before the story begins, the plane carrying his wife and son crashed, and [Kim Bum](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-bum)-joon is responsible for the crash[3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5). Concluding that the worst insurance crooks cannot be caught within legal boundaries, he forms his own extralegal team, Mad Dog[6](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/program_view.php?pg_seq=1156) • [5](https://www.ondemandkorea.com/player/vod/mad-dog-1).
He is joined by *Kim Min-jun* (Woo Do-hwan), a genius former swindler whose brother was also a victim of the same airplane crash[5](https://www.ondemandkorea.com/player/vod/mad-dog-1). The shared loss gives the team its personal stake, and the investigation of the crash and of Kim Bum-joon drives the story alongside the episodic fraud cases[3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5).
## Cast and characters
- **Yoo Ji-tae** as Choi Kang-woo, team leader[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog)
- **Woo Do-hwan** as Kim Min-jun, who appears under the dual role Kim Min-jun / Jan Gebauer[3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5)
- **Ryu Hwa-young** as Jang Ha-ri, the team's sole female member, a smart former gymnast working as an insurance investigator whose specialty is infiltrating in disguise using her gymnastic skills; she formerly worked with Kang-woo at the insurance company[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785) • [6](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/program_view.php?pg_seq=1156)
- **Jo Jae-yoon** as Park Soon-jung[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog)
- **Kim Hye-seong** as On Nu-ri[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog)
- **Hong Soo-hyun** as Cha Hong-joo[7](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/PYH20171010237200341) • [3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5)
- **Choi Won-young** also appears in the cast[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog)
## Production and broadcast
The drama was created by director Hwang Eui-kyung and writer Kim Soo-jin, whom KBS credited for the human touch of their earlier work on *Romance Town* and *Mister Goodbye*[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785). It aired as the follow-up to *Manhole* in KBS 2TV's Wednesday-Thursday 10 p.m. slot, premiering October 11, 2017[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785). The international feed, [KBS World](https://www.edgepedia.org/kbs-world), premiered the series on October 12, 2017, with a listed runtime of 70 minutes per episode[6](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/program_view.php?pg_seq=1156).
A credit disagreement exists on one point: IMDb's FAQ credits producer [Dick Wolf](https://www.edgepedia.org/dick-wolf) as the series' creator, alongside writer Kim Su-jin and director Hwang Eui Kyung[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7396412/faq/), while the broadcaster's own Korean-language material attributes the drama to Hwang and Kim[1](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785).
## Ratings and reception
Nielsen Korea ratings rose overall, though not steadily: 5.5% for the premiere on October 11, 2017, a series low of 4.8% for episode 2 the next day, 8.3% for episode 14 (November 23), 7.5% for episode 15, and a series-high 9.7% for the finale on November 30[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)). AsianWiki's ratings table, using TNmS figures, records the finale at 9.3% nationwide (12th that day) against 9.7% on AGB Nielsen (7th nationwide)[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog). The two agencies' episode 1 figures also differ, 5.5% (Nielsen, per NamuWiki) versus 6.2% TNmS nationwide (per AsianWiki), a routine gap between Korea's two rating agencies[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog).
The finale won its time slot, and the series was regarded as a solid success in a fiercely contested 2017 ratings race, particularly given that its predecessor *Manhole* was one of KBS's worst-rated dramas[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)). Viewer response to Yoo Ji-tae's lead performance and to the Yoo Ji-tae and Woo Do-hwan pairing was positive, while reception of [Ryu Hwa-young](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryu-hwa-young) was mixed[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)).
At the 2017 KBS Drama Awards on December 31, 2017, Woo Do-hwan won Best New Actor and Choi Won-young won Best Supporting Actor for the series[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog); NamuWiki additionally records Ryu Hwa-young winning a female rookie award alongside them[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)). IMDb counts two awards for the series[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7396412/faq/).
## By the numbers
The ratings arc tells a compact story. The series opened at 5.5%, dipped to its 4.8% floor in episode 2, then rose almost monotonically to close at 9.7%, never crossing the 10% line[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)). That near-doubling over 16 episodes, in a Wednesday-Thursday slot that had just hosted one of KBS's lowest-rated dramas, is the quantitative basis for its reputation as a solid success[4](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88)). The 70-minute international runtime and the TV-14 rating on Apple TV, with episodes of about 1 hour 1 minute, give a sense of the per-episode length outside Korea[6](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/program_view.php?pg_seq=1156) • [3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5).
## Availability and legacy
The series is available for streaming on Apple TV, credited to studio KBS02, rated TV-14, with English (United States), Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles[3](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5). It is also streamable on OnDemandKorea[5](https://www.ondemandkorea.com/player/vod/mad-dog-1).
The drama's lasting mark is chiefly as a career milestone for its cast: Woo Do-hwan's Best New Actor award at the 2017 KBS Drama Awards came for this role[2](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog).
## References
1. [통쾌한 사이다 드라마, 최초 보험범죄 조사극 '매드독', KBS News](https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=3557785)
2. [Mad Dog, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Mad_Dog)
3. [MAD DOG, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mad-dog/umc.cmc.5dr96sajgvll9d52ewnhc2th5)
4. [Mad Dog (drama), NamuWiki](https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EB%A7%A4%EB%93%9C%EB%8F%85(%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88))
5. [매드독, OnDemandKorea](https://www.ondemandkorea.com/player/vod/mad-dog-1)
6. [Mad Dog, KBS WORLD TV program page](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/program_view.php?pg_seq=1156)
7. [New TV drama 'Mad Dog', Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/PYH20171010237200341)
8. [Mad Dog (TV Series 2017) FAQ, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7396412/faq/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Thriller, crime, and mystery series › Crime and mystery thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license